TUNE IN: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

Looking for closed captioning or a transcript? Watch the episode on YouTube!

A Sneak Peek at the Episode

[1:39] Our hosts are joined by CCA student and copywriting coach, Cleo, who tried several other careers before copywriting, including resume writing. 

[4:27] Cleo encountered a lot of messaging about how it’s “impossible to make money as a writer”. But copywriting excited her as it seemed like a viable path for making good money as a writer.

[5:49] Financially, Cleo has been able to support herself solely through copywriting for a couple of years now. It provides 100% of the household income for her and her daughter (while working a heck of a lot less than 40 hours a week!).

[6:48] Cleo was diagnosed with autism as an adult. But working from home as a freelancer allows her to leverage her neurodivergent strengths and be more flexible in finding workarounds for her weaknesses—something that seemed impossible in a normal 9-5 office job.

[10:05] Having a neurodivergent mind has been an asset as a copywriter because she can tap into her creative side a lot more and embrace her ‘busy brain’ through the diverse range of client work she does.

[12:01] A big part of Cleo’s journey has been accepting that the way she works might look different to other people. She has learnt to accommodate her needs and give herself the freedom to explore the working patterns that suit her the most—without any shame attached.

[15:30] Nicki reminds us that, no matter how your brain works, you don’t need to put your pressure on yourself to conform to a way of working that is not natural for you. 

[18:17] Whether it’s therapy, self-help books, or connecting with people who have similar struggles, there are many ways to practice self-acceptance and stop trying to force yourself to fit into a certain box.

[21:07] While there are anxious moments in freelancing, it helps Cleo to know that she is the one who has the power to deal with those problems. But when we work for someone else, we give up a lot of that control. You just have to earn your own trust as a freelancer by proving to yourself that you *can* do it.

[26:10] Sometimes, we don’t realize how much of an impact small things like having control over when you eat or who you work with, can have on our mental health. 

[28:45] Copywriting and freelancing in general can be so much more than a career—it gives you so many opportunities to work on boundaries, which have a wider impact on your confidence, self-acceptance, and self esteem.

[32:32] Cleo is also a creative writer and had a gigantic win recently when her first novel got accepted for publication (after working on it for ten years!).

Must-Hear Takeaways

“When I started out freelancing, I had this idea that I had to be working this 9-5 like a ‘real job’ and that I had to do things a certain way. And I ended up really pushing myself to the point where I had a lot of burnout and overwhelm and really struggled in that first year or so before I realized that I had to do this a different way. And I think that is something that likely going to be common for people who have mental illnesses, disabilities, neurodivergence, is just that you have to accept that you aren’t going to be able to do it in the same way as everybody else is doing it and be able to accept that.” – Cleo

“A huge part of this process as well is the self-acceptance towards the things that are part of my brain and how I work, while also being very serious about tackling those anxieties and figuring out how to deal with them. And the opposite of anxiety is trust and I think that for me at least working for an employer is putting something so important to my life in someone else’s hands and I always feel more anxious when something important is in someone else’s hands than when it’s mine. So while there are certainly anxious moments freelancing, absolutely, I think that it helps to feel like I am the one who has the power to deal with those problems. But that trust takes time to build and you have to sort of earn your own trust and prove to yourself that you can do it.” – Cleo

“I think that being able to work from home and not just work from home but work from home for myself, has just freed up so much my ability to use the strengths the come from being neurodivergent and find workarounds for the weaknesses, and just have that flexibility to tailor my work life in a way that would almost certainly be out of the realm of the possible for most jobs.” – Cleo

“Copywriting and freelancing in general can be just so more than a career and have such a bigger impact on who you are and your overall confidence and self-acceptance and self-esteem.” – Cleo

Mentioned on this Episode

• 5 Books to Read Written by Copywriters
• View Cleo’s portfolio
• Connect with Cleo on LinkedIn

Related Links

• Setting Boundaries as a Copywriter
• Building Your Career for Maximum Flexibility
• Tips for Neurodivergent Copywriters

Tell us what you love about the podcast and what you hope to hear next! When you do, you can get access to an exclusive bonus recording featuring five wildly successful entrepreneurs who share what they do (and don’t!) look for when hiring copywriters. You do not want to miss it! 

Get all the details on how to get your recording here »

About the Build Your Business Podcast

Ready to turn your love of writing into a successful copywriting career?

Join professional copywriters Nicki Krawczyk and Kate Sitarz to get the tips, tools, and training to help you become a copywriter and build a thriving business of your own. Nicki and Kate have 20+ and 10+ years of experience, respectively, writing copy for multi-billion-dollar companies, solopreneurs, and every size business in between.

Whether you want to land an on-staff job, freelance full-time and work from wherever you want, or make extra money with a side hustle, the best place to start learning is right here.

See Previous Episode

Ep. 179: Should You Offer Discounts or Sales on Your Copywriting Services?

The post Episode 180: Thriving as a Neurodivergent Copywriter – Cleo’s Story appeared first on Filthy Rich Writer.

TUNE IN: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

Looking for closed captioning or a transcript? Watch the episode on YouTube!

A Sneak Peek at the Episode

[1:39] As consumers, we see sales and discounts everywhere, tempting us to make purchases. So for copywriters (who are also learning to be marketers), it’s natural to question if you should also offer discounts.

[3:21] As a way of getting their first clients quickly, we often see new copywriters offering discounts on their social media pages. But if a client sees they can get your service at a reduced rate, why would they ever want to pay the full price?

[4:42] We have a reason for quoting the rates that we do—there’s a formula to it. So by offering a discount, you’re implying that there isn’t anything real behind your numbers.

[6:05] When you run a sale as a service provider, the implication is that you can’t get people at your standard rate or that people think your standard rate is too high.

[8:56] Discounting your rates usually comes from a place of fear. If you haven’t landed clients yet, then you don’t know that it’s possible. But you have to go in with the mindset of, “This is my rate. I’ve done the work, and I know what I need to charge to make a living.”

[11:25] You can still run promotions that encourage people to take action, but they shouldn’t be based around price or discounts. For example, you could offer a limited number of free strategy calls.

[12:34] Just posting on social media and waiting for people to come to you is not an effective strategy. Pitching is the number one way to stay in control of your opportunities. 

[14:28] If you are offering supplemental promotions like free strategy calls, make sure you limit the number of people that can have access to it and the time you spend on them.

[15:42] Our hosts do not recommend writing free projects for people. This doesn’t give a good impression of your service and if you work for free, why would a client ever bother to pay you? 

[16:42] For any of these promotions, just like with a pitch, make sure you’re sending over the “what”, not the “how”—remember the “how” is what they are hiring you to do.

[17:37] If a client responds to a quote by saying it’s out of their budget, you have the option to negotiate in a way that adds value for the client but makes it work for both of you. For example, you might remove some of the deliverables and save them for a later phase.

[21:17] Don’t make assumptions about who can and can’t afford to pay your rates. Go into conversations with your best foot forward and give yourself the opportunity for someone to say “yes” to you. You’ll be pleasantly surprised when it actually happens!

Must-Hear Takeaways

“If we’re able to discount something by 15-20% at any time, the implication is that our rates are malleable, not based on anything real to begin with and/or our rates are inflated, in case we want to discount. Either of these impressions are a really, really bad impression to give to potential clients.” – Nicki

“I think we get into our own heads to start discounting and reducing our rates because we are afraid. It comes from a place of fear, it comes from a place from not knowing what we don’t know. If we haven’t done the thing, we haven’t landed the clients then we don’t know that it’s possible and so going in with the mindset of this are my rate, I’ve done the work, I know what I need to charge, and you know what you need to charge to pay your bills, to make a living, and that your time is valuable. And once you start valuing your time, you don’t want to discount your time.” – Kate

“It’s the idea of not making assumptions of who can and can’t afford to pay your rates, and so enter conversations with your best foot forward, saying this is my rate and then weighing the decision of what you want to do for your business after that. But there’s no sense in putting up your own roadblocks, in saying no to yourself before someone else says no to you.” – Kate

“Give yourself the benefit of the doubt. Give yourself the opportunity to have someone say yes to you. Because by not doing it, you’re taking away that opportunity from someone to be able to say that to you. And again, you’ll be so surprised, I think, once it actually happens. And so it’s something you just have to do and have to practice. And then if you do eventually get a firm no, it’s also not a no forever. You can follow up with them and say, ‘hey, is it cool if I follow up in six months that this might be better timing for everyone?’ That happens all the time too.” – Kate

Mentioned on this Episode

• How to Set Your Copywriting Rates

Related Links

• Are Your Copywriting Prices Leaving Money on the Table?
• Why Most Advice About How to Price Your Services is Dead Wrong for You
• Copywriting Is Only 1/3 Writing—Here’s Why That Affects How You Charge
• Set Your Copywriting Business Up for Financial Success

Tell us what you love about the podcast and what you hope to hear next! When you do, you can get access to an exclusive bonus recording featuring five wildly successful entrepreneurs who share what they do (and don’t!) look for when hiring copywriters. You do not want to miss it! 

Get all the details on how to get your recording here »

About the Build Your Business Podcast

Ready to turn your love of writing into a successful copywriting career?

Join professional copywriters Nicki Krawczyk and Kate Sitarz to get the tips, tools, and training to help you become a copywriter and build a thriving business of your own. Nicki and Kate have 20+ and 10+ years of experience, respectively, writing copy for multi-billion-dollar companies, solopreneurs, and every size business in between.

Whether you want to land an on-staff job, freelance full-time and work from wherever you want, or make extra money with a side hustle, the best place to start learning is right here.

See Previous Episode

Ep. 178: Combatting Anxiety-Inducing “What Ifs” with This Tactic

The post Episode 179: Should You Offer Discounts or Sales on Your Copywriting Services? appeared first on Filthy Rich Writer.

TUNE IN: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

Looking for closed captioning or a transcript? Watch the episode on YouTube!

A Sneak Peek at the Episode

[1:44] Nicki and Kate are going to be digging into a question that pops into everybody’s mind at some point, especially when starting a new career in copywriting: “What if I fail?”

[3:10] Unfortunately as human beings, our brains tend to catastrophize and look for danger. And so when you’re interested in something new, it’s natural to start thinking, “What if I can’t do it?” 

[4:27] If you’re thinking about failing as being a possibility, then why can’t success be just as likely? If you’re not giving up and continuing to take the right actions, then you’re most likely going to get to where you want to go.

[7:10] Whenever you start to notice yourself going down the route of catastrophizing, make a note of the alternate version of the “what if”. 

[7:53] High achievers tend to hold themselves to high standards, which means they’re also more likely to worry about failure, and to count small setbacks as “failures”.

[10:50] If one of your friends wants to achieve something, you’d most likely be cheering on their success. So why aren’t we doing that for ourselves?

[12:02] A lot of us think we need to rely on motivation to stick with something. You might use motivation to get started, but when it inevitably disappears, you have to move into the commitment stage.

[15:45] Sometimes, we get muddled about what success really means to us—especially with social media! Make sure you’re focused on your definition of success—not anybody else’s.

[17:36] Success is not just one final destination. There are lots of successes to experience as you make your way through the process to where you want to be.

[19:36] You can’t predict where the path is going to go, so stay open to the fun opportunities that might come your way. A lot of CCA students have experienced success that looks a lot different to the success they originally set out for. (Carli’s story is a great example of this!)

[23:19] Self-doubt is a natural part of the process. But there are tried and true steps that you can take to get yourself out of that self doubt and onto the next step (like reaching out to the community or hopping on a coaching call).

[25:12] The fear of failure will come up at various points throughout your career. Our hosts encourage you to share your experience (our student-only Facebook group is a great place for this!) so that you feel less alone and realize that you CAN do this!

Must-Hear Takeaways

“Think about what success is for you. What if I achieve this definition of success? I might not achieve this other definition, but do I even want to achieve that? And thinking about motivation, it can be very demotivating if you’re like, ‘I’m not achieving what I think I should be’ but ask yourself, ‘Do I even want that? Do I even want that to be what my success looks like?'” – Kate

“You can’t predict where the path is going to go. Things are going to come your way, things are going to change, you’re going to learn more, you’re going to have more opportunities and as you see and identify those opportunities, you might use that copywriting skill set in a different way but it might not have been the “success” you set out for.” – Kate

“Success is not just one final destination. Success is all kinds of wins on the way to wherever you eventually want to get to.” – Nicki

“You’re never in this alone, I guarantee that whatever you’re feeling, whether you’re at the very beginning of the process and you’re thinking, ‘I don’t know, I’m afraid that I’m going to fail’, you are not alone. Every single person that is a successful copywriter now started in the exact same place, knowing nothing about copywriting. No one is born knowing anything about copywriting so if that’s where you are, you are in excellent company because that’s exactly where everybody who is a successful copywriter now, or is a student now, who is working their way, everybody started in that same place. Often our emotions make us feel like we’re the only person experiencing it, right? Experiencing the self-doubt, experiencing that fear, you are not the only person, but it will feel like you’re the only person as long as you just stay within yourself, and you don’t share that experience.” – Nicki

Mentioned on this Episode

• Why Some Copywriters Fail

Related Links

• Why People Tell You “Copywriting Is Hard to Get Into”
• Fight These 10 Fears with a Systematic Process
• Why Setbacks and “Failures” Don’t Mean What You Think They Do

Tell us what you love about the podcast and what you hope to hear next! When you do, you can get access to an exclusive bonus recording featuring five wildly successful entrepreneurs who share what they do (and don’t!) look for when hiring copywriters. You do not want to miss it! 

Get all the details on how to get your recording here »

About the Build Your Business Podcast

Ready to turn your love of writing into a successful copywriting career?

Join professional copywriters Nicki Krawczyk and Kate Sitarz to get the tips, tools, and training to help you become a copywriter and build a thriving business of your own. Nicki and Kate have 20+ and 10+ years of experience, respectively, writing copy for multi-billion-dollar companies, solopreneurs, and every size business in between.

Whether you want to land an on-staff job, freelance full-time and work from wherever you want, or make extra money with a side hustle, the best place to start learning is right here.

See Previous Episode

Ep. 177: Reframing Your Copywriting Goals to Align with Your Values – with Jessica Lackey

The post Episode 178: Combatting Anxiety-Inducing “What Ifs” with This Tactic appeared first on Filthy Rich Writer.

TUNE IN: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Stitcher

Looking for closed captioning or a transcript? Watch the episode on YouTube!

A Sneak Peek at the Episode

[1:45] People often set a resolution in January, work on it for a couple of weeks, and then give up. But that doesn’t mean we failed, it means we need to reevaluate it. Was the goal too big? 

[5:55] To make any meaningful progress on a goal, you have to break it down into smaller steps.  While it’s great to have overarching goals, you need a plan to get there—otherwise it’s just too overwhelming.

[8:32] If you want to achieve a goal, you have to consider what habits you can set up that will make it effectively inevitable for you to get to that end result.

[10:16] You don’t always need to put a hard and fast number on things—giving yourself a range to work toward can be more motivating and avoid feelings of “failure”. For example, if sending five pitches a week is your goal, you might aim to send between three and six pitches a week. 

[11:06] If you don’t have that deeper essence of why this goal matters, it’s going to be really hard to get yourself to take these actions.

[12:30] You will find it a lot easier to achieve your goals if you find some way to make them enjoyable. 

[14:11] Your resolutions don’t have to be huge, overarching goals. When they’re smaller and more manageable, you’re more likely to do them and feel the benefits of accomplishment.

[15:07] Our hosts suggest their first idea for a resolution: not settling for a crummy job. That doesn’t have to mean that you switch jobs this year—it could just mean you start exploring your options. If you’re already copywriting, it could mean re-evaluating the clients you’re working with.

[16:49] There are lots of different milestones that fall under the general goal of becoming a copywriter. For example, sending out your first pitch, building your portfolio, or telling people you are becoming a copywriter.

[22:47] A lot of new copywriters fall into the trap of wanting to learn everything there is to know, not just about copywriting, but about marketing as a whole. But you’re going to slow yourself down immensely if you try to take on every other career possible within marketing.

[24:27] Feeling like you need to learn everything is a form of resistance kicking up. If someone’s hiring you to be a copywriter, you’re not expected to know anything outside of that. 

[26:27] Kate shares that one of her resolutions for this year is to ask for help when needed. It’s important to get comfortable with the feeling of *not* knowing something and that it’s perfectly fine to reach out to people (or other resources) for help.

[29:57] Now is a good time to either go back and relook at the resolutions you set, or maybe set a new resolution. Look for ways to make progress and build habits that will make that progress inevitable (but also fun along the way!).

Must-Hear Takeaways

“Overall what we would encourage you to do is figure out what direction you want to head and then figure out how you can get there, how you can make it as enjoyable as possible, and how you can make it as fulfilling as possible. And yes, fulfillment comes from doing things outside of your comfort zone so it’s not going to be—and it shouldn’t be— easy because we feel better about when we accomplish things that stretched us a little bit.” – Nicki

“My resolution is to ask for help when I need it. And I think this plays into feeling like we have to be everything for everyone. And we are so afraid to say, ‘I don’t know’, or to ask for help from someone who’s actually an expert in whatever it is that we need help in, or maybe we just want to learn, but we can also ask someone to help teach us.” – Kate

“What’s on your to do list for this next month or this next quarter or this next week? What do you have built out? But look for ways to make steps forward and move forward, because if we’re just staying in one place we’ll never going to get to our goals. So look for ways to make progress but also look for habits you can make that will make that progress inevitable, and look for ways to make those habits or make those steps fun, and celebrate them!” – Nicki

“The other thing to consider when setting resolutions and I’m going to continue to use pitching as an example, is not necessarily putting a hard and fast number on things but to give yourself a range to say, okay, if sending five pitches a week is roughly your goal, maybe you say, okay, I’m going to try to send between three and six pitches a week. And you give yourself kind of a more of a range so that if you’re not hitting that exact number, you’re also not beating yourself up and you’re saying, ‘No, I’m within the range that I want to be in. Yay!’ I think that can be a lot more motivating than not setting a really high goal and then not achieving it.” – Kate

Mentioned on this Episode

• Fire a Copywriting Client—Without Burning Bridges

Related Links

• Are You Living in the Gap or the Gain?
• Is Manifesting a Copywriting Career Bogus?
• Your Copywriting Business Plan for a Successful Year
• Set Your Future Self Up for Success Right Now

Tell us what you love about the podcast and what you hope to hear next! When you do, you can get access to an exclusive bonus recording featuring five wildly successful entrepreneurs who share what they do (and don’t!) look for when hiring copywriters. You do not want to miss it! 

Get all the details on how to get your recording here »

About the Build Your Business Podcast

Ready to turn your love of writing into a successful copywriting career?

Join professional copywriters Nicki Krawczyk and Kate Sitarz to get the tips, tools, and training to help you become a copywriter and build a thriving business of your own. Nicki and Kate have 20+ and 10+ years of experience, respectively, writing copy for multi-billion-dollar companies, solopreneurs, and every size business in between.

Whether you want to land an on-staff job, freelance full-time and work from wherever you want, or make extra money with a side hustle, the best place to start learning is right here.

See Previous episode

The post Episode 175: Career Resolutions to Make Right Now appeared first on Filthy Rich Writer.

An important part of business is creating and executing your copywriting business plan. To help you plan a successful year ahead, you need to look back as well as ahead.

Here we look at some key elements of your business plan as well as some other elements of life (relationships, health, etc.) that also need to be working well for you to ensure your success.

Take some time to write down your answers to the following questions. It may take a couple sessions over a few days, but, believe me, it will be worth it.

Looking Back to Move Forward

What Went Well This Past Year?

• What did you accomplish in your career?
• Were there any goals you didn’t accomplish?
• What new (and positive) relationships did you cultivate?
• What old (and positive) relationships did you strengthen?
• What were your three biggest successes? To what can you attribute these successes? Were there any specific actions you took that led to them?
• What new skills did you add to your abilities?
• What was your most fun day?
• What was your proudest day?
• When did you feel and give the most love?
• What would you like to see more of in the new year?
• In what ways do you feel you were moving closer to your ideal life?

What’s going well in each of these areas?

• Family
• Friendships
• Relationships
• Career
• Health
• Fun

What Didn’t Go Well This Past Year?

• What didn’t you accomplish that you wanted to? Why didn’t you?
• What could you have done differently to have seen more success?
• What setbacks or disappointments did you experience? To what can you attribute these setbacks/disappointments? Were there actions that you did or didn’t take that led to them?
• In what ways did you stay in your comfort zone instead of challenging yourself? Why?
• Was there a way that you let yourself down this past year? Why did it happen?
• Were there promises that you made to yourself that you didn’t keep? Why not?
• What do you wish you’d done differently? What do you wish you’d focused on or worked on more?
• In what ways do you feel you’re moving farther away from your ideal life?

What needs to be improved in each of these areas?

• Family
• Friendships
• Relationships
• Career
• Health
• Fun

As I said, be gentle but honest as you answer these questions. They’re essential for helping you craft a crystal-clear vision for the coming year that will make you excited and motivated to hit the ground running.

Essential Questions for Your 2024 Copywriting Business Plan

You don’t have to answer every question, but here’s a little tip: If you come up against questions that you resist answering, it’s probably a sign that you need to answer them.

Overall Goals: What Do You Want More of in 2024?

Let’s start with some overall goals before we dive deeper into specifics in each area. Here’s a short list of possible words to choose from to help you frame your thinking about the more specific questions to follow. Feel free to add words; just be sure that they’re things you can be in control of! For example, “respect” might not work if it requires other people to respect you—you can’t control that—but “self-respect” absolutely works.

Peace
Confidence
Income
Freedom
Fulfillment
Happiness
Contentment
Creativity
Fun

• What word or phrase do you want to be your theme for 2024? Why?
• What commitment(s) are you willing to make to ensure that 2024 is your best year yet?
• How will you feel if you meet the goals you set for 2024?
• How will your life change?
• Imagine yourself as someone who’s already met that goal? How do you do things differently than you do now? How do you think differently? How do you act differently?

For more specific questions below, if you want to dive deep, ask yourself these questions:

What are five things you can do to help you meet that goal this year, and what are three tasks you need to do each week to help you meet that goal?

Career

• What’s your greatest career goal for 2024?
• What are five to 10 steps you need to take to get there?
• What new skills will you need to acquire?
• What do you want your business/career to look like by the end of 2024?
• Is your current career/job meeting the characteristics of your ideal work?
• If not, what is the very first, smallest step you can take on that path?

Finances

• How much money do you want to make in 2024?
  • Is there any ramp-up time involved? (Will you need time for learning/training, building up clientele, etc.?)
  • Minus the ramp-up time, how much will you need to make per week to meet your goal? Per hour? (It is okay to estimate that ramp-up time; we’re looking for estimates here.)
• What do you need to know, be, do, or have to do to make what you want this year?
  • Do you need to invest in yourself to make this happen? If so, how will you finance this (savings, a credit card with a plan to pay it off, a loan from a friend or family member, taking on part-time or short-term work, etc.)?
  • How much do you want to make? How many hours do you want to work? How much does that mean you need to make per hour?

Health and Well-Being

• What’s your health goal for 2024? What small action(s) will you take each day to move toward your goal?
• Your daily schedule proves what you TRULY value. If necessary, what are you willing to give up to reach your goals?
• What’s your greatest fun goal for 2024?
• When can you schedule mini check-ins to evaluate your progress throughout the year?
• What will you say to yourself to keep yourself committed to meeting your goals when you feel distracted, discouraged, or demotivated?

Relationships

• What’s your family goal?
• What’s your relationship goal?
• What’s your friendships goal?
• Who do you want to spend more time with and how will you accomplish this?

Copywriting Tasks to Tackle Early in 2024

After you’ve reviewed your overall goals and plans for the year, it’s time to get a bit more actionable and add a few key items to your to-do list.

These are to-dos you should schedule now and aim to tackle in Q1.

Review Your Portfolio

As time goes on as a copywriter, it’s easy to neglect your portfolio. But it’s crucial to keep your site up to date. Set aside time to ask yourself the following questions and do a thorough audit of your site. Then, schedule time to tackle any additional to-dos that come out of your audit.

• Are there any dated portfolio pieces you need to remove?
• Are there any new projects you’ve worked on you need to add?
• What kinds of pieces do you want to have more of (direct mail, email, banner ad)?
• What types of clients do you want to work more with (tech, finance, real estate, startup, Fortune 500, etc.)?
• Does your USP need updating?

Consider Your Connections

If you didn’t reach out to past clients and connections before the start of the new year, it’s never too late to send a note and reconnect. (Of course, always consider how you can add value.)

Now is a good time to take stalk of relationships you’ve built and what new professional relationships you may want to explore.

• How many graphic designers are in your network? How many would you like to add to your network?
• What organizations for creatives and marketers/advertisers are in your area? What ones will you join?
• How many testimonials will you request from clients each month? How will you word that request?
• How many clients will you ask to refer you to their network?

Explore Professional Development Opportunities

The most successful professionals never stop learning. And, since you’re here, we’re willing to bet you’re one of them.

Consider your strengths and weaknesses as a copywriter. How can you lean into your strengths further?

How can you improve your weakness(es)? Are there trainings, conferences, or events you can attend to fill this learning gap?

If you ask me, part of what makes this time of year so exciting is the potential for positive transformation in the new year.

But guess what? True transformations don’t happen by accident. If you want an amazing 2024, you must PLAN for an amazing 2024.

Watch More

Before setting goals for your copywriting business, you need to make sure take the *right* approach. In this episode of the Build Your Copywriting Business podcast, Nicki and Kate break down how to make our goals more effective, more fulfilling, and more fun!

Your Turn!

What are your top three goals for a successful copywriting business plan in 2024? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Your Copywriting Business Plan for a Successful 2024 appeared first on Filthy Rich Writer.

Often, we’re faced with several open doors…but we self-sabotage and get in our own way. When we have an an opportunity (or several opportunities!), it’s all too easy to not take action toward it, whether because we don’t know how, we’re fearful of doing so or some combination of the two.

Whatever the reason, it’s easy for us to spiral into negative thinking. We start to believe our thoughts—even if they’re not based in any fact—and it can derail us from achieving success (not to mention derail us from other non-copywriting goals like building meaningful relationships).

Our Book Pick

If you’re looking for not only ways you can shift these thoughts and behaviors but also how to make those mindset and behavior changes stick, then you’re going to love this book pick: Get Out of Your Own Way: Overcoming Self-Defeating Behavior by Mark Goulston and Philip Goldberg.

The book explains why we self-sabotage ourselves in the first place before going over easy-to-implement steps that allow you to transform forty (yes, 40!) self-defeating behaviors. It turns out, we’re really good at getting in our own way!

While there are dozens of behaviors, several—procrastination, anger, self-pity, quitting too soon, and inaction—are common behaviors that rear their head when we try to learn something new as adults.

Goulston, who has 20 years of psychiatric clinical practice, shares tactics that have helped his patients overcome pain, fear, and confusion.

What You’ll Learn

The book may not reveal any new surprises, but it will likely provide you a new take and ways to approach these self-sabotaging behaviors. At the very least, it will remind you not to beat yourself up when you catch yourself doing these behaviors, but rather remind you that you have the power to adjust your mindset and your response.

Each of the 40 behaviors is discussed in only a couple of pages, making it less overwhelming to read, as you can pinpoint behaviors you know you need to fix first. But the others are worth reading as you may not even realize some of the ways you’re getting in your own way!

Each behavior includes anecdotes that help bring them to life (and make the content relatable).

So, ready to turn those negative voices in your head off? (Or at least lower their volume?) Let’s do this.

More Books for Copywriters

• Books Every Copywriter Must Read
• More Books Every Copywriter Should Read
• Books Copywriters Will Enjoy
• Books by Copywriters
• Business Books for Copywriters

Books for Copywriters to Improve Skills

• Learning to Effectively Communicate as a Copywriter
• Find Your Why
• Amp Up Your Persistence
• How To Collaborate More Effectively
• Job-Seeker Advice
• Break Through Self-Imposed Roadblocks to Realize Your Full Potential
• Stay Focused Year-Round

Your Turn

What’s your #1 self sabotaging behavior you want to work on and what’s your plan to work on it? Share in the comments below!

*P.S. This page contains affiliate links.

The post Book Pick: How to Get Out of Your Own Way and Achieve Copywriting Success appeared first on Filthy Rich Writer.

“Know thyself” isn’t just good advice from a self-help perspective. It’s also crucially important when it comes to building a successful freelance business.

And a million different “gurus” can give you a million different pieces of advice about the “right” time to get up. (As well as the “right” way to organize your day, the “right” order to accomplish your tasks…) But none of it will matter unless it’s your right way of doing things.

So, with that in mind, today I’m going to lead you through four questions that will help you get in touch with your own natural productivity and best practices for getting work done.

When you get in touch with your own productivity proclivities, you can schedule your day and your tasks in accordance. And, most importantly, you can watch your daily accomplishments and your overall freelance business success skyrocket.

Ready? Let’s dig in.

1. When are you most productive? Specifically, which chunks of the day?

There is a lot of advice out there about what time to get up and when to do your most important tasks. But, generally, once you’re working, people assume that we’ve got about eight hours of work in us and that we can work straight through.

For many—if not most—people, this is definitely not the case. Depending on your circadian rhythm, there are usually about four or five hours in the morning right after you wake up in which you’re most productive and focused, then it dips for about four or five hours, and then your focus increases enough for the four or five hours before bed.

Here’s why this is important: That “get down to work and work straight through for eight hour is not the best way to operate. Now, for those of us working a full-time job, you don’t have a lot of options other than trying to organize tasks so that the less mentally-taxing ones can be done in the evening. It’s important to build the right schedule that works for you.

How to Answer the Question

As a freelancer, it’s possible to create your day in complete accordance with your natural rhythms. For example, I spent a lot of years trying to figure out how to be more productive or more focused in the afternoon. Then, I found a graph that actually showed how much productivity dips in the afternoon.

So, I just go with it. I work for four or five hours right after I get up, either take do low-focus tasks in the afternoon or take it off entirely. Then I start up again after 4:30 p.m. or 5 p.m. for a few more hours if I need to.

Now, I realize that I’m a bit more flexible than many since I don’t have kids. But you can still try to put your most focus-requiring activities (like writing, for example) in your high-productivity time and your more automated, administrative tasks (like sending out invoices, sending pitch emails, recording pitching activities, etc.) in the lower-focus times.

The key is to monitor yourself as you go through the day to figure out when are the high-focus and low-focus times of the day for you. Don’t fight your circadian rhythms, make them work for you!

Track your time for the next two weeks and note when you’re most productive and when you start to drag. After two weeks you will likely spot some patterns that can help you better maximize your days.

Add time to your calendar to do this check-in at least once a quarter. How you best work evolves and you need to evolve with it!

2. Do you do better bouncing between projects or finishing them one by one?

Before I really examined my truly most productive periods, I’d assumed that I operated best bouncing between projects. A half-hour on one, a half-hour on another, etc. And there are many people that operate well like that.

But when I started noticing my productivity and focus levels, I realized that when I moved on to the second project, the first project was still in my head. It was weighing on me knowing that the first project wasn’t finished and I’d moved on to a second.

The truth is that I am so much more productive if I do one project at a time and work on it until it’s done. I find it very mentally taxing to have a lot of open projects that all need my attention and that are all in different states of completion.

Sometimes I can’t avoid that since I’m working with multiple clients, of course, but when I can allow myself the time to work on one project at a time, you’d better believe I take it.

How to Answer the Question

So, do you operate better bouncing between projects or getting one done before moving on to the next? (And which is truly more productive for you, versus which you’d prefer?)

As you monitor your time to find your most productive hours, also add into your time tracker what you’re working on. Do you notice a project takes longer if you’re bouncing between it and other ones? Or is bouncing around helping you get the work done faster?

3. What administrative tasks drain you?

The way most of us write our to-do lists (“this, then this, then this, then this”) makes it seem as if they all take roughly the same brain power and all we have to do is just move down the list and tick items off.

But the problem with that is that, of course, that’s not true at all. Some tasks are much more draining and some tasks are invigorating—and they might not be what you expect.

For example, you might guess that writing a sales page would be draining since it takes so much creativity and strategy. But, if you evaluate yourself, you might find that it invigorates you to do that work (and finish it!).

For me, the most mentally draining tasks—the ones I’m most likely to put off as long as I can which is a great clue—are the menial tasks. Things like responding to emails, creating and recording invoices, uploading and writing descriptions of samples require a TON of willpower to get done.

How to Answer the Question

You need to first understand exactly which kinds of projects drain you like this so you can plan when to do them.

As you’re tracking your time, you may find that the projects that you keep putting off for days on end are the ones that you don’t want to do!

Generally, I either do my energy-draining tasks in the afternoon (my low-focus time) at a very leisurely pace or mixing in other tasks to minimize the willpower required. Or I save them all up for one morning (the time that I’m most productive and have the most willpower), and bang through them all at once and then take the afternoon off to mentally recuperate.

It might sound silly that such menial tasks would require “rest,” but I bet you have at least a handful of them that make you feel the same way. Just because it’s an “easy” task doesn’t mean it’s easy to get yourself to do it. And if it’s got to be done, you’ve got to do it strategically.

4. What tasks do you, personally, not need to do?

This is a bit more of an advanced tactic, but I’m going to include it nonetheless. It’s hard to think in terms of the big picture when it comes to building your business when our calendars and brains are packed. If your time is packed with slogging through invoices, making lunches, and doing laundry, it’s going to be really hard to be inspired with a breakthrough marketing idea for yourself.

How to Answer the Question

So, my challenge to you is to evaluate what it is you do that you don’t need to be doing. Not tasks that don’t need to be done but tasks that don’t need to be done by you. For example, if cleaning your home takes up an hour or two each day, is that something that you could outsource? If you make $50 or $60 an hour and pay a housecleaner $25 or $30 an hour, it makes a lot of financial sense to outsource.

And don’t forget the “focus and willpower cost,” too. I like to cook every once in a while. But I hate having to come up with and prepare healthy meals for myself every day. It’s right in the middle of the day when I’m just trying to get through some work and I find it so daunting to take on. My solution? I found a delicious pre-prepared meal service. Now, I just microwave a healthy lunch instead of having to make one.

Again, yes, not all of these solutions are going to work for everyone. But what I want you to start to understand is that it’s often a good idea to hire help. In fact, it can be the most financially responsible thing to do! Think about it: does the CEO of a company meet with potential clients and clean the bathrooms? Of course not! They use their time on the most high-impact, money-generating tasks.

You are the CEO of your own company. Even if you’re not ready yet, there will come a time when it makes sense to outsource some of your daily tasks. You can outsource things like:

• Laundry
• House cleaning
• Meal preparation
• Grocery shopping
• Business tasks like social media posting, client follow-up, and so on

Even if you’re not ready yet, keep this in the back of your mind for when you are.

And that’s it! It will likely take more than just a few minutes to give this self-inventory the real attention it deserves. But I really encourage you to do it. It could absolutely revolutionize your business.

Watch More

On episode 124 of the Build Your Copywriting Business podcast, Nicki and Kate dig into these four questions even further, giving you additional insight and considerations to make when you’re conducting this self inventory.

Your Turn

Have you gone through any of the inventory points yet? What did you learn about yourself? Let me know in the comments below!

The post A Powerful Self-Inventory for Freelance Business Success appeared first on Filthy Rich Writer.

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, and hiring someone who’s completely green to handle one of the most important parts of their businesses (their messaging) is just a bad idea.

But wait – if it’s okay to be new to something, how do you transition from “Hi, I’m new here!” to “Yes, I AM the skilled copywriter you need to hire?” Basically, how can you be new without seeming so new that no one wants to hire you?

The first step, obviously, is to know what you’re doing. To learn how to write copy effectively and to practice your skills. Let’s just assume you’re already doing that, right?

The second step is to avoid doing a few things that clearly mark you as a newbie—things that (even though you might not realize it) are big red flags for your would-be clients.

7 Telltale Signs That You’re a Brand-New Copywriter

1. Mixing Copy and Content

You and I both know that there’s a big difference between copy and content. (As a refresher, copy is writing that is designed to persuade or to sell. Content is writing that’s designed to educate, inspire, and/or entertain. Companies’ sales pages, emails campaign, brochures, even About Me pages? Copy. Blog posts and articles? Content)

But the problem is that there are a lot of would-be copywriters out there who don’t know the difference. And you know how you can tell? When their “copywriting” portfolio is full of content.

And, while you’re savvy enough not to do that, you may be making a similar mistake: mixing copy and content samples within your portfolio. And I get it; you want to show off all of the great work you’ve done. But when you put both copy and content samples within your copywriting portfolio it looks almost as bad as just having content samples.

So what’s the solution? Put your copywriting samples in your portfolio, and have a separate section for “content samples.” It demonstrates that you know the difference between the two, and that copywriting is your main focus—but that you may be available for content writing work.

Hear more about the differences between copy and content >>

2. “Explaining” Copywriting

It can be challenging for new copywriters to come up with what to write on their portfolio sites. It’s hard to write about ourselves! (And for that exact reason, entrepreneurs need and value us a great deal.)

But the problem is when new copywriters spend valuable space on their site explaining what copywriting is and why clients need it. As in “Copywriting is the art of creating words that compel your audience…” and so on. Here’s the problem—and why it marks you as a newbie: By the time a potential client gets to your site, they don’t need to be educated about what copywriting is or why they need it. They’re there to determine if you’re the copywriter they’ll hire.

When you waste time with unnecessary copy, it speaks to your copywriting skill and it speaks to your understanding of your audience—and neither one of them are in your favor. When someone gets to your site, it’s up to you to convince them of what you can do for them and why you’re the exact right person to do it.

Get inspiration from these three knock-out copywriter portfolios >>

3. Charging By the Word

This is a crucial point, but not only because it marks you as a newbie. This one can also cost you a whole lot of money. Let me make it very clear, right off the bat: Professional copywriters absolutely never charge by the word. They charge by the project or by the hour (depending on the situation), but never by the word.

Part of our value as copywriters is to create the most effective message and to do it as efficiently and concisely as possible. When you charge by the word, you’re actually penalizing yourself for doing your job well! Charging by the word is a very clear signal that you—and I say this as gently as I can—don’t know what you’re doing.

Learn more about how to charge >>

4. No Portfolio Site

Okay, I feel compelled to put this one in here just to cover my bases: If you don’t have a portfolio site, you’re not a professional copywriter. Plain and simple.

Listen or watch for more on why you NEED a portfolio >>

5. Letting Them Take Charge

When you get on a phone with a potential client, it’s true that they’re “interviewing” you to see if you’re right for them. But…a lot of clients don’t know what’s right for them. Or what to look for.

When you let the client lead the discussion, you’re putting them in charge—and that’s the mark of a newbie. As the professional, it’s up to you to lead the conversation. To ask them questions about their situation, their needs, and their goals, and then to connect those answers to what you have to offer, how you can benefit them, and why you are the exact right person for the job.

Read more about how NOT to tackle a client phone call >>

6. Accepting Any Rate

It’s exciting to get work! And it’s exciting when a client wants to work with you. But that doesn’t mean you need to accept a rate that’s much lower than your standard hourly rate. (Bonus tip: You need to know what your standard, or at least your lowest acceptable hourly rate is.)

When you quote a price to a client, they counter with a much lower rate, and you just accept that lower rate without any qualms or negotiations, it’s a big tip-off to the client that you’re a very inexperienced copywriter.

Professional copywriters know their value and know that people will pay for that value. Also, professional copywriter’s rates aren’t arbitrary—they’re based on calculations of time and effort estimated by what they know about the project.

Accepting a much lower rate than what you quote either looks like you haven’t thought through the project very well or that you’re desperate. And, of course, neither one of those reflects very well on you.

Watch this video for more on pricing your services >>

7. Not Following Up

Here’s something that shouldn’t be a surprise: People are busy. Really busy. So busy, in fact, that they might not have time to respond to you. Or, they might be so busy that your email gets lost in their inbox. So let’s be clear: One outreach email isn’t enough.

Professional copywriters know that pitching clients is a process. (Luckily, it’s a pretty easy process to systematize, but still.) It’s going to be exceedingly, exceedingly rare that you can send out one email to a client you’re interested in working with and get a response. Usually, you’ll have to send at least a few follow-ups.

When you send just one email and vanish, it’s a clear sign you’re new to this. Even if a potential client hung on to your email to maybe get in touch later, it’s not going to reflect well on you that it’s the only email they ever got. That fact alone is likely to get them to delete that single email.

Newbies send out one email and cross their fingers. Professionals are disciplined. Professionals add value. Professionals reach out to potential clients multiple times, offering new ideas or resources each time.

See more ways to stand out from other copywriters >>

And there you have it! Being new doesn’t have to count against you—as long as you don’t act like or conduct your business like you’re new. Behaving like a pro when you’re starting out will catapult you out of “newbie” status faster than you can imagine.

Your turn! Which of these mistakes have you made or which are you going to fix first? (No judgment—this may be completely new information!) Let us know in the comments below…

The post Present Yourself as a Professional Even as a Copywriting Beginner appeared first on Filthy Rich Writer.

“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 “secret.”

The bad news is that it’s not a super sexy, insider trading-y kind of secret. It wasn’t divulged to me on a mountaintop or passed to me at across a table, scrawled in a folded napkin.

This “secret” is the same thing that creates success for entrepreneurs, musicians, students, politicians, movie stars…you get the picture.

The Secret to Success

The key to success is consistency. Adopting effective habits and sticking with them.

Pitching five clients each day. Posting in three Meta groups each day. Commenting on three Meta posts each day. Listening to one business podcast each day.

And the same goes for learning copywriting. When people ask how much time they need to dedicate to learning and practicing, I think they expect that I’m going to tell them they need to set aside two hours every day.

Hey, if you’ve got two hours a day every day, then great! But not only do most people not have two hours, but if they do dedicate two hours to it, they’ll burn out and not come back to it for a week—having forgotten everything they learned last week.

Instead, just setting aside 10 or 15 minutes a day will get them so much further! Why? Because of consistency. Sticking with it every day, even for just 10 or 15 minutes, will get them so much further than fits and spurts of a couple hours at a time.

Consistency and persistence—just sticking with that consistency—are the real keys to success.

Are they sexy? Nope. But you know what is sexy? Making $10K a month from your writing. Getting clients reaching out to you for jobs because you’ve been referred by someone they know. Watching your savings account go up and up and up while you’re actually enjoying what you do for a living.

If you ask me, that’s really sexy.

Watch More: How To Get More Copywriting Referrals

Consistently pitching new prospective clients is the backbone of your business’s success. And a super effective way to supplement that pitch list is to naturally gain more clients through referrals. In this episode of the Build Your Copywriting Business podcast, Nicki and Kate give you tips and tricks for getting more client referrals so that your list of businesses to work with grows naturally behind the scenes.

Your Turn

What consistent habits are you going to (persistently) instill in your schedule? Let us know in the comments below!

The post The Real Secret to Business—and Life—Success appeared first on Filthy Rich Writer.

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 know where you want to go, how can you possibly expect to ever get there?

So, with that in mind, I’ve compiled a list of questions to help prompt some effective planning for 2019.

You don’t have to answer every question, but here’s a little tip: If you come up against questions that you resist answering…it’s probably a sign that you need to answer them.

Okay, on to planning! Grab a pen and pad or open up a new doc and let’s get to it!

• • What went well in 2018? What did you accomplish? List anything and everything you can think of?

• • What didn’t go so well in 2018? What do you wish you’d done differently? What do you wish you’d focused on or worked on more?

• • What were your goals for 2018? Did you achieve them? Why or why not?

• • What are your business goals for 2019?

• • What do you want your business/career to look like by the end of 2019? How much do you want to make? How many hours do you want to work? How much does that mean you need to make per hour?

• • Why are these your goals? How will they improve your life? (Be specific! Add in some emotion!)

• • What are 5 things you can do to help you meet that goal this year?

• • What are 3 tasks you need to do each week to help you meet that goal?

• • What skills do you have to learn/improve to meet that goal?

• • How are you going to learn/improve them?

• • Imagine yourself as someone who’s already met that goal? How do you do things differently then than you do now? How do you think differently? How do you act differently?

• • What do you have to do differently in 2019 than how you did it in 2018 to meet your goals?

• • If you had to create a theme for 2019, what would it be?

• • If you had to pick a word to describe how you want 2019, what would it be?

• • How will you feel if you meet the goals you set out for 2019?

• • How will your life change?

• • What will you say to yourself to keep yourself committed to meeting your goals when you feel distracted, discouraged, or demotivated?

Care to share any of your answers? I’d love to hear them! If you’re up for it, share them in the comments below!

The post Essential Questions for Planning a Successful New Year! appeared first on Filthy Rich Writer.