So you want to be a copywriter with Bernadette Schwerdt

Presenting copywriting work to a client strikes fear into the hearts of even the most confident copywriters. Why? Because we’re afraid of the response we’re going to get back. Will they like it? What if they don’t? Will I get paid? Will I ever work again?

The temptation is to just email it, hope they read it and pray that they like it. But is that the best way to present our copy to the client? Is that the best way to get our work approved? The best way to showcase our considered thinking that underpins what we wrote?  Are there other ways we can present our work and if so, what are they?

This episode is all about how to present your work to the client so that you can increase your chances of getting it approved quickly, get more work and build a long standing, trusted relationship with the client.  

You’ll learn how to:

• Use a Creative Rationale to present your work
• Use email, Zoom, or a hybrid approach to get best results
• Deal with objections to your copywriting work
• Manage client expectations
• Educate clients on how to give you a better brief
• Put clients at ease so they give you the best feedback
• Distance yourself from taking criticism personally

Mark Farrelly, one of Australia’s most versatile copywriters. Mark began his long & successful advertising career at Ogilvy and Mather, working on well known brands like BMW, Shell, Hungry Jacks, Kit Kat, Smarties and Violet Crumble.

He then moved to the iconic advertising agency, M&C Saatchi Senior Writer/Creative Group Head where he worked on brands including Morning Fresh, Cussons Imperial Leather & others. His work on The Age, Sportsgirl and Colonial First State assisted the agency to win the B&T Agency of the Year Award.

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Join our community of copywriters at CopyClub.com.au.

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You can’t get a job without work experience - but you can’t get work experience without a job.

This age-old chicken-or-the-egg scenario stops talented copywriters from getting started. But there is a way around it. 

In this podcast Bernadette talks to us about:

• finding your first client
• creating the marketing collateral clients need to see to hire you
• starting small and use online events to start networking elegantly
• overcoming imposter syndrome
• believing that what you have is useful and of value
• following up without feeling nervous
• identifying your niche
• creating your copywriting pitch and deliver it with aplomb.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Copywriting Essentials
• How to Build a Successful Freelance Copywriting Business
• SEO Copywriting
• Copy Club

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Join our community of copywriters at CopyClub.com.au.

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For many copywriters, finding paid work is problematic. You need to find the clients, do the negotiation, get the brief, do the invoicing, and much more.

But what if you could have someone do it all for you?  Someone who could find the clients, place you in the role, take care of the negotiations, organise the finance, so that you just turn up and write! You’ll never have to source work for yourself again, and you’ll get to work with high profile clients too, which will look great on your portfolio.

Wouldn’t that be great?

Well, that service does exist and it’s called Creative Recruiters.  And the woman who runs it is called Vicki Anne Craigen, and I spoke with her to get the low down on how new, mid range and experienced copywriters can use recruiters to help them find paid work.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What a copywriting recruiter looks for in a copywriter
• What copywriters are being paid   
• How to put your portfolio together, even if you don’t have any experience
• What kind of copywriting work is in high demand
• What the future of copywriting looks like (hint: it’s exciting!)
• What not to do when applying for work with a recruiter
• What to do on your first day in a new freelance job
• What skill sets you’ll need to get the copywriting work of the future
• Why trained copywriters will always outrank untrained copywriters

Mentioned in this episode:

• Creative Recruiters
• Australian creative industry salary guide 2020-21

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Join our community of copywriters at CopyClub.com.au.

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Adil Amarsi is a copywriter, business consultant, and podcaster best known for his ability to write story-based, direct response copy for sales pages, email sequences, websites and more.

Between late 2007 and the end of 2020, Adil has made his clients over $821 million in sales and revenue using his advice, copy, and strategies.

His clients have included Jay Abraham, Dov Baron, Tony Grebmeier, and many more.   

With 17 years of copywriting experience under his belt, Adil is known as one of the greatest underground copywriters working today.  He has written copy for over 400+ industries.

In this episode, I talked to Adil about:

• the ‘storyselling’ process he uses to write copy
• the 17-step process that underpins his ‘storyselling’ process
• why he still experiences The Imposter Syndrome (and how he deals with it)
• the art of creating squeeze pages
• how he earns $100,000+ per job for a few hours work
• the copywriter he admires and respects 
• the power of using Artificial Intelligence in copy, (and its limitations) 

Mentioned in this episode:

• Adil Amarsi’s website
• Connect with Adil on LinkedIn
• ‘The Laws of Human Nature’ by Robert Greene
• ‘48 Laws of Power’ by Robert Greene

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Join our community of copywriters at CopyClub.com.au.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Artificial intelligence is changing the way we live, but it’s also changing the way we write copy. 

In this episode we talk to Suzette Bailey who is an expert at the building AI platforms that help us write copy – and lots of it.

If you fancy writing a 500-word article on a specific topic of your choice, in under 30 seconds, or writing a LinkedIn article that makes you look like an expert at the same time, this podcast is for you.

In this episode you discover how:

• AI can be used to write professional quality copy in seconds 
• to write Facebook posts, LinkedIn posts, emailers and more using Ai
• to use keywords to get the exact copy you need 
• schools and uni students and teachers will need to revise the way they write and assess assignments in the future
• AI is forcing us to redefine what creativity, originality and thought leadership really is
• To use AI ethically

If you’d like to learn more about how you can become a successful copywriter and join a community of other copywriters, get upskilled, find work opportunities and more, take a look at copyclub.com.au, Australia’s newest and most exciting copywriting community.

If you’re enjoying our podcast, please leave a review.

Free offer:

Discover how easy it is for AI to write your copy. Sign up here for a free account and get free credits to use.

https://bit.ly/3upyzmm

About SimpleMarketing.ai and Suzette Bailey

In 2018 Suzette Bailey was a successful information management advisor for  government agencies. When she pivoted to help small business owners to systemise their operations, she found her skill of closing 6-figure deals didn’t translate to selling $500 courses. 

She struggled to continually generate the content required to market her new business.

In late 2020 she saw the opportunity to use world-leading AI to generate marketing content for businesses like hers.

Co-founding SimpleMarketing.AI, Suzette has built the business with a focus on helping businesses short on marketing and technical skills to generate the marketing content they need to attract and engage customers.

With an initial product on the market, and a free account for light users, SimpleMarketing.AI is now helping businesses around the world to generate the content they need every day to market and grow. 

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Join our community of copywriters at CopyClub.com.au.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

LinkedIn is one of the most affordable ways to find new copywriting clients but for many of us, we don’t leverage a fraction of its power.  Why is that and if we did, what could we gain?

Adam Franklin is one of Australia’s most successful LinkedIn Coaches and in this podcast he’ll share with us the secrets of how copywriter and marketers – in fact, anyone in business - can use the platform to simply and elegantly convert those casual connections into new clients.

Adam is a professional speaker, university lecturer and CEO of Bluewire Media.  Accolades include being named:

• Australia’s #1 business blog
• #7 LinkedIn Expert in Asia 
• #9 on Entrepreneur magazine's top marketing podcasts.

In this podcast, you’ll discover how to:

• Use a 5-step process to create new leads and convert them into clients
• Awaken dormant connections and (respectfully) reactive old colleagues and acquaintances
• Use a pre-written set of scripted templated messages you can use to send to your connections 
• Make small tweaks to your profile to generate massive rewards 
• Create personalise messages that get attention
• Craft scripts that focus on them, not you, to gain greater engagement.

Adam’s specialty is helping copywriters and other service consultants win high-value clients via LinkedIn.  He teaches 1000s of students via his online courses and coaching programs and his weekly 'Bluewire News' email goes out to over 35,000 professionals worldwide.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Bluewire Media
• Connect with Adam Franklin on LinkedIn

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Join our community of copywriters at CopyClub.com.au.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Would you like to hear from a marketing expert who has been responsible for sending out more than 200 million emails? 

…who works with people like Tony Robbins and the world’s best-known authors, speakers and thought leaders…

…who understands the digital content funnel (and upends it)…

…who knows how to create hooks, lead magnets, buyer journeys and every other little detail associated with email marketing success?

If so, Michelle Falzon is the guest you have been waiting for.

Michelle Falzon is a strategic content specialist who works globally but lives locally and is what most would say, living the copywriting life!

In this episode you’ll learn how to:

• Structure an email campaign
• Manage a client who wants to send multiple messages to the one database
• Segment your copywriting message (even if you don’t know who’s on the database)
• Reinvent the Digital Marketing Funnel (and why the Digital Mountain Funnel is so much better)
• Use the ‘buyer journey’ process to map out an email campaign
• Test your email campaign (and know what variables to test)
• Position your services as a value-based consultant, rather than a transactional copywriter
• Ask the one important question that will show you exactly what copy you need to write
• Educate the client as to why open rates and click through rates are not the best measures of success
• Format your email for best results (and how to use links strategically)
• Find the right ratio of ‘sales’ versus ‘education’ in your emails to maximise success (without alienating the reader)
• Outsource the setting up of automated email campaigns (and who to contact to make it happen)
• Choose the right email software for your specific needs.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Connect with Michelle Falzon on LinkedIn 
• HerBusiness Marketing Success Mastermind  
• We Are Content
• Content Sells Podcast
• The Ask Method by Ryan Lavesque

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Join our community of copywriters at CopyClub.com.au.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What do Nicole Kidman, Baz Luhrmann, Neil Armfield, Louis Nowra and Fran Kelly all have in common?  Alison Dunn has worked with them all.

As one of Australia’s foremost arts publicists, she’s been instrumental in promoting some of the world’s most prestigious artists, shows and festivals.  She was the head of business development and marketing for the Sydney Festival, marketing manager for the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra,  director of marketing for the Adelaide Festival, and much more. 

Now, in her ‘third act’ of working for herself, choosing purpose-led, heart-centred projects is her goal and copywriting enables her to achieve that.

In this episode, Alison talks to us about how she: 

• reinvented herself and created a new business from scratch
• landed a $30k writing contract via LinkedIn
• reframes past work experiences to position herself as a successful copywriter
• believes copywriting is the perfect occupation for those in their ‘third act’ of life
• repackages her skill sets to be of value to a client

Mentioned in this episode:

• Alison’s website
• Connect with Alison on LinkedIn

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Join our community of copywriters at CopyClub.com.au.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you know that artificial intelligence can now write copy, and really good copy, at that.  Yes, that technology is here and it’s either an opportunity for us copywriters, or it’s a threat – you be the judge.

And the man to tell us more about that is Mark Baartse, former Chief Marketing Officer at Showpo, the online fashion retailer, and digital marketer extraordinaire.

Nominated in the top 50 CMOs in Australia, in the top 50 people in ecommerce retailing and credited with increasing Showpo’s revenue by 400% in three years, and growing the marketing team from 1 person (him) to 18, Mark knows more about digital marketing than most.

His clients include Officeworks, Salesforce, Big W, Vodafone and many more.

His common sense, no-nonsense, down to earth approach for how to market any business is both refreshing and enlightening. 

In this episode, he talks to us about: 

• the trends in marketing that copywriters really need to know about
• some clever strategies he uses to simplify complex marketing briefs 
• the questions he asks his clients that keep things real
• why we should be afraid of AI 
• what all good copywriters should be learning right now
• how he likes to work with copywriters
• what he looks for when hiring copywriters
• and much more. 

Mentioned in this episode:

• Mark’s website
• Video about GPT-3 (the AI bot writing copy)
• Learn more about GPT-3
• Article on The Guardian that was written by a robot

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Join our community of copywriters at CopyClub.com.au.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Airbnb, Snickers, Lexus, Libra, World Health Organisation - these are just some of the blue-chip copywriting clients Shannon Crowe has worked with during her illustrious advertising career.  

Recently ranked at #8 on the list for the World’s Most Awarded copywriters, Shannon kicked off her career studying graphic design and photography and at the ‘ancient’ age (in ad agency land) of 29 she landed her first copywriting job with Grey Advertising. The rest, as they say, is history. 

Now, as a single mum bringing up her little boy in suburban Melbourne, she’s left agency life to become a freelance copywriter and is loving every second of it. 

In this episode, Shannon takes us through:

• Some of the award-winning work she created
• How to work effectively with clients
• Her career highlights (being flown to Cannes to attend glittering award ceremonies), 
• The low lights (realising that agency hours would never be compatible with being a mum and needing to find a new way to work), 
• Tips on how to overcome the fear of the blank page
• Managing impostor syndrome and creative anxiety
• Advice for how to build your portfolio when you don’t have any experience
• Her Tasmanian Writers Retreat and how to be a part of it.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Shannon Crowe Creative 
• D&AD New Blood Awards 
• Future Lions competition

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Join our community of copywriters at CopyClub.com.au.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.