When a lot of people first try to get into copywriting, their first steps are to spruce up their resumes and cover letters and then apply to jobs. And these people (usually, by the way, the ones who tell you that it's "so hard to get into copywriting"...see more below) never get called in for interviews. Why? Because they haven't put together online portfolios. Find out exactly … [Read more...]
Do You Need to Go to Copywriting Portfolio School?
Breaking into copywriting can seem hard: You need experience to get a job, and you need a job to get experience. Well, it turns out this isn't quite the case, and one of the ways that people have found to get around this seeming catch-22 is going to advertising school or copywriting portfolio school. But, like any school, ad school is often expensive and time-consuming. So, … [Read more...]
Supercharged Job-Hunting Tactics
Let's face it: No one likes looking for a new job. Usually, you're looking for one because you're disenchanted with your current one or you don't have one—not exactly Zen-like states of mind. Plus, you know you're up against unknown, unseen, huge hordes of people vying for the copywriting position you've got your heart set on. You may feel like you're going to get lost in … [Read more...]
How to Avoid the Job Seeker’s #1 Enemy
No, I'm not talking about "discouragement" or "lethargy"—I'm talking about a real person. "Enemy" might be a bit of a strong word, but this person is the number one factor that can stand in between you and getting an interview for the job of your dreams. Well, obviously, the first and most important thing is to make sure that your resume and your copywriting portfolio are … [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...]
9 Myths About Copywriting, Part 2
As we began discussing in Part 1 of our series, there's a lot of misinformation out there about copywriting. In an effort to dispel some of the confusion, we've come up with the top nine myths about copywriting—and we're knocking 'em down, one by one. Here we look at what is and what isn't copywriting, where the money is, and why "working in your … [Read more...]
Top Copywriting Myths & Misconceptions (And the Truth Behind Them!)
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. I've been a copywriter for more than 20 years now, plus teaching others how to launch wildly successful copywriting careers fore more than a … [Read more...]
Save the World and Build Your Portfolio
For a new copywriter, "How do I build my portfolio?" is one of the most important questions to answer. In the creative industry, it can often feel like you need to have lots of samples to get work—but to get lots of samples, you need to have already gotten work. Luckily, this isn't quite the case. You can build your portfolio, do good for your career, and also do good for … [Read more...]
Beat the “Bad Economy” Blues
Do the words "fiscal cliff" and "economic trouble" fill you with fear? Take heart, copywriter—you're better set up than most... Today's question is from Brandon H., who writes, "I really want to get into copywriting, but don't companies tend to cut back on advertising and marketing when the economy isn't great? I don't want to put time and money into something that isn't … [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...]