How to Learn About Copywriting
I’ve spent the last few months diving headfirst into the world of copywriting and learning from hundreds of coaches.
First, here are two things to know about copywriting coaches?
Every single copywriting agency is an “award-winning agency.”
Every single copywriting coach will contradict another coach - so create your own opinions.
Now that we have that disclaimer out of the way, here is how I’ve learned everything I know up until now. I’ll break these down in the coming sections and share some ways I utilize each resource.
Following copywriters on social media and following hashtags
Listening to copywriting podcasts
Watching copywriting videos on YouTube
Reading copywriting blog posts
Networking with other copywriters
Practicing copywriting and content writing
Creating my own website and trying to rank on Google
Attending copywriting webinars
1. Social Media
Copywriting coaches are found on social media – Instagram, primarily – and post relentlessly. It’s a gold mine of advice, and some of the content is pretty creative and fun to watch.
To keep up with these accounts separately from my own personal account, I created a separate account for my own freelance company and used it to follow other accounts.
I also followed hashtags. Here are a few to get started with:
After following hundreds of copywriting coaches on Instagram, I found that they all reiterate the same 5 key messages:
“Keep your copy clear and concise.”
“Stay consistently engaged with your audience.”
“If you wouldn’t say it, don’t write it.“
“Practice makes perfect.”
“BUY MY COURSE!!!! BUY IT – I SWEAR IT’S THE BEST COURSE! “
Overall, social media is the way I hear about a very high-level keyword that I then research on Google. It’s a great way to become aware of what others believe are the most important aspects of copywriting.
Just make sure you take everything you hear with a grain of salt – form your own opinions through more in-depth research.
2. Podcasts
I never knew there were so many podcasts about copywriting. There are so many. And some are definitely better than others.
When looking for podcasts, I would advise you to branch out and listen to podcasts about digital marketing, eCommerce, content creation, SEO, and other related topics. Focusing too heavily on copywriting alone can leave you feeling a bit out of touch with these other related disciplines.
Your potential customers will undoubtedly ask you about industry trends, social media ads, social media content, blogging, etc – it’s best to have a few nuggets of knowledge on these topics for a rainy day.
3. Copywriting Videos on YouTube
The holy grail of copywriting information can be found on YouTube.
I’ll give you just two to start with:
I spent hours on YouTube – and I still do – to hear from these two ladies. Seriously, there is just so much content on YouTube to benefit from in this area. Good luck!
4. Copywriting Blogs
The blogs that you choose really depends on the niche you’re in, the areas you’d like to focus in, and the style of blog content you enjoy reading.
Not sure where to get started? Here are a few blogs that really benefited me in my early journey:
I focus on tech startup copywriting, so SEO is just part of the game. These blogs listed above are very SEO-focused and are just super simple and easy to read. I highly recommend signing up for their email lists and reading a blog post daily!
5. Networking
Some of the best decisions I’ve made in my journey thus far is to reach out to current copywriters and ask about their day-to-day, their struggles, and what they like about copywriting.
You can use social media to reach out to copywriting coaches, LinkedIn for copywriters in your area, or even join copywriting meetups in your area (or online).
Networking is key for any entrepreneur - and having a supportive community is only going to help. Even if you feel you have nothing to offer, please do yourself a favor and begin networking ASAP. Like, today. Like, now!
6. Practice
I’m practicing right now! Everything I write is practice. Though, there are definitely some ways to practice very focused areas. Here are some really helpful practice exercises:
Rewrite 20 headlines.
Rewrite 10 product descriptions.
Write a blog post.
Brainstorm other ways of saying a commonly used word. For example, instead of “amazing,” you could say “thrilling,” “illuminating,” “the cat’s meow,” etc.
Do these exercises often and you’ll find yourself reading billboards on the highway and thinking to yourself, “I could do better than that.” And the truth is, you probably could.
7. Create Your Own Website
This could be considered practice as well, but it’s a bit more serious. You will absolutely need a website for your copywriting business and writing for your own website is a great way to showcase your talent to potential clients.
Look at other copywriter’s websites, their portfolios, their blog posts, their about me pages, their pricing, and anything else that tickles your fancy.
Now, DO NOT COPY THEM, but use their websites as inspiration to your own wonderful and unique website.
When first getting started, you can use Google Sites if you have a Gmail account. It’s free, easy to use, and a great way to get started.
Once you’ve decided that you want to get really serious, check out Wix, Squarespace, or GoDaddy to name a few.
Wordpress sites are also an option, but I find that these website builder tools are just too dang easy to use to pass up. Depending on your technical prowess, you can find a suitable solution.
8. Attending Copywriting Webinars
If you have two thumbs and a computer, you can find a free webinar somewhere online for copywriting or marketing skills development. There are THOUSANDS of people out there wanting to share their skills for free with strangers on the internet.
If you’re not sure where to look first, try these sites:
9. Courses
If you’ve gone through all of these items and STILL feel like you don’t know what you should in order to start your business as a copywriter, I highly recommend the Jacob McMillen copywriting course. I bought this course about 2 weeks into my learning journey, and it helped me so much.
Though, you can absolutely do this without buying a pricey course, it is a fast and easy way to get started. I researched hundreds of coaches online and Jacob was the only person who:
I hope this helps in some small way as you trudge off into the mud that is copywriting coaching in 2022. There are a lot of folks trying to get a slice of the pie, and things can seem cloudy at times.
But, if you continuously pay attention to the red flags and green flags, you’ll find some gurus to follow into a successful career as a copywriter.
Have any other tips you’d add to the list? I’d love to hear them! Email me at madison@sierra-agency.com!