Hi Vicki! I definitely understand the question—it makes complete sense. If you’re getting into something and investing in something, you want it to work. And, as you said, it’s hard to give you exact percentages and ratios because they’re affected by what pace students are working at, what their goals are, and whether they need to take some time off from making progress for various life reasons. Unfortunately, there’s no perfect percentage we can give you. I hope, though, that the testimonials we share on our website and the student stories on our podcast has made it clear that our system works. Because that’s what really matter right? That the system works for people who work it. And, truly, the only success rate that’s going to be relevant for you is: Your own. We can (and do!) give you all of the tools and tactics and support, but it’s up to each student to use it all. The good news is that your success is completely up to you: You’ll see the exact amount of success in proportion to the work you to do learn the materials, practice the skills, learn and use our outreach systems, and take action, even when it’s uncomfortable. 🙂

Success rate?

I’ve watched several of your intro videos and testimonials. I believe in your program. However, I have some questions…

What is the success rate with this freelance copywriting? I’m not looking for exact numbers, although you may have those, but rather some estimates. I know there are some that don’t do the work and will quit. I know there are some that are super skilled and/or lucky and make tons of money right away. But what’s your majority? Like, the people who want to put in the work, work from home, follow the steps, etc. and make more that $2000 a month on a fairly consistent basis? Do you have any numbers? Do you have 50% of your people taking the course go on to be successful? Or is more like 1% of the people that go on with it and make $2000+ a month?

If I am going to quit my job and focus solely on this, I want to know what I’m getting in to. Thank you.

Hi Linnea! Great question. Typically, if the copy is out in the public domain, it’s fair game. That said, best practice is to ask. You can say something like: “I’ve been exploring copywriting as a side hustle and would love to put this piece I wrote in my portfolio. Does that work for you?” The thing is: the chances of someone stumbling across your portfolio are very, very slim. And worst case is someone asks you to take it down. But, getting permission just shows you’re a considerate partner. Chances are, they’ll be appreciative that you asked vs. concerned about your side gig. If it’s something like an internal piece (e.g. the rest of the world has no chance of seeing it; it contains private company info, etc.), then definitely ask for permission—if a piece hasn’t launched yet or contains private info, they certainly want to keep it under wraps! Hope that helps and congratulations on starting your business! We’ll look forward to cheering on your continued success 🙂

Question regarding saving your pieces from your 9 to 5 to use in your copywriting portfolio. Do you need permission from someone at your company to publish those work samples in your portfolio? If so, do you have a suggested way to spin that request so you don’t sound like you’re using the portfolio to find the fastest track out of their employment?

Always appreciate your sage advice! Thanks for this article.