Persistence is key to building a great career, but persistence can also lead to overworking and put you on the road to burnout if it’s not appropriately managed. Here’s how to avoid burnout as a copywriter and why rest is essential. This might sound a little crazy coming from me since I’ll be the first one to tell you that being willing to put in the effort is one of … [Read more...]
Why Do Some Copywriters Work for Content Mills (and for Peanuts)?
Start a Google search for copywriting jobs, and it won’t be long before you uncover copywriters willing to work for bargain basement rates. Many of them are writing for content mills (more on the difference between copy and content here) and some well... just don't know what they're doing. But instead of letting that discourage you, it should encourage you—and help you realize … [Read more...]
The Worst (and Best) Places to Get Copywriting Advice
One of my favorite sayings isn’t appropriate to print here, so I’ll paraphrase: Opinions are like [unpleasant but necessary body part]; everybody’s got one. Advice is similar—everybody’s got some. Unfortunately, though, a lot of people who want to give advice have bad advice to offer. That's especially true if you're becoming a copywriter or even if you've been running … [Read more...]
When You Need to Get Down to Work: The 5 Second Rule
I’d love my clients to think I have a super-human ability to get down to work and churn out amazing copy. However, the truth my students need to know is that I absolutely do not have that super-human ability, and I often find it just as hard to get focused and sit down to work as anyone. And because I know I face this challenge—and because I get the questions about it … [Read more...]
Frustrated, Disillusioned, and/or Procrastinating? It’s Time to Fight Resistance
There are some truths that you can’t just remember. When you hear them, they make sense…but after a time, your brain goes back to trying to convince you of something different. This is our friend Resistance and, the moment Resistance starts to play tricks on our mind is the moment we need to go to war to fight Resistance. I was reminded of this recently when I was doing a … [Read more...]
How Copywriters Can Deal With a Difficult Design Partner
A designer is a copywriter’s partner in creative work. When that relationship is good, the work is golden. (If you haven't, check out our 9 tips for how copywriters can most effectively work with designers.) But when that relationship is not as good, the work can suffer and job satisfaction plummets. Let’s talk about what to do when that relationship is strained. A strained … [Read more...]
The Self-Care Habit That Copywriters Just Can’t Skip
Many new copywriters have questions about which computers are best and which services are best for building their website and things like that. And those are important questions, but they’re putting the cart in front of the horse a bit. There’s one crucial habit that most copywriters don't give enough thought to, and it can be deeply detrimental to their work. Now, … [Read more...]
The Big Question You Need to Answer to Be a Successful Copywriter
It’s not easy starting a new career, much less building a successful one. Building a copywriting career is a big goal, and big goals are almost always challenging. Think about it. Running a marathon, raising a healthy and happy child, writing a book, and losing 100 pounds are big goals are all difficult. It can feel scary and cause you to doubt yourself more than anything … [Read more...]
Build a Successful Copywriting Business with This Trait
When new copywriters are getting started, they often write to me looking for a "magic bullet" for building a successful copywriting business. And I usually say that there isn’t one. Except…there kind of is. Building any kind of business is challenging, plain and simple. Anyone who says you can "make six figures in your pajamas working two hours a week" is lying. It’s, of … [Read more...]
How Do You Find the Confidence to Get Started in Copywriting?
Even when you want something very badly—a new career, for example—it’s not always enough to get you to take the steps to begin. Here we look at how to find the confidence to get started in copywriting. I wish I could tell you that there was some magical incantation or elixir that would instantly give you confidence. There just isn’t. But there are two things that, when … [Read more...]