Jun 17, 2020
Warning: this is one giant cliché
Last week, I turned 22.
(Which will be a shock to the somewhat concerning amount of people who think I’m in my mid-30s…)
And as much as I hate my birthday*…
(* People treating me special just because it’s my birthday makes me feel sick)
…I thought I’d do the ULTRA cliché thing and write a ’22 lessons learnt from 22 years’ email.
But before you smash the delete button out of pure contempt -
It won’t be the classic “practice gratitude” or “dream big” or “have empathy” spiel.
Instead…
I’m gonna make these 22 lessons about stuff I’ve learnt from being in the freelance copywriting trenches.
Some will be about landing clients.
Some will be about copywriting and marketing.
It’s a healthy mix.
Hopefully you’ll find it useful, if only as a reminder for things you may have forgotten :-)
Alright, let’s get into it:
1. Many big-fish clients have been burnt by crappy copywriters. So provide value up front to PROVE you can deliver them a result, and you’ll not only stand out from the sea of ‘Average Joe’ copywriters, but you’ll melt objections around your experience.
2. Most freelance copywriters are downright awful at their craft. The bar is very low. Anything you can do to stand out will probably work a LOT better than you planned.
(^ If you’re a newbie, take note)
3. Blindly copying a marketing/copywriting guru and defending it by saying “they’ve made millions and I haven’t” is totally flawed thinking.
(^ Been guilty of that more times than I like to admit haha)
4. There’s a LOT more luck involved with marketing and copywriting than I realised… but you can make yourself MORE lucky by working both harder and smarter than your competition.
5. When going after copywriting clients, focus on the process, not the outcome.
6. Freelance copywriting is a business. And your business is a reflection of YOU. So if sh*t is going south, fix your mindset, beliefs, and habits FIRST.
(^ Not enough people get this, don’t be one of them)
7. Marketing is a relationship game — put the relationship first ALWAYS and you’ll be fine. That goes triple for landing retainer clients.
(^ Sounds obvious, but it’s sad how few actually put this into practice)
8. In most free copywriting Facebook groups, it’s the blind leading the blind. Get outta there ASAP.
9. Any copywriter bragging about making 6-figures is most likely not making 6-figures.
10. Also, 6-figures is hard as sh*t… only around 10% of copywriters get there. So go easy on yourself if you’re not at that level yet. Most others aren’t. Be patient.
11. The quicker you can get a copy coach, the better. Your skills will grow exponentially, and with it, your confidence… which is crucial for going after the bigger gigs.
12. Networking with and befriending other working freelance copywriters is super useful. I didn’t do this enough early on, but I wish I had.
Okay, I’m running out of steam here.
I’ll get you the next 10 lessons tomorrow.
‘Till then, have a good one!
Speak soon,
Shiv Shetti
P.S. I know that my age will make some people skeptical about the flaming camel.
It’s cool.
I get it.
But if that describes you, here’s Derek Johanson (creator of CopyHour) to calm your nerves:
“Shiv is my secret weapon.
If a freelance copywriter is struggling I send them to Shiv and his ‘Flaming Camel’ process.
Within a few weeks they come back transformed and often with a dream client on a big retainer!”
Wanna experience the transformation Derek is talking about?
Here’s the link:
