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] There absolutely *is* such a thing as too much work, especially when you are a freelancer and it’s all too easy to say “yes” to every project that comes your way. Even one project can be too much if the timeline is tight. 

[4:37] To tackle overwhelm effectively, start by understanding your reaction to it. Are you someone who rises to the challenge or buries your head in the sand? Recognize your cues early on, so that you can take proactive steps to address it and prevent burnout.

[7:35] If you’re looking at your schedule and thinking, “Oh my gosh, I can’t get all of this done”, you have to put the brakes on anything else coming in. But when it comes to pitching, you don’t want to completely stop, otherwise you’ll end up stuck in a “feast or famine” cycle.

[9:55] When you’re busy, it’s a good time to practice saying “no” or propose a suitable start date (include some buffer time). There’s no need to worry about saying “no” as long as you communicate clearly—plus, being booked up shows clients that you’re in-demand!

[12:50] If you’re in doubt about meeting current client deadlines, consider bringing in another copywriter to help you, even if it means you just break even. You *never* want to miss a deadline!

[14:58] Your deadlines should drive your actions, so prioritize by the actual deadline, not by what seems more fun or doable. Breaking your priority list down into smaller steps can make it more manageable.

[18:00] Sometimes we have to deal with the consequences of our choices, like working weekends or canceling plans. But it may teach you a lesson about how you manage your schedule so you make sure it doesn’t happen again in the future.

[21:20] If you’ve built a strong rapport with a long-term client and know the deadline isn’t strict, you could politely request a one-time extension, but only if you’re confident there’s flexibility. Use this sparingly though, as it could impact your credibility. 

[23:45] When you’re faced with a Friday deadline, it’s worth proposing a Monday delivery instead. Most clients don’t work weekends, so those extra days could offer valuable breathing space.

[25:24] Make sure to build in buffer time for each project and aim to deliver projects earlier than the agreed deadline. That way, you have some wiggle room in case life gets in the way.

[27:50] Even if the deadline seems far off, don’t wait until the last minute to start working on it (we’re not in high school any more!). Starting early ensures you have enough time for all aspects of the project, including editing and polishing your work.

[29:19] Having a reliable network allows you to handle unexpected situations professionally. If you are faced with an emergency situation, introduce your client to a trusted colleague who could take over. This ensures your client’s needs are met while you focus on what’s important. 

[31:40] Blocking out time on your calendar for different projects can help you have a better visual representation of where your time is going and how much time you actually have available.

[32:54] Working on your money mindset is also an important piece of this. Saying “yes” to every project out of fear of missing out on income, simply isn’t sustainable. Remember, you have the skills and resources to generate income, so trust in your abilities and follow the steps to success!

Must-Hear Takeaways

“If you’re hearing this and you’re like, ‘Oh, okay, then I should probably also stop pitching. No, scale down your pitching. Don’t be sending out five pitches, but don’t stop. Because as you know, when you stop pitching is when you experience that dry spell. And when you pitch, you’re kind of seeding projects for the next couple of weeks to couple of months. So don’t stop. Dial it back, certainly, but you don’t want to completely stop.” – Nicki

“This is how the feast and famine happens. If you have too much work and then dry spell and then ‘oh my gosh, too much work’, that’s unsustainable to continue working like this, completely stressed out, overworked, too much work to zero. To keep going 0-60 back and forth, you don’t need that and so this process will help hopefully smooth out that process a little bit but to Nicki’s point, continue pitching so you don’t hit the ‘oh no now I have no work!’” – Kate

“We think of saying ‘no’ as being so tough, being so mean. No, all you’re doing is communicating. And it can be very, very simple and very pleasant and nice. And just say, ‘Oh, unfortunately I’m booked up for the next however long, the next couple of weeks, but I could get started with it on X, Y, D, Z date.’ Clear communication is key. By the way, it’s a good thing for a client to see that you are booked up. It always kind of makes me do a little bit of an eyebrow raise whenever anyone’s like, ‘Yeah, my schedule is completely open.” – Nicki

“Sometimes we have to deal with the consequences of our choices. And you may be dealing with the short-term consequences and that does sometimes involve working weekends or giving up some plans or that kind of thing. Is it fun? No. But it may be painful enough that it will teach you a lesson moving forward to make sure that you keep an eye on your schedule and you set up the boundaries that you need to set up to make sure that this doesn’t happen in the future.” – Nicki

Related Links

• What Are Your Copywriting Business Rules?
• Amp Up Your Copywriting Productivity With Ultra Scheduling
• When the [ahem] Stuff Hits the Fan
• How Can You Know if a Copywriting Deadline is Doable?

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. 182: What’s the Best Way to Communicate with Copywriting Clients?

The post Episode 183: You Will Have Too Much Copywriting Work … Here’s What to Do 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] Our hosts welcome business and operations strategist Jessica Lackey. After climbing the corporate ladder at Nike, Jessica began to feel the impact of putting profit over people. Now, she combines her expertise in business strategy with a human-centered perspective to help entrepreneurs grow and scale sustainable businesses.

[5:15] One of the biggest mistakes freelancers make when scaling their business is jumping too far beyond the stage of business that they’re in.

[9:52] If you want to move out of the early stages of business, Jessica encourages us to focus on gaining a breadth of experience with client work so you can start to see patterns in who you like to serve. You also need to dedicate time to start building your portfolio.

[14:00] As humans, we want to be where we see the future is and we want to be there right now. Jessica advises focusing on one big system in your business every season and one concrete project every month.  

[18:57] What we think is the problem is not always the problem. For example, if a copywriter is thinking, “I’m just I’m not sending out pitches and it’s so hard”, the *real* problem might be that they’re trying to do it at a time of day when they have low energy.

[22:00] Jessica explains how the “five whys” concept can help you go below what seems to be the solution and help you identify the true problem.

[24:07] It’s important to separate your emotions from the objective truth if you want to make effective changes in your business. Grounding exercises can help to make sure you’re in a regulated enough space to notice a truth you may have been ignoring. 

[27:56] Instead of dwelling on missed goals, take a look at whether you executed the plan fully. If not, try to pinpoint the gap—safety, skill, or desire—and address it.

[32:05] As James Clear says, “We don’t rise to the level of our goals, we fall to the level of our systems.” So how can you spend some time every month putting the infrastructure in place to make working on your business easier?

[34:26] Systems are not about restrictions, they’re about holistic organization—people, processes, and tools. They provide freedom by preventing chaos and uncertainty. With systems, you are in control, knowing what’s ahead and where everything stands.

Must-Hear Takeaways

“I think one of the problems is we tend to see people take on methods that are meant for businesses scaling that actually take you away from the core methods that you need to tend to seeds and sprouts. And so we’re doing a lot of work, but it’s actually work meant for a business that’s not ours or a business that’s more senior than ours or more experienced than ours, because that’s what we see our teachers doing. So it’s how can we level set and be like, okay, I am where I am in my business and what do I need to focus on at this stage of business?” – Jessica

“Yes, revenue and numbers are important and yes, we want to make money, but I would rather at the seed and sprout stage see you get more reps in and doing client work and getting those patterns versus being as focused on the pricing per project. Again, we never want to be unprofitable, but I think too many times I see people worrying about the right pricing and the right structure for the offer and I’m like, just go do the work, get, you know, 10 to 20 reps and see what types of patterns are emerging in the type of work you’re doing. And then set aside time to do the heavy lifting in our own businesses that we never want to do again. Update that copy, put that portfolio together, make dedicated time to start building that infrastructure. That’s really important.” – Jessica

“Who doesn’t want to go overnight from a seed to a tree with fruits, like a mature tree, even though we know nature says that you grow a ring every single year and it takes some time to build. But I think we’re human. We want to be where we see the future is and we want to be there right now. That’s, I think, why it’s so hard.” – Jessica

Mentioned on this Episode

• Visit Jessica’s Website
• Follow Jessica on LinkedIn
• Follow Jessica on Instagram

Related Links

• The Fastest Way to Grow Your Copywriting Business
• Career Resolutions to Make Right Now
• Your Copywriting Business Plan for a Successful Year
• Preventing Burnout as a Copywriter
• 5 Ways to Instantly Improve Your Copywriting Portfolio Site

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. 176: How This Ex-Teacher Joined the Filthy Rich Writer Team—As a Copywriter – Rebecca’s Story

The post Episode 177: Reframing Your Copywriting Goals to Align with Your Values – with Jessica Lackey 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

[1:50] When you’re starting out as a copywriter, it can be tempting to learn all of the skills related to copywriting, like SEO, graphic design, and website development. But if your goal is to establish yourself as a copywriter, then copywriting should be your main focus.

[4:39] Working on more than one project at the same time slows down progress on all of them. It can also lead to overwhelm and ultimately discourage you from working toward your main goal.

[8:15] People often think by offering more services they will be able to charge their clients more. But clients are usually happy to hire a number of experts because each one will know the ins and outs of their craft. Whatever your income goal is, you can create that by being a copywriter.

[9:34] When you get to the point of wondering what the next stage is for your copywriting career, take a step back to figure out what your actual goal is. You don’t have to do things like start an agency just because you see someone else doing it.

[11:40] While it’s perfectly fine to dig into something like design more, Nicki warns that it can often end up becoming a distraction and a form of resistance which stops you from stepping out of your comfort zone.

[15:00] When you’re scheduling tasks in your calendar, make sure you question whether they are actually moving you a step closer to your goal. Break down scarier tasks into smaller chunks and lower the pressure to make them more enjoyable.

[17:16] Sometimes we try to pursue other things to bring back that feeling of newness and excitement by learning something new. Try to focus on what you know is going to work to land clients (pitching!) and then do the rest in your free time.

[21:15] You can still pursue things that interest you but your copywriting business needs to be seeing consistent success before you start adding anything else. Take time to get clear on your goal and make sure that the majority of your time and effort is focused on where you want to go. 

[26:40] Nicki shares a story about how both Bill Gates and Steve Jobs thought the number one key to success was focus.

Must-Hear Takeaways

“What is your goal? Is it to earn more income? Is it to have more time? Is it to maintain that same level of income but be able to take 10 weeks of vacation? What is your actual desire and what are the possible ways to get there because I think we stop thinking about what we actually want and the different ways to get there and there isn’t necessarily one way to do it.” – Kate

“You need to keep a very careful eye on your time, your energy and your attention to make sure this ‘oh pursuing something new’ is not actually just resistance coming up and going ah look at this shiny object that’s going to distract you and keep you from getting out of your comfort zone and actually making progress on your copywriting career.” – Nicki

“You cannot give 100% of yourself to everything, so decide what goal is going to get what goal is going to get 95% of your professional self and then figure out what additional interest or whatever is going to get that 5%.” – Nicki

“Clients are totally fine hiring an expert in copywriting, an expert in design, and an expert in development. Often clients who are savvy know that it’s almost impossible to find someone who fits all of these roles and does them equally well.” – Kate

Mentioned on this Episode

• Copywriting & Design: Insights from a Global Design Leader – Ch’ien Chan

Related Links

• What Does a Copywriter NOT Do?
• Should I Combine Copywriting and Graphic Design Services?
• What Do Copywriters Actually Do?
• Fake Job Alert: What You Need to Know About Being an “SEO Copywriter”

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. 161: 1 Copywriting Tactic You Should Avoid at All Costs

The post Episode 162: #1 Secret for Copywriting Success 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] The 2023 Summer Freelance Summit was a three day event (free for CCA students!) with expert speakers talking about different ways to optimize your freelance business. This episode brings you a sprinkling of some of the key highlights from the presenters!

[4:00] It’s important to calculate prices based on your own numbers, rather than looking at competitors. Cost is made up of three factors: material costs, labor costs, and your time. It’s wise to track your time on every project for the first six months and see how your cost compares.

[8:36] Getting help by outsourcing admin tasks and things that aren’t in your “zone of genius” means you can conserve your energy and focus on money maker tasks like discovery calls, client work, and client meetings. 

[10:55] Using quizzes can help to increase your leads in a more automated way, while still building a really positive, genuine connection with potential clients.

[14:05] To combat procrastination, try breaking down daunting tasks into smaller, manageable chunks and scheduling them on your calendar.

[20:42] If you’re not already capturing your visitors’ emails, consider adding an opt-in incentive to your website. This means you can follow up with them, continue connecting with them, and nurture them into becoming paying customers.

[22:22] When you create your pricing for a particular offer for a specific client, make sure you are accounting for the time and energy you spend on client work outside of the actual project itself (e.g. email/Slack communication, creating proposals and invoices, client calls etc.).

[28:39] Having awareness of money blocks is crucial, as it enables you to recognize and overcome your resistance to financial success.

[34:06] Holistic health practitioner Tara Bianca walks us through a breathing exercise which we can apply during our workday to help calm the nervous system and calm the mind.

Must-Hear Takeaways

“When we understand why we’re charging what we are, it’s so much easier to say that’s what the price is. If we need to lower the budget, let’s take some stuff away. It’s so hard to figure out how to price yourself and as a service-based provider, where your time is mostly what your service is made up of, it’s even harder. The worst advice out there right now is ‘charge what you’re worth’.” – Shanna Skidmore

“You need to be hiring when you start dropping balls, when things aren’t getting done. When you can feel that shame, like when you’re late on a deadline, and when you know that you’re kind of running out of time here, when you’re doing tasks that just are in your drudgery zone, you start dragging your feet on it. When they keep getting put at the bottom of the pile and you’re not ever getting to it, those are good tasks to start outsourcing, to make sure that they get done.” – Emily Reagan

“The first tool is learning how to take those scary or daunting tasks and actually break them down into much smaller, meaningful, less scary bite-sized chunks to get done.” – Megan Sumrell

“Capturing email addresses from your website visitors also means you can follow up with them, continue connecting with them and nurturing them into becoming paying customers. Because stats show that 97% of website visitors aren’t ready to buy, and 33% will leave a website to research competitors. So if you’re not already capturing your visitors’ emails, then now’s the time to start adding an opt-in into your website. It doesn’t have to be crazy hard either. All you’ll need is a CRM or email marketing platform like ConvertKit or Drip.” – Emma Kate Barker

Related Links

• Master Your Money Mindset – With Brie Sodano
• How to Calm Your Nerves for Meetings with Copywriting Clients
• How to Set Your Copywriting Rates
• Business Builder or Time Waster?

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. 158: Set Your Future Self Up for Success Right Now

The post Episode 159: 8 Tips You Can Use Right Now to Step Up Your Freelance Copywriting Game 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] Today’s episode is all about how to set your future self up for success by taking certain actions and is a concept that works really well for the Filthy Rich Writer team.

[3:05] Try to give yourself a bit of a buffer when it comes to setting internal deadlines. If a project is due on Friday, you might want to aim to do it by Wednesday so that you have some wiggle room in case something unexpected comes up.

[5:01] As you take on more work, your schedule will become full and sneaking projects (even small ones!) in is difficult. It’s much better to under promise and over deliver.

[6:34] Kate set a boundary for herself to not start working on projects until at least two weeks after the initial call. Having these kinds of rules in place give you some extra breathing room in case other things crop up.

[8:29] It can be very tempting to fill up your schedule as you have more clients and work coming in. But remember to give yourself some unscheduled time as you plan out your day so that you have space to concept or take a breather from a project if needed. This also allows you to say yes to the fun stuff or deal with any emergencies.

[12:31] Look at the weather in advance to help you plan your unscheduled time so that you can take advantage of it when you want to and block off vacations early (even at the start of January!) so you can plan around this.

[16:16] Whatever you think you’re going to remember, know that you probably won’t! Try to process handwritten notes immediately and add things to your calendar so that you don’t have to try and hold so much information in your head.

[17:32] You never know when an idea is going to strike you, whether it’s for a client project or a new way to market yourself, so make sure you always have a pen and notecards on you! Let’s encourage those ideas by giving them a place to go instead of trying to hold onto them in our heads.

[19:45] As you look at your process of working with a client, check to see if there are speed bumps anywhere, like sending invoices. Build steps in which will set yourself up to make this important part of the process faster and easier for future you.

[21:03] Set in time to add work to your portfolio once the piece is live and published. Nicki and Kate can both confirm that future you will thank you for not having to update your entire portfolio all at once!

[24:40] Even if you don’t want to put a project in your portfolio, still try to regularly gather your pieces and take screen grabs because it may be useful for a specific client or job role one day.

[28:19] If you work from home and have certain hang-ups like making sure the laundry is done or the kitchen is clean, make sure things are in line before you know you’re going to start working. That way, you won’t end up procrastinating and letting resistance take over!

[29:39] If you have a big client call coming up or a day that you know that you really have to dig into a project that is especially challenging, make sure that you have adequate sleep planned in the night before.

Must-Hear Takeaways

“I feel like we unnecessarily put lots of stress and pressure on ourselves because we say we want to deliver, we want to be the best partner to our clients, and by being the best partner, I can get to them faster. But being the best partner is going to be delivering the best copy possible. And if that means giving yourself lots of time to lower the pressure, and lower the stress level on the whole project, then do that. There’s truly no reason to add that extra layer of pressure for yourself.” – Kate

“So, so many of us, once we’re done with the project, we’re like, ‘Yay, done! Oh, now I have to send the invoice…’ And we procrastinate on sending the invoice, which when you think about it, is just absurd. But that’s what we do (or some of us do). So build in time, build in a step in the process to send your invoice, and build in a step to send an email asking for testimonials and or referrals.” – Nicki

“If there are any places in your life where you think to yourself, ‘why did I do this to myself?!’ that is a prime opportunity to set yourself up for future success.” – Nicki

“It is so much easier to update your portfolio if you’re doing it regularly versus getting to the end of a year versus getting to the end of two years and going, ‘Oh, I need to do this, I have so much work that’s not even on here. I look like a totally different copywriter.’ And then having to track down work, and sometimes having to reach out to previous clients or previous contacts.” – Nicki

Related Links

• 5 Ways Super-Productive Copywriters Start Their Days
• Daily Habits of the Most Successful Writers & Creatives
• What Are Your Copywriting Business Rules?
• 3 Steps to Taking a Vacation as a Freelance Copywriter
• The Right Way to Invoice Your Copywriting Clients

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. 157: Are You Living in the Gap or the Gain?

The post Episode 158: Set Your Future Self Up for Success Right Now 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

[3:13] This week’s question is all about pitching and, in particular, if we need to change our approach when pitching and following up with ad agencies. 

[4:18] Kate advises looking at the agency’s website to see which clients they’re already working with. This way, you can bring an idea to the table for one of those clients when you send your initial pitch to the agency.

[6:00] It doesn’t matter if you’re unsure whether a client is currently working with the agency or not. You can still demonstrate that you can do research and think strategically.

[7:15] There’s no difference between how you follow up with an agency or how you would follow up with an in-house company. You can send similar resources that will benefit them such as a podcast episode or an article.

[8:25] Ad agencies should not be seen as intimidating; they are just like any other business seeking support and expertise!

[10:53] It’s common to face resistance when pitching, so schedule it for the time of day when you’re freshest and most likely to be willing to do it.

[12:15] Reminding yourself of the positive feelings you get when you complete a task you’re not so keen on doing can act as a great source of motivation.

[12:53] The more you pitch, the easier it gets. But the more you push it off, the harder it gets.

Must-Hear Takeaways

“I’m going to look at what they’re doing on their website and their email, sign up for their emails (the clients that is of the ad agency), look at their social media, get a landscape of what those clients are doing, and then come up with an idea to pitch to the ad agency about one of their clients.” – Kate

“Worst case scenario, you put together a pitch and you put in an idea for a client and it’s not a client that they work with anymore. All that means is that, yes, it might not be something they’re going to hire you for on that client because they’re not working with that client anymore, but what you’ve done is that you’ve demonstrated, first of all, you do research because you saw that they did work with that client. And second of all that you’re thinking strategically. And that is going to be enough to get them to go, ‘oh, okay, let’s talk with her.'” – Nicki

“It’s all about how you’re thinking and demonstrating that yes, you’re already thinking of adding value and you’re looking at what you can do to support the business versus the alternative of ‘hire me, I want to work with you!’. So it really is just showing here’s what I can already bring to the table and I’m ready to hit the ground running.” – Kate

“Maybe it’s scheduling it in the time of the day or figuring out exactly when you’re going to be freshest and when you’re going to be most likely to to be willing to do it. For example, if I save pitching until the middle of the afternoon, it’s not going to happen. I can’t be creative to save my life in the middle of the afternoon. But you have to make the decision and the commitment for it to be a priority. Otherwise it’s not going to happen. The the only secret is you have to make the commitment to do it.” – Nicki

Related Links

• Copywriting for Ad Agencies: What to Expect and Why It’s Great for Your Career
• BONUS Laser Coaching: How to Pitch Copywriting Services to Agencies
• 5 Ways to Vastly Improve Your Pitches to Would-Be Copywriting Clients
• How NOT to Pitch Potential Copywriting Clients

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.

The post BONUS: Laser Coaching – How to Land Copywriting Work with an Ad Agency 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 welcome Kaitlyn, the operations manager of Nicki K Media! Her creativity lies in problem solving and executing big projects smoothly.

[5:16] If something is on your to-do list for more than two days, it’s too big of a project. To make it less overwhelming, break the task down into small, manageable bite-sized chunks.

[9:35] Set due dates for every task to stay accountable and recognize when you might be pushing tasks off.

[10:35] Try to balance out the available time you have with the amount of tasks that you assign yourself on that day to avoid overloading your to-do list.

[15:07] Kaitlyn advises trying to figure out when you have the most energy throughout the day so that you know when is the best time to tackle more challenging tasks. It may be better to schedule meetings when you have less energy–for Kaitlyn, this is often in the afternoon!

[18:41] To help your productivity and see what works for you, be willing to try things that seem a bit silly or weird and get you outside of your comfort zone. It might be going to a coffee shop or changing your outfit, but once you can get the train moving, you have momentum.

[22:50] As a freelance copywriter, you have built a career where you have flexibility, so take advantage of it! Try different locations and working times to find what works best for you.

[24:49] The more you carry your to-do list in your head, the less room you have for creativity. Using a digital project management software like Asana is effective for managing projects and setting regular reminders for tasks that help to grow your business.

[32:29] If you’re using a system like Asana, then you can look at your calendar, see how much work you have, and where you have gaps to start work on other projects in advance. You will always thank yourself for getting ahead!

[35:01]  It’s easy to get excited about ideas in the moment but ask yourself how urgent it is and if it will drive revenue. If it won’t make a difference right now, consider parking it in what Kaitlyn calls the “parking lot of ideas”. You can revisit these if it becomes more important in the future and you have more time.

Must-Hear Takeaways

“As a freelancer or just even copywriter in general, if you have too much on your plate, then at some point in the day you will get to the point where you realize that you will not accomplish it, and you will likely shut down and just stop. So then you definitely don’t accomplish it. So break the tasks down into small chunks and pick a number in your head that makes sense. So for me, 15 to 25 minutes per task is kind of my goal. That means that when I look at my list, I have an idea of how many tasks I can actually accomplish in a day.” – Kaitlyn

“I think batching is really helpful because you can take all of the similar tasks and do them together. That helps with the task switching and you’re not losing quite so much time when you’re moving between tasks as your brain is kind of in the same space.” – Kaitlyn

 “It’s normal to have these moments or these days when you just can’t get the train going, can’t get that momentum going, and whether you’re freelancing or you work full-time in an office, that’s normal. So just trying to figure out what works for you to get that momentum back I think is really helpful.” – Kaitlyn

“I am really passionate about not carrying your to-do list in your brain because your brain is not designed to be a storage filing cabinet system. It’s designed to do creative stuff.” – Kaitlyn

Related Links

• Amp Up Your Copywriting Productivity with Ultra Scheduling
• 5 Ways Super-Productive Copywriters Start Their Days
• 4 Tools to Stay On Top of Your To Do List
• Staying Productive When I’m Unmotivated: Pomodoro Technique
• How to Set Up Your Schedule When Working from Home

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. 153: How to Write Powerful Copy (Even When the Product or Service Isn’t Interesting)

The post Episode 154: How Freelancers Can Masterfully Juggle Multiple Projects – with Kaitlyn Spinney 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

[3:07] CCA student Indigo is working as an actor while also doing copywriting. She is finding it difficult to switch her mindset between these two careers and often finds herself putting all of her energy into just one of them at a time.

[4:17] Nicki advises using the techniques she already knows when switching between roles as an actress, and applying the same tactics when switching from acting to copywriting. 

[5:58] To ensure higher focus and productivity, Nicki suggests setting aside dedicated hours for copywriting work based on the time that is available to her.

[8:14] Taking small steps consistently can help reduce overwhelm and make sure that you’re still progressing, even when time is limited. If Indigo has an acting job, Kate recommends setting aside just 15 minutes a day to work on pitching for example, rather than trying to achieve something much more unrealistic.

[10:53] Copywriting is an awesome career but it’s still normal to face some resistance. Schedule time to do it when you are at your freshest and most creative, and commit to the time you have set.

[13:32] It is wise to keep two different careers separate in terms of branding and websites, but it is still fine to use the same name for both. If you are going to use your non-legal name for one of them, bear in mind that you may need to speak to a bookkeeper to ensure you can process payments in that name.

Must-Hear Takeaways

“Let’s say you’re filming a TV series during the day and you’re also on stage at night. You would have to switch, right? So what techniques would you use for yourself as an actor as you already know you have to switch from this role to the other role? And I would use those same techniques to switch from your role as an actor to your role as a copywriter.” – Nicki

“If a task has been on your list for multiple days, then it’s too big. And so I think in your case, this might be a similar thing of instead of writing one pitch, break it down into all the teeny tiny steps that you need to do so that you can just chip away at it and not feel like you have to do this whole big thing. What are the micro steps you can take?” – Kate

“Copywriting is an awesome career. It’s awesome, but it’s still work, which means that there are plenty of days that you are not going to feel like doing it.” – Nicki

“If you know that the morning time is your most creative time, then don’t leave your copywriting until after you’ve done all of the other stuff because you’re going to come home, you’re going to be exhausted and your energy is not going to be there. You’re already exhausted from work and you’re just naturally going to try to fight yourself.” – Nicki

Related Links

• Copywriting as a Creative Outlet for an Actor – James’s Story
• Can Copywriting Be a Side Hustle?
• Ep. 55: Building a Copywriting Side Hustle With a Full-Time Job – Claire’s Story
• Ep. 75: How to Be a Part-Time Copywriter with a Full-Time Job – Catching Up with Alicia

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.

The post BONUS: Laser Coaching – Balancing a Copywriting Career with an Acting Career appeared first on Filthy Rich Writer.

Ah, the joys and challenges of working from home. All that freedom and flexibility! And, also, EEK! All that freedom and flexibility.

As anyone who has been in charge of creating their own schedule can tell you, it’s a lot harder than it looks. It’s much easier to stay on task when there’s a risk of a coworker or boss walking past your desk at any moment. And exactly when the workday begins and ends gets much fuzzier when your office consists of wherever you set down your laptop.

Here we look at tips for setting up your work-from-home schedule, maximizing your productivity, and making sure that your work hours don’t creep into your relaxation hours. Setting up your daily habits to be most productive is a key to business success.

Get to Know Yourself

The first and, arguably, most important key to setting up an effective work-from-home schedule is to learn exactly when YOU are naturally most focused and creative. No, not when it’s most convenient for you to be focused or creative, but when you are.

I desperately wish I were most focused and creative in the afternoon because I’d much prefer to ease into the workday with small, admin tasks in the morning. Alas, that’s just not how I work. I’m at my most creative and focused in the morning, which means that’s when any copywriting or big project work HAS to happen. By the afternoon, my focus and energy are at a low point and I have to do admin tasks then. (Finding a “typical” copywriter schedule is challenging!)

To make the most of your workday, you need to figure out when YOU are most focused and creative and schedule your most challenging work for that time. Maybe, like me, you’re a morning person. Or maybe you do better work in the afternoon. (Lucky!) Either way, you need to arrange your schedule to keep that time blocked off for important work.

Don’t take calls during that time if you can help it and don’t let yourself get pulled into smaller, less important tasks.

Once you’ve identified your personal most productive time of the day, then identify your least most productive time. For me, it’s 1 or 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.—I’m utterly useless for creative work during that time. BUT that time is perfect for lower-focus, lower-energy tasks.

I’d strongly recommend that you do the same: Save your admin tasks like sending follow-up or check-in emails, invoicing clients, researching potential clients, and so on for that time.

Clock In and Clock Out

When your office is within your own home (or even when it’s in a hotel or café), the lines between “work time” and “non-work time” can get a little blurry. It’s easy to let non-work activities like laundry or dishes slide into your workday (“Oh, it needs to be done and it’ll just take 10 minutes!”). And it’s easy to let your work time slip into your off-hours (“I’m just going to answer this email while the oven is pre-heating.”)

At first, this might seem like an efficient use of your time. But the problem with doing non-work activities during your workday is that there’s an energy cost every time you switch from a work activity to a non-work activity. Instead of “maximizing your time” you’re actually taking away from your brain’s ability to focus and stay disciplined. (It can also be a STRONG indicator of Resistance…)

And when your work bleeds into your downtime hours, you run the risk of burning yourself out. All work and no play doesn’t make Jack a dull boy—it makes him exhausted and unable to do ANYTHING.

So, what do you do? Set yourself definite hours for when you’re working and when you’re not, and do your very best to stick to it. Maybe your workday starts at 9 and goes to 4 with a break for lunch. Or maybe you have a full-time job and your part-time workday starts at 7 pm and goes to 7:45. Either way, the key is to set those times and stick to them—don’t let non-work activities slip in during those times, and don’t let work slip outside of them.

Now, of course, if you need to get to an appointment or run errands during your work hours every once in a while, you can do that. (Your boss is flexible like that ) But then actually clock out—mark it on your calendar as time away from work. And just be careful about “essential” errands sneaking into your workday too often…

Guard Your Workday

For people who don’t work for themselves (or for people who aren’t used to working from home), your schedule can seem to them like an open day when you can do anything you want. And sure, you can enjoy that jealousy just a little bit.

But the problem comes in when they treat your workday like a non-workday, calling or messaging you during your peak work hours. (Or asking for favors or meetups during the day.) Now, yes, one of the great things about being freelance is the flexibility—but when you let your friends or family break up your day, you’re basically giving over your schedule to them!

Much as we love our family and friends, you need to set some ground rules. First, I’d strongly consider shutting off your phone or at least silencing the ringer and message notifications. It’s easier to ignore if you don’t know someone is reaching out.

Or, if you need to keep your notifications on, then let your friends and family know when it’s okay to call you or text you—or, at least, when they can expect to get their calls answered or their texts returned. If they don’t know when is the best time to call you, how can they possibly get it right?

And the same goes for people within your household. You might adopt my friend’s policy (“Don’t knock if there’s no blood”) for her closed office door. Meaning, “I love you kids so much but, during the time that this door is closed, don’t knock unless someone has been grievously injured.” And, frankly, sometimes significant others need the same gentle guidance, too. (“Please don’t interrupt me when the door is closed. Pretend I’m not even here.”)

I don’t go around quoting Spider-Man as a rule but, “with great power comes great responsibility.” Working for yourself and setting up your own work schedule gives you a lot of power, but it’s also your responsibility to make sure those hours are used effectively.

With some clear planning and some rules in place, you can ensure that your best work gets done during your designated work hours (whenever those are!) and you’re free to enjoy the rest of your day.

Your Turn

Which of these recommendations will you adopt for your schedule? Let us know in the comments below.

The post How To Set Up Your Schedule When Working from Home appeared first on Filthy Rich Writer.

I get this question a lot—”how many revisions do I need for copywriting?” or “how many rounds is fair?”—and I understand the thinking behind it.

People are worried that clients are going to “take advantage” of them and request round after round after round of revisions until it’s perfect.

But here’s the thing: Our copy is supposed to be perfect. (Or, at least, as close to perfect as it can be.) It’s supposed to dazzle and thrill our clients.

So the answer to “how many revisions do you need for copywriting?” is really:

**As many as it takes to make sure your client is happy.**

You write it ’til it’s right.

Because that’s our job. We don’t deliver half-ass copy. We deliver excellent copy that our clients are delighted with. Anything short of that is unacceptable. 

Are You & Your Process the Cause of Endless Revision Rounds?

I’m going to say something that’s going to shock you:

**If your client wants many, many, many rounds of changes, in 99% of the cases, that’s your fault.**

Whoa! Harsh! I know—but you also know that “harsh” is not my style, so stick with me.

The vast majority of the time (if not all of the time), the cause of multiple rounds of revisions can be traced back to not starting the project correctly.

After all, WHY do multiple revisions happen?

(And to be clear: One or two rounds of revisions are completely normal. It’s a collaborative process and you need those rounds to refine the message. When I say “multiple” I mean three or more rounds.)

Multiple revisions happen because your client felt that you missed the mark somewhere. Maybe it’s in the message, maybe it’s in the tone, maybe it’s in the focus—there are plenty of places. But you’re having to revise it so many times because you’re off the mark somewhere.

Did You Start with a Creative Brief?

And WHY would you be off the mark somewhere?

Because you didn’t start out with clear enough input.

Before you even begin to THINK about writing, you and your client need to sit down and get 100% clear on the key elements of the piece that you’ll be creating.

You need to be clear on the benefit to consumer, who the target audience is, what they want and need, what your client’s goal is for the project, what they want the target audience to do, where the target audience has been in the customer journey before this, where they’re going afterward, what their objections to taking the action might be, how those objections can be overcome, what information the target audience needs about your client… And so on.

You need to be clear on the scope of the project—EXACTLY what it entails.

Essentially: you need a creative brief for every project.

And you and your client need to see and understand all of this exactly the same way. You need to completely get your client’s perspective and you need to completely understand every angle of the project.

If you have any questions about any of this or aren’t clear on anything, you need to ask your client. You can’t write a project if you don’t completely understand it.

And yes: You need this information for EVERY. SINGLE. PROJECT. Even the little ones!

If the project is smaller, the answers to all of these questions might not be as long, but you still need to know the answers.

When you completely understand the project and all of the objectives—and when you and your client are on the same page—the project goes much smoother and you avoid the multiple revisions.

Did You Get Answers to All Your Questions Before Writing?

Here’s another key:

**Your client doesn’t know to give you all of this information. YOU have to ask.**

Remember, you’re the copywriting professional! Your client may never have even worked with a copywriter before. And, even if they have, it’s not their job (or their expertise) to guide the process.

It’s up to YOU to collect the information you need to write the project well—it’s not up to your client to read your mind and know what you need to know.

Sooo…(back to that tough love here)…if you don’t collect all of that information you need and, as a result, your client needs multiple revisions…the fault is yours.

But, that’s a good thing! It means that you have the power to make sure this doesn’t happen in the future!

Your client should be absolutely delighted by your work at the end. (Or at least pleased.) And that means that you offer as many rounds of revisions as it takes to get there.

BUT when you start the project off the right way, you get all of the information you need at the beginning (and continue to ask questions as needed), and you ensure you and your client are on the same page, that automatically means that your revision cycle is likely to be limited to just one or two.

Did You Give Your Client Directions on How to Provide Feedback?

Sometimes, clients simply don’t know how to give feedback on our copy. They read it, they send through a few thoughts, and we think, “Oh, great, that’s it!”

And then we send through what we think is the final version of the copy, only to receive our copy doc back with another round of edits.

It’s up to us, as professional copywriters, to lead the revision round. That means telling your clients what you need to do your job effectively and efficiently. For example, “In order to hit the agreed-upon project timeline, I’d appreciate your entire team’s consolidated feedback no later than [insert your deadline for your client]. Instead of tracking changes, feel free to leave comments about what is working and why (and, alternatively, what is not work and why!). That way, we can be sure the copy hits the mark!”

Remember: we’re always focused on leading with the benefit to our clients! You want to make it clear you’re taking work off their plate—you are giving them directions to make everyone’s lives easier.

So, the question shouldn’t be “how many rounds of revisions do I offer?” That’s not even really a question.

The question should be “how can I best set up this project for success and, as such, limit the rounds of revisions my client needs?”

And the answer? Well, see above.

Read More: How and What to Bill Your Clients

Many copywriters have a hard time figuring out how to charge for our services. Do you charge for meetings? Do you line-item revisions?

As a sought-after professional, your time is valuable and shouldn’t be given away for free. At the same time, though, clients don’t like to feel like they’re being nickeled and dimed for charges like travel time, meetings, phone calls, etc.

Here’s what to include (and not to include) in your copywriting price quote >>

Your Turn

What are you going to change about your project process so you minimize rounds of revisions? Let me know in the comments below!

The post Copywriting Revision Rounds: How Many Rounds Do You Offer? appeared first on Filthy Rich Writer.