One of the most important things you need to do to build your copywriting career is to build your copywriting portfolio. It's how you prove to clients you know how to write copy well, even before you work with your prospective client. But where do you even start? How do you create a copywriting portfolio website? How to you get samples? Here's how to put together a copywriting … [Read more...]
How to Avoid the Copywriting Niche Trap
Many so-called copywriting gurus will tell you that the path to success is to proclaim a niche right away. But that advice is 100% wrong and, worse, it's potentially damaging to your career. Read on to hear why and find out what you should do instead. The other day, a student said to me, "I’ve heard that I should pick a niche and focus on building samples and finding clients … [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...]
What Do Copywriters Actually Do?
As you explore the field of copywriting, you likely know that a copywriter, well, writes. But, you're also probably thinking, "Yeah, but what does a copywriter do? What does that look like?" Copywriting is one of the most flexible careers. You can work as a fully remote freelancer, a contractor who bops in and out of an office, or on-staff within a company or for an ad … [Read more...]
How Soon Can You Make Money as a Copywriter?
One of the most common questions i get from people who are interested in getting into copywriting is, "Great, I'm interested—but when will I start to make money?" It makes sense: we want to know what the earning potential is before we jump headfirst into a new career. So, I’ll answer this question, but, I’m going to presuppose that you’re on an actual copywriting study … [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...]
Your Unique Selling Point: Set Yourself Apart from the Competition
We're all in the business of selling. We're either actually trying to sell products or services, or we're trying to "sell" people on taking some kind of an action. Even nonprofits are trying to sell people on making donations. But with the unemployment rate constantly making the news and articles about "how to get a raise" and "how to brand yourself" across magazines and … [Read more...]
Copywriting Q&A: 9 Myths About Copywriting, Part 1
Considering a new career is a lot like trying to find a place to live in a new town. You don't know the areas, you don't know who to trust and you don't even really know what questions to ask. Well, that's where I come in. Today, we're going to start a three-part series to debunk a lot of the myths you may be hearing (or fearing) about copywriting. As usual, our post today is … [Read more...]
5 Sites To Help You Build Your Online Copywriting Portfolio
Every copywriter needs an online portfolio. This is how we prove to clients we know how to write copy. But most of us aren't web developers or designers (those are entirely different careers!). The good news is you don't need to have these skills as a copywriter. And you don't need to pay a professional or learn the skills yourself to create your portfolio. We've compiled a … [Read more...]