When most new copywriters think about improving their skills, they think about learning to write faster. In reality, this isn't the key to getting better. So, what is? I definitely understand the desire to speed up. When you're sitting there, staring at your screen and waiting for ideas to come to you, the minutes can feel like hours. And when you have deadlines … [Read more...]
How to Improve Your Copywriting Skills
When you're first learning to write copy, trying to craft the perfect line feels like pulling teeth. You wrangle and struggle and moan and groan and wonder how long until you'll get better at this. So, today, we're giving away the big secret: the key to improving as a copywriter. First, the most important thing to remember when you're learning is that it's supposed to be … [Read more...]
How To Develop a Thick Skin
Any kind of writing is open for critiques, but copywriting is one of the few where you'll get that feedback from a full group—and in-person. If you're the kind of person who takes your work personally, you'll need to find a way to get some distance and perspective. How? It can be surprising for new copywriters to get live feedback on their work from a whole group of people; … [Read more...]
Protect Yourself From Agency Layoffs
One unfortunate truth about ad agency work is that there are periodic layoffs and, for reasons you'll see in a bit, they're pretty much inevitable. That said, though, that doesn't mean that you can't plan now to protect yourself and your livelihood. So, I've titled this article "Protect Yourself from Agency Layoffs," but I'll admit that that's slightly misleading. You can't … [Read more...]
What to Do When You Feel Inadequate
It's true: We're all our own worst enemies. After all, who hasn't been going along just fine when, all of a sudden, you're hit with the certainty that you're not good enough? That you just don't have what it takes and you're going to fail? It's coming...so let's talk about how to deal with it. "What do you do when you feel inadequate?" is one of the most common questions I … [Read more...]
The 7 Phases of Becoming a Well-Paid Writer (as Told Via GIFs)
The path to becoming a copywriter is pretty straightforward: you follow the steps of other successful copywriters. But, nonetheless, resistance kicks up and we all face some of these all-too-relatable phases of becoming a copywriter. Stuck in one of the below phases? Great news: we've offered up our best advice to help you take the next step and move out of that phase (in a … [Read more...]
What to Wear to a Copywriting Interview, In-Person or on Zoom
When you land an interview at an ad agency, an in-house agency, or even want to give off a good first-impression on an initial call with a prospective freelance client, what you wear matters. But what, exactly, should you wear? And what happens when you're interviewing remotely using Zoom or other video conferencing tools? For both men and women, choosing what to wear to a … [Read more...]
How Long Should It Take You to Write Copy?
Time can fly when you're working on a copy project. So much so, in fact, that you can look up and realize a few hours have passed. But is that a good thing? A bad thing? Just how long should it take you to write, anyway? When you're first starting out, it will never feel like you have enough time. A client could give you a month for a paragraph of copy, and you'd still agonize … [Read more...]
What a Freelancer’s Day Really Looks Like
Ah, the freelance life. Working in your pajamas, penning brilliant copy by a pool in Bali, being supermom/dad, and spending gazillions of hours of quality time by the pool. Sounds good, right? Also sounds kind of...unrealistic? Let's talk about what a freelancer's day really looks like. As you've probably guessed, I'm not going to tell you that freelance is all about … [Read more...]
Copywriting for Ad Agencies: What to Expect and Why It’s Great for Your Career
If your dream is to work in a crazy, creative, big-client landing, award-winning agency, you are certainly not alone. Many copywriters want to get into an ad agency as soon as they possibly can. But what's it like to work in an ad agency? Is it really all Mad Men-y? Just to get our terms straight, an ad agency is an external company hired by another company to come up with … [Read more...]