Be honest with me for a sec: Have you ever said any of the following before reaching out to a client?

"No one wants my pitches."

"This is hard—and I'm just going to get a no."

"This person doesn't even know me. This is basically spam."

"There's an easier way. I'll just use those job bidding sites."

As a business owner, I can tell you that all of this negative self talk is not only dangerous, it's just not true. 

When you send an email packed with value (CCA students, you know what I'm talking about), business owners are grateful.

They may not reach back out, but I can tell you they save your emails (I've got a few I've saved for upcoming projects!).

So, if you've ever said any of these, you need to listen to this episode now.

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Does it ever feel like someone’s trying to put you in a box?

It can feel … constraining, to say the least. We all have multiple interests, and as our professional and personal lives increasingly get blurred, it seems silly to try to distill our identities down to a single word.

That’s why I can’t wait for you to hear Shelby’s story on today’s Build Your Copywriting Business podcast episode.

A copywriter, comedian, actor, podcaster, former teacher, and CCA student (among, many, many other things!), Shelby is sharing allllll the details on how she makes her multi-hyphenate career work. 

But even more helpful than her tips for balancing multiple income streams and passions are her tips for balancing all of your interests without burning out.

I can’t wait for you to hear all of her hard-earn wisdom …

Psst: You can hear Nicki and Kate on Shelby’s podcast Herstory right here.

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Mentioned in the Episode

• Ep. 70: Tips for Tackling Blank Page Syndrome
• Ep. 280: Making Herstory: Nicki Krawczyk & Kate Sitarz
• The Anatomy of a Good Ad: 6 Elements to Include
• Shelby’s Instagram
• Herstory Podcast

Related Links

• Ep. 61: Juggling Multiple Copywriting Clients
• Ep. 154: How Freelancers Can Masterfully Juggle Multiple Projects – with Kaitlyn Spinney
• The Three Steps to Career Change

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I know: the 3 keys to unlimited (really!) copywriting success sounds like a big promise.

But we (really!) follow through on it.

And frankly, these are the steps for success at anything, not just copywriting.

Whatever goals you have for yourself, you CAN achieve them. The only way to “fail” is if you don’t get started. Or if you stop doing the work.

OK, I’m going to stop typing (really!) because this is one episode you need to listen to ASAP.

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Mentioned in the Episode

• The Real Math on Job Bidding Site “Success”
• Ep. 154: How Freelancers Can Masterfully Juggle Multiple Projects – with Kaitlyn Spinney
• Ep. 199: #1 Thing Getting in Your Way of Copywriting (and Other!) Success

Related Links

• The Secret to Sustaining Freelance Copywriting Success
• Book Pick: How to Get Out of Your Own Way and Achieve Copywriting Success
• Habits of Wildly Successful Copywriters

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Any guesses on the fastest way to make people believe what you’re selling?

Show them proof.

That’s exactly what case studies do.

And it’s why case studies are one of the most valuable pieces of copy you can write—for your clients or your own business.

On this week’s Build Your Copywriting Business podcast episode we’re talking all things case studies so you can use this powerful storytelling tool to bring in business.

Whether you want to write case studies for yourself or add them to your service offerings, here’s what you need to know. 

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Mentioned in the Episode

• 4 Things Most Copywriters Get Wrong on Their Portfolio Websites
• 5 Ways to Instantly Improve Your Copywriting Portfolio Site

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A client hires you for a “VIP day.”

Suddenly, you’re tasked with:

• Kicking off the project
• Writing a creative brief
• Coming up with a strong concept
• Outlining the copy Writing the copy (for how many deliverables is another question …)
• Getting feedback on that copy
• Incorporating that feedback
• Getting final sign off 

… all in the span of 8 hours.

And let’s be real: no one has 8 good hours of work in them every day.

On this Build Your Copywriting Business podcast episode, Kate and I are digging into why VIP days make 0 sense—for you and especially for your clients!

Just the thought of this task list stresses me out. And, I know some copywriting “gurus” tout the benefit of VIP days, but these days are reputation ruiners, my friend. Here’s why…

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Mentioned in the Episode

• Copywriting Is Only 1/3 Writing—Here’s Why That Affects How You Charge
• Copywriting Rush Fees: When and How to Charge Them
• What Do You Bill For? (And What Don’t You?)
• The Case for Slowing Down: Fast Copywriting Doesn’t Equal Better Copywriting

Related Links

• How Can You Know if a Copywriting Deadline is Doable?
• 5 Easy Tips for Maximizing Your Time

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Raise your hand if you’ve ever thought any of the following:

• “It’s too late.”
• “I should have done that years ago.”
• “I’m too old now.”

Well, where did that idea come from? If you’ve got 5, 10, 20+ years of a career left, that’s a lot of time to spend doing something that doesn’t make you happy.

On this Build Your Copywriting Business podcast episode, CCA student Carol is bringing the wisdom: it’s never too late.

Carol had a decades-long career in pet PR and she’s sharing how she transitioned to copywriting and the lessons she’s learned along the way.

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Mentioned in the Episode

• SmartDogCopy.com
• Ep. 84 When to Break the Copywriting Niche Rule
• Ep. 130: 4 of the Highest Paying Copywriting Niches
• Should You Get a Copywriting Internship?

Related Links

• Best Backgrounds and Degrees for Getting Into Copywriting
• Ep. 120: Most Common Copywriter Backgrounds

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Time to put on your business owner hat:

• Would you pay someone to clean your house?
• What about do your grocery shopping?
• What if someone could find clients for you? Would that be worth it for you?

On this Build Your Copywriting Business podcast episode, I’m not asking you to commit to hiring someone to do any of these things.

But I’d encourage you to listen to this episode and explore the possibilities. 

If you charge your clients $75/hour and you can hire someone at $25 or even $50/hour to do a task better and faster for you, is that worth it?

It’s all math. 

And it’s worth playing around with the numbers to see what opportunities you might be overlooking.

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Mentioned in the Episode

• BONUS Laser Coaching: Lower the Pressure on Pitching
• BONUS Laser Coaching: Top Tips for Wildly Effective Pitching

Related Links

• When to Be in Client-Finding Mode
• Land Copywriting Clients With These 35 Tips
• BONUS – Laser Coaching: How Do I Find Clients for Freelancing?

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How much does a banana cost for you?

At Trader Joe’s they may be 26 cents (maybe a bit more for organic). 

At Whole Foods they may be around 70 cents.

But a banana costs relatively the same amount wherever you go, right? It’s a difference of a few cents.

Copywriting is a not a banana.

And, even if we agree on that, I don’t think you’re going to like this episode of the Build Your Copywriting Business podcast.

See, we hear all the time, “I found this pricing guide and it’s really helpful!”

But what you may not realize is those guides are actually hurting you. 

It’s presented as an easy solution to a complex problem: how much do I charge for an email? Or a homepage? Or an about page?

I hate to break it: there’s not an easy button for this.

These guides are a marketing gimmick to put $$$dollar signs$$$ in your eyes and get you to click or opt-in or buy the program.

Ready to hear me out?

Listen to today’s episode now before a pricing guide leads you down the wrong path.

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Mentioned in the Episode

• The (Surprisingly Easy) Art of Negotiation for Copywriters
• Copywriting Revision Rounds: How Many Rounds Do You Offer?
• Ep. 17: How to Set Your Copywriting Rates
• Ep. 109: The Right Way to Raise Copywriting Rates

Related Links

• Increase Your Copywriting Pricing Without Burning Bridges
• Why Most Advice About How to Price Your Services is Dead Wrong for You
• How to Price Copywriting Services: By the Minute? The Hour? The Word?

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Do you love a to-do list as much as I do?

I loooove a to-do list.

Well, mostly I love checking things off that list. 

But on this week’s Build Your Copywriting Business podcast episode, Kate and I dug into how we’ve been rethinking the to-do list so we don’t fall into what Kate is calling the “to-do list trap.”

If you ever put things on your list and:

• Feel guilty for every day that an item sits on your list—and you don’t complete it
• Feel like you have to check off every item on your list because they’re there
• Or feel like your list is never-ending (because it literally will never end!)

Then you’ll come away with new ways to look at your to-do lists so you get all the benefits of a list without the burden. 

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Mentioned in the Episode

• Ep. 154: How Freelancers Can Masterfully Juggle Multiple Projects – with Kaitlyn Spinney
• Episode BONUS: AI & Copywriting: Using AI to Your Advantage to Wow Clients and Land High-Paying Work
• Ep. 241: ChatGPT: Friend or Foe? – with Amber Smith

Related Links

• 4 Tools to Stay On Top of Your To-Do List
• Ep. 154: How Freelancers Can Masterfully Juggle Multiple Projects – with Kaitlyn Spinney

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Like many Comprehensive Copywriting Academy students, Caleb was a burnt out teacher looking for a different career.

On this Build Your Copywriting Business podcast episode, he’s generously sharing how he made that transition, including how he’s learned to use his ADHD as a strength.

Several people in the community have asked about working as a copywriter with ADHD and, whether or not you are managing it yourself, Caleb’s tips are wildly helpful.

As he says, he can’t just rely on “feeling” like working, but has to set up his environment so that getting started is the easiest thing to do.

And when he’s working, Caleb uses the “sprint” method to avoid the mid-day fog.

Listen to hear him explain these tactics—and others (and let us know if you try any!!).

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Mentioned in the Episode

• Caleb’s LinkedIn
• How to Put Together a Copywriting Portfolio (Even With No Experience)
• Ep. 37: Improve Your Copywriting Productivity and Professionalism
• Ep. 237: AI is Going to Take My Job!!! … But Is It

Related Links

• Finding Your Copywriting Flow State
• BONUS Laser Coaching: Tips for Neurodivergent Copywriters
• Ep. 256: From Teaching to Copywriting While Facing Life’s Biggest Tests – Joanna’s Story

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