I’ve been a copywriter for some years (also whilst freelancing with more broad marketing services) but I’ve been honestly very dependant on platforms. They’ve worked fine but I need to get more clients in different ways.

So far I’ve been cold emailing other professionals (boutique studios and web designers, mostly) and they’re keen on keeping me in mind for some collaboration or if clients need my services BUT some have also said they don’t usually get any request for copy as it’s done “in-house”.

What’s been working for you? Am I on a “eventually profitable” path?

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So I joined as an intern in an company to know the future of writing and thank god finally I know that most of the people on reddit just blame Ai and told me Copywriting and content writing is dead.

The company I joined is hiring 5 more content Writers ..

3 will work online and 2 will on site.

And I'm not Even kidding we have soo much work.

Today I made a landing page and I was soo happy because this one was my first landing page and tomorrow i will show the manger and will tell his comments..

Btw people on reddit told me my English is bad and should not work as writer..

I'm Open to feedbacks

I'm curious if anyone here has subscribed to any paid copywriting newsletters, either now or in the past. For example, I know John Carlton has one and I imagine several others do. It doesn't necessarily have to be a physical newsletter, it can be digital too.

If you subscribe to one, what is it about it that keeps you subbed?

so i have been staring at a blank google with those pointed edges for like an hour now

it not because i dont know about my product or what it does. but everytime i try to write the first line it sounds kinda wrong..

like  i wrote something like we are building a tool that helps teams, but this sounds generic

then i wrote imagine if you could.. this is cringe and an obvious phrase used in gpt

then i tried starting with a number like 87 percent of teams struggle with and then felt fake even  tho the number is real

still i cannot figure out how to start

and the first line is the whole thing right. if it went wrong, all hard work will go into vein. have already watched a lot of launch videos now to know that the ones that blow up you are hooked before you can even realize it. and the ones that often flop you feel it in the first couple of seconds..

so how do people write these. like is there a structure. is it problem first then a solution. is it a story first or is it just a crazy claim and then you back it up.. it genuinely does not know what the formula is..

i tried looking this up. found some stuff on yt. watched a few videos about copywriting and hooks. also came checked all the launches done by thelaunchvideocompany and flowjam.. tried creating a framework for their scripts but those are pretty random to formulate.. seems like scripting is the most difficult part of what they do… but i want to understand it myself first before i hire a script writer

what does a good launch script actually look like. is there a structure that works. or does every founder just figure it out themselves.

Wanted to actually test something I'd heard repeated a lot: that the headline/title matters way more than the body.

Same underlying content, five different opening lines. Nothing else changed same length, same platform, same posting time (staggered across days, same account).

The spread in engagement between the best and worst opener was bigger than I expected bigger than any change I'd made to the actual substance of the piece in months. The ones that did best weren't the cleverest they were the most specific about what the reader would get and how fast.

It made me rethink where I spend my editing time. I used to polish the body for an hour and dash off the first line I thought of. Now it's basically reversed.

Anyone tested this in a structured way? Curious if others found the gap as big as I did.

I'm tired of using swipe file sites that do not refresh content/exampels often. It's the same old examples, barely updated.

How do you guys create/update your swipe files? Do you guys even have a personal swipe file that you control & update at will? If yes, what do you use for a personal swipe file?

I have creative writing experience and I've created ads/emails but for my little art business. I did create a handful of spec examples for a mortgage company I'm interested in applying to for a portfolio but I'm not sure the best site for hosting it (I was looking at Copyfolio but noticed it seemed weird on mobile which I assume you'd want mobile friendly).

My actual job experience on LinkedIn however is primarily customer service/sales so I'm not sure how to have it lean more copy. I'm also not sure if for the portfolio it would be acceptable to post not only the mortgage ads that I created, but ones covering my art business and an ad for a grooming company my friend owns to just provide more examples or nor necessary.

I'm doing cold outreach for the first time, and not sure how to phrase the CTA.

I was taught to get them on a call, because "that's just how it's done". But I've never done a sales call before, and I imagine that some businesses might not commit to a call right away.

Should the call be the CTA, or just ask them to write back if they're interested? I was worried it'd turn into a QA and it'd be easier for them to just ghost than if they committed to a call as soon as the email peaked their interest.

I wanna find the right balance between making it easy for them to respond, and moving things forward with confidence.

What do you think is the best way to solve this?

My communications team works in higher education, and although none of us are native English speakers, we write professionally every day.

A board member who is a native English speaker recently told us our writing sounds robotic and follows "AI patterns." The interesting part is that we've been writing in this style long before AI tools became common, so I think it's more about our writing style than AI itself.

The feedback really hurt my team's morale, but I'd like to turn it into a learning opportunity.

For experienced copywriters and editors, what are the biggest signs that a piece of writing sounds robotic or AI-generated? Are there common habits that non-native English writers tend to have?

More importantly, how do you train yourself (or a team) to write in a way that feels more natural and engaging without becoming too informal?

I'd really appreciate any practical advice, examples, or resources. Thanks!

Been working across a few different verticals lately and noticing something that feels obvious in hindsight but still trips me up. The fundamentals carry over, but the threshold for what counts as a strong hook shifts a lot depending on the audience.

Writing for a B2B software client, the bar feels almost clinical. Lead with the outcome, strip the personality, keep it tight. Then switching to a DTC brand, the same instincts feel wrong and flat. The audience wants something with more texture, a little tension in the language.

The actual writing mechanics are the same, but the calibration takes time every time. That recalibration period is where I lose confidence in a draft before I even know if it's actually working.

Curious whether people here treat that as a muscle you develop or a research phase you just have to budget time for. Some writers seem to jump industries without much friction, and I wonder if that's skill or just a lot of trial and error they're not mentioning.

Also wondering if there's a point where specializing in one vertical gives you a sharper instinct for what lands versus staying a generalist and keeping the range.

This has been a common thing for me at almost every job I have had now and I have been in this line of work for 10 years now. It’s probably been the worst it’s ever been with my latest role though. I’m at close to 2 years in this role and I go weeks or even months at a time with virtually no work and have to resort to creative methods to keep myself appearing online (I’m remote).

It makes me feel all kinds of weird when I don’t have work, even though it is pretty clear my whole team is in the same boat. On some level it makes me feel guilty for getting paid to do nothing, but also bound to my computer and unable to feel truly free. And it makes me feel purposeless and anxious, because if I frequently don’t have work, how can I expect to have job security?

Is this something many copywriters go through? Or is it my own unique experience? If you are dealing with the same thing, how do you cope?

Hello everyone,

I genuinely love copywriting and have already gained experience by building my own project, writing website copy, educational content, brand messaging, and social media content.

I’ve tried Fiverr, Freelancer, Contra, Upwork, and several Facebook groups, but getting that first paying client feels like fighting through hell. I apply consistently, personalize my proposals, and have a portfolio website, but I still haven’t managed to land my first client.

Am I doing something wrong, or is this normal when starting out? I’d really appreciate honest feedback, especially from copywriters who have been through the same stage.

What helped you land your first client?

Hi everyone,
I’m(26f) a copywriter with 4+ years of agency experience(mumbai) who recently relocated to London. I’ve been applying for roles every day but feel like I’ve exhausted LinkedIn.
Where do agencies actually hire from? Are there recruiters, Slack groups, job boards or networking events that people recommend?
Any advice would honestly be appreciated. Thanks!

Hey People!

I constantly need to check character limits, keyword density, and readability for different formats (Meta descriptions, LinkedIn, long-form).

The problem: Most free online word counters are either plastered with ads or, worse, send your text to a server. Pasting unreleased client copy or sensitive drafts into them always felt like a massive security risk.

I built https://www.freewordtool.com/ to solve this.

Why it’s different:

• Zero Server Uploads: It runs entirely entirely via local JavaScript in your browser. Nothing is ever uploaded, stored, or logged.
• Instant Platform Presets: Tracks hard character limits for Twitter (280), Meta (160), LinkedIn (3000), etc.
• Deep Analysis: Instantly calculates Flesch Reading Ease, speaking/reading time, and filters out stop words for accurate keyword density.

It’s completely free. I built it to scratch my own itch, but I want to make it the standard baseline tool for writers.

Lemme know what you guys think.
What features are missing that would make this your default bookmark?

I'm about to start doing cold outreach for the first time, and am looking for advice from people who have been through this.

My background:

I'm starting from scratch. I've spent over a year studying copywriting and digital marketing - read books, took the 24 hour Copy That! course, a few different certifications including Google Ads/Analytics. I made a few mock funnels. I learned a few ESPs so I know how to set up an email campaign. I'm already proficient at HTML/CSS/CMS/graphic design, so I can also build custom websites and implement things myself if needed.

I tested the waters on Fiverr without any luck. I think my listings were pretty good, but my modest pricing attracted the wrong type of clients. Alas, I don't have any "warm leads". I also don't think agency jobs etc would work for me due to my location. So I've decided to double down on cold outreach and land some clients as a freelancer.

What I've done:

I picked a specific niche (within fitness), wrote a funnel to help gyms get more customers, and am currently making a list of who I wanna reach out to.

I can tell this is gonna be time-consuming, and that I'll have to learn a lot along the way. I'd love to hear from people who have done this; what I can expect, and how I can optimize my time, and stay focused now that I'm about to get real feedback (and inevitably rejections) on my copy.

Thanks!

Been jumping between a few different client industries lately and noticed something that's been bugging me. The actual mechanics of what I write shift pretty dramatically depending on the niche, which is expected, but what surprises me is how much my sentence rhythm and word choices shift too. The version of me writing for a SaaS brand feels like a different person than the one writing for a direct response health product.

Part of me thinks this is just good craft, matching the audience and the medium. But another part wonders if losing that consistent voice is a problem long term, especially when you're trying to build a reputation or get known for a particular style.

There's also the client side of it. Some clients hire you because they want their voice, not yours, so your personal style is almost beside the point. Others seem to want something with a bit of personality baked in.

Curious how others handle this. Do you consciously protect some version of your natural voice across projects, or do you fully shed it depending on the job? And has leaning too far one way ever hurt you, either with clients or with the quality of the work itself?

As AI rolls out and time goes on, I've seen a big chunk of my actual writing being taken away (aside from more conversion-focused or persuasive writing), and when I'm pulled into meetings/projects now my role tends to be putting together strategy for messaging that the rest of the team can plug into AI (and I also have to review all the AI stuff they make).

Has anyone else felt this? It seems like a pivot I may have to make permanently to stay in this type of role. Was wondering if anyone else has seen something like this happening.

I need someone with experience with YouTube ads to write a script for our offer in the real estate space.

Investing meaning buying courses, tutor, etc.

Last week, I took a huge leap of faith and started cold emailing companies. Up until now, I've contacted 28 small businesses, most of which operate in the SaaS industry. What I want to tell you, good people, is that the numbers are encouraging at first glance: most of the emails were opened, and I even got two responses telling me that right now, they do not have a marketing budget.

In a way I feel relief, I feel joy; however, in another way, I feel scared and petrified.

While a voice inside me sincerely tells me to go on with my client hunt, another part of me keeps telling me that this will not work. This negative voice keeps telling me that companies aren't looking for copywriters and that the market has been overtaken by AI.

What do you think of all this? Is copywriting still worth it? Are my efforts worth the time and energy?

I'm only saying this because $500 monthly in the country I live in is a life changing achievement... literally.

I, along with two other writers, provided copy for a mental health nonprofit. The copy was prompts for a journal/workbook. I want to use this copy as part of my portfolio, but the prompts written by each copywriter are totally mixed in with each other. When employers ask to see a portfolio, what is best practice for showcasing this work? Should I show the finished product and maybe a separate document highlighting which pieces were mine?

I've been unemployed for over a year and, up until recently, I could count on their being a few new jobs that I could apply to whenever I went to the coffee shop to apply to jobs. Now, nothing. It's to be expected in middle of the summer quarter, but my god. What's driving this? Is it the economy? Is it AI? Is it both?

Someone please give me a job.

I handed a script to the production team last month. "Busy office, people working, energetic atmosphere." That's what I wrote. That's what came back. It looked like every stock footage clip ever made. And I realized: that's not the production team's fault. That's my writing.

That got me thinking. What if I could visualize my own scripts before handing them off? Not produce the final thing. Just get a rough version of what's in my head.

So I tried it. Took 5 of my old ad scripts, the ones that never got produced, and ran them through AI video tools. The scripts were already broken into scenes with camera directions and timing notes. That's how I write them anyway. Turns out that's basically a video prompt.

I used PixVerse for the video generation. The process was: take a scene description from the script, paste it into the tool, get a 5-second clip back. Repeat for each scene. Stitch in CapCut. Add the voiceover track.

The results were rough. Some scenes looked like a video game from 2010. Some were surprisingly good. The lighting was the most consistent thing. The motion was the most inconsistent. But the overall shape of the ad was there. I could see what worked and what didn't before anyone else saw it.

The problem was pretty obvious once I saw it: Some of my scene descriptions are terrible. I write "a busy office, people working, energetic atmosphere" and expect the production team to figure out what that means. The AI gave me exactly what I asked for: a generic office with generic people. Which means my script was generic. The AI didn't fail me. My writing failed me.

I've started rewriting my scripts with more specific visual direction. It's made me a better writer. Turns out AI video tools are great feedback on your writing. They don't interpret. They don't fill in the gaps. They show you exactly what's on the page. If your script is vague, the result is vague. If your script is specific, the result is specific. It's brutal but useful.