Build Your Copywriting Business

No one  likes  paying taxes. But if you’re a freelancer, you’ve got so many  more  opportunities for tax deductions. That means you paying  less  in taxes (a.k.a. keeping more money in your pocket). Whether you’re in the US or not, you’re going to want to listen in. On this episode of the Build Your Copywriting Business podcast, Kate and I are running through a list of tax deductions that you can...

I have good news and bad news for you: pitching is  always  going to be the direct line to landing work, but there are other tactics you can mix in to keep things fun. (And, if you ask me, pitching CAN be fun, but I’ll save that conversation with you for another day 😉 ) I am  thrilled  to share Kate and I sat down with podcast pitching pro Christina Lenkowski to pick her brain on all things podca...

Ever wake up in the morning, head to work, and all you can think of is "UGH!"? Like many people, Tori went to school for something she was told she'd be good at—sales—got a corporate job after college, and ... very quickly realized she was an introvert. She  hated  sales. So, Tori made the difficult decision to let go of the path she  thought  she'd be on her entire life.  But she quickly realized...

Landing copywriting clients is a lot easier than you may think. (Reminder: CCA students, you have entire courses on how to find and land clients!) But one of the most overlooked ways to find clients? Talking to people. On this episode of the Build Your Copywriting Business podcast, Nicki and Kate joke about finding clients at the grocery store. But, truthfully, you can find clients almost  anywher...

Having one steady, high-paying copywriting client is the dream, right? Well, to be honest,  no .  Copywriting is a little bit like investing. Putting your eggs all in one basket leaves you vulnerable to the whims of  one  company. That’s why diversification is  so  important. When you have multiple copywriting clients, it doesn’t matter if work slows down with one or if they go out of business ent...

You’ve heard me say time and time again that copywriting is an incredibly fun and rewarding career.  And it is. But … it’s still a career. There are inevitably times in life—whether as a freelancer or full-time, copywriting or otherwise—when you just don’t feel 100%.  And sometimes we attribute those crummy feelings to the wrong things. Cloudy days, an odd text from a friend, a sick family member:...

Every time we talk with Comprehensive Copywriting Academy students, Kate and I leave feeling inspired. That’s exactly what it was like talking to Alicia.  From a young age, Alicia knew she wanted to help people. It’s what got her into social work. But, like many of those in the social work field, Alicia faced extreme burnout. On this episode of the Build Your Copywriting Business podcast, Alicia i...

When used correctly, storytelling is a powerful copywriting tactic. But why do I say “when used correctly?” Because sometimes copywriters and clients use storytelling in the  entirely  wrong way. On this episode of the Build Your Copywriting Business podcast, Kate and I are breaking down when and how to use this tactic. Plus, we’re giving some examples of storytelling in action—including scenarios...

🎶 What a client wants, what a client needs … … whatever makes them happy gets you money … 🎶 I apologize if you have Christina Aguilera stuck in your head. BUT if it helps you remember the key takeaways from this episode, then you’re welcome. 😉 On this episode of the Build Your Copywriting Business podcast, Kate and I are talking about four crucial things that clients look for in a freelancer. D...

“Stop calling yourself a freelancer!” In typical Internet fashion, there’s plenty of bad information and scare-tactic hooks. That “stop calling yourself a freelancer” is just one of the examples Kate recently saw when she was on LinkedIn. In a video posted on the site, a marketing “expert” calls on freelance writers to stop calling themselves “freelance writers.” Huh? On  this episode of the Build...

Ever struggled with finding your “thing” in life?  (But really…who hasn’t?! I know I have several times!) That’s the place John was in before he discovered copywriting. For years, John was a monk in Japan before returning to the US and becoming a middle school teacher. But after seven years, as many teachers can relate to, he was incredibly stressed. The “ah-ha” moment came when John realized a bo...

There are certain questions you're going to get asked as a copywriter, around the holidays or otherwise. Make sure you're prepared with your responses to 5 of the most common questions friends and family are sure to ask! In episode 5 of this 5-part series, we'll give you various answers you can use to navigate the "working with family and friends" conundrum. Whether you want to do work with relati...

There are certain questions you're going to get asked as a copywriter, around the holidays or otherwise. Make sure you're prepared with your responses to 5 of the most common questions friends and family are sure to ask! In episode 4 of this 5-part series, you'll be able to correct the narrative that AI is crushing copywriting—because despite what your nephew Tyler thinks, it's very much not. Inst...

There are certain questions you're going to get asked as a copywriter, around the holidays or otherwise. Make sure you're prepared with your responses to 5 of the most common questions friends and family are sure to ask! In episode 3 of this 5-part series, we're navigating the well-meaning, but often inappropriately asked, "how much are ya even making?!" question. Because so many other writing pro...

There are certain questions you're going to get asked as a copywriter, around the holidays or otherwise. Make sure you're prepared with your responses to 5 of the most common questions friends and family are sure to ask! In episode 2 of this 5-part series, we've got your answer for dispelling the myth that freelancing is inherently risky. It's actually much *safer* than a full-time job. Get ready...

There are certain questions you're going to get asked as a copywriter, around the holidays or otherwise. Make sure you're prepared with your responses to 5 of the most common questions friends and family are sure to ask! In episode 1 of this 5-part series, we're covering how to answer the age-old question: "what do you even do?!" Pro tip: don't just say, "I'm a copywriter," unless you want to expl...

The title of this podcast episode might sound dramatic, but it’s 100% true. There are copywriting experts touting this strategy. It’s so incredibly risky and, well, Nicki and Kate don’t want this strategy to put  your  copywriting success at risk. Because this strategy  sounds  good. The idea is that, if you can get your copywriting portfolio to show up in search results when people Google “copywr...

We’ve talked  a lot  about boundaries. You know they’re important … … but how are you with  enforcing  your boundaries? It’s all too easy to let those boundaries slide.  And the message your sending when you set a boundary, but don’t enforce it, is that none of your boundaries mean anything. Brutal, but true. On this episode of the Build Your Copywriting Business podcast, Nicki and Kate are sharin...

Ever set your mind to make a change (like, oh, say buying a course?), ready to dig in and go full steam ahead and then … … find life getting in the way? That was the start of Crystal’s journey. But, she kept seeing fellow Comprehensive Copywriting Academy students posting wins in the student-only Facebook group. She knew life was  always  going to get in the way—and change was always going to feel...

Last week, Kate and I busted through some of the most common copywriting myths (if you missed it, you can catch that episode here!)  This week? You guessed it: the last of some of the most prevalent (and, yup, still dangerous) copywriting myths. This is the information we wish  we  had when we were starting out. It’s all too easy to dwell on the negatives and the “what ifs.” If we focused on what...

Turns out, just because it’s on the Internet doesn’t mean it’s true. 😉 Now, many of us  know  this, but it can be easy to believe things we read or see—even on an unconscious level … … And some of those things  may  be getting in the way of you achieving your full copywriting success—or even preventing you from getting into copywriting in the first place!  Raise your hand if you’ve heard any of t...

“Pitching is hard.” “I am scared to meet with clients.” “I can’t become   a copywriter.” Do any of these sound familiar? The patterns we create by feeding our brain certain narratives is  the  ultimate roadblock to our success. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. What we tell ourselves has a  huge  impact on what we believe—whether we notice these narratives or not. On this episode of the Build...

Does the word “sales” give you the heebie jeebies? It did for Jared, too. Jared was working in tech when he started a blog about customer success, software as a service, and other tech topics. But … he was in  technology . He wasn’t a writer, right? And he certainly didn’t want to  sell  his services. Ick. Spoiler: he’s now partnered with the largest entrepreneurship network in Arizona. On this ep...

Copywriting is one of the  most flexible careers  (You’ve  probably  heard us say that so many times you’re like, “Nicki and Kate, we  know! .”) Just because its flexible does not mean there aren’t certain rules, or laws if you will, that you need to follow. Now, if you break the laws will you get a ticket? Nah. But you may see less work coming in or less repeat work. On this episode of the Build...

You don’t have a crystal ball to predict the *exact* copy that will resonate with your client’s audience. But, you do have a different tool that can help: A/B testing. A/B copy tests—comparing  one  element of copy to the same element with different copy—helps you learn what makes your client’s audience tick. (For example, you may have two ideas for a subject line—how do you know which one is bett...