Freelancers have a love/hate relationship with deadlines. We love them because there is nothing that will get your rear in a chair and your fingers typing like a looming copywriting deadline. And we also hate them because what gets our rear in the chair are twinges of panic at the idea of not getting the work done in time. Deadlines are essential because they ensure that … [Read more...]
Why Copywriters Need to Think Visually (and How to Do It)
Copywriters aren’t designers. But when it comes to concepting ideas, you do need to come prepared with ideas for the project. For example, if you’re writing a banner ad to get people to book a vacation and want the copy to say something like “Go from ARGH! to Ahhhhhhh” you may envision someone yelling in an office contrasted with someone relaxing in a beach chair. When … [Read more...]
Why You Need to Resell Your Copywriting Work
Okay, pop quiz, copywriters. Once you found the client, landed the work, written the first draft, and conducted your self-edits, what's the next step? Send the draft back to your client with a friendly, “Let me know what you think!,” right? (Hint: If that were right, this would be a really short post.) Don't Just Send Your Copy Believe me, I certainly understand the … [Read more...]
Can You Become a Copywriter If You’re Not a Grammar and Punctuation Dynamo?
A confession: I can’t diagram a sentence. I mean, I could once. In seventh grade, I was a master. But now…participles, gerunds, modifiers? I’ve got no fricking idea. It’s important to understand the rules of English so that you can intelligently break them. Unless you’re teaching English or writing academic papers, the logistics of gerunds (et al) don’t really come … [Read more...]
Copywriting Contracts: Do You Need to Send Them to Clients?
Everybody needs a copywriting contract, right? After all, we need to be safe—to protect ourselves and ensure the project doesn't fall through! But…to protect ourselves from what, exactly? Like the topic of whether or not to bill upfront, the question of contracts comes from the same impulse to “protect ourselves” from nefarious clients. People believe that having … [Read more...]
Copywriting Revision Rounds: How Many Rounds Do You Offer?
I get this question a lot—"how many revisions do I need for copywriting?" or "how many rounds is fair?"—and I understand the thinking behind it. People are worried that clients are going to “take advantage” of them and request round after round after round of revisions until it’s perfect. But here’s the thing: Our copy is supposed to be perfect. (Or, at least, as close to … [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. What's a Landing Page? Landing pages are where a visitor “lands” after taking an action like clicking an ad or link or opting in. Landing pages have … [Read more...]
Is Handwriting Ads a Real Way to Get Copywriting Practice?
When I first heard about this tactic, I was shocked. 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 to the Filthy Rich Writer team. And, after that, I found out that a few copywriting courses make hand-copying ads a major pillar of their teaching. Let me make something … [Read more...]
The Perspective Shift You NEED to Make to Be Successful as a Copywriter
Here’s a short post but an important one. When we’re writing copy for our clients, it can be tempting to view the project and your copy through your own perspective. After all, that’s the perspective you’ve been viewing things from for your entire life, right? But when you can’t escape your own perspective, you’re doing your clients—and your career—a disservice. If … [Read more...]
How to Win Trust to Get Copywriting Clients
Here’s a hard truth: the average conversion rate for purchases is right around 2%. Of course, it can skew up or down depending on the industry or the product, but 2% is a pretty solid estimate. That means that for every 100 people who see an offer…2 people will buy. That's on top of the fact that, for most businesses, a lot of money is spent getting those 100 people to even … [Read more...]