Aspiring copywriter seeking feedback

I hope that the community here can give me some feedback. I’m currently a full time marketing manager working for a large commercial organisation in the north of England. I have a business degree and marketing diploma and have been working in the marketing field for nearly 20 years since graduating from university, for employers including British Gas, GE and the Halifax. I also worked in agency account management for a couple of years. As I’ve progressed in my career, I’ve ended up managing teams and projects rather than actually being at the coalface of content creation – obviously most of this now gets contracted out to paid providers by me and my team. However, my favourite part of being in marketing has always been the writing, editing and proofing of copy, and I remain a bit of a stickler for detail on spelling and grammar (although I don’t claim to be infallible).

For a variety of reasons, I would like to make some fundamental changes to my life and move towards a more flexible work pattern in the future. I don’t want to continue with the 9-5, 5 days a week treadmill, commuting long distances, for the rest of my life. :frown2

So it occurred to me, when looking at my skills and strengths, that freelance copywriting could be a possible option. Do you think that this is a realistic aspiration for someone with my background? Will my previous, broader, business experience count for anything when trying to set myself up/establish a reputation? My intention would be to build an exit plan for myself rather than leave my paid employment at this stage.

Would the first step be to build up samples of (unpaid) writing work? I do have a blog on the go, but it’s within a special-interest forum (playing music) rather than on my own site. Also, does anyone have feedback about where freelance copywriters need to be based? I understand that London is probably the source of most work, but is it necessary to be located within reach of it (or other major cities) in order to pick up work? Do most people find they end up picking up work from advertising/marketing agencies (and is it therefore necessary to be located near a city with plenty of these)?

Finally, would it be worthwhile to get a copywriting qualification? Does anyone have any recommendations on legitimate, effective copywriting courses? I am confident that my skills are fundamentally solid, based on a long career in marketing, but clearly that’s not the same as having to churn out effective copy day after day to earn a living! I’m also aware that the world has moved on and that copywriting for the Web demands particular skills which I’m only partially aware of.

Sorry for the long initial post! Thanks for any advice that you can give. :bye

 

Just bumping this in the (possibly vain?) hope that I'll get some feedback. hwell

337 views and not one reply? Come on regulars, please give just a morsel of your advice to a newbie!

 

Hi there,

First, apologies on behalf of my fellow members that no-one has replied to your message! That's really poor. This forum used to be really active but sadly it has become less-so of late.

Anyway, I thought I would reply as my background is very similar to yours and I have now been supporting myself as a freelance copywriter since 2006. So yes, it is entirely possible! I was head of marketing for the UK and Ireland for a large US telco before deciding that the corporate rat rate was not where I wanted to be. Plus, I'd ended up managing other people who were at the coalface doing the things I loved. I did a stint as an account director with an agency and then I worked as a freelance marketing contractor from 2002, but decided to specialise in copywriting in 2006 as I found it was my favourite part of the work.

OK, to answer your questions:

Do you think that this is a realistic aspiration for someone with my background?
Absolutely. A good knowledge of the wider marketing environment will always help when working on the copywriting element of a campaign.

Will my previous, broader, business experience count for anything when trying to set myself up/establish a reputation?
Not necessarily. I tend to promote myself purely as a copywriter, but then people find out more about my background afterwards and usually respond positively to that, but if you say too much about all your other skills on Day One you can sometimes come across as a Jack of all Trades. I'd create an outward facing marketing message which focuses on you as a copywriter, even if you've never actually done a job with that specific title on before!

My intention would be to build an exit plan for myself rather than leave my paid employment at this stage.
This is an interesting one. It's always much harder to start off doing something like this in your spare time, as you tend not to be available when people need you (especially if, as I do, you manage to get work from design or marketing agencies). If you choose this route you may find that some people don't take you seriously as a potential supplier - unless your existing role is flexible enough that you can hide the fact that you have another job as well! If you can take calls on your mobile or answer emails during busness hours that will help.

Would the first step be to build up samples of (unpaid) writing work?
Yes, use anything that you have written already as part of your day job, plus anything you write of your own accord (sections from your Blog for example) or anything that you write for other people for free, or paid. The best option is to set up a simple website and post all your samples there, so that people can easily be directed to them. My site - Freelance Copywriting - Home - was set up using MrSite for £32. I did it all myself! So you don't have to spend a fortune. You also get a domain name and email hosting, which helps you to look more professional to potential customers.

Also, does anyone have feedback about where freelance copywriters need to be based?
I live in Milton Keynes and from my experience you can be pretty much anywhere. As long as you are happy to travel to meetings if someone asks you to. I rarely have to travel to client site these days as most of my clients know me well, in fact, some I have worked with for years and never even met! I certainly don't think there is a particular need to be in London, although I do have a few clients who are based there.

Do most people find they end up picking up work from advertising/marketing agencies (and is it therefore necessary to be located near a city with plenty of these)?
Yes, I do get quite a bit of my work from agencies and this is a really good route to go down. But again, you do not have to be local. If you are based in the North a good start might be to email agencies in Leeds, Manchester etc. to see if they have a need for freelancers, as many do. I also find it can be a two way street as I uncover design work in the process of what I do, so it's quite easy to set up a reciprocal arrangement.

Finally, would it be worthwhile to get a copywriting qualification?
I never have and it's not stopped me getting work. No-one ever even asks if I have any formal qualifications! The bottom line is that they just need to be able to trust you when it comes to getting grammar, punctuation, spelling etc. right. I often get calls from clients or friends out of the blue just asking me where an apostrophe goes, or how to spell something!

I am confident that my skills are fundamentally solid, based on a long career in marketing, but clearly that’s not the same as having to churn out effective copy day after day to earn a living! I’m also aware that the world has moved on and that copywriting for the Web demands particular skills which I’m only partially aware of.
I was in the same boat. It does feel a bit like flying by the seat of your pants to start with, but the reality is that so many people do not have a clue, it's not hard to look good!! Yes, the web stuff is a challenge, and it's worth picking the brains of a good SEO company - but at the end of the day good web copy is always a compromise between what you'd ideally like to write and what the SEO guys say you should write!

Hope that helps - feel free to email me on gill@freelancecopywriting.biz if you'd like to chat more.

Cheers,

Gill

 

Really useful reply Gill. I agree it does seem a shame that a question gets 500 views but no-one wants to chip with their thoughts, experiences etc, it's what's needed to keep the community spirit going.

 

Gill,

Thank you so, so much for your wonderfully comprehensive reply!

I will mull over your advice and have a look at how I can start putting it into practice.

Best,

Maz

 

Hi there - I am new to this too: not from a marketing background like you, but a refugee from teaching. I am very excited about using my writing skills and desperate to get on with it. So I can't offer you tried and tested advice, but plenty of encouragement. I say if you can't find the job you want - go out there and create it instead!

Thanks to Gill for all that helpful advice - CAN I ADD A QUESTION?

When you write copy for clients, do you just supply the text ( ie basic word document) or do you actually present them with a finished version in terms of layout, graphics, pictures etc?

So far I have only done some straightforward word documents, but as things build up I don't want to make an idiot of myself on the first commission by looking totally green.

All advice gratefully receievd - and good luck to the newbies.

 

Hi there,

If your client is contracting your services as a copywriter then you are dead right, all you need to provide them with is the copy! I normally supply text in a simple Word doc in 10pt Arial, range left and with minimal formatting, as this is easy for everyone to edit and work with. You might also want to add your contact details at the bottom in a simple footer so that anyone who sees the doc will know who wrote it - can sometimes help with marketing.

I also reformat any copy I receive for editing into the same style, even if it started out very different! Quite often clients send PDFs to work from and then it's a case of stripping out the text if you can and placing it into the Word doc before you start. In fact, with editing jobs (or work where you have various existing PDFs as a start-point) it's worth checking exactly what they will be supplying before you start, as you might need to quote a bit longer to do the job. Sometimes it can take an hour just to gather all the bits of text into one document and turn it into something you can work with!

However, I have found over the years that sometimes the client doesn't actually know what to expect from a copywriter either, especially if they have not used one before, and I have been asked the same question - e.g. will you set it all up for me as a 'proper leaflet' as well? So it's always best to check what their expectations are. But as a general rule a copywriter does just that, writes copy, nothing else!

Having said this, if you did want to offer those services as well, but do not have the skill set - you might want to think about partnering with a design company and then working together to give each other reciprocal business. I do this and it works really well, but I always make this transparent to the client, rather than offering a complete service and subbing in the background - it just keeps things simpler!

Hope that helps

Cheers,

Gill

 

Thanks for the reply, Gill. Actually it was funny that you turned up on the forum as I had been looking at your website earlier and wondered about contacting you for some advice, but didn't want to pester you or seem cheeky! It is good to know there is a supportive network around.

All the best, Melanie

 

I hadn’t checked the forum for a while as it tends to be quite slow moving (and unfortunately I don’t have much of value to add myself yet!) but logged on the other day and found the latest entries from Melanie and Gill, which are also really useful.

I am still in my full-time job, not really enjoying it most of the time, and wondering whether another way of working is possible. I’ll come back with an update if it ever happens!

 

Hi there,

Just wanted to say that you can definitely work as a freelance copywriter. I have a similar career background to you having worked for bluechips, central and local government and SMEs in marcomms management roles and went freelance 6 months ago. I have 2 retainer clients - one is a magazine who I write features and company case studies for (and have only ever dealt with via email and phone); and the other is a trade association who I produce briefing notes, newlsetters and web content for. I also have a number of other ad-hoc clients that I write case studies for.

In true bartering spirit I paid the company that built my website in articles written for theirs so you don't need to invest a huge amount of money to get started and no qualifications required, just the ability to write good engaging copy.

I am trading on my marcomms experience to get this type of bread and butter work while using the spare time I now have, which has increased vastly, to branch out into the kind of writing I really want to do - which is travel and fiction. My life has been transformed for the better by being a freelancer and not being stuck in that 9-5 commuting treadmill. I would highly recommend freeancing!

Good luck,
Amanda

 

thanks GTFC, me too new to this field and had a similar doubt. But ya you cleared it....thnks again....

 

OOPS! Once again I missed this reply as I hadn't been back here for many months...thanks for the feedback Amanda!

Since I last posted I have been made redundant from my marketing job (back in the spring) and decided to have a significant break over the summer and autumn, which was very enjoyable - thanks to a frugal lifestyle and hardworking partner (and having saved hard during 2009 with a view to stepping out of the rat race anyway).

In the last month or two I have started developing my plans for freelance working, and after brainstorming it with a friend I've been persuaded that I ought to offer full marketing services, and not simply copywriting, on the basis of my experience. I have started off by writing web copy for two friends who are setting up in business, and also for a charity which needs help. This has helped me get back into the saddle, as it were, and now I am researching business names and the practicalities of starting a business. I'll try to remember to post again if I have any further news!

 

Seems to be a great feedback, keep up the good work. One day you are going to become the best content writer available on this planet.

 

Don't do it, there's not enough money in copywriting!!!