There's nothing wrong with being new. Even the most seasoned, successful copywriters were once new to copywriting. So if you’re starting out right there at square one, guess what? You’re in exactly the right place. That said, though, no one wants to hire a brand-new copywriter. It’s nothing personal: YOU are a fabulous human being. But hiring anyone to do anything is a risk, … [Read more...]
The Real Secret to Business—and Life—Success
As long as I’ve been in this business, and especially in the decade that I’ve been teaching copywriting to would-be copywriting pros, I’ve gotten this question a lot: “What’s the real secret to being successful?” Well, I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is that there absolutely is a secret. Well, wait—let me put quotes around that. There is a … [Read more...]
Essential Questions for Planning a Successful New Year!
I LOVE a new year. It feels like a fresh start, an opportunity to reflect on what worked and what didn’t in the previous year, and an opportunity to build on the wins and correct the losses in the new year. I LOVE a new year. I also, as you might expect, love new year planning. Not only is it fun and inspiring, though, it’s also incredibly important. After all, if you don’t … [Read more...]
This is Your Competition — in Your Career and in Your Life
I've written before about how our company's name, Filthy Rich Writer, really rubs people the wrong way—and why that's actually a good thing. But even beyond that, whenever we run any ads on Facebook about copywriting, we always get some kinds of argumentative, and even sometimes nasty, comments. Now, I can tell you honestly, as a copywriter with 15+ years of experience, that … [Read more...]
Should a Money Mindset Matter to Copywriters?
If you spend any time online among entrepreneurs and business owners, you’ll already be familiar with a very popular topic: the “money mindset.” If you don’t, here’s what it refers to in nutshell: Your money mindset is how you think about your finances and about money in general. People with a positive money mindset believe that they can make as much money as they want … [Read more...]
Avoid Burnout as a Copywriter
Persistence is key to building a great career, but persistence can also lead to overworking and put you on the road to burnout if it’s not appropriately managed. Here’s how to avoid burnout as a copywriter and why rest is essential. This might sound a little crazy coming from me since I’ll be the first one to tell you that being willing to put in the effort is one of … [Read more...]
The Worst (and Best) Places to Get Copywriting Advice
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 … [Read more...]
The Case for Slowing Down: Fast Copywriting Doesn’t Equal Better Copywriting
A lot of new copywriters equate speed with getting better at writing copy. And in some ways they’re right—but in others, they’re dead wrong. In fact, sometimes it even makes sense to slow down. Speed does not equal increased skill. Let's dig in to some of the myths behind why so many new, and even established, copywriters have the misconception that faster copywriters are … [Read more...]
A Response to “I Never Should Have Followed My Dreams”
A story that I read in a decade ago on Salon.com popped up in my newsfeed again, and I was as baffled by it this time as I was the first time. The article is called “I Never Should Have Followed My Dreams,” and it’s about a man who quit his job in a social policy research organization to become a freelance copywriter. The gist of what happened is that he took an … [Read more...]
Are You Doubting Your Copywriting? Good! Here’s Why…
If you’re feeling fear about the prospect of getting into a new career or even doubting your copywriting, that’s a good thing. Believe it or not, it’s a very good thing. Good Copywriting Self Doubt vs. Bad Self Doubt First, before we get too far along, let’s be clear. There are two kinds of fear: There’s the fear you feel when you’re walking down a dark alley and suddenly … [Read more...]