For some people, the idea of loving your job sounds like a pipe dream. But there are three traits elements that very clearly and demonstrably affect job satisfaction and can, yes, even mean job love. Ready to hear what they are? I’m a big fan of books about scientific studies on happiness, satisfaction, focus, flow, and all those other seemingly elusive elements. But … [Read more...]
Can You Break Your Copywriting Contract Early?
A contracting gig is a great opportunity for a copywriter to earn some steady income, make new connections, and build your portfolio—all without being stuck on staff. But what happens if you want to break your copywriting contract? Are you trapped? The Difference Between Freelancing & Contracting For those of you who are little hazy on the difference between … [Read more...]
Why Freelance Bidding Sites like Upwork and Fiverr Are Bad News
Those freelance bidding sites where you can submit quotes on copywriting projects seem like a great deal. You get to just scan through listings, submit a quick proposal and quote to potential clients, and land tons of work. Great, right? Wrong. Freelance bidding sites are great for clients ... and a waste of a good copywriter’s time. How Freelance Bidding Sites … [Read more...]
The Cardinal Sin for New Copywriters
When you're just starting work, you'll do practically anything to get it—including making an offer that's sure to tank any chances you have of making money or being respected. Oh, and did I mention that the majority of new copywriters make this mistake? Read: It's a big problem. Let's make sure you avoid it. The Big Sin Before you land your first copywriting client, or … [Read more...]
Copywriting for Love or Money
How you organize your time can have a major effect on how much money you bring in. But what should you do when you have a project that you want to work on that won't pay you very much? There are going to be many points during your career when people want you to work for them but for less than your standard rate or just generally less than you deserve. When this happens you … [Read more...]
How to Optimize Your Copywriting LinkedIn Page
Sure, you know that LinkedIn is important...kind of. You put up a profile, but you haven't touched it in forever. Instead of just sitting there, your profile could be helping you get work—if you make some changes. Which changes are most important for a copywriter LinkedIn profile? First, let's take a quick step back to talk about why a good LinkedIn profile is so important. … [Read more...]
5 Reasons You’re Not Getting Copywriting Job Responses
After you go through all the time to find job listings, polish your resume and submit it, it can be soul-crushing not to hear back at all. What's going on? What are you missing? And how can you fix it? The bad news is that there are some pretty common things that keep people from getting calls for interviews after they apply for a copywriter job. But the good news is that … [Read more...]
Should You Get a Copywriting Internship?
Once you're out of school, an internship may feel outdated. But when you see that the ad or in-house agency you really want to get into has only one opening and it's a copywriting internship, you may find yourself reconsidering. Strictly speaking, an internship is an opportunity for beginners in an industry to get practical, on-the-job experience. It's true that internships … [Read more...]
How to Avoid Making Promises You Can’t Keep
A former Israeli prime minister once chastised his fellow politicians by saying their slogan could be, “Sure, I promised. But I never promised to keep my promise.” Outside the semi-virtual world of politics, of course, there are real consequences to failing to keep one’s promises. There is a strong incentive, especially when we are starting out, to agree to any project … [Read more...]
Building Your Career for Maximum Flexibility
Many people get into copywriting because they want the options to work where they want and when they want. And, of course, that's perfectly possible. But to do that successfully (read: without going bankrupt) they have to build their careers accordingly. Now, to state the obvious. You'll never have complete say in when you work since you'll always be creating work for … [Read more...]