We've said it once and we'll say it a million more times: giving and receiving feedback is a skill. And, it's a skill not enough professionals, copywriters or otherwise, workout enough. So, while it can sometimes be hard to receive feedback on our copywriting, we can take what we learn from how we receive feedback and incorporate it into how we give copywriting feedback. If … [Read more...]
Book Pick: How Copywriters Can Collaborate More Effectively
As copywriters, we do a lot of work on our own. After all, the actual writing of copy is a fairly solitary job. But often, we need to collaborate. With designers, yes, but also with project managers, marketing managers, and other key stakeholders within an organization. This is true whether you work in an ad agency or on an in-house team. Even as a freelancer, you may not … [Read more...]
Book Pick: Find Your Why (Companion Notebook to “Start with Why”)
Many of you have already read Start With Why by Simon Sinek, but in case you need a refresher, it explains what the most impactful leaders have in common: a deep reason, or "why," for doing what they do. Without a why, the what you do won't matter. You'll eventually burnout, give up, or simply slog through each day. But that's not the book we're recommending here (though we … [Read more...]
Finding Your Copywriting Flow State
As copywriters, or any other type of professional quite frankly, we're always looking for ways to work smarter and happier. If that sounds like you, you'll want to check out The Leading Brain: Neuroscience Hacks to Work Smarter, Better, Happier. Neuropsychologist Friederike Fabritius and leadership expert Dr. Hans W. Hagemann have put together strategies that will help you … [Read more...]
How to Prevent Ego from Derailing Your Copywriting Success
As copywriters, we're often typing away on our computers, writing copy to deliver to our clients. So, it can sometimes come as a shock when we interact with our client and the feedback is ... less-than-stellar. As Brandon Black and Shayne Hughes explore, humans have a significant preoccupation with self-worth, which causes us to react to various situations with … [Read more...]
Use an Entrepreneur Mindset to Grow Your Copywriting Income
Normally, I’m wary of using a clickbait-y style headline like this one, but in this case, it’s true: Making this change will easily double your income, if not increase it even more. And I warned you that it’s subtle, so I’m going to need you to stick with me for just a bit to explain exactly how implementing it will make such a monumental difference. So what is this … [Read more...]
Your Copywriting Clients NEED Your Guidance
As our students can attest, when you land your first few clients you feel elation followed very quickly by panic. (Which, by the way, does subside and occurs much less often as you land more and more clients.) The reason for this panic is that it’s now time to walk the walk as well as you talk the talk—to actually do the work you’ve been practicing and preparing for. And … [Read more...]
The Best Career Advice I’ve Ever Gotten
Today I thought I'd offer up a few gifts that, in a way, are a bit re-gifted: The very best business and career advice I've ever gotten. No matter your job, your career, or your goals, these gems should provide at least some wattage of a guiding light. They've served me well and I'm proud to pass them on to you, whether you use them in your copywriting career or … [Read more...]