One of my favorite sayings isn’t appropriate to print here, so I’ll paraphrase: Opinions are like [unpleasant but necessary body part]; everybody’s got one. Advice is similar—everybody’s got some. Unfortunately, though, a lot of people who want to give advice have bad advice to offer.
That’s especially true if you’re becoming a copywriter or even if you’ve been running a successful copywriting business for years. A lot of people, especially if they’ve never run a business before or have never heard of copywriting, may be giving really bad advice. It’s often well meaning, but it can conflict. So, how do you tell the difference?
The Worst Place to Get Copywriting Advice
I have no idea why, but humans seem to be hardwired to give advice. If you’re going through something, people want to tell you exactly what you should do. But just because everyone is offering advice, doesn’t mean that all of it (or any of it!) is any good.
So, let’s start by talking about the worst places to get copywriting advice (or really any kind of advice) and then end on the best places.
A few years ago, I was sitting with a group of friends and one of them was talking about how confused she was by how the guy she was seeing was very slow about texting her back. We all had a few things to say about it, but no one was louder than her perpetually single roommate.
Her roommate was saying things like, “You deserve better! You need to kick that guy to the curb!” And maybe this guy wasn’t the right one for her, but as someone who is very much in love with a man who is wonderful in many ways but also happens to be terrible at returning texts, “kicking him to the curb” probably shouldn’t be your first reaction.
My point is this: If you’re looking for relationship advice, don’t look to your single friends or your friends in bad relationships/marriages. If they were right and had valid advice, they wouldn’t be single or be in bad relationships!
The same thing goes for career advice (and, really, advice in any arena): If you’re looking for advice, don’t seek it or take it from people who haven’t succeeded in their careers. If their advice worked, they’d be successful. But they’re not.
The Best Place to Get Copywriting Advice
So, where do you go to find good advice? Just turn the scenario around:
Get your advice only from people who are successful in the area in which you want advice.
And ONLY get it from them.
If you want to get into or maintain a successful relationship, ask for advice and talk things through with your friends who are in good, stable, loving, and supportive relationships. They know what to do to get there because they did it.
And if you want to get advice about becoming a copywriter? Get it from people who have forged lasting, successful copywriting careers.
Plenty of people are going to try to give you advice about copywriting. But unless they’ve built their own successful copywriting careers, what do they know?
How Do You Know Who Is Successful?
Knowing this little trick isn’t going to stop everyone who isn’t an expert from giving you advice. It’s likely that nothing can do that. But knowing this can stop you from being swayed by advice from people who aren’t successful in the area in which you want advice.
If you wanted advice about how to perform heart surgery, you’d get it from a working, successful heart surgeon—not from your Uncle Phil.
Of course, some advice is sneakier. There are some professional-looking copywriting Instagram profiles and websites out there. Many of them touting that they’ve scaled to six, or even seven figures, and they can help you get there, too.
Now, some of these may be legit. But the one thing I’d encourage you to look for is their portfolio. Do they have a body of copywriting work that demonstrates they’ve worked in the business?
Then, check out their LinkedIn profile. Do they have actual copywriting experience listed? Do they have testimonials from past clients and/or colleagues raving about their work?
Believe it or not, there are plenty of people who tout expertise and have never worked as a copywriter. Make sure they have the body of work to back up their claims.
And I don’t take my own position as an advice-giver lightly, either. I’ve created this website and our Comprehensive Copywriting Academy because I can share with you how to succeed in copywriting. Why? Because I’ve done it. And I’ve done it consistently for 20+ years. (If you’re curious, you can check out my portfolio here.)
Seeking advice is a very smart tactic. Great advice can help you avoid pitfalls and take action in ways wouldn’t otherwise know how to. But don’t let yourself be swayed by advice from just anyone, no matter who they are. Get advice from people who are successful at the things you want to master.
Your Turn!
What good (or bad) pieces of advice have you received and from whom? Let us know in the comments below!
Last Updated on July 4, 2023
Finally some one else with the same issues I’ve had! To add to Nicki’s comments, there are also a sea of “Copywriting courses” out there offered by ‘experts’ who are after your money, but in return offer little substance and credibility. My advice on this is to also do your homework on courses. Thoroughly research tutor/organization to determine their levels of success etc.
One of the pitfalls of the information age is there is often too much information, much of it conflicting, and it’s difficult to tell between what is real value and the ‘me too’ offerings which are nothing more than fraudsters on the band wagon.
I made the mistake of hiring a coach shortly after finishing the CCA. All it did was cost me, and everything I needed was right in my COPYWRITING course. I am still trying to recoup. Lesson learned ~ trust the process.
Hi Heather! You’re not alone—we’ve all done things in our businesses that didn’t pan out or that we realized were “oopsies” after the fact. The important thing is that it sounds like you’re back on track … and now you have a valuable lesson in your pocket to boot. 🙂
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