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...]
8 Copywriting Books Copywriters Need to Read to Build Marketing and Mindset Skills
I’m a big believer in continual learning...especially for copywriters who tend to write about a variety of topics. If you ever think you know everything about something, you’re in BIG trouble. There's no end to your education, but that education should stay fun, don't you think? To that end, we've compiled a list of eight copywriting books you need to add to your … [Read more...]
How to Keep a Project from Falling Through
It's heartbreaking: You find a potential client, put together the perfect proposal, they say "Yes!" and then...the project just dies. No project...and no paycheck. Let's talk about why that happens and what you can do about it. First, let me just say that this premature project death happens to the best of us, even the very best. Clients that were extra jazzed about moving … [Read more...]
5 Easy Tips for Maximizing Your Time
Twenty-four hours often doesn't feel like enough time to do everything you need to do—especially when you're building up your new copywriting career. So, short of bending the rules of time, what's a person to do? While I can't add extra time into the day (yet...I'm working on it), I can offer you some suggestions for maximizing the time you've got. A lot of time management … [Read more...]
How to Deal With Haters (a.k.a. Loved Ones Who Don’t Understand Copywriting)
Wouldn't it be wonderful if the world were always a bright, shiny place and everyone was always supportive? Oh, it would. It would. But that's just not the case. So let's talk about how to stay up when other people are bringing you down. The simple fact of the matter is that people—including our family and friends—are going to have opinions about what you do. To be clear, … [Read more...]
The Big Secret About Changing Careers
Most people consider changing their careers at least once during their working lives, but few who attempt it actually succeed. Why is that? We're going to break it all down for you today as we reveal the big secret behind successfully changing careers. Most copywriters, including the majority of people who join the Comprehensive Copywriting Academy, do not have a background … [Read more...]
7 Ways to Burn Bridges Like a Champ
We focus a lot on ways to be a better copywriter, but let's turn things around a bit. Here we focus on the not-to-dos: seven things that will make you a worse one and earn you the dislike of your boss/client and coworkers, if not help you lose your job. To begin with, obviously, the best way to keep your job is to work hard, work well, be friendly, and be … [Read more...]
Getting Faster Isn’t Always Getting Better
When most new copywriters think about improving their skills, they think about learning to write faster. In reality, this isn't the key to getting better. So, what is? I definitely understand the desire to speed up. When you're sitting there, staring at your screen and waiting for ideas to come to you, the minutes can feel like hours. And when you have deadlines … [Read more...]
How to Improve Your Copywriting Skills
When you're first learning to write copy, trying to craft the perfect line feels like pulling teeth. You wrangle and struggle and moan and groan and wonder how long until you'll get better at this. So, today, we're giving away the big secret: the key to improving as a copywriter. First, the most important thing to remember when you're learning is that it's supposed to be … [Read more...]
How To Develop a Thick Skin
Any kind of writing is open for critiques, but copywriting is one of the few where you'll get that feedback from a full group—and in-person. If you're the kind of person who takes your work personally, you'll need to find a way to get some distance and perspective. How? It can be surprising for new copywriters to get live feedback on their work from a whole group of people; … [Read more...]