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A Sneak Peek at the Episode

[03:11]  You have to like writing, because lemme tell you, there’s a lot of writing in a copywriting career. It’s not all writing, there’s a lot of editing as well, a lot of thinking and brainstorming.

[09:34] Being willing to roll with things, being open to other points of view, as a copywriter you’ll come in and you’ll make recommendations.

[10:18]  The more you’re able to be flexible in dealing with people and how you deal with people, the more success you will have.

[13:00] I would imagine if you’re not hustling, there’s someone else that is more than willing to hustle and do the work. You have to get the job done no matter what. You cannot miss a deadline.

[22:15] Clients don’t automatically know how to evaluate copy. They don’t know how you as a copywriter know that you have structured things in a certain way to affect the target audience in a certain way.

[30:07] The concept of patience and persistence. It’s gonna be rare that you get your first draft and it’s perfect. Even just as you’re writing, it’s gonna take some time to come up with the right words and there is a lot of editing involved in copywriting.

Must-Hear Takeaways

“In order to be a copywriter, you need to get the training to add on to that natural ability to write because there are techniques and skills that you will add on to that natural ability. But that natural affinity for writing is a really important place to start” – Nicki

“My next favorite trait is resilience. Because you might love to write, you might then love some of what you’re writing. When you are facing that feedback that feels like it could be personal or it was just not. But you have that kind of ability to say, it’s gonna improve me as a writer, and it’s gonna improve the final product.” – Kate

“You’re the copywriting expert in the room, but you’re not the copywriting expert in the world. So there’s an element of needing to own the fact that you know what you’re doing and you have a lot of value to provide, but at the same time, being open to the fact that you don’t know everything.” – Nicki

” When you’re sitting down with a group of people in the office. You are all working together. You are collaborating to create the best piece possible. It’s at least 50% editing. You write your copy, you look at it from your target audience viewpoint, and you make your change, you make your tweaks. It’s not an instant process.” – Nicki

Mentioned on this Episode

• 11 Traits of the Most Successful Copywriters

Related Links

• What Does it Take to Become a Copywriter?
• Confused About Where to Start Your Copywriting Career? This One’s For You

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.

Previous Episode

The post Summer Rewind: Ep 15. Traits of the Most Successful Copywriters appeared first on Filthy Rich Writer.

First things first: SEO, or search engine optimization is a specialized skill. Companies looking for an SEO copywriter often are conflating two roles into one. Dig into the job description, and you may have a bit more clarity on what they want. But, often, you may be asking clarifying questions to the hiring manager as to what, specifically, they want this role to tackle.

There’s a lot of debate about if copywriting and content writing are two separate things. And, the answer is very much yes. (You can read more about the differences here >>)

Here’s the thing: there are some people who will continue to conflate the two—to their own detriment. This could be business owners who don’t understand the goals of copy vs. content. Or this could be content writers who apply for copywriting jobs and are surprised why they’re not getting calls back.

Copywriters are writing to persuade. To get people to take action. These are your billboards, emails, banner ads, sales pages, and more.

Content writers are writing to inform, entertain, or inspire. Sure, there can be calls to action within content. But it’s supporting the purchase process; it’s not a direct link to a purchase. These are your blog posts and ebooks.

With that foundation, let’s dig into what people are really asking for when they’re wanting an “SEO copywriter.”

What is SEO Copywriting?

SEO copywriting is taking all the principles of copywriting (features versus benefits; clear call to action; writing to a brand’s voice; speaking to the target audience) and adding a layer of SEO keyword research.

But, if you read our intro, you know it’s a bit of a misnomer.

Think of SEO as the alternative to paid ads. If you can rank in the top 3 results for a given search term on Google, then people are going to click that page. It will build trust and authority in your brand because you’re ranking high on Google, so more people are clicking on it. And more people consuming it makes the algorithm think it’s more valuable than less-clicked content. (There are, of course, a lot of other factors that go into the algorithm. Google isn’t sharing how it algorithm works!)

Keywords are just one piece of SEO (more on that to come). Keywords are one small piece of a blog post or specific web page ranking higher than others that feature similar keywords.

So, for example, let’s say you’re writing a blog post about glow in the dark dog collars. Your keyword may be “glow in the dark dog collars.” You’re naturally, going to work that language into the post; you can’t talk about glow in the dark dog collars without saying “glow in the dark dog collars!”

Outdated tactics like keyword stuffing (again, more on that to come), don’t work anymore. Search engines are much savvier at detecting what is helpful content versus what content is trying to game the algorithm by packing in a ton of the keyword. For example, if you have a 400-word post, and you use “glow in the dark dog collar” 20 times, it’s going to sound unnatural.

As a copywriter, you’re going to be using your creative brief to guide your word choices and the information you’re including in a given project. If you’re writing a homepage for a plumber in Boston, for example, you’re naturally going to be including the words “plumber” and “Boston” throughout in a compelling way that doesn’t feel forced.

Read more about the truth behind SEO “copywriting” or watch more below!

5 Things to Know About SEO Copywriting

As noted earlier, many clients may know know what their expectations are when it comes to an SEO copywriter. They know they need to “do SEO,” but don’t actually know about SEO beyond keywords. And, again, keywords are just one small part of SEO. You may be educating your clients.

Here are some key things to know.

1. Many Elements of SEO Have Nothing to Do With Writing

Too many people—many copywriters and even some of your clients!—make the mistake of thinking SEO is 100% about keywords and words on the page in general.

But savvy marketers know that this is just one piece of the SEO puzzle. Think of SEO in two parts: on-page SEO (sometimes called content SEO) and technical SEO.

The elements of technical SEO include:

Ensuring the sitemap for your client’s website is submitted to Google

This is how Google understands your website and all the pages that make it up. If you don’t submit a sitemap, Google may not find all the pages of the site and may only return some of them in search results some of the time—if at all.

Improving a website’s speed

Google doesn’t like website that load slowly! There’s a lot that goes into the speed of a site. For example, are images super high resolution or set to condense? Is the page set to lazy load? Is there extra code on the website that doesn’t need to be there? These are all elements that can impact SEO, but that will be handled by a developer versus a copywriter.

Creating an SEO-friendly site structure

How pages on a website relate is important to how Google crawls them and ranks them in search results. Websites should be, first and foremost, easy for a user to navigate. Users need to be able to find the information they’re looking for. So, if you have a blog post about glow in the dark dog collars, you may link off to a post about the safest dog collars for your pet. The topics are related and users may be curious about other collars to keep their dog safe.

Building a mobile-friendly website

Many websites are “responsive,” which simply means they adjust based on the user’s screen. So, if they’re using a large desktop monitor, a laptop, a tablet, or a mobile phone, the content adjusts accordingly.

However, sometimes websites are built for desktop first and mobile gets left behind. Search engines penalize sites that are not mobile friendly. As the majority of Internet users are accessing content from mobile phones, more emphasis has been placed on making sure the user experience is just as good on mobile as it is on desktop.

Avoiding duplicate content issues

If a website has the same content on multiple different URLs, it’s going to prevent both of them from ranking. An SEO expert needs to determine if the pages should be consolidated and one redirected or decide if one page should be marked as canonical.

Depending on your client, these elements can have a much bigger impact on the page ranking than any on-page SEO.

Think of it like an old sports car. You can paint the sports car and make it look shiny and new, but if the engine is broken, the paint isn’t going to make that car run any faster (or run at all!). That’s what technical vs. on-page SEO is like. You can add subheadings and pick a keyword that you

2. SEO is More Content than Copywriting

The goal of copywriting, at least for the web, is typically to turn traffic to a website into leads and sales. But where does that traffic come in the first place? Content.

Search engine optimization is really about attracting more organic traffic to a business’s website.

And, when it comes to copywriting, you’re going to naturally be incorporating keywords into a webpage anyway! If you’re writing for a plumber in Boston, it’s likely “plumber in Boston” is going to work it’s way into some of your headings and subheads naturally.

Here are a few SEO writing tips to get you started >>

3. SEO is a Long Game

If you or your client are looking for fast results, SEO is not it. That doesn’t mean it’s not valuable; it certainly is!

But it can take months for you to see a page rank on Google. Of course, the algorithms are not transparent. And they’re changing. All. The. Time. So, even once you rank for something, it could change next week or even the next day. Rankings fluctuate often.

Blog posts are something you can continue to update over time and has a long lifespan—years! In fact, sometimes refreshing content can have a bigger impact on SEO than creating new content (though, ideally, businesses will be doing both).

4. You Need Some Technical Know-How If You Want to Track Results

If you’re not tracking results, it’s hard to know whether what you’re doing is effective. That goes for copywriting and content. The difference withe SEO is the timeline. Unlike an email where you can see the open and click through rates after you send it, you’re going to need to monitor your metrics over time.

Google Search Console is free to set up and your client should be able to grant you access that will allow you to see what pages and keywords they’re ranking for. This can help you pinpoint holes or gaps in content.

And you can compare rankings for pages and keywords over various periods. This allows you to see if your SEO efforts are having an impact.

Tools like Semrush give you even more insights, but are paid. If you’re offering content services for clients (and you’re earning money!), these tools are a worthwhile consideration. You can roll the cost of the tool into your rates and/or use it as a tax write off.

But if you’re not yet earning (and even if you are), these tools aren’t necessary. In fact, your client may already use one and be able to give you access to it.

5. Beware of Outdated Tactics

You’ll see a lot of things like “You must write between 2,500-3,000 words.” Or “you have to use your keyword 5 times (more on keyword stuffing below).”

The truth is, everyone wants an easy-button formula. But it doesn’t exist.

They key is to answer your audience’s question. If that takes 400 words, great. If that takes 1,500, great. you can always (and should!) update content as you gain more information or hear back from your audience on what would be helpful to answering their query.

A Note on Local and Off-Page SEO

There is also local SEO and off-page SEO. Local SEO is aimed at improving SEO results locally. So, back to that plumber in Boston. They’d want to focus on local SEO since finding an audience in California isn’t necessarily going to help them.

Off-page SEO are actions that someone takes offline. For example, a phone call. Or your client does an interview with a media outlet. The media outlet quotes your client and then links back to your clients’ site when they publish the piece.

You can also reach out to sites where you think it would be helpful for them to link back to your site.

How to Become an SEO Copywriter

The process of becoming an SEO copywriter looks the same as it does for any career change.

1. Get training
2. Get experience
3. Get a job

Here’s the dirty secret: companies looking for an “SEO copywriter” often don’t know what they’re looking for.

They know SEO is important. And they want to “do SEO.” It’s a buzzword.

Maybe they think a writer can solve all the issues. Or maybe they know they need someone who can write and understands the principles of SEO that a writer does have some control over.

You want to look at the job description very carefully.

Key SEO Copywriting Tactics

As with any project, start with a creative brief!

Keyword Research

You’ll want to incorporate a relevant keyword into any piece of content. The good news is, you will likely do this automatically if you’re following best practices of summing up what your piece of content is all about.

There are tools to help you with keyword research, such as Ubersuggest (free option available) Google’s Keyword Planner (you’ll need a Google Ads account, though you don’t have to run ads). But you can also use related searches in Google or “people also ask.”

These tools can help you get a sense of keywords and related keywords, as well as how competitive they are. For example, while “glow in the dark dog collars” may have a ton of competition, something like “LED dog collar” or “lighted dog collar” may have more or less competition.

This is the difference between short and long-tail keywords. Short keywords are the most searched—which makes it harder (though not impossible) to rank for them. Long-tail keywords are typically between 3 and 5 words and let you hone in on a specific audience or niche.

Now, some teams you work with may have someone doing keyword research and suggesting a target keyword, and potentially even secondary and tertiary keywords, to consider including in your writing. Other teams looking for an “SEO copywriter” may expect you to do the keyword research.

Where to Use Keywords

As mentioned above, there’s no perfect number of times to use your keyword. You’ll naturally incorporate it as you’re writing based on the

You’ll also want to incorporate it in the meta description, page titles, and page URLs when possible. You can provide this in the copy doc, or, your client may give you access to their content management system (CMS) for you to input this information

(Pro tip: never write directly in an CMS. Technology fails all the time and there’s nothing worse than writing a piece of content … and having it go “poof.” Keep a Word or Google Doc and then copy/paste into the CMS.)

A Note on Keyword Stuffing

There are a lot of outdated SEO tactics, but you will still see people talking about getting a certain number of keywords into a post. Why? They haven’t kept up with the ever-changing marketing landscape.

This is going to hurt you significantly. Google even has rules about it .

Internal Links

As a copywriter, you’re likely already doing this. If you’re writing a homepage and you have a section that introduces the team and has a CTA to learn more that drives to the “About Us” page, then that’s your internal linking.

For content writers, there’s an opportunity to keep an eye out for what text you can link to other posts on the company’s website. This helps Google understand how pages are related on a website and it helps the user more easily find information they’re looking for.

You’ll want to keep an eye on the anchor text. Overusing keywords in the anchor text of the links you build can also hurt you.

SEO tool Yoast has helpful recommendations on anchor text >>

Valuable

Google’s “EEAT” guidelines are meant to help you create content that is most valuable for readers. EEAT stands for expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness.

Together, these guidelines are intended to make sure that the content that ranks higher in search is going to answer reader’s queries from a source that knows what its talking about. Think about it: you wouldn’t want to take medical advice from a fifteen-year-old who hasn’t gone to medical school, right?

Original

In the age of AI, this is crucial. Businesses that get left behind will be the ones that use ChatGPT to regurgitate what already exists online. AI can’t create new content. It can only cobble together content from what already exists, fundamentally making it unoriginal (not to mention, many businesses have found it creates content that is just flat out wrong).

Depending on the topic, you want to interview subject matter experts for quotes that only they could provide from their specific experiences. You could even add your own insight from your expertise, depending on the topic and your experience with it.

Essentially: what value can you add that no one else can add? What can you add to or build on the conversation that is happening on the Internet?

Your Turn! What other questions do you have about SEO? Let us know in the comments!

The post SEO Copywriting & Strategy 101: How to Write SEO appeared first on Filthy Rich Writer.

One of the most common questions i get from people who are interested in getting into copywriting is, “Great, I’m interested—but when will I start to make money?”

It makes sense: we want to know what the earning potential is before we jump headfirst into a new career.

So, I’ll answer this question, but I’m going to presuppose that you’re on an actual copywriting study tract. One of the biggest mistakes that trips people up (and keeps them from making money) is trying to get copywriting work without actually knowing how to write copy.

Copywriting is a skill just like any other and requires training to learn it. No one’s going to hire you to be a cowboy if you don’t know how to rope a steer and ride the range.

That’s actually the reason that we created our own copywriting training: It’s been hard for people to find good copywriting training, much less a training that’s both affordable and thorough.

2 Must-Haves to Make Money as a Copywriter

Back to the answer. Well, in a nutshell, you can start making money as soon as you know what you’re doing. That sounds like a very vague answer, I know. But, really, anyone who tries to give you a specific answer is just BSing you.

Training

Just like with becoming a pilot or becoming an accountant, becoming a copywriter requires training (though, significantly less training—and less expensive training—than becoming a pilot).

You don’t need to pay thousands of dollars for portfolio school or get any b-s copywriting certification (more on that here). What you do need is a course that will teach you copywriting principles, including how to distinguish features versus benefits, how to write an effective call to action, and how to create strong ad concepts.

It also helps if the course teaches you how to find and land clients so that you can get the next must-have: experience.

Experience

As soon as you start to have a basic grip on copywriting, you can start finding yourself some small business clients. I always recommend starting out with small business clients because you will almost always know so much more than they do about copywriting and marketing.

And I don’t mean that in a superior way. I mean that you can start helping them very quickly. And, again, depending on how much you want to learn and how quickly and how well you assimilate the information, you could conceivably start trying to get your first clients within a couple of weeks.

Then, as you learn more and as you get more samples for your portfolio, you can start branching out to design studios and ad agencies and in-house agencies.

Your Timeline to Becoming a Copywriter Is Up to YOU

The time it takes you to start earning money is really all on you. There are some people whose schedules are packed and can’t dedicate a ton of time to learning or who want to take it at a slower pace and there are some people who will go at it, guns blazing.

And, again, I can’t make you any promises, but I can tell you how the timing worked out for one of my students.

Example Timeline: Christina’s Journey to Leo Burnett

Christina started working with me just a little over nine months ago. Like a lot of people, she wasn’t happy at her job and, on top of that, things at her company were a little shaky. So, she decided she needed a change. She was looking for a career she’d enjoy, a career she could grow in, and a career she could makes some money in.

Like many CCA students, she’d always enjoyed writing and she thought maybe copywriting might work for her, but she didn’t really know much about it. She’d never done it before.

Well, she found us and started training. (And wouldn’t you know it, just a few weeks after she started training, she lost her job. But she kept pushing on anyway.) Our training is all self-paced, so she could do it when she had time to do it. And then, of course, too, she started being able to find herself some copywriting work to bring in some cash.

So, skipping forward a bit, about a three months ago, I got an email from her. I hadn’t heard from her and she hadn’t joined in the student calls for a month or two. So, I was curious to see how she was doing. Well, it turns out she was doing pretty darn well. She had just landed a full-time, freelance position at Leo Burnett in Chicago. And if you’re not familiar with Leo Burnett, it’s a major global advertising firm.

She was thrilled and I was thrilled for her. So, timeline? She landed that about six months after she started training with us. That’s right: six months from knowing nothing about copywriting to working with one of the biggest and most powerful ad agencies in the world.

And there’s no magic to it either. She learned. She took the steps we gave her to build her portfolio and she took the steps we gave her to network. And she made it happen.

Could it take you longer? Of course; it depends on the time you dedicate to learning and to building your portfolio. Could you do it faster? Sure. It’s all up to you.

See More CCA Student Journeys & Timelines

There are as many timelines for making money as there are copywriters!

If you’re interested in hearing more about all the various ways Comprehensive Copywriting Academy students build their copywriting careers, check out our student journey playlist here >>

You can also see more student wins right here >>

And listen to one of our successful students discuss how he landed a senior copywriter role here >>

The post How Soon Can You Make Money as a Copywriter? appeared first on Filthy Rich Writer.

Our team gets asked a lot if our training is appropriate for people with no background in copywriting—for people who are brand new to copywriting.

The quick answer to that is: Absolutely. We teach you all of the basics, and then we help you refine your skills as we teach you the more advanced tactics. A lot of our students actually come in with no experience at all.

But there’s more to it, so I want to dig in a bit.

As Adults, It’s Not Often That We Truly Learn Something New

When we were kids, even into young adulthood, we learned new things all the time. We were used to encountering subjects we knew nothing about and we were comfortable being complete novices.

But after we leave this phase of our lives, it’s not often at all that we encounter things or subjects that are completely foreign to us. Think about it: When’s the last time you were in a position to begin learning something entirely new?

Often, as adults, something interesting happens. Intellectually, we know we’re brand new to something…but we’re still shocked that we don’t know how to do it once we begin.

I’ve seen so many students (of both my courses and colleague’s courses) who will happily admit that they’re complete beginners, but then lament that they haven’t instantly mastered concepts or that other students are further ahead than they are.

My friends: Be gentle with yourselves! We forget this, but it takes time to learn. Some topics you’ll pick up quickly and some may take a little practice, but nothing can be instantly downloaded into your brain.

Every Copywriter Was Once Brand New to Copywriting

Remember that every single copywriter started in exactly the same place: Not knowing anything about copywriting! No one is born knowing how to do this, so if you don’t know a thing about it, you’re in exactly the right place to start.

Be open to learning and be open to the fact that this is a process. We’ll give you all of the information you need and plenty of support, but you need to take the action and practice. Mastery ONLY comes through practice. And, yeah, sometimes practice is fun and sometimes it’s challenging. That’s true with anything!

Don’t Compare Yourself With Anyone Else—Whether It’s Professionals or Other Students

Trying to compare your “chapter 1” with someone else’s “chapter 20” just doesn’t make sense! If you’re brand new and they’re not, you’re not going to know some of the terms they use yet and you’re not going to see the same success as they are yet.

You’re willing to admit that you’re brand new to it, but you also have to make peace with the fact that you’re not going to know everything as soon as you begin the course. You don’t speak fluently on the first day of German class, do you? (Unless you’re a German speaker; in which case, substitute another language. )

But you WILL be able to master it if you stick with it; if you’re willing to go through the lessons, if you’re willing to practice the work, if you’re willing to post it in the Facebook group and get feedback on it, and if you’re willing to put yourself out in the world and land clients.

Be open to learning and be open to feeling unsure of yourself for a bit. That might be one of the most important lessons we can possibly learn as grown-ups.

More Resources for Brand-New Copywriters

If you’re brand-new to copywriting, here are a few other resources you may find helpful:

• How to Get Into Copywriting: 6 Must-Take Steps
• Copywriter FAQs: Get Answers to Your Top Questions
• The Everything-You-Need Copywriting Course

Your turn! Are you willing to give yourself the patience to learn? (I mean really.) Let me know in the comments below!

The post 3 Things to Remember if You’re Brand New to Copywriting appeared first on Filthy Rich Writer.

A few nights ago, someone left a comment on one of our Facebook ads essentially saying, “Your training is all well and good, but when the market is flooded with copywriters no one will be able to find work and everyone will have to work for peanuts.”

Well, that’s a pretty dire prediction. But as you’ve likely heard me say before: The people who know the least about a topic are usually the loudest in giving their opinions.

At the same time, maybe you’ve wondered this, too. Maybe you’ve seen the testimonials on our site and thought:

“If all of those people are already successful, is there even any room for me?”

In a word, yes.

In three words, very much yes. But let’s dig in a little further.

There Aren’t As Many Copywriters as You Think

First, I think it’s interesting that no one’s ever concerned about the markets being “flooded” with doctors or accountants or mechanics or any of those and institutions of higher learning are churning people in those professions out in the thousands upon thousands upon thousands every single year.

But I get it, someone sees my Facebook ad a couple of times and assumes that we’re doing the same. Let me assure you: Our numbers are nowhere near that high.

And, considering there are really only a handful of consistently running copywriting courses that actually teach marketable copywriting skills, there’s not going to be any market-flooding any time soon.

The Internet is very good at showing you more of what it thinks you want. So, if you’ve expressed interest in copywriting, you’re going to see a ton of copywriting content. That makes it feel like the world is filled with copywriters. But don’t let that fool you. Look at the actual data.

The Opportunity for Copywriters is Large

Let’s look at it from the other side—the opportunity side.

You’ve probably heard me say before that there is so much more need for good, skilled copywriters than there are good, skilled copywriters to fill it.

That’s very true. And no matter how long I have this company and no matter how many copywriters I train, that will remain true.

Why? Because there are SO MANY companies and organizations out there.

The simple fact of the matter is that every single company and organization uses copy. Copy conveys their messages and allows a company or organization to meet its goals. Copy is essential to ALL companies and organizations.

Now, will every single one of them hire a copywriter? Of course not. But you don’t need them to.

The most recent statistic I could find (2019) conveys that there are more than 32.5 million businesses in the US. Along with that, there are more than 1.5 million nonprofits in the US.

(Global students and readers, I just used US numbers because they were easiest to find instead of tracking down and adding up the numbers for all English-speaking countries and companies.)

That means that there are more than 34,000,000 businesses and organizations operating within JUST the US that have a need for copywriting.

And don’t forget, you can write for businesses and organizations in any English-speaking country AND any company that is marketing to English-speakers, wherever that company is located.

For example, for several years I worked with a Brazilian company that made videos for other Brazilian companies that wanted to reach English-speaking audiences.

And, don’t forget that 543,000 new businesses are started EACH MONTH.

Now, again, not every single one of these will hire copywriters. (Even though they should.)

But if only ONE PERCENT of the 34 million companies hired copywriters?

(The real percentage would much, much, much higher but I’m making a point here.)

That would be 340,000 companies or organizations IN THE US ALONE.

How Many Clients Copywriters Need vs. How Much Work There Is

Considering the average copywriter needs, oh, 5 or 6 clients (on average) a month to make an excellent full-time living (and retainer clients, who keep working with you over and over, decrease the number of new clients you need)…

There is SO MUCH more need for good copywriters than there are good copywriters to fill it.

Not only will we not “flood the market” with copywriters, but there remains (and will remain) an actual drought of copywriters.

And the companies that are looking for copywriters? Many of them are looking for multiple copywriters! Ad agencies have teams of copywriters. Internal marketing teams often have several copywriters, if not an entire team. Small businesses may work with several copywriters. And that’s not even touching on maternity leaves, overflow work for busy periods, and more!

Don’t let fear-mongering or misinformation from misinformed people scare you off. If you love writing, if you have a natural talent for it and if you’re open to learning and willing to follow the steps that you’re given…

Copywriting is, and will remain, a HUGE career opportunity.

Watch More

Listen as Nicki and Kate dig deeper into the math and why how we feel about things isn’t always how they actually are. They also discuss why not all copywriters are created equal—so even if there are people calling themselves copywriters, it doesn’t mean they know how to write copy (which means there’s even more room and opportunity for trained copywriters!).

Your turn! Has this information changed how you feel about copywriting? If so, how? Let me know in the comments below!

*543,000 new businesses each month

*34.5+ million businesses in the US

*1.5+ million nonprofits in the US

The post Will the Market Be Flooded with Copywriters? appeared first on Filthy Rich Writer.

The first time I made six figures as a copywriter was in 2008…right in the middle of the Great Recession…right after I left my full-time job to go freelance.

Why then? Especially knowing that period was when, sadly, companies were laying off staff left and right. But here’s the key:

**Companies still needed copy because copy drives business.**

Remember, copywriting is writing that’s designed to sell or persuade. It’s emails, websites, sales pages, banner ads, direct mail, even billboards.

Copywriting is about making connections — connecting people who have a want or need with the solution to that want or need by writing in a way that resonates with them.

So while companies were laying off staff, they were also bringing on freelancers to help them keep their businesses afloat and continue making money.

Two Things You Need to Have (Especially During Challenging Economic Times)

Now, look, I’m not making—and I never make—any income guarantees. I can give you the steps, but you have to take the action. 

And I’m not telling you that you shouldn’t be concerned about a financial downturn. 

But what I can tell you is that, at any point,—and most especially during challenging economic times—there are two things you need to make sure you have:

First, you need to have a skill that helps businesses make money. In an economic downturn, businesses slough off tasks, teams, and even divisions that don’t directly contribute to revenue and they focus attention and resources on those that do. 

Second, you need a skill that you can do as a freelancer. The great thing is that most skills can be done freelance—the key is that you need to be ready and willing to take on the freelance mantle if need be. 

I’m not saying you should quit your job—far from it!—but if you want to make sure that you weather an economic downturn with as little turbulence as possible, you need to make sure you have the skills—and the systems—to find and market yourself to clients.

It’s probably not a surprise at this point, but copywriting fulfills both of those qualifications. Even if you don’t want to write copy full-time, it might be worth thinking about investing in a side hustle skill; something that can add income in the good times and help keep you stable in the challenging ones. 

Caution: Blog Writing is NOT Copywriting

One quick note, though: 

Blog writing is NOT the same thing as copywriting. Blogs are content — or writing that’s designed to educate, entertain, or inspire. Content helps companies establish their expertise, get ranked on search engines, and can help get some traffic to a site.

Copy drives action. Content supports attention. Both have their place in a business, but one earns a writer much more money. Hint, hint: It’s the one that can drive sales.

Unfortunately, that’s not the case with content. Content is important, absolutely, but it’s not a business necessity. Content writers — blog post writers — will have an *extremely* hard time getting work and clients in any kind of economic depression.

(And that’s on top of already being faced with a flooded market and competition that’s willing to write for two cents a word.)

Yes, things can get scary during an economic downturn. And no, I’m absolutely NOT promising you smooth sailing. 

But what I can tell you is that it’s a good idea to do what you can to insulate yourself against challenges that might come up—especially since that insulation can only benefit you, no matter the economic situation.

It wasn’t a fluke that I first hit six-figures in the middle of the Great Recession. I had the skills and I had the systems that let me take full advantage of what was a terrible situation for many but that turned out to be a huge opportunity for me.

And that opportunity also supported me in remaining a six-figure copywriter from then on. 

No one can predict the future and, if anything, I tend to be more optimistic about it than many. But I also think it’s just the wise thing to do to help make sure you’re okay, no matter what comes up. 

The post Recessions Are Huge Opportunities for Copywriters. Here’s Why. appeared first on Filthy Rich Writer.

Usually, I get this question via a Facebook comment on an ad. And, I’d venture to say that it’s not asked in the most, oh, constructive manner. (Which tends to be the way with most Facebook ad comments that come through in the middle of the night…) But it’s come up often enough—and maybe you’ve even wondered it yourself— that I want to be sure to address it now.

The question is, “If you make so much money as a copywriter, why are you teaching copywriting instead?”

First, I want to make one thing abundantly clear—I am NOT teaching copywriting instead of writing copy. I’m still a working copywriter, in the weeds and doing the work, cranking out copy for clients. I’m not teaching instead of writing copy—I’m teaching AND writing copy.

And yes! I make a lot of money as a copywriter. I am a six-figure copywriter. The finances are a little muddier now that I have this business as well and don’t devote 100% of my time to copywriting, but when I am strictly devoted to copywriting, I have no problem hitting 6-figures per year.

Which is great, right? It’s a lot of money! I could very comfortably sit back and just write copy for the rest of my days.

But honestly, I’d feel like I was missing out on something.

How I Got Started in Copywriting

When I first got started with copywriting (20+ years ago!), I had to figure everything out on my own. I did have the benefit of having learned how to write copy from dad, who was a marketing director at the time. But the business side of it? That was tricky. I made a lot of mistakes and I wasted a lot of time and money.

I even got custom-made T-shirts with my name, phone number, email, and services (see the photo for proof—CD-ROMs?!).

Then, later on in my career, I had the opportunity to build a team of copywriters. Some of them had some editorial writing experience and some had just a very, very little bit copywriting experience. So, they were a smart, talented group…but they didn’t know how to write copy.

It was up to me to teach them all of the principles of copywriting—the basic stuff and the advanced stuff—and how to wield it all to craft effective copy. And I discovered that I really loved it.

I loved helping them learn how to do what I already loved to do. And, because I’m realistic and know that no one should stay in any job forever, I also had them build their own portfolio sites and learn how to market themselves as copywriters as part of that training. Basically, I taught them what I wish I could have been taught when I first got started.

Not long after we finished our initial training, I thought, “Well, hey, what if I could do this on a broader scale? What if I could reach more people and help them learn to write copy and build careers—while also helping them avoid all of those dumb (but super common) mistakes I made when I was starting out?”

Why I Created a Comprehensive Online Copywriting Course

The thing is, there weren’t—and there still aren’t—a lot of good resources for people who want to build copywriting careers. Or even for people who want to do it part-time. There are some scammy ones that teach antiquated projects like “online sales letters,” make B.S. promises like, “you’ll make six figures in your first year in your pajamas,” and bank on weird and useless “training techniques” like hand-copying ads. (What??)

And there are other well-meaning programs from young writers who’ve found some success for themselves (yay!) but only know how to teach you how they did it. And, unfortunately, that means directing people into pitfalls those instructors don’t understand and can’t anticipate, and only being able to offer a limited perspective from limited experience.

I’ve been a copywriter for more than 20 years. I’ve worked as a freelancer, on-staff, and as a contractor. I’ve worked for multi-national, multi-billion-dollar companies, I’ve worked for solopreneurs, and I’ve worked for every size business in between. And I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt:

There is a real and true shortage of good, skilled copywriters.

There is a far, far greater need for copywriters than there are copywriters to fill it. Believe me, I couldn’t even BEGIN to create my own competition by training writers—there’s too much opportunity!

There have never before been so many companies in the world and never before have those companies better understood the need for and value of good copy.

Why I Love Working with New and Seasoned Copywriters

I teach copywriting because I find it SO fulfilling to help people create copywriting careers of their own.

Every time one of my students lands a new client or hits a new income goal, I am truly elated.

I can’t imagine it’s an especially good business tactic to sell a course and then hang people out to dry, but I wouldn’t know. I want each and every one of my students to succeed and hit all of their goals and I give them the support and resources to help them get there.

Why do I teach copywriting? Because I love it. I love my students, and I love watching them create successful, fulfilling, great paying careers of their own.

And I still write copy because I love the unique challenge of combining creativity and strategy to write messaging that really connects with people.

So, I’m lucky—I have two careers that I absolutely love. And THAT’S why I do them both.

Listen to More

Nicki shared more about why she is both a working copywriter and teaching copywriting on the Build Your Copywriting Business podcast. Listen in!

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Hear More About Nicki’s Copywriting Background

On episode 8 of the Build Your Copywriting Business podcast, we’re turning the tables a bit! Kate is interviewing Nicki about her start in copywriting, the major piece of advice she would have given to herself when she was a brand-new copywriter, and why she created the Comprehensive Copywriting Academy.

The post If I Make So Much Money Writing Copy, Why Am I Teaching Copywriting? appeared first on Filthy Rich Writer.

Let’s start out today with a reminder: Just because someone is loud, doesn’t mean they’re right. Also, just because something is prevalent, doesn’t mean it’s correct. We can agree on those, right?

Okay, good. Because today we’re going to bust some very prevalent myths and debunk some very popular pieces of advice. Why? Because not only are they wrong, but they’re actually much more likely to significantly hinder your copywriting career than to advance it.

So let’s dig in!

1. You need to choose a niche to be successful, and you need to choose one immediately.

Here’s why that’s dead wrong: When you are first starting out in copywriting, you don’t know yet which industries you want to work in or which types of writing you’ll enjoy. You might love travel, but find that writing copy for the travel industry isn’t your thing. And you just can’t know until you do it. You also don’t know for sure which narrow niches have enough work to support you!

And here’s another thing: If you choose a niche and fill your portfolio up with samples applicable to that niche, if a creative director or hiring manager from a different industry comes to your portfolio to evaluate your skill, they’re going to think you won’t want to (or, worse, can’t) write for a different industry—even if that’s work you’d love to get!

Choosing a niche when you’re just starting out unnecessarily limits your opportunities.

The Truth:

When you’re new to copywriting, you need to create a portfolio with as much depth and breadth as you can to showcase how flexible your skills are. Then, later, after three or four years as a professional copywriter, you can choose a niche if you want to. But also, you never have to choose a niche if you’re not feeling it.

Listen to this podcast episode for more on niches »

2. You should use job bidding sites like Upwork to find clients.

Here’s why that’s a bad idea: I get it. It seems like the perfect solution for finding work! Someone who wants copy work done goes on these sites and posts their jobs and then you just respond that you’re ready and willing to do it! So easy!

But that’s not really how it works. What actually happens is that someone posts a job and then you have to spend time putting together a decent, personalized proposal. The problem is, of course, that anywhere from a handful to dozens of other copywriters are doing the same thing. And, because of that competition, people are bidding as low as they can and you end up having to decrease your standard rates just to be competitive.

People who post jobs on sites like that are looking for decent skill at the lowest price they can get and spending your time crafting proposals to try to get work like that is a recipe for disillusionment.

The Truth:

The ratio with sites like these—one job for many copywriters—is bad for you. Instead, you need to switch the ratio around—one copywriter (you) with many opportunities—by taking control of the process. Proactively pitching potential clients (clients who, by the way, want you to pitch them) allows you to control both your rates and your workflow, two keys to being successful as a copywriter.

3. You should create one good pitch email and send it out to a ton of companies to save time.

Here’s why that’s a waste of time: If the last point sold you on pitching instead of blind-competing for work, great, you’re headed on the right path. But if you’ve heard another piece of advice, that you need to create one pitch letter and send it out to as many companies as possible, you’re following the wrong advice.

In a way, yes, it is a numbers game; the more good pitches you send out, the higher the chances of getting positive responses. But I’m talking about good pitches: Pitches that are personalized, pitches that demonstrate an understanding of the company/brand, pitches that offer ideas that prove your expertise. Mass email pitches don’t contain any of those things. They’re lazy. And they’re easy to spot—which also makes them easy to delete. (And easy to mark as spam!)

Plus, why do you need to send out hundreds of emails at a time? Even if you (somehow) got a response from 5% of them, you wouldn’t have the bandwidth to talk with them!

The Truth:

You’ll get so much better results from crafting good, personal pitches and sending a handful out a day consistently.

4. You should offer to work for free to build your experience.

Here’s why that’s is such a huge mistake: When you’re first starting out, you don’t have a lot of samples—or a lot of confidence. And that leads some copywriters to offer to work for free to prove their skills. But instead of demonstrating confidence in your abilities, you’re devaluing them.

Your potential client isn’t thinking, “Wow, she must be really good—she’s willing to work for free!” Instead, she’s thinking, “How good can she be if she’s willing to work for free?” It makes it clear that you’re very new and very inexperienced, and, in your would-be client’s mind, this likely equates to “not very good.”

Also, if you start out your sales pitch by offering to work for free…why would anyone pay you? Or, at least, why would they pay you a good rate? You’ve already told them that you are more than happy to work for free. It would be ludicrous for them to say, “No, no, let me pay you $50 an hour instead.” At the very least, they’re going to feel like they’re doing you a favor by offering to pay you $10 an hour.

The Truth:

You didn’t get into a good-paying career to work for free! First, make sure that you’ve got the skills to write copy well. Then, create a portfolio with spec ads that demonstrate your copywriting skills even before you’ve gotten many (or any) paid clients.

There’s no need to work for free when you’re good at what you do. New surgeons don’t work for free just because they haven’t operated many times! Prove yourself with great spec samples in your portfolio and then command a reasonable rate.

Your turn! What other “advice” about copywriting have you heard that’s got you wondering if it’s true? Let me know in the comments below!

The post 4 Pieces of Terrible Advice New Copywriters Get All the Time appeared first on Filthy Rich Writer.

Here’s what most people think about breaking into copywriting: You need experience to get clients and you need clients to get experience.

And that’s a catch-22 that stops a lot of would-be copywriters dead in their tracks. But the truth—and good news—is that that’s only half true.

Today, we’re going to talk about which half is true and how you can land clients without already having had clients. Bonus: you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars going back to school (or, frankly, get “certification” which only proves you paid for a course).

Getting started in copywriting is easier than some people would lead you to believe. (The ones that say copywriting is “hard” to get into are usually the ones that skipped step number one: you need training.)

And it’s also flexible. You can work when and where you want as a freelance copywriter or on staff within a company or agency or bounce between the two! There are as many paths for copywriters as there are copywriters (as Comprehensive Copywriting Academy students can attest to—just listen to a few of their stories!).

If you’re still dipping your toes into copywriting and have questions like:

• What is copywriting?
• How much copywriters can make? (Yes, 6+ figures if you want!)
• Is copywriting right for me? 
• How soon can you can make money as a copywriter by starting a business offering copywriting services?
• And more …

…then you’ll want to check out this page. We’ve compiled a list of some of the most frequently asked questions about copywriting and answered each one.

BUT, if you’re pretty sure copywriting is something you’re interested in and are ready for some concrete action steps, read on!

True: You Need Copywriting Experience to Gain Clients

So, which part is true? Well, the first part: You need experience to get clients. And I know that might be a little discouraging, so bear with me here for a moment.

The truth is that, no, no one is going to hire you if you have no experience writing copy. Read: No one will hire you if you don’t know how to write copy. Which makes sense, right? Would you hire an electrician who’s never touched wiring? Would you choose a brain surgeon who doesn’t know how to operate?

In order to get copywriting work, you need to know how to write copy. And believe me, writing copy is a skill that requires training, development, and mastery. After all, it’s an entire career! You don’t get to just “decide” that you’re an elementary school teacher or a veterinarian, right?

One of the biggest mistakes would-be copywriters make is to just one day “decide” that they’re copywriters, without doing any work to learn, much less master, the techniques.

False: You Need Copywriting Clients to Gain Experience

The good news for you is what isn’t true about the “you need experience to get clients and you need clients to get experience” fallacy. Namely, that you need clients to get experience.

One of the foundational elements of our Comprehensive Copywriting Academy is building your experience by practicing writing copy, creating spec ads, and landing small business clients who generally don’t require that you have a portfolio.

In a nutshell: Yes, you do need experience—that is, you need to know how to write copy and have practiced it—in order to land clients.

But you do not need to already have clients in order to get that experience. Don’t let that faulty piece of logic hold you back from getting started in what just might be your dream career.

6 Steps to Getting Started in Copywriting

1. Get Copywriting Training

The first step to getting started in copywriting begins with training. There’s simply no way around it. You can’t just decide one day that “Now I’m a copywriter.” I mean, people don’t just walk into airports and suddenly declare “Now I’m a pilot,” right?

The would-be copywriters who fail, the ones that say it’s “too hard” to get into, are the ones that skip this step.

You’ll find lots of online threads saying “you don’t need training, there are free resources.” And yes, there are. The Filthy Rich Writer blog and YouTube channel alone are packed with valuable copywriting tips. But learning the principles and actually practicing and getting feedback on your work are two different things.

If you’re thinking, “Hmm… this copywriting thing sounds interesting, I’d like to try it out” or “I think I’d make a good copywriter” (or both!), it’s time to get the training you need to become a copywriter!

Some of the foundational principles of copywriting include:

• Features versus benefits
• Tone of voice
• Call to action

Of course, other writing best-practices apply like writing in active versus passive voice, telling stories, and keeping sentences concise so they’re easy for people to read.

Where to Get Copywriting Training

Copywriting is not like other kinds of writing (it’s why we get paid so well to do it). Of course, if you’re naturally good at writing, the go-to resume and cover letter editor of all your friends, then that’s a bonus!

When you write copy, you’re connecting an audience with the right solution to their challenge or problem. You’re offering a solution to a need they have (whether they know it or not).

That means you need to have a deep understanding of the audience and the type of language and messaging they’ll respond to, in addition to knowing how to write in the brand’s voice. You also need to know the difference between features and benefits (in copywriting, you always lead with the benefit!).

Unfortunately, you can’t get training in school because 99.9% of the colleges and universities in this country don’t offer copywriting majors. If they offer copywriting at all, it’s a single class as part of a broader marketing major. It’s absolutely insane. Copywriting is the ONE way for a writer to make a good living. And they don’t teach it in universities. I mean, seriously?

But you can get still training—and it doesn’t have to be via a $30-40K per year portfolio school. (You also don’t need a copywriting certificate.)

The best copywriting courses will not just teach you the principles of copywriting, but also how to stand out from other copywriters, how to create your portfolio, how to consistently find and land clients, and more.

What to Look Out for in Copywriting Courses

First, you probably already figured this out, but no one can guarantee you’ll earn a certain income or that you’ll earn it in three months, six months, a year.

Can you hit six figures and beyond? Absolutely. Can you do it in a few months? Absolutely. (We had one student land her first client in one week!) But ultimately it’s on you to take action on the steps you’re given.

Each person has a different amount of time to devote to their training. Your path will look different than someone else’s. And that’s OK! Your goals are likely different, too.

Another red flag is course creators who don’t know the difference between copy and content. Blog posts (like this one!) are content. Content is designed to educate, inspire, and entertain. Copywriting is designed to connect people who have a need with the best solution for that need. It’s writing that’s designed to sell or persuade.

Another major red flag: recommending you hand copy ads to learn copywriting. Hand copying ads you see in the world is great if you want to memorize the copy. But, if you want to learn how to analyze it (and even take a stab at rewriting to improve it!), then you want to learn the principles of copywriting. By learning features versus benefits, understanding the intended audience, and knowing what makes an effective call to action, you can to assess the effectiveness of the ad. (Watch more about that process here >>)

The third major red flag? Too many courses will focus on one way of doing things—the course founder’s way. And often these course creators, while well meaning, don’t have a lot of experience in copywriting.

That’s why we designed the Comprehensive Copywriting Academy to cover all the ways you can build a copywriting career: on staff, at an agency, full-time freelance, part-time side hustle, part-time while working at a full-time job…you get the idea! Whether you want to work from your kitchen table, a slick office, or a beach in Bora Bora (please invite us!), we’ll help you get where you want to go.

Our team has decades experience in all those areas, and with clients of all kinds: Fortune 500 to solopreneurs and everyone in between. And we’ve helped 12,000+ students learn copywriting and build businesses, land jobs, and use copywriting in the way that works for their goals and lifestyles.

Take the first step to get started in copywriting today. Sign up to get access to our free, on-demand video training.

2. Practice Copywriting

And no, we do not mean by hand copying ads. So many so-called copywriting “gurus” tout the benefits of hand copying ads. We’re not in second grade detention writing “I will not run in class” 50 times in our best cursive. Instead, once you have training and you understand key concepts like features versus benefits, look for copy in the world and then analyze it. What’s working? What’s not working?

Then, try your hand at rewriting the ad. How can you lead with the benefit? Are there word choices you would change to better match the brand voice? Does the copy make sense for the medium? The target audience?

Analyzing and rewriting ads is how you’ll build and strengthen your copywriting skills.

Be sure, too, to start looking at ads very strategically. What are they trying to say? Who are they trying to say it to? And what do they want those people to do? Do you think they were successful? Start looking at the ads you see every day with a critical eye.

3. Build Your Online Portfolio

Every copywriter needs an online portfolio. This is how clients can see you know how to write copy.

There are plenty of websites that make it super easy to create your online portfolio. (And in the Comprehensive Copywriting Academy, we walk you step by step through how to build, and write, your online portfolio.)

As you build your portfolio, you’ll want to consider how to set yourself apart from other copywriters. One way to do this is by writing your Unique Selling Perspective (or Unique Selling Point).

You do not need to choose a niche. You’ll see less experienced copywriters recommend this because they think clients are looking for a specialist. You are a specialist. Your specialty is copywriting (versus graphic design or web development or any number of other careers). Your clients are the experts in their industry. It’s your job to partner with them to translate that to effective copy.

You’ll often see job descriptions that say “experience in tech a bonus” or “preferred healthcare experience.” But savvy copywriters know that they can still get hired for these jobs because they know the fundamentals of copywriting and can apply them to any industry. Plus, having an outsider perspective brings

After 20+ years as a copywriter, Nicki still hasn’t chosen to niche. And, as she consistently earns over six figures each year from copywriting, it certainly hasn’t slowed her progress. If anything, it’s fueled it. Similarly, our marketing manager and head copywriting coach, Kate, also hasn’t niched. She’s worked for major tech companies (Microsoft), higher education institutions, healthcare, fashion (if you count Sperry shoes as “fashionable”), manufacturing, and more.

And, if you decide to niche once you have a ton of work coming in and figure out what you do and don’t like, great! But too often copywriters make the mistake of niching and then wonder why they can’t get enough work. You also may love some clients within an industry and loathe others. Why limit yourself or make assumptions when just starting?

That said, at this point, you need to be calling yourself a copywriter (if you haven’t started already!). Start getting used to the idea that you are a copywriter. You are becoming someone who writes copy for a living. Live it, own it, be it.

You’ll also create spec ads. Spec ads, if you’re unfamiliar with the term, are essentially “practice” copywriting samples.

You very clearly label these pieces as “spec” in your portfolio (you always want to be above board, after all) and they’re a fantastic way to demonstrate your copywriting prowess before you get paying clients. And, if you hadn’t yet connected the dots, they’re a great way to help you get paying clients.

Learn more about creating your portfolio >>

4. Land Copywriting Clients

Here’s the catch-22 of every copywriter’s career: You know how to write copy and are ready to land clients, but how can you land clients if you’ve never had previous copywriting jobs?

That’s why you create spec ads. You demonstrate to prospective clients that you can, in fact, write copy. You know how to write in a company’s brand voice. And you can think strategically about solving a creative brief.

Then, you can put together your pitch list and start pitching clients. The way we teach pitching in the Comprehensive Copywriting Academy is very different from the way most people teach it! It’s not about being pushy or salesy or tacky. It’s about adding value. These are the types of pitches that potential clients want to receive in their inbox because you’re providing a solution to a challenge or opportunity they have.

You’ll also want to find out what kind of advertising and marketing groups meet in your city and join them. Attend their events and just get to know people. Feel free to let them know that you’re just getting started in the industry and you’re looking to learn as much as you can—you’ll be surprised at how many people will be willing to offer advice or may even need your help on a project.

Note: if you’re thinking of using job bidding sites like Upwork or Fiverr to land clients, you’ll want to reconsider. While these sites make it seem “easy” to land work, they’re really a race to low rates. See the math behind job bidding sites here >>

5. Know That Resistance Is Going to Come Up—And You’re Going to Keep Going Anyway

When you get started in anything new, whether it’s copywriting, another career, a hobby, a new skill, whatever, you may not be an expert right away. If you think about it, it makes sense. We wouldn’t expect a pilot who takes a flying lesson or two to captain a commercial flight full of passengers from Miami to Dubai, right?

As brand-new copywriters (or anything else), we have to remember that we’re learning something new. And when we learn something new, it can kick up feelings of resistance.

For most of us, it’s been awhile since we’ve truly dug into learning something entirely new! It’s hard to remember what learning something new is like.

But knowing that resistance will crop up is half the battle.

6. Surround Yourself With Support

There are many things you can learn to do on your own: change a flat tire, learn another language, and train a dog, for instance. Could some people learn how to become a copywriter on their own? Sure. But just like all the other things you can learn to do on your own, it’s a heck of a lot easier (and more fun!) if you have a support system.

Why reinvent the wheel? Surrounding yourself with pros who know how to do what it is you want to do is a much faster ticket to success.

Whatever it is you pursue in life, take advice from people who had the same or similar goal and achieved it. Too often, the loudest people are those who haven’t succeeded at what it is we want to do.

The Comprehensive Copywriting Academy’s student-only Facebook group is one of the most supportive corners of the Internet (just check out some of their wins from the group here)

Watch More About How to Become a Copywriter

Learn more about landing your first copywriting clients and how you can use spec ads as proof of your training and experience.

Getting Started as a Copywriter Has Never Been Easier!

Whether you want to work full- or part-time for a swank ad agency, as an in-house copywriter, or build a 100% freelance copywriting business, the Comprehensive Copywriting Academy is designed to help you reach your goals (even if those goals change along the way!).

Through six, online, self-paced foundational modules, and 145+ deep-dive courses you’ll get step-by-step instruction from copywriting pros. You’ll learn how to write copy, build your portfolio, work with a designer, land clients, and much, much more.

The post How to Become a Copywriter Without Experience in 6 Steps appeared first on Filthy Rich Writer.

Hey, it’s Alyssa here! In the spirit of fresh starts and new opportunities, I sat down with one of our long-time friends of Dear English Major, Nicki Krawczyk. We interviewed Nicki back in 2014 not long after the launch of DearEnglishMajor.com, and she has been kind enough to share some excellent information on copywriting with us here and here over the years. Nicki is a copywriter with 20+ years of experience and the founder of Filthy Rich Writer, which provides tools, tips, and training for new and aspiring copywriters.

Alyssa Christensen: Hi! Thanks for talking with me today.

Nicki Krawczyk: My pleasure! I’m a big fan of your site. It’s doing a great job of filling an information gap for a lot of English majors and writing lovers. People want to use their love of the language and of writing, but they don’t know how they can actually make a living at it. Or at least, a good living!

Alyssa: That’s a perfect lead-in to my first question: Why would an English major enjoy being a copywriter?

Nicki: So, there are a couple of parts of this answer, and I kind of started talking about one, so we’ll start there. It’s incredibly difficult for most writers to make a good living. I mean: next to impossible. It’s deeply unfortunate, but it’s true. Ask a novelist, journalist, blogger—the vast, vast majority will never get a shot at making six figures. But copywriters get paid well. Businesses understand the value in what we do and they pay us well for it.

The other part of it is that copywriting is just a really great career for someone who loves writing. You get to write every day, work with creative, dynamic people, be respected for what you do, and see your work be produced online or in print and seen by millions of people every day. It’s creative, it’s fun, and there’s always something new to work on.

Alyssa: What is copywriting, exactly?

Nicki: Strictly speaking, copywriting is writing that’s designed to persuade or sell. Content is different. Content is writing that entertains, inspires, or educates. (Most copywriters will be hired to write content for a client, at some point though, too.)

But really, copywriting is using words that resonate to connect someone who has a need with someone or something that has the solution to that need. Sometimes it’s a noble want or need, like someone needing to find the best pediatric cardiac hospital for their child, and the copywriter’s job is to use words to help them recognize that hospital. And sometimes, someone’s need at that moment is to find the best organic turkey sausage, and the copywriter’s job is to convey and connect them to that.

But copywriting isn’t about forcing or tricking people into buying something. It’s about making connections using words that convey the usefulness or benefit in terms and ways that that the target audience—the people with the need—connect with.

Alyssa: I’ve heard people say that it’s hard to break into copywriting. Is that true?

Nicki: Well, it is and it isn’t. It is hard to break into it in the way many people do it. (And probably the way those people who’ve told you it’s hard tried to do it.)

Many people who want to be copywriters just decide one day that they are copywriters, and they start sending out their resumes and trying to get interviews or clients. That’s just not how it works. You don’t get work without any training or experience, no matter how good of a writer you are. You need to know how to write copy, and it’s so much more than just being able to put a good sentence together. (As challenging as that can be.) There are principles and techniques. I mean, I can make a decent manicotti, but no one’s going to hire me to be a professional chef.

So these people wonder why they can’t get jobs or clients, or if they do get clients, why the clients never work with them again. Yes, it’s hard to break into it if you don’t know how to actually do it.

“So these people wonder why they can’t get jobs or clients, or if they do get clients, why the clients never work with them again. Yes, it’s hard to break into it if you don’t know how to actually do it.”

And I don’t mean to sound harsh. It’s not really their faults because, historically, there hasn’t been a clear path for copywriters. You can’t major in it at any college that I’m aware of. The vast majority don’t even offer it as a class.

But it’s not hard to break into it if you get training and experience—and if that training is offered in a step-by-step, “do this, then this, then this” way. You get training, you get experience, you get work. That’s how the process goes. It sounds simple, and in a lot of ways it actually is.

Alyssa: What kind of training do you need to become a copywriter?

Nicki: One of the reasons so many people have found it hard to break into is that they invest in crummy training. I mean, there’s a big, relatively well-known training company that promises people “if you can write a letter like this, you can make six figures” and tells them they’ll make six figures, working from a beach, in their first year. I mean, it is such b*******. Oh! Sorry—redact that. I get fired up. [Redacted. Kind of.]

They make false promises, they trick people into buying tons of courses, and they teach things that today’s copywriting clients don’t even want! So few people do online sales letters anymore.

So, a training has to have real-world, real-career application. It needs to teach you what you need to know to work with freelance clients, but also ad agencies and internal agencies. It needs to teach you the fundamentals, the more advanced techniques, and how those translate into all kinds of different media—print ads, emails, banner ads, brochures, websites, and so on.

It needs to teach you exactly how to build your portfolio, how to create spec ads, how to find your first clients, and then how to find your next, bigger clients, and then how to parlay all of that into big clients. And it needs to give you the step-by-step path for actually getting experience and getting paid. A training, really, is worthless if it doesn’t also help you get experience. And then, ideally, it would also offer personal help. People are learning a brand new career—they should have questions.

Alyssa: And all of that is what your training offers?

Nicki: Ha! Yes. Sorry, I didn’t mean for that to turn into a sales pitch. But yes it does—because I wanted to create a training that had absolutely everything someone needed to be successful as a copywriter. We’re not a churn-and-burn company; we don’t benefit from luring people in, getting their cash and moving on to the next person. We succeed when our students succeed. So we give them all the tools. And access to me for questions.  

Alyssa: How did you decide to start your training program?

Nicki: I was working at a company that started a new website, and suddenly we had a need for five new copywriters. I poached a couple from the editorial team and hired a couple of very junior copywriters, but the gist was that none of them really knew how to write copy. So I put together a training for them, because I needed them to be as good as they could be, as fast as they could be. Then, as they worked for me, I also had them build portfolio sites and taught them how to build their careers after that job.

From there, I realized that what I’d put together for my team would be valuable to other aspiring copywriters, too, so I fleshed it out even more and we continue to add to it. Basically, I’ve put everything I know from my 15-plus years of copywriting into our Academy. It’s what I’d give myself if I could travel back in time to when I was starting out.

Alyssa: Why did you choose to name your company Filthy Rich Writer?

Nicki: <laughs> Oh, some people get so upset about that name! The internet is full of some angry, angry people.

I called my company Filthy Rich Writer for a couple of reasons. First, because the idea of being “filthy rich” to me is having a job you love, feeling fulfilled at it, being respected for the work you do, and making great money at it. That’s what copywriting is for me, it’s what our students are becoming, and what a lot of other copywriters already are.

But I also called it Filthy Rich Writer because I wanted to surprise people. That combination of “filthy rich” and “writer” is not something you expect. I wanted people to have the reaction of, “Wait—what?” and look more into it. Most people just don’t know that copywriting is a great, well-paying career for writers.

And, yeah, like I said, some people get really upset about that name. But I actually think that’s great. Healthy skepticism is awesome, but the kinds of people who immediately shut themselves off to things before they understand them aren’t the kinds of people we want to work with, anyway.

Just because they don’t know how to do it, doesn’t mean it can’t be done. It is being done—people are becoming Filthy Rich Writers—every single day. And I have the huge privilege of helping them do it!

Alyssa: Thanks, Nicki! This has been very informative. Can we chat again if our readers have more questions?

Nicki: Absolutely! I’d love to.

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