I love freelance copywriting.
I never thought I’d find a career that I actually - wholeheartedly - love.
It’s flexible. It’s rewarding. It pays.
Plus, I’m doing something I enjoy.
Win-win.
But it’s more than that - I love freelance copywriting because it’s taught me (and continues to teach me) so many different things.
Things that aren’t even directly related to writing.
Things like…
Marketing
It might sound weird, but freelance copywriting has taught me how to ‘sell myself.’
Being freelance is a little different from being an in-house copywriter.
I don’t have an employer - I literally am my own business.
That means I have to go out and look for clients to work with - people who will give me copywriting work.
My portfolio is definitely part of the reason why people pick me, but it’s also down to how I market myself.
Take my website - that’s a form of marketing.
Or my LinkedIn page. Every time I write a post, I’m ‘marketing’ myself.
I might not explicitly be saying ‘I’m a great copywriter - work with me,’ but I’m showing that I’m a great writer through my words and my achievements.
Running my own business
Like I said before, I am my own business - which can be a little scary when you think of allll the things a business needs to do to stay afloat.
Freelance copywriting has taught me how to handle the world of self-employed taxes.
It’s also taught me the importance of carving out a routine for my work.
I might be able to work when and how I choose, but I’m not going to be successful if I just sit around or do the bare minimum.
I’ll also probably be really unproductive, which is never a good thing for a freelancer!
Being more confident
Freelance copywriting has pushed me to do things that I really hate doing.
Things like talking to my clients over Zoom (or even meeting them in person!)
Now, I love my clients - they’re great to work with. I’m just extremely introverted and shy.
So the thought of public speaking or talking to a stranger makes me want to curl up into a ball and die.
Yeah.
Not fun.
But as time has gone on, I’ve gotten better at controlling that panicky feeling.
Zoom calls are still a teensy bit scary, but that definitely won’t stop me from doing them.
That’s another point!
If I want new copywriting work, I sort of don’t have a choice. I need to hop on a call or meet my ‘potential’ client in person to get to know them better (and so I can ‘sell’ myself properly).
The power of resilience (and NEVER giving up)
I’m in a pretty sweet spot with my career at the moment.
But it wasn’t always that way.
Freelance copywriting can be a little turbulent and scary at the start.
It can even make you question your worth and your value.
Am I good enough? Do I deserve to get paid this much? Why am I even doing this?
These were all questions that slipped into my mind at the start.
It didn’t help that I was 18 and had little to no support network or any people around my age to look up to.
But I persevered.
I kept going.
I kept writing. I kept trying to build my portfolio. I kept reaching out to brands in the hope that they’d give me a gig.
I never gave up.
That was the key - and it paid off.
Developing that kind of resilience has made me a better copywriter and made me value myself and my abilities more.
If I ever run into a bit of a rough patch now, I dust myself off and try again.
Because you only truly fail once you stop trying.