I’d love my clients to think I have a super-human ability to get down to work and churn out amazing copy. However, the truth my students need to know is that I absolutely do not have that super-human ability, and I often find it just as hard to get focused and sit down to work as anyone. And because I know I face this challenge—and because I get the questions about it … [Read more...]
Frustrated, Disillusioned, and/or Procrastinating? It’s Time to Fight Resistance
There are some truths that you can’t just remember. When you hear them, they make sense…but after a time, your brain goes back to trying to convince you of something different. This is our friend Resistance and, the moment Resistance starts to play tricks on our mind is the moment we need to go to war to fight Resistance. I was reminded of this recently when I was doing a … [Read more...]
How Copywriters Can Deal With a Difficult Design Partner
A designer is a copywriter’s partner in creative work. When that relationship is good, the work is golden. (If you haven't, check out our 9 tips for how copywriters can most effectively work with designers.) But when that relationship is not as good, the work can suffer and job satisfaction plummets. Let’s talk about what to do when that relationship is strained. A strained … [Read more...]
The Self-Care Habit That Copywriters Just Can’t Skip
Many new copywriters have questions about which computers are best and which services are best for building their website and things like that. And those are important questions, but they’re putting the cart in front of the horse a bit. There’s one crucial habit that most copywriters don't give enough thought to, and it can be deeply detrimental to their work. Now, … [Read more...]
The Big Question You Need to Answer to Be a Successful Copywriter
It’s not easy starting a new career, much less building a successful one. Building a copywriting career is a big goal, and big goals are almost always challenging. Think about it. Running a marathon, raising a healthy and happy child, writing a book, and losing 100 pounds are big goals are all difficult. It can feel scary and cause you to doubt yourself more than anything … [Read more...]
Build a Successful Copywriting Business with This Trait
When new copywriters are getting started, they often write to me looking for a "magic bullet" for building a successful copywriting business. And I usually say that there isn’t one. Except…there kind of is. Building any kind of business is challenging, plain and simple. Anyone who says you can "make six figures in your pajamas working two hours a week" is lying. It’s, of … [Read more...]
How Do You Find the Confidence to Get Started in Copywriting?
Even when you want something very badly—a new career, for example—it’s not always enough to get you to take the steps to begin. Here we look at how to find the confidence to get started in copywriting. I wish I could tell you that there was some magical incantation or elixir that would instantly give you confidence. There just isn’t. But there are two things that, when … [Read more...]
How to Find the Time to Learn Copywriting
One of the biggest obstacles to making a significant change in your life is finding the time to do it. Here we break down exactly how find the time to learn copywriting and build your copywriting career. Finding the time to do anything is, first, a matter of priorities. (And, please understand, this is coming from someone who definitely does not always master her … [Read more...]
The Dirty Secret About Copywriting Certificates
Many new and would-be copywriters think they need a copywriting certificate—some sort of proof that they know how to write copy. After all, how else will employers or clients know that you know how to write copy? But not only is copywriter certification not necessary, it could actually be detrimental to your job hunt. What you do need is copywriting training. You need … [Read more...]
A Response to “I Never Should Have Followed My Dreams”
A story that I read in a decade ago on Salon.com popped up in my newsfeed again, and I was as baffled by it this time as I was the first time. The article is called “I Never Should Have Followed My Dreams,” and it’s about a man who quit his job in a social policy research organization to become a freelance copywriter. The gist of what happened is that he took an … [Read more...]