If you’ve been freelancing for more than one year, there’s an important decision in front of you… “What do I want to be known for?” That’s the question Rachael Kraft had when she came into [...]

Let’s not sugarcoat this.  Pricing your services is the most daunting part of running a freelancer biz. For good reason. The simple act of telling another person how much money they need to hand [...]

Do you love April Fool’s Day?  Have you been planning for weeks exactly when to drop the plastic spider from the ceiling above the toilet and phone-record a family member screaming half-pantsed [...]

I recently taught my method for connecting with your customer avatar for the first time. This is essential to writing copy that FEELS personal to the reader. It’s part of the Mind Reader Copy [...]

I recently joined a panel of the world’s best copywriters to honor Clayton Makepeace.  It’s been a year since the industry was rocked by his untimely death soon after being hospitalized.  His [...]

You may have heard whispers about my private coaching group called the Supergroup. We sometimes refer to it as a mastermind, but it’s very different from what that term has come to mean in our [...]

So… today is my birthday!Aw, thanks. That means a lot coming from you. Not like those total strangers who DM you the same exact heartfelt happy birthday as the last 4 years… It started out [...]

If there’s one thing most freelancers want, it’s to work with high end clients. The hero’s journey of a freelancer starts out in the muddy pits of “I’ll take what I [...]

A coaching student asked me: “How do I know when I’m working ‘too much?’” Good question, actually.  The answer is personal… based on what we want – and need – at that time. However, [...]

There’s a problem freelancers face when it comes to personal productivity:  Knowing how to use our time! It seems so elementary, but it’s understandable why we struggle with this. Because, [...]

  Is Clubhouse the next Periscope? It’s funny the choices we have to make these days about how to use our time… where to put our attention… who deserves our energy. Some people are eager to give [...]

A member of Copy Chief posted a thread this week to say that they were feeling frustrated and overwhelmed. They didn’t understand why copywriting seemed to come easily to others, but felt like a [...]

I strongly believe every business owner should be their own first copywriter.  No one else has the passion for the product, the market, or understands WHY you created a solution to a problem, [...]

I’m not one to dwell on the negative aspects of marketing. You could spend all day there. And many people do.  I’d rather be creating something better, wouldn’t you? It’s amazing that we have the [...]

I recently told you about my first paid copywriting gig. How it came from a copywriting forum called The Copywriting Board (the same one I modeled Copy Chief after) and… … how I beat out [...]

Everyone remembers their first paid gig. It changes you for good.  No matter how big or little the pay, the fact that a person of reasonable intelligence has decided to send you money to perform [...]

You and I both know that hiring a freelance copywriter is not exactly the same as hiring other types of contractors.  That’s because no other contractor will represent a client, their voice, and [...]

If your website is taking longer to build than the Taj Mahal, then you’re doing it wrong.  Or, your designer’s doing it wrong. All I can tell you is it’s wrong. I know this, cuz I’ve been there.  [...]

…(as we escaped the law!) Let’s imagine that you and I were thrown together by some random “madcap” movie plotline… Something really zany, like I’ve been falsely accused of a bank [...]

… to produce a single gallon of syrup. I was watching an interview with the great documentary filmmaker, Ken Burns, when he cited that fact.  Of course, that sent me down a three-hour [...]

Smack dab in the middle of the most anxious moments (Presidential election coverage) of the most anxious year (uh, this one) on record… where EVERYWHERE you look, EVERYONE is talking a mile a [...]

  What makes the difference between a piece of copywriting that stirs a deeply positive emotional reaction in the reader… and one that has them trashing it immediately. Or worse… [...]

  A few years ago the direct response copywriting industry had a SERIOUS PROBLEM… There was only one place online for copywriters to connect with clients, and to put it bluntly, the place [...]

  My recent post about “Entrepreneurial DNA” really struck a chord.  I heard from subscribers on both sides, some who consider themselves “gamblers” willing to take “risky action in hopes of [...]

  In 1962, a seven-year-old boy named Edward boarded a ship with his family and sailed from the life he knew in Holland to a new life in America. The family had no money. All their [...]

  Wanna know what defines an entrepreneur? It isn’t the “billion dollar” ideas… Or the scrappy rebelliousness… Or even the ability to create revenue. Those things are inherent in most [...]

  Rather than tell you the answer, I’d like to show you… by sharing this incredible exchange between a member of my community who left nursing to become a freelance copywriter, and a [...]

  I bought an acoustic guitar from a pawn shop in Louisville, KY. This was around 1994. I was living on the road, touring the comedy circuit, with lots of time to kill between shows.  [...]

It thrills me to meet new copywriters at their enthusiastic best.  I love guiding them through to the next levels, helping them avoid the nasty traps that derail progress. Looking back to when I [...]

Ever done this one? You block a day on your calendar to write sales copy. You’ve pushed off starting a bit perhaps, but you know what you’re doing… there’s still plenty of time to get it done on [...]

Back in 1990, I drove almost nonstop from my barely furnished apartment in Clearwater, Florida, up and over to Dothan, Alabama for my first ever road gig as a comic. I was still trying to make it [...]

  That line from Elton John’s “Honky Cat” has been ringing in my head lately. The song is about a guy who grew up on the farm with dreams of moving to the big city…   When I look back, [...]

On a trip to Los Angeles, I came across the car wash where I had a conversation with a famous stranger that changed my life forever. (Here’s the story as I told John Lee Dumas on this [...]

As freelance copywriters, we’re at this weird intersection between ‘creatives’ and ‘craftspeople’… Because our working practices need to draw from both areas. Creatively, copywriters must [...]

Many blockbuster campaigns are built on the shoulders of the “Big Idea”. But before your customer will buy your product, she has to buy into that idea. How do you win her belief? You don’t want [...]

You already know case studies inspire hope, prove you’re credible, and give your reader that “If they can do it, so can I!” feeling that makes them take action. But done right, they can do [...]

My buddy John, a veteran cop, got kicked out of his house recently. He’s a tough guy, but I’ve never seen him so down in the mouth. Things don’t look good. His old lady just accepted a job on the [...]

“I think it was a dud man, nothing is happening,” said Brett. Brett is the founder of Territory Run Co., an online retail company in the running/outdoor space. We had just pressed GO on his [...]

A few years back I followed my buddy to a multilevel marketing event for a health supplements company. It was a big event, designed to bring curious seekers into the fold. Presenters talked up [...]

During World War I, the British Army believed high morale was the key to victory. And what builds morale better than love notes and care packages from home? So they developed an efficient way to [...]

No doubt about it… … short social videos are good for your business. They grow your authority, your reach and help you sell more of what you’re offering. IF you do it right. [...]

Long-time subscriber, Orleatha, asked a great question about what to do when… Q: “I’m too close to my product to see all the reasons why people should buy it.” A: This is a great question, [...]