Copywriting Is the Ultimate Way for You to Live The Writer’s Life
By Katie Yeakle

“Can someone like me really live the writer’s life?”

“I know others are doing it. But how long is it going to take me?”

“And how does AWAI help us succeed?”

Katie Yeakle here. As AWAI’s executive director, I’ve heard these questions a lot over the last 27 years.

And I thought it would be a great day to answer a question I hear often:

Why, of all the opportunities for writers to make money, should I consider copywriting?

The answer is simple: Copywriting is the single most liberating way to make a living — or supplement your regular income — or transition from your present job to a new career or early, financially secure semi-retirement. There are so many benefits to becoming a copywriter. Just look …

• Copywriting Benefit No. 1: Your time is your own. No time clock, no set hours.
• Copywriting Benefit No. 2: Your office can be anywhere you like — the porch of a beach house or mountain cabin, in your RV, or even the corner table at your favorite coffee shop.
• Copywriting Benefit No. 3: Your income can be good from the start, and keep getting better. Imagine being paid $500, $750, $1,000, and more for writing simple, short, “friendly” letters about products, services, or subjects that interest you. That is as real as the ground beneath you. Imagine earning more part time in a month or two than your present job pays all year. That, too, is very real. We see it all the time. There are other financial benefits and “perks” too. For example, you could get everything from tax breaks to client-funded vacations.
• Copywriting Benefit No. 4: You’ll be engaged in a fun, fascinating, creative activity all about ideas … telling interesting stories … helping businesses communicate and put their ideas across. If you find your present way of “putting food on the table” dull or uninteresting, that can change right now. I’ve never heard a freelance writer complain about being bored!
• Copywriting Benefit No. 5: You can create real financial security — the only real security, your personal ability to produce “work” for which there is always an endless, expanding demand. Never worry about looming layoffs again. Escape dependence on one employer, diversify your income with a number of clients, and own skills in demand by many (both here and abroad). If you have a computer connected to the internet, there are no boundaries and you can write for clients anywhere in the world. The demand for what AWAI members do is global and local, strong in “good” or “bad” times, making it a reliable profession.
• Copywriting Benefit No. 6: You’ll be part of an elite, unusual society. Most successful writers are made, not born, yet we are a special breed, mysterious to and admired by “civilians,” and embraced by each other. The bond that writers have with each other is like nothing that occurs in any other field. You’ll find others like you, building lives for themselves through copywriting. (One of the many benefits of membership with AWAI is this unique community. We connect you with other AWAI members and support the ongoing community online and at conferences.)
• Copywriting Benefit No. 7: If you choose, you can use the skills you develop to help your favorite causes, charities, even individuals in need, and do good for the world. Nonprofit organizations of every size and nature hire and pay freelance writers and copywriters. Every group from the local animal rescue shelter to the American Cancer Society needs help raising funds and communicating with donors, and communicating their message to the world at large.
• Copywriting Benefit No. 8: You will have proven pathways to follow when you begin, with AWAI as your “mentor.” If living the writer’s life appeals to you, know that as you seek this exciting life as your own, we will be by your side every step of the way!

Now, You May Be Wondering … Can Someone Like Me REALLY Do This?

It’s important to know that successful AWAI members have had many different starting points. Unemployed for eight months and terrified. Stuck in depressing, dead-end jobs. In jobs they like, but unable to earn enough money to meet their needs. Twenty years old, 75 years old. Already confident of writing talent — others, doubtful they can write anything worthy of payment. Silver-tongued salesmen, small-town schoolteachers, shy homemakers suddenly having to reenter the work world after traumatic divorces …

You name a beginning — any beginning — and I can introduce you to an AWAI member with a similar starting place, now earning an excellent income, feeling secure, doing work that is interesting to them, leading a fulfilling life … and thanking copywriting for it all!

By choosing copywriting as your writing career, you’ll instantly be part of and embraced by this entire community, too. You see, copywriters like to share information and help each other succeed. That’s one of the nicest things of all about choosing to be a copywriter … You’ll have plenty of help along the way.

You’ll be assisted not just by our board of advisors but by successful members who generously share their experience, who appreciate having had a helping hand extended to them and now extend theirs in turn. You’ll be mentored, coached, encouraged, and supported as you first explore, then find your way to the writer’s life just right for you.

Now, How Can I Get Started?

One of the great things about copywriting is you are in complete control. Depending on the time you can allocate, the resources to invest in a new career, and the urgency about when you want to start, there are a number of options for how you can begin immersing yourself in this lucrative industry. Here are five of them:

1. Keep reading The Writer’s Life. Every day, we outline ways for you to become a paid writer.
2. Go on our website and check out our archives. We have a library of free articles on every topic related to becoming a copywriter, copywriting training, building a business, and more.
3. Become a Barefoot Writer. Read our monthly publication to discover more ways to make a living as a writer, productivity hacks, business-building tactics, success stories where people like you who’ve made the transition to paid writing share how they did it, and much more.
4. Get our foundational program: The AWAI Method™ for Becoming a Skilled, In-Demand Copywriter. Immerse yourself further into the world of copywriting with this self-paced training program. The AWAI Method™ combines the most up-to-date strategies, insights, and teaching methods with the tried-and-true copywriting fundamentals so you can take on ANY project — not just sales letters.
5. Join our 4 Days to $400 Writing Challenge, a LIVE online training event created for totally new writers. Over the course of four days, you’ll master the simplest, most versatile, most in-demand writing skill … and have a shot at being published with a byline … plus earn a $400 cash payout! You’ll also learn how to land clients … and how writing just got a whole lot easier with AI programs like ChatGPT as your “personal research assistant” and idea generator.

The most important thing is to get started — opening yourself up to the possibilities and opportunities. We’re eager to be with you every step of the way!