A big part of being a copywriter is incorporating the feedback you receive in creative reviews. But what do you do when you get bad feedback? And not feedback that makes you sad but truly useless feedback? Imagine this scenario: You had a creative review with your client and the client is...well, let's say you get the vibe they're not thrilled. Your client keeps suggesting … [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...]
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...]
How to Avoid Making Promises You Can’t Keep
A former Israeli prime minister once chastised his fellow politicians by saying their slogan could be, “Sure, I promised. But I never promised to keep my promise.” Outside the semi-virtual world of politics, of course, there are real consequences to failing to keep one’s promises. There is a strong incentive, especially when we are starting out, to agree to any project … [Read more...]
How to Answer the Agency Experience Question
Many new copywriters have dreams of working in an ad agency. But it seems like many ad agencies are only interested in hiring you if you already have agency experience. A bit of a catch-22? Sure—but nothing you can't overcome. Here we offer some tips on how to address the question of whether or not you have experience as copywriter at an ad agency. Why Makes Agency Work … [Read more...]
Interviewing? What to Look for in a Creative Director
As much as any interview is about a prospective employer figuring out if you're a good fit for the company, it's also about finding out if the company is a good fit for you. And one of the most important things you have to determine is if the person you'll be reporting to can be everything you need them to be. Aside from asking questions about the role, what kind of work it … [Read more...]
What Should a Copy Doc Look Like?
Starting out as a copywriter, you may wonder what you actually deliver to clients. The document that you put your copy into is usually called a "copy deck" or, even simpler, a "copy doc." Every writer has their own way of formatting copy docs (I'll show you how I do it), but the most important thing is that you make it clear what's what. … [Read more...]