Friend,

A lot of copywriters experience problems when it comes to "tracking" their progress.

They land clients, deliver work and repeat. But they have no real idea of where their business is going.

So I thought I'd come up with a solution.

Here's a short guide on what you should be doing as your first few years as a copywriter.

Getting Started

In general I'd say you're a new copywriter for around 2 years.

During these two years you'll need to put in a lot of work.

You want to study and apply theory to your work, and begin to understand the basics of sales writing.

Spend Your Time Doing These

Good activities to complete are:

> Creating swipe files

> Writing short emails

> Learning how to write headlines

> Signing up to email lists

> Learning how to land clients

> Studying & applying new theory

> Watch videos of other copywriters

> Learn how to write short form copy

Now I'm not saying do all of this at once. But these activities will help you gain an in-depth understanding of the fundamentals.

In general I'd advise against writing long form copy when you're first getting started.

Writing short copy is difficult enough when you're starting out and you likely won't have the skillset to create and implement longer sales letters.

But don't worry, this will come with time.

Feedback Is The Secret To growth

One of the most important things you can do is ask for feedback. Send your work to other copywriters. Ask for criticism. Drop that ego.

Getting feedback from other (and more experienced) copywriters will help you improve your skills faster than anything else.

I always try to look at myself as the new guy. This way I have no ego and there's always more to learn.

Overcoming An Unpredictable Workload

It's also important to note that when you're first starting your workload will be a little... unpredictable.

At one point you'll be working with 5 clients and at times you won't have any.

To balance this I would always spend around 1 hour a day on outreach.

Cold emails. DMs. Social media. Freelance sites.

This way you'll always have something in the pipeline for those quiet weeks.

As you begin to build your skills and reputation, you'll achieve a more stable workload through repeat clients and retainers.

The best way to do this is to work with brands that are already established and get tangible results.

An increase in conversions. Sales from a campaign. Screenshots of your flows.

Numbers talk and as a copywriter, they're your best friend.

Collect results as you go and show them off wherever you can. They'll be key for landing those bigger clients later on.

The Best Projects To Work On

Here are some of the projects you can work on in your early phases:

> Shorter landing pages

> Social media ads

> Short form ads

> Blog posts (just don't become a content writer)

> Lead magnets

These types of projects will be a great way for you to develop your skills and apply new theories.

They also tend to be easier to get for new copywriters.

Remember with any project, make sure you can get screenshots of the results. The last thing you want to do is chase clients up later on asking for the numbers.

Projects To Avoid

At the same time you also want to avoid certain projects. These include:

> Helping launch a new product

> Long form sales letters

> VSLs

> Video ads

The skills needed for these projects will generally take longer to learn. You might get the project, but actually delivering is a whole different story.

Not only could you fail to meet targets, but you might also damage your reputation in the process.

It's real easy to chase the big projects but trust me on this one, focus on your skills and the big projects will come later.

Best Starter Resources

A few great resources to learn from are:

> Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins

> Breakthrough Advertising by Eugene Schwartz

> The Copywriters Handbook by Robert Bly

> Influence by Robert Cialdini

> The Boron Letters by Gary Halbert

Most importantly you need to be accountable and consistent. Write at least 1 piece per day. Accept rejection. Get good at landing new clients and study, study, study.

Your skills will begin to compound but you need to be patient.

Keep working and the results are guaranteed.

Time just needs to catch up.

- Copy Mav