There are so many paths for pursuing a career as a copywriter. It’s easy to gravitate toward the idea of being a digital nomad copywriter, working from anywhere in the world, or even from your kitchen table as a full-time freelance copywriter. Working in an office as a copywriter may seem like the last thing you want to do! That’s a particularly easy dream to have if you’ve … [Read more...]
Staying Productive When I’m Unmotivated: Pomodoro Technique
In my copywriting career, I have a few challenges you may be able to relate to. I have an active family (four kids!), a spouse who travels for work (gone for two overnights as I write this!), and an anxiety disorder (always unpredictable!). In short, I often feel overwhelmed and under-motivated. And yet, I have to be productive when I’m unmotivated, or else I won’t have a … [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...]
The System Copywriters Need to Efficiently Get Work Done
In today's office, particularly if you're combatting work-from-home distractions, there is a lot that is vying for our attention. There are tons of work to-dos coming in throughout the day: pings on Slack and other messaging apps, dings of a new email, and rings of the phone, whether for a client call ... or your best friend wanting to catch up for an hour. How do you not … [Read more...]
Daily Habits of the Most Successful Writers & Creatives
Some of the smartest minds past and present have had set routines. Some of them had morning routines, some had evening routines, and some had both (depending on when they were most productive). That's because the best routines help us get focused. And for writers, including copywriters, having a ritual before you sit down to work can get you in the mindset to write. … [Read more...]
Freelancer Self-Care: 5 Tips for Avoiding Burnout
Whether you're tackling work for clients, learning how to become a copywriter, or any other task that takes up a significant amount of your time, energy, and focus, you need to plan breaks. And I'm not just talking taking the weekend off (though definitely plan in days off, whether it's Saturday and Sunday, or other days of your choosing!) or getting enough sleep (though … [Read more...]
Choosing a Business Structure as a Copywriter
Note: We are not legal experts or tax preparation professionals, so always consult an accountant, tax prep professional, or attorney if you have concerns. This information is aimed at copywriters in the United States. Copywriters in other locations may find this information useful for determining what questions they need to ask and answer based on their city, country, or … [Read more...]
How to Make 2021 The Best Year Yet
Okay, let’s face it: It’s not going to be hard to beat 2020. Even if you were lucky enough to avoid the illness and catastrophe that some people faced (and even if, like many of our students, you actually made a lot of progress on making your dreams come true)…2020 was still a rough one. Globally, I think, we’re all tentatively optimistic that 2021 will turn things back … [Read more...]
Why Copywriters Need to Think Visually (and How to Do It)
Copywriters aren’t designers. But when it comes to concepting ideas, you do need to come prepared with ideas for the project. For example, if you’re writing a banner ad to get people to book a vacation and want the copy to say something like “Go from ARGH!!! to Ahhhhhhh” you may envision someone yelling in an office contrasted with someone relaxing in a beach chair. … [Read more...]
Can You Become a Copywriter if You’re Not a Grammar and Punctuation Dynamo?
A confession: I can’t diagram a sentence. I mean, I could once. In seventh grade, I was a master. But now…participles, gerunds, modifiers? I’ve got no fricking idea. Here’s the thing about rules of English—which is pretty much the same for any set of rules, really—it’s important to understand them so that you can intelligently break them. Unless you’re teaching English … [Read more...]