Today, I’m kicking off the new year with a post by a Copywriter Café Member, Alex Vermont.
Alex Vermont is a microbiologist by day and a copywriter by night. He is also the owner and operator of Beginning Copy with Alex Vermont, a site dedicated to helping others learn the art of copywriting.
Take it away, Alex…
A few weeks ago I attended an NLP seminar in Los Angeles. As is routine, many of us began to socialize with one another and the magic question popped up.
“So what do you do?”
“I’m a scientist by training and an aspiring copywriter by passion,”
I answered.
I’ve noticed that the word copywriter tends to bring out a great deal of curiosity in people. Mostly because people unfamiliar with the word hear “copyrighter” and so they think I do something in a legal department. So this brings up the other question.
“What’s that?”
“Well, I write words that captivate the minds of readers and motivate them to take action,” I said. “Sometimes that action is to read another post, other times the action is to purchase a product.”
“Wow. You do that? Do you have a business card?”
This happened several times throughout the 4 day event and unfortunately every time I had to respond with…
…”No. I don’t.”
You see, at that point I didn’t have business cards. In fact, I didn’t even have a website to direct them towards. Because I wasn’t a copywriter. I was merely aspiring…
A few week later, while exploring my Facebook news feed I happened to cross paths with someone who was looking for a copywriter. I messaged them and they asked to see my portfolio.
And I had to sheepishly answer with, “I’m sorry, I don’t have one.”
You know, because I wasn’t a copywriter. I was merely aspiring…
Things have changed quite a bit since then. I have business cards. I have a website. I have a digital portfolio and am building a physical one. But the biggest change is that I no longer aspire to be a copywriter.
I am a copywriter…
…and that understanding has made all the difference.
So if I could offer someone beginning their copywriting journey one piece of advice, it would be to not aspire.
Instead, just be.
Happy New Year!
You can read more about Alex Vermont here.
