Build Your Copywriting Business

You may have heard Mel Robbins say that motivation is garbage. Unfortunately, I happen to 100% agree with her. 🙃 I wish I didn't. I wish I had some magic motivation secret I could share with you all. Instead, Kate and I have some ridiculous ways of getting things done even when we reaaaaaally don't want to. And, in the spirit of Halloween, we're sharing our best tricks on this week's Build Your C...

OK, OK major caveat before you listen to this Build Your Copywriting Business podcast episode: If you've made any of these mistakes you're not alone. Kate and I have made a few of these. But we're not here just to rattle off a list of no-nos and tell you, "don't do it!" We're talking through the biggest mistakes we see freelancers (copywriters, or otherwise!) make again and again, and sharing how...

Not gonna lie: AI is great for a lot of things … but it’s not gonna teach you how to write copy. If you’re like, “But Nicki, you’re just trying to sell me on the CCA.” Nope. (But, CCA students: tell ’em how it’s waaaaay more fun to learn alongside bada** humans. 😉) What I am saying is AI isn’t the answer. At least for this. It’s a robot. It’s never worked as a copywriter a day in its life. On epi...

OK, OK, you know I hate click bait. But Jeff Goldblum really did help Eli land his first clients—for piano lessons. Wait, what?! On this episode of the Build Your Copywriting Business podcast, Eli generously shared how he started copywriting before he even knew it was a career (that's where Jeff Goldblum comes in) and how he's using humor (definitely check out his LinkedIn!) to land clients. The t...

Time to hop in the way, way back machine, friends! We're sharing the good, the bad, and the, yes, ugly lessons we learned from our first copywriting clients, including how Kate missed a client meeting (that led to $100K+ in work) and how Nicki sent postcards to land her first clients. Get ready for some stories we're sharing for the first time, and some tactics you'll want to try ... and some you'...

Do the headlines about AI and job prospects have you a little depressed, confused, or even downright angry? Join the club. Gee, it’s almost as if it benefits the media and the AI companies for us to feel scared and powerless! (It absolutely does.) That's why a few weeks back, Kate and I gave a free training on the state of the copywriting industry. No speculation. No B.S. And...not to brag...but a...

I am not a believer in "slow seasons are a fact of freelancing." I've been doing this long enough (20+ years) to know that 99% of the time, a slow season happens when you stop reaching out to clients (both past and present). Now, some copywriters lean into these slow seasons and enjoy the break. To these copywriters I say, build in your vacations so you're not waiting for a slow season to take tim...

CCA student Sarah is copywriting 3.5 days/week from Mauritius and here's the thing: That could—and should!—be ALL of us. I don't mean Mauritius (though if you LOVE island living, then ... yeah ...). What I mean is there's absolutely NO reason all of us shouldn't be living the lives we want to live. Yes, there are bills, and kids sports games, and endless laundry loads. But that doesn't mean those...

In addition to your creative brief (that you need for every project), you need to start with this step—before your fingers even hit your keyboard to write copy. Too many copywriters skip this step and it shows in weak copy. Make sure you're not one of them. I promise that including this step on every project will save you time AND will result in much stronger copy. --------------- Get Free Copywri...

When you’re just starting out in your copywriting career (or even just considering this as a career path), it’s hard to feel confident when you might not have landed any clients or work yet.  That means you might need to borrow a little bit of confidence from the people who have been there, done it, and bought the T-shirt (if only we had some Comprehensive Copywriting Academy merch?!). So, this we...

At some point in you career you WILL have multiple projects at the same time. For most of us who want to work full-time as copywriters, that is the goal! Many of you may be experiencing this already and, if you've had to juggle multiple deadlines, you know it isn't always easy. I'm sharing my top tips for managing several projects and clients at the same time. The good news is there is basically z...

This episode isn't really about copywriting. It's about building your career around your life instead of the other way around. CCA student, copywriter, and ESL educator Andi is sharing how she's taking one imperfect step after another to do just that. On this Build Your Copywriting Business podcast episode, Andi is bringing us on a journey from Kenya to Vietnam to Montana. And she's unpacking some...

Put a check next to any of these that you've thought: [ ] That business is too big to need my help. [ ] That business works with an agency already. [ ] They must have copywriters already. [ ] Solopreneur? They can’t afford me! [ ] It's a holiday. I can't reach out to them now. Admittedly, this isn't like a Cosmo quiz where 0-2 checks means one thing and all 5 means another. If you checked any of t...

Sending lots of emails to potential clients, but never getting a response? As a business owner for 15+ years, I've received my fair of share of pitches (CCA students: you've seen some of the good and some of the bad!).  And I can tell you that there are a handful of super-common mistakes. But you don't have to make those same mistakes, my friend! We're running through the biggest of the big no-nos...

Be honest with me for a sec: Have you ever said any of the following before reaching out to a client? "No one wants my pitches." "This is hard—and I'm just going to get a no." "This person doesn't even know me. This is basically spam." "There's an easier way. I'll just use those job bidding sites." As a business owner, I can tell you that all of this negative self talk is not only dangerous, it's...

Does it ever feel like someone’s trying to put you in a box? It can feel … constraining, to say the least. We all have multiple interests, and as our professional and personal lives increasingly get blurred, it seems silly to try to distill our identities down to a single word. That’s why I can’t wait for you to hear Shelby’s story on today’s Build Your Copywriting Business podcast episode. A copy...

I know: the 3 keys to unlimited (really!) copywriting success sounds like a big promise. But we (really!) follow through on it. And frankly, these are the steps for success at anything , not just copywriting. Whatever goals you have for yourself, you CAN achieve them. The only way to “fail” is if you don’t get started. Or if you stop doing the work. OK, I’m going to stop typing (really!) because t...

Any guesses on the fastest way to make people believe what you’re selling? Show them proof. That’s exactly what case studies do. And it’s why case studies are one of the most valuable pieces of copy you can write—for your clients or your own business. On this week’s Build Your Copywriting Business podcast episode we’re talking all things case studies so you can use this powerful storytelling tool...

A client hires you for a “VIP day.” Suddenly, you’re tasked with: Kicking off the project Writing a creative brief Coming up with a strong concept Outlining the copy Writing the copy (for how many deliverables is another question …) Getting feedback on that copy Incorporating that feedback Getting final sign off  … all in the span of 8 hours. And let’s be real: no one has 8 good hours of work in t...

Raise your hand if you’ve ever thought any of the following: “It’s too late.” “I should have done that years ago.” “I’m too old now.” Well, where did that idea come from? If you’ve got 5, 10, 20+ years of a career left, that’s a lot of time to spend doing something that doesn’t make you happy. On this Build Your Copywriting Business podcast episode, CCA student Carol is bringing the wisdom: it’s n...

Time to put on your business owner hat: Would you pay someone to clean your house? What about do your grocery shopping? What if someone could find clients for you? Would that be worth it for you? On this Build Your Copywriting Business podcast episode, I’m not asking you to commit to hiring someone to do any of these things. But I’d encourage you to listen to this episode and explore the possibili...

How much does a banana cost for you? At Trader Joe’s they may be 26 cents (maybe a bit more for organic).  At Whole Foods they may be around 70 cents. But a banana costs relatively the same amount wherever you go, right? It’s a difference of a few cents. Copywriting is a not a banana. And, even if we agree on that, I don’t think you’re going to like this episode of the Build Your Copywriting Busin...

Do you love a to-do list as much as I do? I loooove a to-do list. Well, mostly I love checking things off that list.  But on this week’s Build Your Copywriting Business podcast episode, Kate and I dug into how we’ve been rethinking the to-do list so we don’t fall into what Kate is calling the “to-do list trap.” If you ever put things on your list and: Feel guilty for every day that an item sits on...

Like many Comprehensive Copywriting Academy students, Caleb was a burnt out teacher looking for a different career. On this Build Your Copywriting Business podcast episode, he’s generously sharing how he made that transition, including how he’s learned to use his ADHD as a strength. Several people in the community have asked about working as a copywriter with ADHD and, whether or not you are manag...

If you’re in the Comprehensive Copywriting Academy, you know this community is packed with talented, creative, smart, generous humans. One of those humans is Shelby Stockton. Shelby is a comic, copywriter, and co-host of  Herstory , a podcast spotlighting the stories of badas* women throughout history. So, this week’s Build Your Copywriting Business podcast episode is  actually  a special crossove...