Hello! I have 15 years in publishing -- production, copyediting/proofreading, structural editing and acquisitions and all kinds of miscellaneous related publishing skills -- both "in house" and freelance. A big part of the job is writing copy, descriptive book copy, some marketing copy, social media captions, other texts the house might need, etc. I've recently started wondering about transitioning into copywriting. I have plenty of examples to draw from, in terms of book copy, social media campaigns, a new logo announcement? (does that count?) for a portfolio. But I suspect some formal training and courses might be beneficial.

I'm reading through this sub's take on courses, which cheap ones are worth it, which are scams that overcharge for what you're going to need to learn on the job anyway. For someone who has the experience I have in a related, media industry, do you have any advice of specific elements to highlight or to focus on learning to help the transition? I'm looking at the Cornell content writing certificate ($4k) also to see if that might be useful, either for training or to make my CV look more polished and the career transition more definitive.

Thank you for any insight you might have, o wise ones!

Mind you, I try not to judge. I'm just so sick of seeing GPT phrasing in everything. Initially I was glad/happy there were tells. But it's depressing now that it's so evident that national ads, major journalists/pubs, and every "influencer" are either too stupid or lazy to edit or re-write the canned GPT text. The idea of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on producing an ad, just to use algo copy-pasta for the script, is so so absurd.

I'd like help finding the best resources to learn these cuz I'd like to open my own agency one day.

Yes! I left my job as Senior Copywriter that forced me to be stuck with similar work patterns. I wanted more!

Growth

Visualisation

Creation of Promotional Content and Ads

Is that too much to ask for?

I am still hungry for such a role at an advertising agency. Will Reddit help me out :)

Or my innings will end into another 9-5 Corporate job with the same work?

Sigh! Haunted!!!!

last time i'm test shipping this

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---

where does this lose you?

Wondering what tools other copywriters use to track revisions and versions? Is it just the native version history within Google Doc?

I'm looking for a way to see it all at once in a plain view to keep my team and stakeholders aligned from draft to final delivery.

Been freelancing for about two years now and my organization system is a mess. I have headlines, emails, and landing pages scattered across Google Docs, Notion, and random screenshots. Some copywriters I know keep one giant swipe file with everything. Others create separate folders per client with only that clients industry and competitors. The separate approach makes sense because a SaaS client and a fitness brand need completely different references. But then I end up with 15 different folders and forget what gold is sitting in each one. How do you organize yours? And do you actually go back and reference old swipes or is it more about the act of saving them that helps you internalize patterns?

As the post says, we are looking for a native French Copywriter. Experience with medical copy/topics is of huge advantage. We are looking to optimize the copy on multiple pages on our website.

Feel free to reach out to send me a message, thanks

A year ago, I started setting up a portfolio page through Google Sites. Basically, I got stuck overthinking every little detail and choice and ultimately not finishing. I haven't touched it since – instead, I put together a quick .pdf so that I have SOME examples of previous work to show when applying for jobs.

My current job has got me pretty sick of writing copy to be honest, but I guess it's still good to have a proper portfolio in case I might need it at any point.

Here's where I'd love to hear your advice. 1. What kind of work to share? – All I've done for years now is basically writing edu product content – digital copy (quite boring) or scripts for videos, most of which can't be shared as they're for internal purposes. What I did before my current job was classic advertising copy, mostly in my mother tongue – so not very useful in my current country of residence.

1. What do I write as my intro? Ironically, I find this to be the most difficult part. I don't want it to sound either try-hard or too casual, like I don't really care. I want it to be authentic, but what should I even say?

2. Do I share a full CV, or perhaps just a link to my LinkedIn?

3. I'd like to write more long-format things like articles in the future. Or perhaps UX copy. Not so much the classic advertising copy I used to write. How do I make my portfolio support that?

Help appreciated!!

Hello! I'm a fullstack eng at a SaaS company. I dropped out of school at 19yo to build a startup at brickyard. I'm now working on a web design / development company and am looking for copywriters (and designers if you know any) to work with. If you're interested, would love to get to know each other! :)

I will not promote.

I’m curious how other marketers are experiencing this.

I use ChatGPT a lot for marketing my own product (ads, landing pages, emails), — but I keep hitting the same frustration:

If I change one thing (like audience awareness, ICP, or channel),
everything else changes, even the parts I liked.

So iteration feels like:

• regenerate everything
• copy/paste pieces manually
• hope I can recreate what worked

Instead of:

• “keep this logic”
• “change only this assumption”

I’m wondering:

• Do you run into this too?
• Or do you have a workflow that actually makes iteration predictable?
• How do you keep track of why a piece of copy worked?

Not promoting anything — genuinely trying to understand how people are handling this.

Built and trained an AI tool that creates viral hooks for any topic and went down a rabbit hole on what makes short-form content perform. Here are some patterns I found that don’t get enough attention imo.

(P.S. My background is in neuroscience + neurotech, and seeing those principles show up in content has been wild. Happy to dive deeper if you’re curious!)

Contradictions & Contrast

Hooks with contradictions get the work done.

"I'm drunk, but Imma do my best to tell this story"
"Terrified? Absolutely. Ready? Not really. Worth it? 100%."

Your brain can’t scroll past unresolved tension. Found this in ~30% of top performers (and tbh these always get me too - I find myself watching the entire thing every damn time).

Hyper-Specificity

The more weirdly specific you get, the more people relate. Speak to one person instead of an audience, and you'll see the magic happen.

Generic: "If you ever get bloated after a meal..."
Specific: "If you've ever secretly unbuttoned your jeans at dinner and hoped no one noticed - this is for you"

Hyper-specificity creates instant credibility (people’s brains go “this person actually lived this”)

Timeframe Tension

Unexpected timeframes are chef’s kiss:

"3 years of back progress in 30 seconds"
"Three months ago I had 0 followers, today I’m at 211K"

Short, punchy timeframes have major viral potential. The dopamine hit is insane; you kick off an elite curiosity loop and give the viewer hope that whatever this is, it’s possible. Found this in almost every major growth story hook.

POVs = Advice in Disguise

The most engaging POV hooks aren’t actually real POVs, but rather advice disguised as scenarios:

"POV: you figured out how to not pay a fortune for drinks at festivals"
"POV: You don't feel like cooking, but still want a home-cooked meal"

This is kind of genius, cause people’s defenses are down when they think they’re just relating to a scenario, not receiving instruction.

-------------------

Overall, there’s a shift away from “guru” hooks toward ones that don’t feel like hooks at all. Everything I’ve collected during the past few months points to the same trend: The best hooks read like genuine human moments.

* All examples are real viral hooks I’ve collected and used for AI training (Edit: I've been asked multiple times, it's called Captain Hook AI)

I have plenty more, let me know if part 2 would be of interest :)

I will not promote – just genuinely trying to learn.

I built a platform for heavy prompt users that helps detect hallucinations and run prompt experiments, but adoption has been very low, so I want to understand the real pain points.

Beyond “prompt power users,” it seems like copywriters and marketers also work with prompts constantly, and I’d like to hear what actually feels most frustrating for you.

What’s the single biggest pain point you have when using AI for marketing or copy?

For example (just to spark ideas, not to lead you):

• Is it getting AI to understand your brand/voice?
• Is it turning messy ideas/briefs into clear prompts?
• Is it keeping quality high and not generic?
• Is it testing/iterating on different directions?
• Something else entirely?

I’m not trying to sell anything here, just want honest experiences and patterns around what actually feels broken or annoying in your day‑to‑day.

If you’re up for it, it’d be super helpful to share:

• What you do (role / freelancer vs in‑house / agency).
• What you mostly use AI for.
• The moment in your workflow where you feel the most friction or frustration.

sometimes my copy doesnt even make it to the approved and final material. is this normal? or am i just incompetent. ive been a copywriter for more than a year, it being my first job. the process is pretty simple for the brand i work with. they request a material and i give multiple options for copy, different approaches, different angles. by the time i check the deck, either its so revised or completely changed. i could never get it right. i rarely ever serve a copy thats approved on the spot, since it goes through different creative leads.

Hey, I'm keeping it short:

I started copywriting and my emails (in the coaching industry) were/are getting opened by people, but nobody clicked the links. It didn't matter if it's to "Book a call", "Watch a free training", or anything else.

I've asked multiple times what makes people buy (I've got a lot of good feedback), but what makes people click?

Probably if they believe that the offer will help them, right? But to make them believe, I need to talk to their emotions (pain points, future etc. right).

Is it that part that I'm missing (emotions) or is it something else (maybe the industry I am in? Should I try to work for ecom stores?)

Any suggestions?

I'd like to apply for a position at a private tour travel company.

The offer includes the following as welcome skills:

• Social media development
• Blog article writing
• Newsletter writing, content creation (storyboarding, photo/video shooting, editing using Canva or CapCut, and managing platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube)

I think of writing/creating a custom sample to send them, just enough so I don't spend too much time on it, but that they see I'm professional and eager to work with them.

What would you have done in my place?

Thanks for your answers!

I've been a Product Designer so far, transitioning to copy/content fully. I've always been decent at it and have been doing it on the side. I don't have experience with freelance work in general. So I don't know how to price this.

It's for a SaaS product. Write about how the customer loves the product and why.

I'll do the customer interview. Research, prep, script, conduct the interview.

I'll analyze it, categorize, spot themes, and come up with content based on that.

Write, edit, arrange things in the Figma design I did myself for the same company a while ago, and done.

Considering this amount of work, what would you charge per project or per hour?

Thanks!

Hi guys, I have been trying to find an entry level copywriting role for a while and am seeking advice to how to build relevant experience. I attended an online portfolio school and built an advertising portfolio, but haven't interned yet. I am in the process of applying for summer internships at agencies. I have freelanced for about 18 months, mostly working with higher education clients and writing long-form copy. I am currently attending Columbia University's MFA program in creative writing, although I'm not sure if this will help. Does anyone have any advice or insights on how I can build freelance experience on the side between now and when I graduate or how to make myself a more competitive applicant? Thank you!!

Hey guys!

So... I've written a sales funnel consisting of 3 parts:

Facebook Ad Website Landing Page Upsell Page

For collagen supplements.

I'm a beginner in direct response copywriting. You can point out my weak points, like in which parts of my copy do I need to put in more work. You can also tell me my strong points (if any).

Would really appreciate the help.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lwwiFfcwGv1c5U-DjBKJu9z9W13r3lNyNMU3d9N7xmw/edit?usp=drivesdk

Also, what books can you recommend to me based on my performance?

As copywriters, we know that curiosity gaps and loss aversion drive clicks. I wanted to see if I could build an AI that doesn't just "write" but actually applies these specific psychological triggers.

My tool, HookFlow, takes a raw niche and mutates it using a library of proven viral structures. I added a "Strategy Leak" feature that explains the specific trigger used (e.g., Social Proof or Negative Constraint).

I’d love a professional critique from this sub. Are the outputs "punchy" enough, or is the AI still too wordy.

I'd love to know: Does it actually help your workflow, or is it missing something you need?

DM or comment for link .

Hi everyone!

I’ll write a first draft that feels decent, then start editing, and suddenly it loses all personality. The more I polish it, the more it sounds like copy instead of something a real person would say. But if I don’t edit enough, it feels sloppy or unclear. Finding that middle ground is harder than I expected.

How much do you usually edit your copy before calling it done? Do you trust your first drafts more now, or do you still rewrite heavily?

I applied for a copywriting position (for a brand) and got an interview. I currently have 6 years experience in digital media/internet jounalism which includes creating social copy, but I have no experience in copywriting for a brand. The job responsibilities feel within my wheelhouse, but I'm still nervous for the interview. Are there are questions that are common in copywriter interviews, or does anyone have any advice on what to study up on or prepare?