Why New Copywriters Must Sometimes Apply the ‘Fake It ’Til You Make It’ Doctrine

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Usually, the “fake it ’til you make it” mentality is seen through a negative lens. Honestly, I’ve never understood why this is—well, at least with some things. 

Sure, there are people out there who are hypocritical to the max, but in matters of copywriting, getting started with things before you’re completely ready for the full-blown title of “copywriter” is without a doubt the best way to go. 

I’m no longer fishing for entry-level work, but when I was, I talked the talk and did my best to ensure that my walking followed a similar trend. Sometimes it did and sometimes it didn’t; either way, if I could go back, I wouldn’t change a thing.

Only You Know Who You Really Are

When I was younger, I wanted more than anything to become a sportswriter like Dan Le Batard or Jay Mariotti. I spent my Summer afternoons reading the paper and watching the same episode of “Sportscenter” multiple times each day. 

I was bound and determined to do all I could to become a columnist for Sports Illustrated or ESPN.com. Ya know—one of those big-time publications. 

Anyway, one day I hopped online and did a bit of research to try and learn how I could increase the likelihood of me becoming a top-tier journalist when I grew up. 

It’s been over a decade since this happened, but I remember stumbling upon an article that claimed that the best way to become a journalist was to accept that you already were one. If you wrote regularly and sought to tell stories in an accurate manner, you could confidently refer to yourself as a “journalist” when speaking with others. 

Eventually, my desire to cover sports for money gave way to making a living as a copywriter. Though my interests had changed, I never forgot the nominal side of things, and—as long as I was immersed in writing activities—openly referred to myself as a copywriter. 

The evidence was there, and people never questioned me. This wasn’t a lie. The projects weren’t all that sexy. I mean, most of the time, I wasn’t even making much money off of them. Yet, years later, looking back, it was the right thing to do. Heck, it led me to where I am today, so it must’ve worked to a certain degree.

Taking Action Is the Best Way to Learn

Copywriting isn’t neuroscience. It’s a trade—almost like welding or something similar. Instead of a blowtorch, copywriters use laptops. If you want to become a copywriter, you’ve got to spend time doing the very thing copywriters spend 90 percent of lives doing—writing. 

Get involved with a local publication, start and build a blog or hunt for a few one-time gigs on Upwork. By so doing, you’re becoming a copywriter. Yes, things could be better, but this is the hands-on beauty of copywriting.

I’ve looked over this post a time or two and, admittedly, it’s a bit clunky. That said, I feel pretty strongly about this one. So, what do you think? Is the ‘fake it ’til you make it’ doctrine a joke of a philosophy or something more worthwhile? Express you thoughts and feelings in the comments section below.

 

Lucas Miller is the Founder of Echelon Copy. When not writing, editing or running, he's working tirelessly to perfect what he claims is the "World's Greatest Pompadour." Additionally, for what it's worth, his editorial works have been featured on Social Media Today, Business2Community, Ragan's PR Daily, Spin Sucks and many other top-tier PR publications.

4 Effective Ways to Combat the Urge to Not Write

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It doesn’t really matter what type of writing you’re doing—if it’s going to be worth a reader’s time and a client’s hard-earned cash, some actual concentration will be required. Pretty crazy stuff, huh?

No, but seriously—I love to write, but every time I sit down to write a few blog posts, some other enticing option presents itself. It could be a football game, evening out with a friend or even another writing assignment that’s more exciting than a more pressing project.

So, if you’re going to make a name for yourself as a professional copywriter, some real discipline is going to be required. That said, how does someone go about making writing more of a priority?

When the urge to bypass writing for something else, how should you respond? Though by no means a perfect copywriter, I’ve found a few different methods rather handy for fighting through the most common distractions. If interested, here’s what works for me:

1) Create Mini Deadlines Along the Way

If you’ve ever taken a course on goal setting, then you’ve probably already heard people talk about how important this is. Trust me—my intention isn’t to bore you with what you’ve already heard, but if top-tier professionals are talking about it, there must be something there, right? 

Remember, these are small goals, so don’t make this more serious than it needs to be. I know many copywriters who base their daily goals on predetermined allotments of time, but I prefer to base mine on word counts. 

After starting the day, once I’ve produced 1,000 words of copy, I can go for a run, watch a sitcom or go out to eat with my wife. Before that, none of this can occur.

2) Remove Any and All Distractions

You know what these are, so don’t act like you’re lost as to what’s being discussed. Smartphone, television, Internet radio, Twitter—they’re all distractions and, when eliminated, it’s substantially easier to write. 

For example, before diving into an email marketing campaign or sales letter, turn your cellphone off and place it in a nearby drawer. Heck, when I’m really needing to get to work, I even go as far as logging out of my Gmail account. 

Though cut off from client communication, I’m able to write without anyone or anything keeping me from making money. Besides, in an hour or two, I can reconnect and get back to the communicative side of the job.

3) Focus On the End Goal

Why did you get into copywriting in the first place? What is it that you’re ultimately trying to accomplish? 

Maybe it was to get out of debt or build a new lifestyle for you and your family. Whatever the case, when laziness or something similar rears its ugly, it’s important to draw inspiration from that original source.

For me, it’s always been about being my own boss. Whenever I don’t feel like writing, I think back to what it was like to to have another individual calling the shots. I own my freelance copywriting career. 

The money, success and reputation—yup, it’s all mine. That said, so too is the failure, disappointment and idleness.

4) Stop Thinking and Get to Work

This section’s heading says it all—stop thinking and do something. I don’t care what it is that’s keeping you from writing, this is by far the best way to get the proverbial ball moving with a project.

If you’re a copywriter by trade, you clearly have a love of writing. As soon as you’re able to show a bit of grit and get to typing, those feelings of editorial enjoyment will undoubtedly return.  For me, at least, this method works 100 percent of the time.

More than just about anything, I love hearing from other writers. Through them, I’m able to learn more of what I can do to become a better copywriter. With that in mind, what are you currently doing to sidestep your workflow’s biggest enemies? Share what works for you in the comments section below.

 

Lucas Miller is the Founder of Echelon Copy. When not writing, editing or running, he's working tirelessly to perfect what he claims is the "World's Greatest Pompadour." Additionally, for what it's worth, his editorial works have been featured on Social Media Today, Business2Community, Ragan's PR Daily, Spin Sucks and many other top-tier PR publications.

Why Regular People Absolutely Loathe Writing

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I realize that I can’t speak for everyone, but let’s be honest here—few are the people that truly love writing. Sure, many are those who claim to enjoy writing in their free time, but that “passion” often seems like its little more than a hipster-induced craze. 

When it comes time to actually sit down and start typing away, there are simply more appealing things to do. 

More often than not, at least from what I’ve both seen and heard, writing is viewed as a type of activity most comparable to having one’s shins hit repeatedly with a wiffle ball bat. How can this be? 

Well, as far as I’m concerned, there are a few reasons for such a lack of editorial enthusiasm in the good ol’ United States:

Writing Calls for Concentration

I’m a younger guy, so I totally get how difficult it can be to focus for long periods of time. 

While both my parents and grandparents apparently spent the entirety of their youth building character, us millennials are more accustomed to spending our free time on any one of our personal electronic devices. 

Needless to say, with so much entertainment at our fingertips, it can be hard to focus on what most would consider run-of-the-mill entertainment outlets. As such, concentration suffers and the desire to write is almost completely destroyed.

Writing Requires Research

No, BuzzFeed lists and Tumblr posts don’t count as real “research.” At the same time, however, I’m not talking about the old-school research that was required to throw together a few term papers in high school or college. 

Ya know, with like Wikipedia and stuff? 

Conversely, research with the intent to write (not a crime) is substantially more arduous and involves hunting for the most minute of details so as to ensure that any editorial production stands out as a unique creation. Simply put, the tediousness of it all turns many people off.

Writing Demands Thought

Remember when old writing professors would talk about the value of creating an outline before starting in on an assignment? Yes, this was annoying as heck, but there was a method to their madness.

Though the content found on this blog would certainly beg to differ, for persuasive writing to be as influential as possible, each individual reader must be taken into consideration. 

For this reason, the layout of an argument is of the utmost importance. To make this happen, a great deal of painstaking thought is necessary.

What do you think—am I correct in my assessment of the state of writing? Do people really try and avoid writing at all costs, or is this something I’m blowing out of proportion? If willing, take a moment or two to express your thoughts in the comments section below.

 

Lucas Miller is the Founder of Echelon Copy. When not writing, editing or running, he's working tirelessly to perfect what he claims is the "World's Greatest Pompadour." Additionally, for what it's worth, his editorial works have been featured on Social Media Today, Business2Community, Ragan's PR Daily, Spin Sucks and many other top-tier PR publications.

3 Reasons for Why Human Restraint Is Powerless Against the ‘Listicle’

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There’s a certain sadness in knowing that BuzzFeed has become the preferred “news network” of America’s Millennial generation. Generally speaking, what’s being reported by the aforementioned site isn’t even newsworthy; however, it’s too sticky for readers to not become instantly hooked.

What’s the secret behind BuzzFeed’s success, you ask? The “listicle.” Using a couple of brain cells, it’s easy to deduce that a listicle is little more than the metaphoric love child of both an article and a list. 

Incredibly, ever since BuzzFeed first made the listicle popular a few years back, digital consumers looking for editorial entertainment haven’t been able to get enough of the piece type. 

Sure, it might be a bit of a guilty pleasure, but seeing as how listicles have a number of influential factors working on their behalf, it’s unlikely that the trend subside any time soon. The following are the three most prominent of those factors:

1) Inescapable Intrigue

Think you’re immune to catchy headlines? You try passing on a piece entitled, “23 Inconsolable Death Row Murderers and Their Shocking Final Statements.” Needless to say, it’s much easier said than done. 

Let’s face it—as humans, we’re a curious bunch. The more shocking, scandalous, sensual or petrifying something is, the more we can’t help but peel back the proverbial covers and take a peek at what’s lurking just beyond our reach.

2) Quantifiable Solutions

We want answers, but we don’t want them to be too complicated. Most of us have already had a bad experience or two with entry-level chemistry courses in high school or college to know that nothing is really quite as simple as it seems on the surface.

For example, if you were looking to break into patent law, you might be attracted to a listicle providing “6 Simple Steps for Becoming a Powerful Patent Lawyer.” Listicles are calming in that, supposedly, they provide us with anything and everything we need to know. They almost become a check list of sorts, if you think about it. Sadly, this is rarely the case.

3) Short-Hand Totality

There’s an odd paradox involving today’s readers. They want the whole story, but they don’t have the patience to sit still and take all of it in if it requires more than five minutes of their time. Lists, regardless of whether they’re pushing seven or 101 points of interest, present the whole picture. Even better, skimming is highly facilitated by this medium’s structure.

In fact, says Maria Konnikova of The New Yorker, “Once we click, lists tap into our preferred way of receiving and organizing information at a subconscious level; from an information-processing standpoint, they often hit our attentional sweet spot.”

So, do listicles hit your “attentional sweet spot”? Why or why not? In the comments section below, take a moment to share your opinions with Echelon’s devoted body of readers. I’ll be routinely checking back to interact and engage, as well.

 

Lucas Miller is the Founder of Echelon Copy. When not writing, editing or running, he's working tirelessly to perfect what he claims is the "World's Greatest Pompadour." Additionally, for what it's worth, his editorial works have been featured on Social Media Today, Business2Community, Ragan's PR Daily, Spin Sucks and many other top-tier PR publications.