COPYWRITING | UX WRITING | STARTUP
How I became a 6-figure, chief copywriter with no experience
Preferring to work with my best friend’s startup was the best decision I ever made.
Back in the day, I used to think the only way writers get paid is through writing a thick-ass book.
Fast forward to my best friend establishing a design agency, I was blown away.
People get paid to write official documents and stuff?
So naturally, when he asked me be a content writer for his company, I felt like my dream had come true. But then came the negativity.
- It’s just a startup.
- You won’t get financially independent like that.
- You’ll be stuck at low wages.
- Who prefers startups when they can join multinational companies?
My natural instinct was to ask them, “is a multinational company never a startup? How do you think it got to that level? Because it had loyal people who were willing to put in the work!”
That was enough to shut them up, but then came the next struggle.
Anyone can write, right?
That’s what people said when I told them I got my first job as a content writer.
You’re supposed to be a computer scientist, that’s what you’re studying. You can do better than this. Writing is easy, anyone can do that!
Yeah?
Try telling that to someone struggling to get their article viewed and read till the end, not to mention the hassle of getting it ranked on Google!
Or even better. Why don’t you try writing something?
No? Hmm, I thought so!
Anyway, let’s bring the spotlight back to me.
Even though I was writing boring documents like NDAs and proposals, I found myself enjoying getting words out on paper. Well, screen to be precise!
But it wasn’t going to remain like this because one day, we got a call from a homemade bakery owner who wanted a complete branding for her small business.
Now because I was the only one who could write, it fell upon me to tend to all the writing needs of this branding project.
When I was told I now had to think of a name, a tagline, and ad campaigns, my first question was:
Name is fine but what are taglines and ad campaigns? I thought I was supposed to write documents and articles?
This question was followed by a deep and long emotional conversation between me and my best friend, Muhammad Usman.
He: Look Romi. I have just started out. I don’t have the resources to hire a copywriter. You know how to write. All you need to do is work on it and you’ll learn copywriting in no time. I really need your help with this.
Me: I understand that, but I don’t even know what copywriting is. I won’t be able to do it.
He: I know it seems impossible but at least give it a try? This may turn out to be a huge opportunity for us, collectively and individually. I won’t force you if you don’t like it.
Me: Okay. But how do I learn it by myself?
He: I’m sure you’ve heard of Google? You’re not living under a rock, are you?
And there we have it. The emotional CEO of Alifya was suddenly gone, my pain-in-the-ass best friend was back and he was telling me to
Learn to figure shit out on my own
Thanks for the help, dude!
And so, my Google history was filled with “what is” and “how tos”.
- How to come up with a good name
- What is a tagline
- What are ad campaigns
- How to come up with an appropriate tagline
And there it was, the magic word: COPYWRITING.
Another round of “what is” and “how tos”, and I was certain I didn’t just have to learn copywriting, I hated copywriting.
But I had made a promise and I wasn’t about to back down!
The beginning of a new era
Having started a small business, the client wanted us to come up with a branding that would make her look professional and build trust among her audience.
Now because the confectionery was homemade, we decided to add a homely touch too.
Having gotten this brief, I was ready to baffle the world.
Or so I thought. But let me tell you, it was one hell of a task which I realized only 5 minutes into the work.
Here’s how I came up with the name
I started by gathering all the synonyms of cakes and confectionery I could find on the internet.
Hey, every small thing helps okay?
The client had suggested “Bake Creation”.
No Romi, no comments on this. Shut up!
That was me scolding myself.
Anyway, I proceeded with breaking up and adding words, twisting them until my head started twisting. I regret saying that I even resorted to websites like Namelix and I am ashamed of that.
But at least I didn’t give up, right?
That was when I found that “professional” and “certified” were cousins. EUREKA!
Baking + certified = Bakefied
Now it was time for the tagline
Keeping the client’s brief in mind, I only worked with words that looked professional and trustworthy.
I probably thought of a hundred but decided to forward three out of which two I rejected myself, which meant only one went forward.
What am I even saying? Sorry for the confusion!
When the Creative Director looked at the tagline, the conversation proceeded as follows:
Don’t tell me this is the only one you’ve thought of.
Of course not! Who do you think I am? An employee looking to waste time until it’s 5 and time to go home?
Where is your process then?
I showed him the process and guess what?
He chose one from the (almost) hundred I had rejected. Here it is:
Which taught me a lesson to NEVER discard my process and you shouldn’t too!
After that, I started calling myself a copywriter. I started writing ad campaigns and UX copy. It was hard but Google is your best friend. And then one day, we get our first ever website creation project that made me fall in love with copywriting. But that’s a story for some other day.
Now that I’ve started showing off my work, why not show you some tit-bits from the website that I wrote the copy for?
Fast forward to the present day, I am the Chief copywriter and overlooking all things UX copy for my design agency’s new website that will be live soon!
Had I rejected this job because it was a startup, I would have been stuck as a content writer. I would never have had the chance to explore new possibilities and do the things I once thought were impossible for me.
Now, I may have learned copywriting but I still haven’t learned
How to freaking explain what I do
What do you mean by copywriter? What’s copywriting? Do you copy paste words or something?
These are the types of questions I get whenever I tell someone about my job now. And when I explain what I do, people have the nerve to laugh and say:
Oh, so you went from writing a 1000 word article to a 6 word line? Looks like you got demoted!
Yeah, I got demoted to CHIEF COPYWRITER and started earning 6-figures instead of 4 while you’re stuck where you were a year ago! Guess who’s turn it is to laugh now?
Anyway, that’s how I went from a mere content writer to a the Chief copywriter. If you have any questions or suggestions, let’s chat in the comments!
Hi, I am Romi, the Chief Copywriter at a design agency in Pakistan. I am also a blogger and ghostwriter for a Top Writer on Medium. I have worked with various clients ranging from startups to large enterprises creating enticing and persuasive copy that converts. I also create SEO-friendly, engaging articles with the help of story-telling.
If you like my work and would like to get copywriting, blogging or ghostwriting services, hit me up at: romirafiq505@gmail.com and we can discuss your business right away.
