5 min read
How to Become a Professional Marketing Writer
A professional marketing writer is a copy expert but also capable of understanding the big picture of how marketing supports business growth. If you...
Real-world insights from professional freelance writers.
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5 min read
A professional marketing writer is a copy expert but also capable of understanding the big picture of how marketing supports business growth. If you...
3 min read
Short-form content includes things like ads, social posts, snippets, and direct messages. This is a vital tool for any copywriter to have, and it’s...
4 min read
I moved into a freelance role after a decade spent in sales. For me it was an opportunity to do my own thing, and have some freedom in choosing who I...
4 min read
When you are a copywriter, especially if you’re a freelancer, time is money. I coach writers on this all of the time. Becoming faster AND better is...
3 min read
Ah, difficult clients. As a freelancer, consultant, or agency, few things are worse than a client that really grinds your gears. Perhaps they’re...
3 min read
One hat, two hats, red hat… writer hats?
4 min read
As a creative professional, even hearing the word sales might send a shiver down your spine. The idea of trying to convince someone to buy a product...
3 min read
In a previous post, I explained how a weekly writing group led me to write my first self-published novel. I’ll forever be grateful to WUTI and my...
3 min read
What do you think of when you hear the word “freelancing?” When I first started off on my own, all that I could think of was the freedom that it...
3 min read
When you major in English, most responsible adults will assume you’re going to be a teacher. Non-English majors tend to believe teaching is the only...
4 min read
For someone who now works in marketing and publishes content on a company website for a living… I’m embarrassed to admit that my own personal website...
3 min read
Freelance writing doesn’t only consist of writing furiously at the keyboard for long hours at a time. (Although it can and does look like that...
3 min read
During the COVID-19 pandemic, I decided it was time for a change. After leaving my account executive/SEO copywriter role at a small marketing agency,...
3 min read
I charged headfirst into freelance writing on a mission: I wanted to use my skills to help purpose-driven and sustainable organizations outperform...
4 min read
I’ve seen work-life balance listed as a perk on hundreds of jobs. When an employer adds it to a job listing, I feel it nearly screams, “We won’t make...
3 min read
Any freelance writer who comes from a creative writing background has likely heard the advice “write what you know” over the course of their career....
3 min read
When I was an English teacher, an administrator once told me I should always walk around the classroom with a pencil. That way, as I’m helping my...
3 min read
If you’re experiencing writer’s block, you’re not alone. It happens to most everyone. All the great writers of history have suffered through their...
2 min read
There are days when I sit at my computer and feel completely unmotivated to write anything. Drumming up inspiration can feel like a mountain of a...
2 min read
Straight-faced negotiation, tight deadlines, constantly evolving metrics, demanding bosses, heavily invested stakeholders with a lot of opinions......
3 min read
When I was a middle school teacher, one of the hardest parts of my job was feeling like I had to be “on” all the time. This was particularly painful...
4 min read
If you are a professional writer, you are in a creative field. As a creative professional, your work is inherently subjective. When you put it out in...
3 min read
If, as a professional writer, you think content AI and copywriting tools have nothing to do with you: you’re not looking closely enough.
3 min read
I’ll admit it. I used to imagine writing and editing as two separate endeavors. A writer holes up in a room somewhere, toils away at a draft, and...
3 min read
Full-time freelance writing isn’t for the mentally weak. But unless you’re proactive about maintaining your body, you’ll start trading in your...
3 min read
Copywriting is an excellent job for talented writers who are self-motivated. However, it’s not for everyone. Understanding your limitations is key...
6 min read
Whether you’re fresh out of college or fresh out of the corporate world, freelancers typically start out solo. Freelancing solo is a reasonable way...
3 min read
The more our society turns to audio, video and bite-sized content for information, the less we’re inclined to write. Plenty of people write for...
5 min read
Writing a scope of work for a copywriting job is essential to setting the right client expectations, forming the right (enforceable) boundaries, and...
3 min read
To those who don’t freelance, it sounds like a dream. You get to choose your projects, make your own hours and work remotely. Well, as many of us...
3 min read
Have you ever met someone who seemed like they were born to be in sales? They’re high in extroversion, they always know exactly what to say and they...
3 min read
Information science is the study of how people physically and digitally search for, access and interact with information. Information science...
2 min read
If you’re a civilized human with access to the internet (hiii, you’re reading this), you probably share in the experience of being bombarded with...
5 min read
If I’ve learned anything from living in the freelance world, it’s that your career is made or broken based on the strength of your client...
3 min read
It blows my mind how many freelance copywriters have no plan. No organization. No structure to their work life. This is a quick way to make a small...
3 min read
It’s easy to ignore the creative side of the copywriting process — especially when creating content for SaaS, blockchain, cybersecurity and other...
4 min read
As your copywriting business grows, you will inevitably outgrow clients. Now, I’m writing this in part because I’ve done this poorly in the past,...
4 min read
As someone who both interviews as a copywriter and interviews copywriters, there are a few oh-no-nos. These are all mistakes I’ve made that I kick...
3 min read
If you hope to become a more efficient writer, the only way to get there is to use effective outlining practices. There are probably endless...
4 min read
Being a freelance writer can be a lonely gig. Most of the time, the “freedom” part is achieved by being categorically disassociated with any one...
3 min read
Everyone is different. Profound. But seriously: I have copywriting colleagues who have three to five clients, and others who have 20+ (me, which is...
2 min read
When you are fresh on the scene as a freelance writer, or when you transition to a copywriting career, you need to understand how pay cycles work....
3 min read
As a professional writer, you are going to face endless (sometimes painful) rounds of edits. I often say that it’s hard to describe to someone the...
3 min read
Unpopular opinion? Let’s say controversial at least: I love Upwork. I get jobs on Upwork, I hire people on Upwork and I think it’s an awesome...
3 min read
Ahhh, your rates. Setting them, increasing them - it’s one of the first major business decisions you’ll make as a professional copywriter. It’s...
2 min read
There are two types of copywriting clients, one kind you want; the other you don’t. There are some dead giveaways to which is which, and it’s...
10 min read
Every blogger should read novels. Every marketing writer should read novels. If you don’t read, you can’t write. Period. If you can admit, “I don’t...
3 min read
I work with a lot of people around the world. Digital marketing has some amazing talent in countries like Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Australia, India,...