Welcome to The Guest Client Experience
Over the next 6 weeks, you'll gain hands-on copywriting experience with a real client, create work for your portfolio, and receive personal instruction and coaching along the way from some of Australia's top copywriters.
This is your dedicated web page that contains everything you’ll need for the duration of the course. Zoom links, recorded video sessions, updates etc.
Please bookmark it and please don’t share it with anyone as it will contain private information about you and your colleagues.
Let's go!
Meet your colleagues:
Name- Erin Weaver
Greater Sydney
I am doing this course off the back of the Copywriting Essential course I did last year with the Australian Writer's Centre. I definitely got a solid base to start with in that course but still lack the confidence and know-how of getting actual clients, nor do I have a portfolio. That leads into the question of where I'm at in my copywriting business, which is essentially still at the starting blocks! I hope this course will give me that confidence in dealing with an actual client relationship and all the ins and outs involved. At the very least, I'll meet new people and hopefully expand my network a bit.
Until recently, I had been a stay at home mother to my two boys, who are now 3 and 4. My oldest son is autistic so my maternity break stretched longer than expected as I prioritised being with him and accessing therapies and programmes for him. Last year, I decided to give the copywriting business a red hot go and completed the afore-mentioned course. At the same time I started pursuing more traditional employment opportunites and, it took a long time, but I've just started in a communications role within a financial consultancy company. Just started my 3rd week but it's going well so far and getting plenty of opportunities to write- I'm working on my first blog now 🙂
I'm quite proud of how I got my job- I put myself out to the world and asked for help. A person whom I'd not ever met yet existed in the same online group as me connected with me and she's now my boss. And a good one too! It is way out of my comfort zone to do such a thing, even though I know it's important, and I surprised myself.
Your assigned team leaders:
Group A: Michael Lezaja - Melissa
Group B: Julie Hyne - Robyn
Group C: Troy & Zara Love - Ann
Group D: Nikhil - Christian
Meet your clients:
Nikhil Rughani
A Shot of Copy
Nikhil has been a copywriter for over twenty years, improving the trajectory of businesses large and small.
He holds a Bachelor of Political Science and Philosophy, and has vast experience working within politics, journalism, recruitment and digital marketing.
Nikhil is a Master NLP Practitioner, a massive Star Wars fan, and he’s is driven by a need to support others as they make a positive contribution to the world.
Michael Lezaja
Pinnacle Buyers Agents Pty Ltd
Michael is passionate about property and helping everyday people accelerate their wealth through strategic property purchases tailored to their needs.
As an experienced Buyers Agent, he can pinpoint value for money quickly and select only quality properties which will outperform for his clients.
Michael locates, negotiates and purchases quality properties for his clients which outperform the market in Brisbane and surrounding suburbs.
Julie Hyne
Professional Image Consultant
Julie is an internationally accredited consultant with over 30 years experience mentoring, designing and collaborating with Australian professional women. She saw the need for a specialized approach to styling female executives and women in competitive careers.
Julie continues to work with hundreds of women in leadership roles, helping to enhance and redefine their aesthetic identity across all walks of life. She is a mother, an author, content creator, a business owner, and philanthropist.
https://juliehyneimagestylist.com.au/
julie@juliehyneimagestylist.com.au
Troy & Zara Love
Hosts & Directors of Great Talk
Honing their craft as stand up comics,
Troy & Zara spent years as awardwinning
breakfast radio hosts and more
recently, nearly two decades hosting
live events for major companies here
and internationally.
With over 10,000 appearances onstage,
online, radio and screen to a
collective audience of more than 10-
million, Troy & Zara know a thing or
two about performance and after 30-
years together as a team, understand
the value of great relationships.
As coaches, they work with professional
speakers, thought leaders, tech wizzes
and influencers to help them shape,
share and deliver an engaging
message in a more powerful way.
Dates, times and Zoom link:
- Tuesday November 8th
- Tuesday November 15th
- Tuesday November 22nd
- Tuesday November 29th
- Tuesday December 6th
- Tuesday December 13th
Sessions run from 7pm (AEDST) to 9.30pm (2.5 hours)
Join Zoom Meeting:
Your weekly sessions:
Week 1 Recordings
The recording of our Zoom call for Tuesday November 8th.
To download the PowerPoint slides of our Zoom for Tuesday November 8th, click here.
Week 1 Bonus Resources
1. How to take a creative brief video series
Part 1: An overview and introduction to the series:
The Creative Brief is one of the most important documents a copywriter will use. It is the touchstone, the anchor point, the single source of truth from which all great copy emanates.
In this series, I’ll take you through a complete ‘lifecycle’ of a real copywriting job – from how I secured a client, quoted for the job, took the brief, wrote the copy, formatted the text, and received the client's feedback.
You will learn:
- How to take a creative brief (and why you need one)
- How to manage the client so they give you the information you need (and how to make them feel comfortable to give you the information)
- How to take a deep dive into every element of the copywriting brief
- How to fill out the brief and get the client to approve the brief
- How to convert the content in the brief into compelling copy
- How to format the copy to send to the client and ask for feedback
Part 2: Why and how to send a mini brief to the client for approval (after the briefing meeting)
In the session we talk about the mini brief that you send to the client for approval AFTER you’ve completed the Creative Briefing session with them.
We do this so we can fast-track the approval process. It helps us share our thinking with the client and protect us on the off chance we got the brief wrong, and having to rewrite everything.
You’ll see a real case study in action as to how to fill in a Creative Brief.
In this case study, the client is a new co-working space. They are new, need to create awareness that the space exists and want to get new customers quickly.
I’ll talk you through the steps I took and the conversation I had with the client to complete the brief.
In this session you’ll learn how to:
- set up the conditions for taking a successful brief
- ask the right questions to get the best answers
- work with clients when they don’t know the answers to your questions
- distinguish features from the benefit.
‘The Creative Brief’ template’
Download it here.
'The completed Creative Brief - Co-working space'
Download it here.
'The top 25 reasons people buy'
Download it here.
'Features & Benefits' spreadsheet
Download it here.
Part 3: How to turn the Creative Brief content into compelling copy
You’ve filled out the Creative Brief, sent the mini brief (or the summarised brief) to the client for approval and now you need to write the copy!
In this session, we cover how you actually take the content from the Creative Brief and turn it into amazing copy. There is a process for it, which you'll learn in this session.
I will show you a real case study of a client, show you what copy I wrote for them, and take you through the craft of writing copy for this email newsletter campaign.
I cover all the basics of good copy: how to write an email subject line, use different sentence lengths to create momentum, add the Call to Action and offer, list the features and benefits and get that copy cranking off the page.
I’ll also show you the feedback the client gave me after she read it.
'The completed case study - email copy'
Download it here.
2. How to create a Customer Avatar
Things can go horribly wrong for a copywriter when they're not clear who they're writing for.
By filling out the Customer Avatar template, you get a crystal clear picture of the audience you're speaking to. It also helps you narrow down your writing options and eliminate overwhelm.
In this video, you'll learn:
- What a Customer Avatar is and why it will fast-track your writing process
- How it fits into the overall Creative Briefing process
- Why clients rarely know who their target market is and why this template can help them
- How it helps you decide what copy to include, and what to leave out
‘Customer Avatar/Persona’ template
Download it here.
3. How to kick off (and take control of) your copywriting client meetings
It can be really awkward when you first sit down with a copywriting client. Whether it’s online or in person, kicking off the meeting requires a bit of skill, some well-chosen words and the confidence to deliver the pre-amble with conviction.
But what do you say? Who says what? Who kicks it off? What’s the proper etiquette? These are small matters, but they can impact your confidence and that can undermine your authority.
In the session you will discover how to:
- kick off your copywriting meeting with confidence
- build rapport with the client, know what to say, why you say it, and how to say it
- use key phrases to assume control of the meeting
- make the client feel safe and comfortable
- have a script for managing the awkward (but necessary) ‘small talk’.
‘Kick off script’ for a copywriting meeting
Download it here.
Week 2 Recordings: Client Briefings
The recording of our Zoom call for Tuesday November 15th.
You will meet your clients this week so there are no slides for this session.
Week 2 Bonus Resources
1. How to write a welcome email sequence with Liz Green
Liz Green is a leading copywriter specialising in writing research-driven email copy. She works with purpose-driven businesses who want to grow their online reach, revenue and impact.
In these three sessions, Liz reveals the step-by-step process she uses to create successful email marketing strategies for her clients and her own copywriting business. She’ll show you how to:
- plot the email strategy
- map out a series of sales funnels
- write the copy
- create the offers
- segment your audience
- build your client list and create an engaged community from scratch.
Part 1: How to write a high-performing 'welcome' sequence for your copywriting business
Part 2: How to write a 'welcome' email sequence that uses Voice of Customer research to build authority, deliver value and encourage interaction
Part 3: How to create email sequences that leverages the 'Know, Like, Trust' factor
2. How to write an SEO blog
In this session, I talk to Matt Farmer, Head of Content at StudioHawk, one of the world’s most awarded SEO copywriting agencies.
We cover how to:
- win a paid internship at his agency and get on his freelance roster
- write an SEO blog
- use his ‘paint by numbers’ step-by-step guide to writing a piece of SEO copy.
- nominate your key messages
- do keyword research and select the right keywords for your client
- put the keywords in the right place and order
- charge for your SEO blog writing work
- estimate how long it should take to write a blog
- understand H1, H2 and H3s, what copy to put there and why they’re important
- increase your page authority
- increase your backlinks to get more love from Google
Service page SEO - SEO Blog Article Brief'
Download it here.
3. The Ultimate SEO blog template
Writing blogs are great fun and a wonderful source of ongoing copywriting work. But for some, just getting started can be problematic. Integrating SEO into the blog can be even more overwhelming.
How do you kick it off? What do you do first? How do you incorporate the SEO factor?
Discover how to:
- quickly write an SEO blog
- use SEO tools to uncover the right key words
- simplify the keyword research process so that you don’t confuse yourself or the client
- choose the right headline for the task at hand
- identify the word count so that you can contain and control the project
- keep readers engaged from the start to the end
- understand what Headers 1, 2 and 3 mean, how to use them and how to incorporate the right SEO terms in each
- use the 7-step process to writing direct response copy that gets results
'The Ultimate SEO blog template'
Download it here.
Week 3 Recordings: Mark Farrelly - Leading Copywriter: How to present work to a client
The recording of our Zoom call for Tuesday November 22nd.
Mark Farrelly will present tonight so there are no slides for this session.
Week 3 Bonus Resources
1. How to assess your own creative work
The purpose of this checklist is to help you self-assess your own work. The sooner you can rely on your own instincts, the sooner you’ll be able to pump out work and back yourself.
This check sheet is divided into two sections.
- The creative briefing
- The craft of copy
'Checklist - How to assess you own creative work'
Download it here.
2. Ben Keenan presentation: How to come up with great ideas and present your copywriting work to a client
Ben Keenan is one of Australia’s most successful copywriters and advertising agency creative directors. Starting out as a musician and media student he completed one of my copywriting courses, went straight into AWARD school, nailed it, and landed a top job in an advertising agency. He rose through the ranks very quickly to become the Interactive Creative Director for the global advertising agency Clemenger BBDO.
He’s worked with the best brands in the business (he was the creator of a multi-award winning TV commercial for Carlton Brewery) and is now a leading brand strategist for a range of clients including TAC and others.
In this series of videos, you’ll see him in full flight as he demonstrates how to present your work to a client. Whether you are pitching for a small piece of business or a major branding contract he will take you through how to deliver it like a professional.
Video 1: Series Introduction
Video 2: Introduction to Ben Keenan and how he launched his copywriting career
In this session you’ll meet Ben Keenen, learn how he launched his copywriting career and find out what work he has created. We’ll discuss:
- How Ben began his career as the head of the AWARD School and how a short course led by Bernadette got him started
- The TV commercials for the TAC (Graham campaign) and Carlton Draught Ben worked on
- The digital campaigns Ben created for the famous, multi-award-winning interactive Snickers campaign.
Video 3: Tips on how to present work to a client
In this session, you’ll discover:
- Case studies of work Ben has created – the background, the brief, the creative execution and the inside story of how advertising agencies really work
- Tips on how to present to a client (the big picture stuff) and how you can apply those tips to your own work
- Case studies of a Creative Brief in action – seeing the full cycle of how a campaign is created: from the conceptual development of an idea
- The copywriting process Ben follows to create award-winning advertisements
Video 4: Ben's 5-step process for writing great copy & how an award winning ad campaign was created
Ben takes us through his 5-step process for writing great copy – based on the work of Robert Cialdini’s Influence, the landmark book about how to write persuasive copy. You'll discover how these 5 steps create the foundation of all great copy:
- Reciprocation
- Scarcity
- Authority
- Consistency
- Liking
Ben also takes you on a deep dive into the detailed creation and execution of a blockbuster ad that redefined TV advertising in Australia. He explains how the idea for the ad came about and how it was written – he'll also divulge how incorporating mistakes and errors can make for a better result.
Ben tells us about the work he created for Intrepid Advertising and how he uses wireframes and PowerPoint to present his work to clients.
3. How do you know what content a client needs? 41 types of content.
Knowing how to write copy is one thing. Knowing what kind of copy to create is another matter.
In this session I talk about:
- The purchasing journey (and the other names it is often called)
- How to know what stage of the journey your customer is up to
- What types of content your customers needs in order to move through the cycle
- 41 content types you can create to help step a customer through their journey
Week 4 Recordings: Dress Rehearsals
You will rehearse your presentations with your colleagues tonight so there are no video or slides for this session.
Week 4 Bonus Resources
1. How to create you copywriting portfolio
You don’t need to be a published or paid copywriter to create your portfolio.
Check out this wonderful example of a copywriting portfolio and get inspired about how your portfolio could look.
You’ll learn:
- Why you don’t need to be a paid or published copywriter to create a portfolio.
- How advertising agency recruiters like to see portfolios presented.
- How to use Canva to make your portfolio look amazing.
- What to include in your portfolio (and what not to include).
- How to showcase your content and pick the right pieces to show
'Gabi Pasztor Portfolio'
Download it here.
2. Elevator pitch template
We’ve all been there: That networking event, party, barbecue, wedding, where people ask, 'So, what do you do?'
As a new (or even experienced copywriter), maybe you’ve blurted out any of the following:
- 'I do a bunch of stuff.'
- 'I’m a bit of everything.'
- 'Oh…don’t worry.' (Sigh.) 'It’s too complicated.'
Quick tip: None of those responses will get your work. In fact, they’ll put people off, and have them walk away, scratching their heads, saying, 'Who was that strange person?' I speak, sadly, from experience.
This template helps you create your own customised elevator pitch so that when people do ask you what you do, you’ve got a crafted, catchy response that not only helps them understand what a copywriter is, but also helps you get the job.
This template and the suggested answers might look simple enough, but it’s taken me 30 years of trial and error to get this right. Save yourself the headache (and the hundreds of lost jobs) and use this template. It really works.
'Elevator pitch template'
Download it here.
3. Case study: How to charge for your copywriting work - a real life scenario
You receive an email from someone asking you for a quote to write some copy. That’s great! But what do you do then?
Do you ring them, email back, answer their question, ask for more information or just let it go as being yet another ‘tyre-kicker’?
All this and more is covered in this session.
Mel Bateson is a student copywriter I’ve mentored in the past and in this session she shares with me a real life scenario of a prospective client who emailed her to get a quote to write a series of articles for his sales training company.
Mel wasn’t sure how to manage that pricing discussion so I gave her some tips on how to approach that kind of scenario and convert email queries and ‘requests for quotes’ into paid work.
In this session, you’ll learn how to:
- quickly assess if a client is serious or not (and can afford your fee)
- approach the pricing conversation with confidence
- use a script template to get the price you want (and deserve)
- get rid of tyre kickers
- negotiate a higher fee than the client is willing to pay for
- package up your content
- deal with price pushback
- build rapport
- take a mini brief over the phone
- reduce price but still retain integrity
- minimise time writing proposals
- get to ‘yes’ more quickly
Week 5 Recordings: Client Presentations
The recording of our Zoom call for Tuesday December 6th will be uploaded here.
You will present to your clients tonight so there will be no slides for this session.
Week 5 Bonus Resources
1. How to find your first copywriting client
Finding your first copywriting client is no different. Once you get that first job under your belt you’ll find it gets a whole lot easier.
In this tutorial, you’ll discover the top 10 ways to find your first copywriting client.
'How to find your first copywriting client handout'
Download it here.
2. How to create your marketing and promotional collateral to launch your copy business
You can’t get a job without work experience – but you can’t get work experience without a job.
This age-old chicken-or-the-egg scenario stops talented copywriters from getting started. But there is a way around it.
In this video, you’ll learn how to:
- find your first client
- create the marketing collateral clients need to see to hire you
- start small and use online events to start networking elegantly
- overcome imposter syndrome
- believe that what you have is useful and of value
- follow up without feeling nervous
- identify your niche
- create your copywriting pitch and deliver it with confidence
Week 6 Recordings
Nikhil Rughani, Digital Marketing Copywriter and Agency Owner - How to create an irresistible offer/lead magnet | Debriefing | Wrap Up | Next Steps
The recording of our Zoom call for Tuesday December 13th will be uploaded here.
Week 6 Bonus Resources
1. Template starter pack
Copywriter’s Rate Card
Check out what others are charging, what you should charge and what clients expect to pay.
Click here for the Copywriters Rate Card
Copywriting Proposal template
Use this to put your best foot forward and win that job. Just fill in the blanks and send.
Click here for the Copywriting Proposal template
Invoicing template
Not sure how your invoice should look or what it should include? Take the guesswork out by using this pre-populated template.
Click here for the Invoicing template with GST
Click here for the Invoicing template without GST
Copywriting Terms and Conditions template
Include these important conditions in every proposal to protect yourself and to guarantee you get paid on time, every time.
Click here for the Terms and Conditions template
2. How to quickly wrap up jobs
We’ve all been there.
We’ve written the copy, sent it off to the client for approval, and then…crickets.
Hello! Is there anyone there!
Not getting feedback from the client can be really debilitating. It can throw your confidence and even stop you from following up and even getting paid! Which is crazy. You’ve done the work and the client now needs to step up and give you feedback, if only they knew what to say!
There is a way to overcome the gaping chasm that exists between when you send the copy and when you get the feedback. There is also a way to get that pesky job wrapped up, (and get paid quicker) so you can get on with other projects.
In this session you will learn:
- why the client sits on your work and doesn’t give you feedback
- how to make it easier for the client to be honest and give you helpful feedback
- how to incentivise the client so they do give you timely feedback
- why just one one line on your terms and conditions changes how quickly they get back to you.
'How to quickly wrap up copywriting jobs - guide'
Download it here.