I hated English in high school.
I hated English in high school.It was the worst subject ever for me, the only black mark on an otherwise straight-A transcript. I cringed at all the rules for tenses and split infinitives and dangling participles- yes, I’m sure there’s a joke in there somewhere. Grammar and diagramming just was not for me.
Then I went on to college where a long line of very patient English professors first introduced me to the idea of writing with a story in mind. Reading has been a passion of mine since the time I was very young, so bringing letters to life in an arresting sort of way made writing become a growing interest.
In July 2010, at the suggestion of multiple friends, I became the writing version of a garage band: a blogger. Not a professional, but just above the guy scribbling on the back of a napkin with a crayon. I started slowly at first, but then it took off. I started posting 4-5 times a week, crafting and critiquing my writing in ways I never had before. I started diving into web searches about blogging tips and practices, which introduced me to wonderful new ideas along the way. I learned about SEO, web design and coding, social media, digital footprinting, video scripting, production, and editing, manuscripting, graphic design, and much, much more.
So, what does this have to do with copywriting? When I was in grad school, I spent significant time with one of the top email marketing gurus in the United States. He took the time to invest in me as a writer and suggested copywriting. At the time I didn’t feel I was in a place to step into the world of copywriting; besides, writing was only a hobby, a way to let my ideas leave a mark on the world.
Now that I’ve taken the plunge into content writing, I see what an amazing opportunity it can be. I get to work with a variety of companies and research what makes their causes and products worth sharing. I get to be creative and help business owners grow their dreams. It’s more than writing for me; it’s a way to help others find what they need.