Amelia always had a passion for writing. But when it came time to choose a career, she didn’t see it as a practical option.
“Back when I graduated from college, the internet didn’t exist. No matter how talented you were—unless you wrote a bestselling novel—you couldn’t make a lot of money as a writer.”
With her master’s degree in English, Amelia decided to pursue a career in teaching. She enjoyed her work but after a few years, life got in the way.
“A couple of my kids had special needs, and I needed to quit my job as a teacher so that I could stay home and take care of them full-time.”
As her kids got older, they no longer needed as much of her attention. She found herself with a lot more time on her hands.
“I was eager to do something again. I’m not the main breadwinner in our home, but extra income can always be helpful. So I said to myself, ‘What now?’”
Trying something new
She decided–once again–to settle for a path she wasn’t very excited about because it seemed more practical.
“I didn’t realize that I could make money as a writer; it honestly hadn’t occurred to me. So I taught myself how to design and code websites, which went pretty well for a while.”
Although she had some success with website projects she just didn’t feel like this was her calling.
“I knew that I’d never be more than mediocre at building websites. Thousands of people can do it much better and they have a deeper technical background. I didn’t even have a degree in computer science– I was an English teacher for God’s sake.”
Meanwhile, Amelia couldn’t help but notice an interesting pattern with her projects.
“Whenever I’d build websites for clients I seemed to end up writing the content too. I just always kind of gravitated to anything that involved writing.”
Finally doing what she loved
Her web clients seemed to need a lot of content, which made her wonder if others did too. She browsed Upwork, the popular freelancing website, and was amazed to discover how many clients were looking to hire freelance writers.
“Around that time I came across a blog post by Chris Lema, the WordPress coach and motivational speaker. He asked, ‘What’s your superpower?’ And suddenly it all just clicked for me. I said to myself, ‘Writing is what I’m supposed to do.'”
Excited about the idea of getting paid to do what she loved, Amelia started to bid on copywriting projects. It wasn’t long before she got a response.
“I got lucky because one of the first writing jobs I came across was specifically geared to teachers and the client wanted to hire someone with a background in education. I was able to snag that one pretty easily.”
Still a lot to learn
She completed that project successfully and managed to land a couple more copywriting projects. But Amelia was becoming increasingly concerned that she didn’t know how to impress her clients.
“Sure I had the raw writing talent but there was so much I needed to learn. I didn’t know how to “speak” marketing. I knew I needed to use words like “conversions” and other marketing terminology to sound like a real copywriter but I had no formal marketing education.”
Amelia began scouring the web looking for anything related to copywriting.
“I looked all over for blogs that could help me educate myself and improve my knowledge. One site I came across was Freelance To Win, and the stuff that Danny said just resonated with me. I felt like he was giving me permission to be a little bit bolder.”
At the time, she really struggled with the fact that she had almost no track record.
“Clients would ask to see my portfolio but I didn’t have relevant samples to show them. So I said to myself, ‘I know I can write this stuff. What if I write something from scratch and put it in my portfolio? Would clients find out it wasn’t written for a client? Would they even care?’”
Reading Danny’s Crystal Ball Technique, Amelia was excited to see the exact advice she’d been hoping for.
“I was so encouraged to read that post because I felt like Danny gave me permission to do it. That was a major turning point because it taught me that what I was missing was not the skills–it was confidence.”
In search of a process
Although Amelia had hit a breakthrough she still felt like she had a long way to go before she could feel like a real pro.
“I still didn’t have any kind of process, I was just sort of winging it. Clients want the freelancer to take control of the project because they don’t know what they’re supposed to do. But I didn’t have the confidence to do that.”
In addition, doubts kept creeping in, which had an impact on the types of projects she took on and how much she got paid.
“I suffered from Impostor Syndrome, so I allowed myself to get paid much less than I deserved. I knew I had the skills to get paid higher rates, but I didn’t feel confident enough to ask for my worth.”
Again, she turned to the experts to see if they had any helpful advice to offer.
“I read every blog I could find on copywriting–Copyblogger, Copyhackers, Neil Patel, and others. I found some helpful advice, but I still needed to develop a process and build my confidence.”
The boost she needed
Amelia discovered that Danny was about to release his brand new course, Freelance Copywriter’s Code, she wondered if this was exactly what she’d been hoping for.
“I have never bought any other copywriting course. But Danny’s advice had already been so helpful and he’s such a great copywriter I was hooked.”
She signed up for the course with zero hesitation.
“I wanted to break into new niches like marketing emails, case studies, and press releases. I knew that if I invested in the course, I’d make back my money, probably within a short time. And that’s exactly what happened.”
Immediately, Amelia was impressed by how different Freelance Copywriter’s Code was.
“It’s designed specifically for freelancers and discusses things like client management—which is what I needed to improve. Danny provides scripts and other super practical tools which I needed to take my copywriting business to the next level.”
After taking the course, she felt the confidence boost she badly needed.
“Danny has a great perspective on charging what you’re worth. He teaches you not to set arbitrary limits because you lack self-confidence.“
Although she was already a talented writer, Amelia still discovered new ways to improve her game. The more modules she went through, the more amazed she was.
“Danny patiently breaks down his own projects and spells out his thought process almost line-by-line, so that anyone can follow it. You don’t need a master’s degree or a writing background to learn his approach and strategies.”
A huge victory
Before she’d even completed the course, she already had her first big win.
“After going through the case study module, I followed Danny’s model to write a mock case study and sent it to a potential client. He loved it and decided to hire me, and never even asked if I’d written a real one before.“
That experience taught her a life-changing lesson on how to interpret what clients say.
“Although the client said they wanted a writer who had experience writing case studies, they really just wanted to know that I could do a great job–which is exactly what Danny said would happen.”
Now Amelia no longer feels like she’s “winging” each project.
“Freelance Copywriter’s Code gave me a systematic framework for each step of the project. Now I control the process, whereas before I’d let the process control me. As soon as I start working with a new client, I let them know which days and hours I’m available, so they can’t just Skype me on the weekend and say, ‘Hey, can you do this project today?’”
Excited about the future
Now Amelia finally feels like she is in control of her copywriting career, and she’s ready to tackle things she’d been hesitant to try before.
“I finally have a process for a lot of different types of projects. I’m hoping to break into new niches like email copywriting, which I’ve never done before and is something I’ve been itching to try. I’m also planning to inch my rates up higher and higher and get paid what I’m worth.”
She loves being able to spend as much time as she wants with her family.
“I have three kids and a wonderful husband. My husband works full-time at a high-stress job, so my kids really benefit from my being able to work from home.“
Amelia gets to take advantage of her flexible schedule in other fun ways too.
“Just this year, I learned to play the ukulele, just for fun. And I’ve always liked to work out and stay fit. Having control of my schedule makes it easier for me to do these things.”