“You’re such a good writer!” Sound familiar?
You’re probably the person your friends or family members come to when they need help writing a cover letter, drafting a difficult text, or getting thoughts on a email they need to send to their boss.
But for as long as you’ve heard “You’re such a good writer,” you’ve probably also heard something else:
”Writers don’t make any money.”
Ouch. And, sadly, true.
Or, at least, partially true.
Because while, yes, novelists and bloggers and essayists and journalists don’t get paid nearly as well as they should…
There IS one writing industry that does get paid well: Very well.
Copywriting is marketing and advertising and, because companies and organizations rely so heavily on the words we create to reach their business goals…
They’re happy to pay us extremely well for it.
(How well? Well, let’s just say that I first hit 6 figures per year in 2008, smack dab in the middle of The Great Recession, and I’ve never looked back. And, of course, plenty of my students in the CCA are doing the same. But more on that in a bit.)
Copywriting is the best-kept secret for people who are naturally gifted at writing.
Why is it such a secret? Honestly, I have no idea. I’ve puzzled over it for a lot of my 20+ year career.
After all, we all know the words on websites, emails, banner ads, billboards, magazine ads, direct mail pieces, videos, packaging, even the back cover copy of books—we all know those have to be written by someone, right?
And yet, there is so much more need for skilled copywriters than there are skilled copywriters to fill it.
Yes, even in the age of AI. Actually, maybe even more so in the age of AI. Cruddy AI output isn’t helping any business differentiate itself and connect with its ideal audience.
Because that’s what great copywriting is fundamentally about:
Creating a connection between someone who has a want or a need and the best company or organization to meet that need.
I have a ton to share with you about copywriting (I’ve picked up, oh, just a little bit in the quarter-century I’ve been doing it and the 15 years I’ve been teaching it)…
And that’s what I’m going to share with you on this Substack.
So, if you’ve always been a good writer, and you find yourself wishing for a career—or even a side job—where you could use that skill…
A career that allows for fulfillment, flexibility, fun, and, yes, financial success…
Then I strongly encourage you to subscribe.
We’re going to talk about what copywriters do all day, how they craft the words that get people to take action (hint: it’s different than any other kind of writing), how copywriters find clients or jobs, how we build a career, and, maybe most importantly, how you can do all of this, too.
I can’t wait to dig into this with you. Hit subscribe, and let’s get started.