Why I began to engage in copywriting and why I was afraid

I can’t say that the idea of ​​writing articles came to me from school. With the compositions, it didn’t develop very well; there were no inclinations towards philology or journalism. Things were much better with the revision: I was very good at finding someone else's mistakes, and I liked it.

And yet I became a copywriter, which is incredibly glad! Like most of my colleagues, I started working on exchanges, and then began to work directly with customers. I love my profession and do not plan to change it!

How I became interested in copywriting and what I was afraid of in this work, I share in the article.

Why copywriting?

Just a couple of years ago (in 2016), I did not suspect that there was such a profession. I started to delve into the intricacies of the work of a copywriter quite by accident. There were several reasons for this:

1. Finance

The main engine for mastering the profession of copywriter, of course, was money. The family budget was completely at odds with what was needed. It was impossible to cut costs. Moreover, new circumstances arose that required additional cash costs.

So I began to look for options for part-time jobs that could be combined with household responsibilities. Offers to become a consultant in cosmetic network companies I have not considered. I also did not want to write reviews on sites for 200 rubles a month. Copywriting promised a more impressive income.

I did not immediately get a decent income. I constantly studied, developed, honed my skills, improved. And after about a year, I already had a good income level: I paid for the creative classes and activities for the child, pampered my relatives with gifts, and started going to the gym and pool in a good fitness center.

Naturally, it’s not possible to reach a decent income with the wave of a magic wand. Will have to learn, develop and constantly improve.

2. freedom

I really love and appreciate freedom and independence! And the framework into which office work pushes them is taken from me. Accounting for working hours, vacation schedules, changes in the mood of superiors ... All this restricts and frustrates the order. But things are different with working as a copywriter: I manage my precious time myself and plan a vacation whenever I want, plan a work schedule and even future income can be planned. But I also bear responsibility for the decisions made.

3. Interest in new

I have always had a genuine interest in everything new. And copywriting helps me satisfy it to the fullest. Each order is a challenge. I am extremely interested in how well I will cope with the task, and whether the customer will be pleased with my work.Every day I learn a lot from different spheres of life, and I can calmly talk on topics that until recently seemed something remote and incomprehensible. In each order I found and learned something new and discovered new facets.

2 years ago, I did not know how to interview experts, I did not know about anti-plagiarism, nausea and spamming. Each difficult order for me is a challenge to my abilities. Can I handle it? Can I give the customer useful content.

4. Praise

Each person is pleased to hear kind words and praise addressed to him. And I am no exception. Positive feedback from customers after accepting my work, comments in personal messages - all this inspires, stimulates and increase self-esteem. I want to work even harder, develop, get new high marks for my creative work. And when new customers switch with me to constant cooperation, it really inspires!

5. Self development

For household chores, women often forget about themselves. So it happened with me. There was nothing to talk with a spouse about. He began to hint that the wives on the decree lacked self-development. When I started writing articles, I began to read more interesting reviews, articles, books, which greatly expanded my horizons. And there was much more to discuss with my husband.

What am I afraid of?

I will not dissemble: before doing copywriting, I was overcome by some doubts and fears. Over time, this passed, of course. But I want to share those moments that I was afraid of:

1. Deadline violation (delay)

I have had an excellent student syndrome since high school. I used to always do everything on time. And this status of an excellent student has always taught me to take everything on time. But on the etxt.ru exchange there are special nuances when executing urgent orders. I was afraid that at night the customer would send an article for revision, but I could oversleep and the order would go to expired. Overdue order - the reputation of an optional person who I am not. Such violations indicate a negligent attitude of a copywriter, affect the rating and the attitude of other customers.

Over time, I learned to choose the right time orders and to allocate my time correctly. So I conquered fear.

Of course, when working at a computer, force majeure may occur: the lights are turned off, the Internet, etc. This point also needs to be taken into account and try to complete the work ahead of schedule.

2. Criticism

For the fact that the work may not please the customer, I worry to this day. I am especially worried when they pay from 500 rubles for 1000 characters. For a couple of years of work, several customers did not like my articles. Although everything was done clearly in accordance with the statement of work, my client did not like my writing style. So that discontent does not arise, I just try to clarify with the customer all the necessary nuances. So I defeated this fear.

On the stock exchange, many are afraid to get a negative review, spoiling their reputation. But you need to think about whether it is objective. Controversial issues help solve arbitration. Even if the administration makes a decision not in favor of the author of the article, this is not a reason to despair, this is not the end of the world. So, they did not agree with the characters and views with the customer. Perhaps the culture of communication could let you down. In any case, this is an incentive to work on yourself and polish your skills.

Of course, customers are different. Someone will patiently explain what is wrong, and someone will not accept the job and write a bad review. But this is part of our work. It is good that there are much more decent customers and good reviews in it than bad ones.

It is worth distinguishing ordinary criticism from constructive. If the customer explains in detail the moments that he did not like, this is not a tragedy. Sometimes he really knows better the nuances in his topic or his product. Defeating fear is easy if you understand that edits and comments are part of the job.

3. Rating downgrade

At the beginning of my work on the stock exchange, I was worried about my rating and was very afraid of losing it. But then I realized that losing it is quite difficult. The reasons for lowering the rating are violation of the deadline (delay), refusal of an order that has already been taken into work, frequent revisions or refusal of revisions.I practically didn’t have such moments, so for this point I stopped being afraid.

4. Pay cheating

Over time, copywriters outgrow exchanges and go free float. There, the payment is higher, and the terms are not so short, customers are most often loyal, no commissions. But there is an important nuance: there is no guarantee of payment. Few of the customers make 100% prepayment. And they should not be condemned. Everyone is afraid to be cheated. Even working with a new customer on a 50% prepayment basis, there are concerns, but what if he deceives or does not pay. I’m especially nervous when the work is delivered, but there are no customer comments. Therefore, there is always concern that you will not be deceived. You write, hand over, wait for feedback ...

But here you should not be afraid, here you need to independently establish your own rules and not be afraid to voice it to the customer. Having learned that the groups have black lists and volunteers that solve problems, I stopped being afraid. More I have ways and protection against dishonest customers. Although I did not encounter dishonest customers.

5. Do not justify trust

Satisfied customers, friends or colleagues often recommend me to their friends. And I want to justify their trust. But sometimes fear arises that I will not justify this trust if the customer does not like the work. But this fear is cured over time. After all, I know that in every work I put a piece of the soul and backed it up with facts from authoritative sources. I know how to react to criticism; I am familiar with the culture of business communication. Even if the customer does not like the work, I am always ready to listen to objective comments and if you need to correct the article.

If you decide to become a copywriter, try it! I think everyone has their own reasons and fears of being a copywriter. But it’s better to try to comprehend the profession than to regret the missed opportunity and profit.

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