When people think of the things that might get in the way of being successful in their copywriting careers, they tend to all think of the same things: not enough time, other commitments, having trouble finding clients, etc. The good news is that all of these are easy to identify and surprisingly easy to surmount with a good plan. But it’s the other distractions—the … [Read more...]
The Most Expensive Mistake I’ve Ever Made as a Copywriter
I’ve been a professional copywriter for more than 15 years, and I’ve had a lot of successes and worked with a lot of fantastic clients in that time. But part of what’s fueled that success has been learning from mistakes…and making sure I never make them again. Lucky for you, you don’t have to make all of them in the first place; you can learn from my mistakes, instead! And … [Read more...]
One Question That Can Literally Change Your Life
Okay, the bad news is that your mind doesn’t want you to be happy. (There's good news coming too, but bear with me for a moment.) Truly: The oldest part of your brain, the lizard brain, doesn’t care if you’re happy as long as you’re safe. And that means it’s going to use aaaaaall kinds of sneaky tactics to keep you in your comfort zone—even if the rest of you wants out of … [Read more...]
Why Landing Pages Are the Perfect First Copywriting Projects
If you’re looking for a way to get started with a potential client—or, perhaps, a good piece of value to bring to a potential client to convince them to work with you—landing pages might just be the perfect place to start. Landing pages are where a visitor “lands” after taking an action link clicking an ad, clicking a link, or opting in. Landing pages have exactly ONE … [Read more...]
10 Resources to Keep You Resourceful
Okay, look, I promise that I'm not going to be the 10,000th person today to tell you that we’re living through “challenging times.” But I will, gently, remind you that while some worrying is natural…it’s not going to help anything. (And, as copywriters, we’re very fortunate that there’s a bit less to worry about for us than for lots of other people.) So, in the spirit of … [Read more...]
Your Copywriting Clients NEED Your Guidance
As our students can attest, when you land your first few clients you feel elation followed very quickly by panic. (Which, by the way, does subside and occurs much less often as you land more and more clients.) The reason for this panic is that it’s now time to walk the walk as well as you talk the talk—to actually do the work you’ve been practicing and preparing for. And … [Read more...]
Will the Market Be Flooded with Copywriters?
A few nights ago, someone left a comment on one of our Facebook ads essentially saying, “Your training is all well and good, but when the market is flooded with copywriters no one will be able to find work and everyone will have to work for peanuts.” Well, that’s a pretty dire prediction. But as you’ve likely heard me say before: The people who know the least about a topic are … [Read more...]
Recessions Are Huge Opportunities for Copywriters. Here’s Why:
The first time I made six figures as a copywriter was in 2008...right in the middle of the Great Recession...right after I left my full-time job to go freelance. Why then? Especially knowing that period was when, sadly, companies were laying off staff left and right. But here’s the key: **Companies still needed copy because copy drives business.** Remember, copywriting … [Read more...]
Should You Be Hand-Copying Ads to Learn Copywriting?
I first started hearing about this a few months ago. Someone left a comment on a post asking if there was any use in hand-copying other people’s ads to learn copywriting. Then, someone else sent an email through to us. And, after that, I found out that a few copywriting courses make hand-copying ads major pillars of their teaching. Let me make something very clear: No, … [Read more...]
If I Make So Much Money Writing Copy, Why Am I Teaching Copywriting?
Usually, I get this question via a Facebook comment on an ad. And, I’d venture to say that it’s not asked in the most, oh, constructive manner. (Which tends to be the way with most Facebook ad comments that come through in the middle of the night…) But it’s come up often enough—and maybe you’ve even wondered it yourself— that I want to be sure to address it now. The question … [Read more...]
