A lot of career and business guides will advise you to find a copywriting mentor...but they won't tell you how to find that mentor. Until there's a website to connect would-be mentors with mentees like a dating site (note to self: business idea!), you'll have to go it alone. So, here are a few tips to find a copywriting mentor. When you're looking for your mentor, don't … [Read more...]
Your Copywriting Career Resolutions for 2024
It’s the time of year when everyone starts thinking about resolutions. And contrary to all the experts and articles that say that “resolutions don’t work,” I remain firmly in the pro-resolution camp with one major caveat: You need to choose resolutions that you can make happen. Not achieving resolutions in the past isn’t a reason not to make them now—especially for … [Read more...]
How Copywriting Projects Actually Come Together
For people who are just starting out as copywriters, there's an element to the copywriting process that's often kind of a mystery. Namely, well, pretty much the whole process. How does a project get started? How when do you work with a designer? How does your work get seen? Where does the writing fit in? Believe me: what seems confusing and intimidating now will eventually … [Read more...]
How To Learn From the Copywriting Greats
One of the surest ways to improve any skill set is to identify the people who are the best at doing what you want to do. If you're an actress, watch other great actors and actresses perform. If you're an artist, study the works of other great artists. But where do you go if you're a copywriter? One of the interesting things about copywriting is that it's kind of a … [Read more...]
What Does it Take to Become a Copywriter?
Before you make a decision about choosing or changing a career, you want to have some indication that you'll actually be good at it and successful at it. It makes complete sense! Whether you will be successful or not at copywriting has a short answer and a long one—and I'd strongly recommend you read both. Short Answer: There's Never Any Guarantee First, the short … [Read more...]
Confused About Where to Start Your Copywriting Career? This One’s For You
Embarking on any kind of new project or journey is overwhelming—and a major part of what's overwhelming about it is not even knowing where to start. What should your first step be? How do you begin? So, let me begin with a a simply answer. When it comes to "where to start" with anything, the best place to start is exactly where you are. Before you dismiss that as trite, … [Read more...]
The Attention Dilemma
When you have a problem to solve or a creative project to write for, it can seem like the best thing to do is just sit down and motor on through until you come up with the perfect solution. In truth, that can be one of the worst ways to get to the answer. When you're trying to access your creative mind, sometimes the best course of action is to step away from the problem … [Read more...]
Why Tough Creative Directors Can Be the Best Ones
For most people, the ideal boss/employee relationship is like something you'd see in a movie: Good buddies who grab a drink together after work. But in a creative industry, especially when you're first getting started, this can be the worst kind of boss for you. In reality, the best kind of boss might just be the last one you'd think you'd want. First, let's make sure we're … [Read more...]
Best Backgrounds and Degrees for Getting Into Copywriting
When you start something new, especially something that's important to you, you want to make sure you start in the best way possible. That means, you want to make sure your job history and education are a good fit for it. You may even wonder if you need a degree for copywriting. When it comes to getting into copywriting, there are a few things you might have in your … [Read more...]
What’s a Creative Brief? A Guide to a Copywriter’s Essential Document
In the simplest terms, a creative brief is a write-up of everything a forthcoming project should entail. It gives all of the background information as well as all of the requirements and expectations for a project. When it comes to copywriting, this is the one magical document that you cannot do without. It guides you, it protects you and, yes, sometimes it even calls you … [Read more...]