The first step to becoming a copywriter is to decide to be a copywriter – no one will ever ‘anoint’ you as a fully-fledged writer, and no number of degrees, diplomas and certificates will mean you are a writer. You have to give yourself that title; the permission to be a writer, now.
Don’t waste any more time worrying about whether you have the credentials, experience and knowledge to be a writer. Everyone is a writer in waiting. All that’s missing is self-belief. Decide right now – say out loud to no-one in particular, ‘I’m a copywriter.’
Get used to saying it, owning it. If you’re nervous, try saying it to people who ask what you do but don’t know you well; strangers at a party, mums at the swimming centre, random people on planes. If you say it often enough, with enough congruence, you’ll start to believe it.
You’ll discover that most people will take you at face value and accept what you say about yourself to be true. How refreshing! You can actually determine your fate!
Don’t wait for anyone to give you permission to become a copywriter. You already are. You just have to believe it.
Action: When people ask you what you do, say, ‘I’m a copywriter’.
