Diary of a Copywriter

My office is at home, but I still keep to a routine otherwise things would quickly unravel.

I don’t have a regular morning schedule, my only goal is to make sure I am sitting at my desk by 9 am. Everything else is a bonus.

Check Emails

The first thing I do is check my emails and LinkedIn. I will quickly reply to any emails and comments. If there is anything that needs to be done, like a client sending work, then it will be added to my to-do list for the next day.

To-do List

I always make a to-do list the night before. I write on my phone, but I also physically write it in a notebook that morning to remember what I have to do. Physically scoring out an item on my list gives me more satisfaction than ticking it off my phone.

Neville Medhora from Copywriting Course says, never add anything to your to-do list for that day. I have to admit I did do this and then got annoyed when I haven’t got everything done at the end of the day. So, I now follow his advice and put it on for the following day and simply tell the person I will look at it tomorrow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GiIJqsj2hY

Task of the Day

I usually have one main thing to do each day.

I’m currently writing a blog for a regular client. They found me on People Per Hour, a freelancer site, and wanted me to write five travel blogs for their new website.

They gave me a list of topics, what they wanted in each, and paid a deposit. Then I got to work.

I love writing blogs because they give you space to be creative as well as give information. You can add a bit of your own personality and humour to it, whereas copywriting has to be much more focused.

Method in the Madness

Whenever I start a piece of work, I will do keyword research first.

Sometimes the client will give me a list of keywords. Even when they do, I always do a bit of searching to check it is something their audience actually wants to know.

First, I type the topic into Google and see what other people are searching for. Whenever you type your topic into Google, suggestions will begin to appear. I take note of these first.

Then I will check the ‘People also ask’ section and the bottom of the page to, related searches, which gives more suggestions.

I use a lot of free keyword tools (check out my previous blog on free tools) which I use too.

One of my favourites is AnswerThePublic. It is great at giving you other questions people want to know related to your topic.

You can include all these questions, if applicable, in your content. Then you’re not just including one answer, you’re including answers to numerous questions people are asking, making you rank higher as the most useful guide on this topic.

For example, my piece on Hawaii. When I search, best things to do in Hawaii, searchers also wanted to know when the best time to go is, the weather, things for families, the different islands of Hawaii, and free things to do.

I can include all these things in the article and become the best source of information for the best things to do in Hawaii.

I check forums like Reddit and Quora too, as you’ll usually find new stuff here.

Once I have all my keywords and topics, I begin to collect all the information on the subjects.

For travel blogs I check Google maps and YouTube, so I can get a real feel for the place.

Remembering to Move

It’s easy to forget to move when you’re in the writing zone. Since I suffer from Sciatica (due to sitting on my bum too long), I make sure to move, even if it is just to have a dance around my office.

Tips for Travel Blogs

For travel pieces, you want to take advantage of the five senses. See, hear, smell, taste, and touch. Standing on a beach in Hawaii, what do you see, what can you hear, is it packed with people or is it quiet enough to hear the birds cawing and the sea rush over the sand? What does it smell like? Is there sea salt in the air, food from nearby?

Tell a story. For travel blogging you have to tell a story, not simply state what attractions there are but transport the reader, so even if they never go, they feel like they have.

Once I have all that done, I start to format it. I do a rough outline with my headline and subheadings, each discussing a new topic like different things to do, how to get about, attractions, where to stay, where to eat. Then I put the relevant gathered information under the subheading.

Coffee Break

I always take a break mid-morning and take my lunch with my husband at the same time every day. It’s easy to continue through your breaks but I make sure to never do this (it only took a few years to learn). Your brain needs a rest to chew over what you’ve already done. Sometimes the best ideas come to you when you’re doing something else completely.

I take another break mid-afternoon and take a walk as long as it’s not raining too much (which isn’t too often since it’s Northern Ireland).

First Draft

For the first draft I roughly write all the information down, it doesn’t even have to be in proper sentences, it just needs to get out of my head and onto the page.

I leave it and go back the next day to start fleshing it out and put it into proper sentences and paragraphs. I might need to go back and look the odd thing up.

It takes around three to four hours to do this depending on the amount of research that needs to be done.

Once I have it all written, I go back to my keywords. I will probably have used the keywords anyway when writing naturally. The most important thing is to make sure your blog is quality content. The keywords will usually fit in naturally, but I will have to make small changes to make sure I’ve enough of them.

I break my work into sections so it’s not as daunting. If I’m really struggling, I will set my timer for fifteen minutes. It seems like a very short timeframe to have to concentrate, so it’s easy to get your head down. When the alarm goes, I am always happy to continue for another while.

Home Time

Oh, wait I’m already at home. The end of my workday can vary in time, but I set a cut-off point and do not work any later than that. Just like taking breaks, it’s easy to get carried away trying to get as much ticked off that to-do list as possible. It’s not always going to work, and you just have to accept that.

Time for some Netflix, I mean exercise.