Hi Kalveen,

Check out the “Find Small Business Clients” in the course – once you have some handle on copy and have put in some practice, you can start landing clients as soon as you start pitching. This is also a great topic to discuss in the student-only Facebook group; I’d really encourage you to post this in there.

Thanks for commenting!
Nicki

“But all of this, of course, only comes into play once you actually know how to write copy. Many people make the mistake of thinking that because they know how to write, they know how to write copy. (But just because I know how to drive doesn’t mean I know how to drive a Mack truck, right?) You need to get training—a real training that not only covers how to write copy, but how to get experience and build your portfolio, too”

Considering I have wrote copy (not systemized or with any direction really..) for a year now, and I put in many hours into your course (i’m not currently working) how soon would I be able to start landing clients?

Hi Lucas,

This is a good question and the issue of training/education confuses a lot of people. If you definitely want to keep pursuing copywriting (as opposed to work as an account manager at an ad agency), I would very strongly counsel you not to go for a degree or certificate in “advertising”. As you note, there will only be a few courses in actual copywriting and getting (and paying for) and entire degree or certificate isn’t worth those few classes.

When it comes to copywriting, employers (and that’s ad agencies, in-house agencies and other clients) don’t care about degrees; they care that you know how to write copy well and effectively. (The problem with that is that most people assume that because they can write well, they can write copy well and that’s not true.) The length of the training doesn’t matter—it’s what you learn from it and what you do with it that counts. If you have an extra $40k and don’t mind going back to school for a few years, you could go to ad school. Or if you want training that’s still thorough but more flexible, you could look into a program more like ours.

Whatever you choose, make sure it’s very thorough and that, as part of the training, it also gives you tools to build your experience and build your portfolio. Those will be key to getting more work!

Thanks for commenting!
Nicki

Thanks for writing such a great post! I loved it. I am in a similar position as Michael – trying to break into advertising copywriting (or potentially digital copywriting for websites/mobile apps etc.)

I have a year of freelance experience writing for the Canadian version of Groupon.com (Teambuy.ca) but beyond that, not much else. I am exploring your suggest to pursue training, however I do have a question:

Would you recommend an all out-degree? Right now I am looking at an Advertising Certificate (with courses on copywriting) from University of Toronto. I know it’s a vague question but, generally do you think these sorts of post-graduate certificates/diplomas are enough? Do agencies prefer a full degree?

To me, it seems at the end of the day, education or not, the proof is in the pudding. I need to be writing great spec ads. But obviously training will help, and I am totally willing to do it. Would you recommend a program like this – only 4 months long? Or do you think that will be scoffed at?

Sorry I know it’s an out of context question but any insight you could offer would be great thanks!

-Lucas from Toronto

Hi Michael,

Well, the thing about your portfolio is it really represents you to potential clients and bosses before you meet them; it lets you demonstrate how well you write copy, how well you understand the elements that make for an effective ad and how well you work with designers. (In the case of your online portfolio, of course.) What’s often the case—and, of course, I can’t know for sure since I haven’t seen your work—is that clients or bosses don’t quite see the level of copywriting expertise that they’re looking for in the spec ads they see. Where did you learn to write copy? And did you work with a designer to put together your spec ads?

If you haven’t gotten training, this is really your first step. Copywriting is a career requires knowledge of specific techniques and the skills to wield them (just like any other career, or course) and it requires training, just like any other career.

There are some people who will tell you, “No, no, just break into it! You’ll learn on the job!” but it’s incredibly hard to break into copywriting without training. A creative director would much rather hire someone who already knows what he’s doing.

You need a training that teaches you how all of the elements that go into good copy, how to wield that copy across different forms (emails, banner ads, direct mail, magazine ads, etc.), how the project process actually works and then, also, how to build your business, build your portfolio, and build your career. If you’re serious about copywriting, whether you choose our training program or another, training is the first place to start.

I, unfortunately, learned through trial and error. I worked hard, dug in, made a lot of mistakes, wasted a lot of time and eventually built a successful career. (We created our training so that people don’t have to go that route anymore. 🙂 )

I was able to make money relatively quickly, but it wasn’t until I understood what I was doing that I made a comfortable (and more than comfortable) income. There absolutely is work to be had, plenty of it really, but you’ll be so much more successful if you have the training and systems to learn and then find opportunities.

Does that make sense? If you have more questions, feel free to email me at contact (at) filthyrichwriter.com

Thanks for commenting!
Nicki

I’ve considered a coypwriting career for awhile. I created a portfolio, applied to ad agencies and random places on Craigslist, all to no avail. I couldn’t land so much as a simple interview. How does one get started? Where should a beginner go? How long did it take to get yourself to where you are comfortable? Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Michael

Hi Laurie,

Great! I’d glad you found the info on how to determine your rate useful. (Compensation is definitely a topic that many people—not just copywriters—are a little uncomfortable with.)

Good luck with getting those gigs—and thanks for commenting! 🙂
Nicki

Hi Halona,

That’s a great way to help figure out what your hourly rate needs to be and how much work you need to do to hit your goals. Thanks for the tip!

Nicki & the Filthy Rich Writer team