Couple of times recently in copywriting discussions I’ve seen this question come up, that is how do you know when you’re good enough to be a copywriter, in particular, to offer your services as a freelancer?

Interesting question, because it’s not as if there’s a “Copywriting University” where you get a seal of approval (OK, I know there’s AWAI but that doesn’t really fill that role).

Now, in my case the question never really came up.  I was working “on staff” and by default was the copywriter. Copy had to be written so it was a case of producing the copy, getting it out there and seeing what happened!  I guess I must have had the self-confidence from somewhere to think that I knew what I was doing!

Of course, once you’ve got a few promotions under your belt, the confidence builds.  Particularly once I felt I really knew what I was doing.  For me, that came after attending David Garfinkel’s “Breakthrough Copywriting” workshop and subsequently creating a promotion that worked very well.

But if you’re new, especially if you’re a freelancer?  Well, unless you’ve got exceptional self-confidence (and the training to have some justification for that) then getting some experience by working for a token fee (or even free) is probably the right approach.  There’s nothing like some positive feedback to build confidence.  Plus, copywriting is something where I believe there is a large element of “learning by doing”.

Nothing can really replace the experience of putting your work to the test of the market.  That’s something about Direct Response Marketing that’s not often talked about.  You’re dealing all the time with what I would describe as “Objective Reality”.

In many areas of life you can get away with “fudging” the issue.  You can cover up mistakes and it’s not always clear what happened or who was responsible.  But in some areas it’s brutally clear.  It’s black or white, win or lose.  Make money or lose money.   Sports are like that (usually).  Financial markets traders and speculators.  Gamblers. You either make money or you lose.

And with Direct Response Marketing, it’s the same. You either make the sale, or you don’t.  Unlike mainstream “brand” advertising, there’s no place to hide.

So back to our original question, that’s part of what makes starting out as a copywriter difficult and a little frightening.  Quite frankly, I salute every single person who has ever taken up that challenge and put themselves on the line.

A related question is “How do I know the copy is good enough to go to the client?”  Well, the cynical answer is “Deadlines”!  And that certainly plays a part.

The more serious answer is ultimately you have to have the confidence in your own experience and judgment (which comes from…experience, of course!).  Something that is very helpful is to have someone you can run the copy past to get their input.  You have to take the ultimate responsibility, but that “second opinion” is invaluable.

That’s my thoughts on the topic.  As always, would love to hear what you think!