Which of these camps do you fall into?

1. Hesitant to freelance (even though you really want to) because figuring out healthcare and other benefits looks too hard.

2. Diving head-first into freelancing … but there may be some “Oh Sh*t!” moments along the way.

3. Freelancing with a system and a plan so you have regular income and even better benefits than any full-time job could possibly offer.

If you’re part of the FRW community (or in the CCA!), my guess is you fall into camp #3.

(You may fall into camp #2, but that camp really requires you to know yourself and whether you can build the net as you fall. You’ve probably heard me say I’m not a fan of it, but it works for some people! If that’s you, please let me in on your secret 😉 )

We’ve covered how to build your own benefits package on this podcast before (if you missed it, you can add it to your queue right here).

So, on this episode of the Build Your Copywriting Business podcast, we’re specifically covering what to do if you get sick.

As you know, many companies offer sick days. But, what do you do if you fall sick as a freelancer? You have a plan in place, that’s what!

Listen now so you’re ready in case illness strikes. (But knock on wood—knockknock*—it doesn’t!)

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Mentioned in the Episode

• Ep. 51: Working at an Agency & Collaborating with Other Copywriters – Jen’s and Julie’s Story
• How Can You Know if a Copywriting Deadline is Doable?
• Creative Brief: The First Step to Any Successful Copywriting Project

Related Links

• Prepare Your Copywriting Business for a Sick Day
• Ep. 49: How to Build Your Own Benefits as a Freelancer
• Ep. 203: Secrets to Smooth Copywriting Client Relations
• How Copywriting Projects Actually Come Together
• Ep. 154: How Freelancers Can Masterfully Juggle Multiple Projects – with Kaitlyn Spinney
• Book Pick: How Copywriters Can Collaborate More Effectively
• The Copywriting Project That Sells Itself to Your Customers

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No one likes paying taxes. But if you’re a freelancer, you’ve got so many more opportunities for tax deductions. That means you paying less in taxes (a.k.a. keeping more money in your pocket).

Whether you’re in the US or not, you’re going to want to listen in. On this episode of the Build Your Copywriting Business podcast, Kate and I are running through a list of tax deductions that you can talk with your tax prep professional about.

These deductions may allow you to pay less in taxes—meaning you save more of your hard-earned money. And who doesn’t want that? 

Listen now and start saving!

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Mentioned in the Episode

• Ep. 49: How to Build Your Own Benefits as a Freelancer
• Freelance Copywriter Benefits: How to Build Your Own Benefits Package

Related Links

• Copywriter Taxes: Save With These Deductions in 2025
• Paying Freelance Writer Taxes in 2025
• How Do I Save for Retirement If I Am Self-Employed?
• #1 Freelance Tax Mistake and How to Avoid It

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I have good news and bad news for you: pitching is always going to be the direct line to landing work, but there are other tactics you can mix in to keep things fun.

(And, if you ask me, pitching CAN be fun, but I’ll save that conversation with you for another day 😉 )

I am thrilled to share Kate and I sat down with podcast pitching pro Christina Lenkowski to pick her brain on all things podcast guesting.

“But Nicki, I’m an introvert!”

“But Nicki, I’m no expert!”

Hear me out, we cover all this.

Going on podcasts as a guest can not only establish you as an expert, but allows you to reach hundreds, if not thousands of members of your target audience—all at once. 

And, as the owner of the extraordinary podcast pitching service Publicity x Christina, Christina is the go-to expert on getting online entrepreneurs the visibility they need for the paydays they want (her copy, not mine—but isn’t that good?!). 

Full disclosure: I’ve even used her services!

Listen now to see how you may be able to add this tactic to your business strategy!

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Mentioned in the Episode

• Podcastpublicityquiz.com

Related Links

• Top Podcast Episodes for New Copywriters
• 8 Must-Listen Podcasts to Amp Up Your Digital Marketing Knowledge
• 12 Business Books and Podcasts for the New Year

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Ever wake up in the morning, head to work, and all you can think of is "UGH!"?

Like many people, Tori went to school for something she was told she'd be good at—sales—got a corporate job after college, and ... very quickly realized she was an introvert.

She hated sales.

So, Tori made the difficult decision to let go of the path she thought she'd be on her entire life. 

But she quickly realized it was a win-win: She could learning copywriting and change her life for the better. Or, worst case, she could gain more skills that she could use in any career.

On this episode of the Build Your Copywriting Business podcast, Tori is sharing how she made the switch and what her days are like now.

Kate and I are super inspired by Tori's mindset.

💎 "There's something inside of us, we all know what our dream is ... I look forward to life in a way that I didn't before."

💎 "If anything, you fail and you can go back to old habits or old positions or try again in another capacity."

💎 "The ability to have autonomy over my schedule, over my life, it makes me a better, happier, more fulfilled person and I think that pours into every area of my life."

Those are just a handful of gems she dropped at minute 15 of this podcast—yes, that's just one minute of the conversation!

She has incredible insights to share, so I'd really encourage you add this one to your queue. (Or watch on YouTube so you can see Tori's fabulous red sweater ...)

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Mentioned in the Episode

• Tori's portfolio: yourwritefit.com

Related Links

• Can an Introvert Be a Successful Copywriter?
• The Fastest Way to Grow Your Copywriting Business
• Ep. 95: Hitting 6 Figures As a Copywriter in 6 Months – Stacy’s Story
• Set Your Copywriting Business Up for Financial Success

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Get Free Copywriting Training here 

Landing copywriting clients is a lot easier than you may think.

(Reminder: CCA students, you have entire courses on how to find and land clients!)

But one of the most overlooked ways to find clients?

Talking to people.

On this episode of the Build Your Copywriting Business podcast, Nicki and Kate joke about finding clients at the grocery store. But, truthfully, you can find clients almost anywhere!

It all starts with accepting that you’re a copywriter—and getting comfortable telling people you’re a copywriter.

CCA students share in the student-only Facebook group all the time that they landed a client just by making casual conversation.

Because you really don’t know who could use a copywriter! And, because we’re writers and like writing, we take for granted that there are SO many people who don’t like writing.

But, we know, you’re thinking: “Nicki, I can’t just go up to people and say, ‘Hi, I’m a copywriter!'” And you’re absolutely right. 

So, listen to this episode to hear us share our tips for making 100% non-awkward conversation.

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Mentioned in the Episode

• Episode 198: Finding Copywriting Success Through Curiosity – Jared’s Story

Related Links

• 5 Networking Steps to Take This Month
• Find Copywriting Clients by Networking in the Right Places
• The One Question That Makes Copywriting Networking Easy

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Get Free Copywriting Training here 

Having one steady, high-paying copywriting client is the dream, right?

Well, to be honest, no. 

Copywriting is a little bit like investing. Putting your eggs all in one basket leaves you vulnerable to the whims of one company. That’s why diversification is so important.

When you have multiple copywriting clients, it doesn’t matter if work slows down with one or if they go out of business entirely! You’ve got other work.

And going from a 100% full workload to 90% or even 85% workload is much better than 100% to 0%. Think about it: if you’re earning $100,000, and you lose a client that is 15% of your business, you’re still earning $85,000. If you have one client? You’re down to $0.

So, on this episode of the Build Your Copywriting Business podcast, Kate and I are digging into why the allure of one magical client shouldn’t be all that appealing and how to structure your client roster so you’re setting yourself up for a thriving career—not a rollercoaster ride.

And, yes, this means you never stop pitching. Pitching from a place of abundance—when you have clients and income—is much more fun than panic pitching. (Trust me: panic pitching is bad news.)

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Mentioned in the Episode

• Ep. 114: Hate Writing Your Own Portfolio? Use These Tips to Get It Done
• BONUS Laser Coaching: Top Tips for Wildly Effective Pitching

Related Links

• Ep. 204: Dangerous copywriting strategy alert: you can’t rely on SEO for landing clients
• Ep. 61: Juggling Multiple Copywriting Clients
• BONUS: Earning More As a Freelancer than On Staff – Catching Up With Stuart

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You’ve heard me say time and time again that copywriting is an incredibly fun and rewarding career. 

And it is. But … it’s still a career.

There are inevitably times in life—whether as a freelancer or full-time, copywriting or otherwise—when you just don’t feel 100%. 

And sometimes we attribute those crummy feelings to the wrong things.

Cloudy days, an odd text from a friend, a sick family member: a lot of factors in our lives can impact how we’re feeling.

On this episode of the Build Your Copywriting Business podcast, Kate and I are talking about how we deal with the days when we just can’t. Those days can still be productive days—if you know how to approach them.

Listen now for our best tips and tactics (and a few confessions 😳).

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Mentioned in the Episode

• Ep 157: Are You Living in the Gap or the Gain?
• Ep 134: Keep Copywriting Fun: 3 Must-Implement Business Boundaries

Related Links

• Ep 144: Navigating Ups and Downs in a Copywriting Career – Tammy’s Story
• Ep 147: How to Avoid Freak-Outs & Solve Any Challenge
• Ep 143: Business Builder or Time Waster?

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Every time we talk with Comprehensive Copywriting Academy students, Kate and I leave feeling inspired.

That’s exactly what it was like talking to Alicia. 

From a young age, Alicia knew she wanted to help people. It’s what got her into social work. But, like many of those in the social work field, Alicia faced extreme burnout.

On this episode of the Build Your Copywriting Business podcast, Alicia is sharing her story, including how she transitioned from social work to copywriting, how her social work skills lend themselves to copywriting, and how she pushed past self-imposed roadblocks.

Hint: it’s OK to take messy action—as long as you’re taking action! 

Alicia is proving that some careers don’t have to be full-time careers. Sometimes, you can put together a full-time career out of two part-time careers.

So, I’d encourage you to listen to this episode for a little inspiration. Ask yourself, like Alicia did, “what do you want life to look like?” 

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Mentioned in the Episode

• Building Your Portfolio Copywriting by Working With Small Businesses
• Ep. 114: Hate Writing Your Own Portfolio? Use These Tips to Get It Done
• How to Put Together a Copywriting Portfolio (Even With No Experience)
• Alicia Website: www.copysilk.com

Related Links

• Ep. 156: 11 Years in Social Work to a $10K/Month Copywriting Career – Sonali’s Story
• Ep. 75: How to Be a Part-Time Copywriter with a Full-Time Job – Catching Up with Alicia
• How to Be a Part-Time Copywriter from Home

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Get Free Copywriting Training here 

When used correctly, storytelling is a powerful copywriting tactic. But why do I say “when used correctly?” Because sometimes copywriters and clients use storytelling in the entirely wrong way.

On this episode of the Build Your Copywriting Business podcast, Kate and I are breaking down when and how to use this tactic. Plus, we’re giving some examples of storytelling in action—including scenarios where it isn’t appropriate.

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Mentioned in the Episode

• Ep. 5: Why Choosing a Copywriting Niche is Terrible Advice

Related Links

• How Long Should It Take You to Write Copy?
• How to Write Copy that Makes Your Clients Irresistible

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🎶 What a client wants, what a client needs …

… whatever makes them happy gets you money … 🎶

I apologize if you have Christina Aguilera stuck in your head. BUT if it helps you remember the key takeaways from this episode, then you’re welcome. 😉

On this episode of the Build Your Copywriting Business podcast, Kate and I are talking about four crucial things that clients look for in a freelancer.

Doing these things is the difference between building long-term relationships with clients or having one-and-done projects with clients (and, potentially, reputation damage). 

So, make sure you’re putting your best foot forward. Listen now!

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Mentioned in the Episode

• Setting Boundaries as a Copywriter
• Ep. 5: Why Choosing a Copywriting Niche is Terrible Advice
• Creative Brief: The First Step to Any Successful Copywriting Project
• Questions You Need to Ask Your Copywriting Clients

Related Links

• Ep. 182: What’s the Best Way to Communicate with Copywriting Clients?
• Ep. 10: Your Ideal Clients Want You to Pitch Them

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