The Copywriter's Foolproof Guide to Creating Effective Copy

Copywriting is different from content writing in that it's about selling something, whether it's a product or service, or selling a company through their website. Effective copywriting will target a specific audience by getting inside their minds and using the language and tone that most appeal to them. A copywriter must keep both their client and their client's customer in mind, while also reining in his or her own voice. I go through a specific process when I write copy for a company's website to make sure the language feels right. This guide will help you to create the most effective copy for your brand.

Step 1: Who?

Naturally, the first thing you need to consider before you begin writing is who you're writing for? Who is your client is and who is their target customer? Does your client cater to millennials? Stay-at-home moms? Successful copy depends on reaching the right audience, and if you use high school slang or make millennial pop culture references on a website intended for the 35+ crowd, chances are they won't stick around to keep reading because they won't identify with your content. 

Step 2: How?

How does your client want their customer to feel? Once you know the target audience, you can branch off into a tone that would best appeal to the audience. A high-end restaurant, for example, would probably want you to use a more formal language and fancy-pants wording to portray a luxurious, exclusive tone. A fast-food chain, on the other hand, might prefer to keep things casual and use simple, fewer-syllable words to portray a chill, laid back vibe. 

Step 3: Make a list

Based on my established target customer, I will then make a list of words that would resonate with or be used by that audience. For example, one of my clients was in a music-related field and they wanted to project an image of luxury. So, before even beginning to write the copy for their website, I made a list of musical-sounding words and that I thought would appeal best to their target customer.

You won't use half the words you come up with, but creating a list of related words puts you in the mindset of that customer and will help generate some kind of flow of ideas.

My actual rough copy for a company's website content.

Step 4: Write out the Facts

I don't know if I'm just a weird person or if other writers would agree with me, but I feel words before I understand them. When I write, I first write total garbage in the way that I want my writing to feel before plugging in the right words to actually convey my message.

Write down the necessary information before tailoring the content to your client, then just write out anything that comes into your mind. Many writers have trouble getting words out because they over-think what they're writing out, but the best way to figure out what you want to say is to "word-vomit" all over the page.   

Step 5: Plug-in

Once I've gotten all my ideas on the page, I mould the text to the client. I'll throw in words from my list, read the text aloud, and see how it flows and makes me feel. Of course, there are infinite ways to write the simplest of ideas, so you will probably want to re-write the whole thing in a completely new way.

I don't think most writers are ever fully happy with their writing; I still re-read old posts and wish I'd written something differently, but by following these steps you can at least ensure that the copy you've written will effectively resonate with your intended audience. 

Finding a Work–Life Balance When Work=Life

I've been doing a lot of reading lately about remote work culture and the ways in which companies with remote workers promote a healthy work–life balance. When you work from home, it's easy to get caught up in your responsibilities and work way more hours than are expected (or paid) by your employer. You can't just turn off work-mode and forget about your responsibilities at the end of the day when your work life blends so seamlessly with your home life. You might even start to feel guilty when you're not working, which will only lead to anxiety and unhappiness. 

It's vital to establish work boundaries when you work from home just to maintain your physical and mental health, and here are 4 ways you can make sure you get them.

Exercise

Exercise is not only good for your health but also to increase productivity. When I told my parents I wanted to work as a freelancer (to which they rolled their eyes), I maintained that my biggest reason for doing so is because I didn't want to get stuck in some corporate job that pressured me to work long hours and neglect my health. I used to sit on the 6:10am GO train observing the overworked, exhausted, and deeply unhappy-looking people heading to work, and thinking about how awful it would be commuting at 6am for a 9–5 job and then be too exhausted to exercise or do anything else by the end of the day. To me, that would be the ultimate waste of life.

Try to schedule a workout around the same time everyday, that way it will become habit and you'll eventually learn to work around it. If you're "too busy" to workout, at least try to fit in 20 minutes of moving around (intense cleaning? dance around the kitchen while you make lunch?) to stretch your legs and increase your heart rate. 

Unplug

You probably use the same computer for work that you do your personal life, so even when you're not working, you still probably get work notifications, or feel inclined to check your work email every so often. Especially if you work for a remote company whose employees are dispersed throughout different timezones. Always having work on your mind prevents you from being in the moment and really enjoying your personal time, whether it's with your family, watching Netflix, or hanging out with your friends. There are so many great apps available that can completely block your access to work-related things for set periods of time, or you can just manually put your phone on DO NOT DISTURB. 

Schedule

You don't have to work 9-5 to balance your work and personal lives. Working remotely gives you the freedom to work whenever is most convenient for you. But that doesn't mean you should go with the flow. No matter how much freedom you have in your career, a schedule will help you keep on track. A schedule says "this is when I will work, and this is when I'll stop--no matter what I'm in the middle of." There's always going to be something more you have to do, so a schedule tells you when to drop it and when to start working on it again.

Personally, I use multiple planners: daily, weekly, and monthly. I use them each for different purposes, and they help to remind me what I need to accomplish over a longer period of time vs in the next day or two. I had a friend who would set phone alarms for literally everything she had to do. It would go off every few hours with messages like "call mom" or "pick up dry cleaning," and that's what worked for her. Figure out what works for you to keep your schedule at least somewhat structured, whether it's using ten different planners or setting alarms to remind yourself to take a break. 

Charge

We all have those clients who expect us to be available 24/7 or work over the weekend. If your client or employer starts expecting you to be available at their convenience, make it clear that you work regular hours and if a project is timely, you charge extra for last-minute work. We all need to put in extra hours occasionally, but when it becomes a recurring event, you need to put your foot down and set some boundaries between your work and personal lives. If you're always "on," chances are you probably aren't performing to the best of your abilities. 

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year: Taxes for Freelancers

I started freelancing in May of 2016, which means this year was my first doing business-related taxes. I've never been particularly good at math (though I did get a 94% in my college accounting class if that counts for anything...), and in all honesty, I don't really understand how taxes work. I kind of feel like the government just picks a number out of a hat and that's the amount you get or owe, but that's neither here nor there...

Luckily my mother, who does the accounting for her and my fathers' business, semi-came to my aid and gave me a detailed list of everything I need to include in my 2016 Income Tax spreadsheet. Also luckily, she took pity on me this year and allowed me to lump my stuff in with hers before giving it to her accountant. Next year I know she won't be so generous.

I think it's especially beneficial for those of us who work for ourselves to learn to do our taxes for ourselves. After all, we wear so many different hats running our own business, why not throw on one more? How-to-do-Your-Taxes workshops only run around $200--the same amount you'd be paying an accountant to do your taxes for one year.

Based on the spreadsheets I used for my own taxes, I created 3 worksheets to make starting yours a little easier. By no means am I an accountant, and filling in these worksheets doesn't mean you've finished all your tax work, but whether you decide to hand everything over to an accountant or do them yourself, these worksheets will break down your income and expenses, and make filling out your tax forms a little easier.  

Business Expenses

Your business expenses are any incurred expenses relating to your business (revolutionary, right?). If you pay for a website, or any membership fees relating to your work, or even your coffee if you do work at Starbucks, you will get reimbursed for a portion of what you spent on these things. It's important to keep all receipts you plan to claim on your taxes in case you're ever audited, and keep in mind that you probably can't get away with claiming $500-worth of Starbucks. You can download your business expense worksheet here.

In-Home Expenses

Working from home means your home is your office and therefore a portion of your home expenses count as your overhead costs. If you rent, a portion of your monthly rent can be deducted; it's a fairly simple formula. If you own your home though, you'll need to keep track of your monthly condo fees, the interest you paid on your mortgage, your property taxes, and all your utilities, including gas and hydro. Of course, the full amount can't be claimed unless you have a way of proving you spend 24/7 working, so either you or your accountant will have to figure out what percentage of your total home expenses can be claimed as business-related. You can download your in-home expense worksheet here.

Annual Income

Finally, the basis of all of this extra work you're doing: your annual freelance income. Unless you make over $30,000, you probably don't have an HST number, and therefore probably don't charge or pay taxes on the work you do for clients. Unless you're a criminal, you'll probably want to inform the government of all your untaxed work. If you don't have an HST number, don't worry about filling out the subtotal and HST sections of the worksheet. Keep track of your invoices, who you invoiced, and the amount you invoiced in an annual income worksheet, which you can download here.

Keep in mind that you can only start claiming your business and in-home expenses in the month that you started freelancing. Since I started in May, I had to divide my total annual mortgage interest for 2016 by 12 and then multiply that number by 8 months to get my prorated mortgage interest. 

My goal in providing you with these worksheets is to help you organize your 2016 taxes so you or your accountant have as little work to do as possible. So good luck with your taxes and may your tax return be ever in your favour.

---

Why Freelancers and Work-From-Homers Should Work From Around the World

One of the biggest benefits of working from home is the ability to work from anywhere. As long as you're getting the job done, who really cares where it's from? I'm a huge advocate that any work-from-home creative-type not only can work from around the world, but should. 

Working from around the world can inspire and influence your work in such a different way than working from the familiarity of your own home ever could. Immersing yourself in a new culture, feeling like you're on vacation (and thus less pressure to get a certain amount of work done in a set amount of time), and being exposed to different sites and scenery can give you a whole new perspective on life and in whatever it is that you do in your career. And in the end, isn't the goal to expand our perspectives and better ourselves?

You Get to Immerse Yourself in a New Culture

I don't know if it's because Toronto isn't exactly known for its rich history, or if it's some kind of placebo effect, but being in a different culture altogether gave me newfound motivation. The Icelandic lifestyle, for example, is so unbelievably slow, which stressed me out at first, having become accustomed to the fast-pace city life. But once I got comfortable with the slow pace, I was able to approach my work with a fresher, more laid-back perspective. Your environment has a much larger effect on your work style than you might think, and just like switching it up from working at your desk to working in a coffee shop benefits your work ethic and increases productivity, so does switching your location on a much larger scale.

Less Stress Because You're "on Vacation"

I like working on weekends more so than during the week. There's really no difference between working on a Wednesday and working on a Saturday, and it's not as if time freezes on the weekend, thus allowing us to get more work done. The difference is that on weekends, I don't put pressure on myself to sit at a desk for eight hours and get twenty different tasks done. It's the same case when I'm travelling. I feel like I'm on vacation and therefore don't feel pressured to get work done. Instead, I choose to work because I'm inspired and because I love what I do. It makes a great deal of difference in my productivity when I'm not pushing myself to think creatively within a structured schedule, but instead work as I become inspired. 

Get Inspired by Different Scenery

Working abroad requires a conscious work-sightseeing balance. Obviously you'll want to explore as many landmarks as possible while you're in a new country, but you still need to find the time to work. Personally, I don't care for sightseeing; I'm happy sitting in a cafe just knowing I'm in a new country. If you're a sightseeing fiend, try fitting your work in during breakfast, or get a couple hours in before going to sleep at night. Travelling shouldn't be stressful, and the whole purpose is to be inspired by the city you're in. If an 8 hour tour is what's going to inspire you to write a great article or paint a beautiful picture, do it. You can always get your work done later. 

During my 10-hour tours in Iceland, two women on my bus made notes every time we stopped at a new site, and jotted down extra notes as we headed to the next site. All it takes are a few brief notes to refresh your memory at the end of the day, when you can finally sit down to get your work done. 

And finally, the last and best reason to work from around the world: It's an excuse to travel! 

5 Ways to Stay Focused as a Freelancer

When I made the transition from 9-5 to freelance, I first found myself ecstatically waking up at 6:45am, getting my workout and chores done by 9am, and happily sitting down and working straight through my day without any distractions. 

Within a few days, however, I started waking up later and losing focus sooner. As happy as I was to be working from home and doing what I love on my own schedule, it was easy to put things off until later. 

Just like being in a gym full of people working out motivates you to workout, being in an office full of people motivates us to work, but when you are your own source of motivation, productivity methods need to be readjusted to meet your newfound professional freedom.  

So that's what I did. 

I tweaked my daily routine until I figured out what worked for me, and was finally able to get back on track with my work. 

Visualize

I always find it easier to get things done when I can actually see what has to be done. 

As soon as I started writing down what I had to do, it became harder to escape my responsibilities. It's so satisfying to watch that list get smaller and smaller. Whether you choose to use Post-Its, like in the pic above, or a day planner, keeping track of your task deadlines (and making your own deadlines in cases where you don't have one), will force you to focus instead of put things off until later. 

Switch it up

Personally, I can't sit in one spot for 8 hours, which is why I don't like office environments. I'll usually work until noon, eat my lunch, then switch locations by either meeting a friend at the library or heading to the nearest Starbucks. Alternatively, sometimes I'll head to a coffee shop in the morning, until about 1pm, then come home for the rest of the day. 

With remote work becoming increasingly common, workspaces dedicated to providing work-from-homers with a pseudo-office are popping up all over the place, so you no longer have to awkwardly sit in Starbucks for hours at a time without buying anything. 

Take breaks

I plan my breaks for the day every morning. If I sleep in and don't get up in time for a morning workout (which happens often), I'll schedule a workout in mid-afternoon, and work an extra hour later.

I believe it's important to establish a healthy work-life balance, yet many freelancers (and most other people) end up working sunrise to sunset and refusing to take a break out of fear of being seen as lazy. Western culture has stigmatized rest and perpetuated the idea that we should be proud of being burnt out, when really, the most effective way to be productive is to take a 15 minute break every 60-90 minutes. 

Meal Prep

At the risk of sounding like every fitness account on Instagram, make your food ahead of time. In bulk. The easiest way to make lunches is to make leftovers. If you work in an office, preparing your lunch the night before allows you to sleep in an extra 15-20 minutes, and if you work from home, it shaves off the time you need for your lunch break, and allows you to allocate it to something more important to you (The gym? A nap? TV show?). 

Put on some pants

The simplest way to focus: don't do work in bed or in your PJs. Working in your pyjamas is a surefire way to fall asleep, unless you have superhuman willpower or can handle caffeine a lot better than I can. Getting dressed just puts you in a more professional mindset. The more structured your work-from-home schedule is, the less trouble you'll have staying focused. You wouldn't show up to the office in your PJs, so keep that mentality and put on some pants. 

Working from home is extremely relaxed by comparison to maintaining a professional image in the workplace, and it's easy to lose a day-to-day structure. It took some time to figure out what practices worked for me, so it's important to explore different methods in order to learn what helps make you your most productive self.  

Stockholm, Sweden

After 3 days in Copenhagen, I met up with my brother, who had been in Denmark for a conference, and we headed to Stockholm, Sweden. After a smooth, relaxing train ride there, my life decided things were going a little too well, and I forgot my camera and passport under my seat. Almost as if to torture me, I realized just in time to make it back to the train, but also just late enough to watch it drive away, and I was overcome by a flood of emotions (panic mainly, but also kind of hopefulness that I'd be stuck in Sweden for the rest of my life). We spent the day running around the city: first to the Canadian Embassy, then to get new passport photos taken (let me tell you: the best way to see the most of a city is to lose your passport.), and just as I’d come to terms with the fact that I’d have to have all my stuff shipped over and learn Swedish, the train company informed us that they had found my stuff (*bittersweet cheering*). 

I really wanted to make the most of being in another country, and made an effort to order as culturally accurate meals as possible. For dinner, we ate at a restaurant called Slingerbulten, where we had Swedish meatballs (note: way better than Ikea’s), pike-perch with a chanterelle sauce, and a delicious Swedish IPA called Brutal Bulldog. 

The next day, we went on a self-guided hike around the Stockholm archipelagoes. We booked the hike through an excursion company who provided us with a map, a compass, and a backpack filled with lunch, snacks, and water. To be honest, the route the company had given us was pretty boring, so we took matters into our own hands and started climbing the tallest rocks we could find to get the widest view of the water. 

When we got back to the city, we wandered over to the Gamla Stan, attempted to visit the Nobel Museum (sadly, it was closed), and had dinner at a restaurant called The Flying Elk. We hated our meal; it made us both feel nauseous, and we were so disappointed, so to make ourselves feel better, we got some delicious Belgian waffles and chilled in the old streets. 

On our third day in Sweden, we took a train over to Gothenburg, the country’s second largest city. We visited an amusement park more so for the cotton candy and pictures than to go on rides. I’m a busy-city girl, so I wasn’t a huge fan of Gothenburg, but the seafood: omg. We ate at a restaurant called Sjöbaren, and our meal was indescribable. We learned from the couple we shared a table with that most seafood restaurants aren’t open on Sundays because there is no fishing on Saturday, so of course, they don’t want to serve old fish. Sjöbaren however, does fish on Saturday, so we got so lucky that they were open. 

From Gothenburg, we took a ferry to Frederikshavn, and then took another train to Aarhus, Denmark, where we had 5 hours to kill before catching our last train back to Copenhagen. In all honesty, I didn't enjoy Aarhus very much, either because it's another very small town or because I was exhausted from the whole trip and kind of just wanted to get home. The ARoS museum is beautiful though, and I was pretty upset they were closed and that I was only able to get the below picture. 

All in all I had a great trip, and learned a lot about solo traveling and the Nordic lifestyle. Iceland is definitely a country to visit for more than 3 days and if you are an adventurous person. The Nordic countries are very slow paced, very eco-friendly, and very happy. It is completely understandable why they're some of the safest and happiest countries in the world, and I think that either the rest of the world should follow suite, or we should all pack our bags and start learning Swedish (or Danish, or Icelandic).

SEE GALLERY

Copenhagen, Denmark

Copenhagen probably stole my heart in a very comparable way to Paris. The architecture, the food, the beautiful people... Also, the fact that it's much more populated and easier to get around than Iceland. Denmark was a breath of fresh air (figuratively speaking, of course) from the emptiness of Iceland, because I was actually able to get my bearings.

I bought a city pass for the three days I was here, but ended up walking for the most part. I didn't figure out the CPH wifi until my flight home, so when I got off the plane, I hopped on the metro and got off at a stop that was labeled "city". Among all the ø's and aa's and words I wouldn't even attempt to pronounce, I was relieved when I finally saw a name I recognized: Starbucks.  

Once I figured out where things were, I got tacos from a place called Hija de Sanchez at an outdoor food market (I was still too embarrassed to whip out my DSLR for a food pic at this point...).

I made my way over to the round tower (Rundetaarn), which may not be one of the tallest buildings in Copenhagen, but offers an amazing bird's eye view of the city. You also get an amazing workout running up the spiral cobblestone floor to the top.

On day 2, I made it my mission to try Grød. Apparently porridge is a huge breakfast trend in Denmark, and this place had a whole menu full of different variations of what we'd probably consider a pretty disgusting, last-resort breakfast. 

Grød (porridge) with apple slices, almonds, and caramel sauce

After breakfast, I went to Christiania, a small hippie town in the city that has its own laws (or lack thereof). It was probably the "least safe" that I felt the entire trip, but really that's not saying much because Denmark is only preceded by Iceland in terms of safety. 

I specifically waited until 10pm to visit the Tivoli theme park in the middle of the city because I wanted to see it in all its lit up glory. Christmas was 9 months ago so I needed my pretty-light fix, and Tivoli did not disappoint. 

On my last full day in Denmark, I had to do all the touristy stuff I usually hate doing. After an extremely (ful)filling breakfast at Mad og Kaffe, I walked to Nyhavn (which apparently means new harbour!) specifically to take generic pictures of the bright buildings that line the waterfront. Then I took a canal tour because of course I wanted to learn about the history of Nyhavn. I got ice cream just to take a picture, ate a very expensive (and delicious) dinner from Manfreds, had a beer at my super-cool hostel, Sleep in Heaven, then passed out so I'd be up for my 8am train to Sweden the next morning. 

Somewhere along this trip I also did a brewery tour and beer tasting at the Carlsberg brewery, but honestly, I couldn't tell you when. The beer was delicious though.

SEE GALLERY

Reykjavik, Iceland

My first day in Iceland involved sitting in three different coffee shops as a means to force myself to stay awake and not succumb to the jet lag. 

I felt really overwhelmed when I got to Keflavik Airport, because I don't speak Icelandic, couldn't figure out the bus schedule, and ended up wandering around cluelessly for about an hour. I thought I could live like a local and handle public transportation, but realized that's not possible when every bus stop name sounds the same and buses come every 20+ minutes. I ended up taking a FlyBus into the city which still dropped us off in the middle of nowhere, and I spent 25 minutes trying to get to the Hallgrímskirkja Church (like 10 buses passed me by, but I was irrationally determined to walk there...). It was 8am. Nothing is open at 8am on a Saturday in Iceland. 

I ended up exploring the small city for a couple hours to kill time until the stores opened, and walked down to the waterfront where I ended up finding the Harpa Concert Hall (totally by accident - please don't ever think that I could navigate a city successfully). At first I was disappointed that I was seeing Harpa on a cloudy day because I had been looking forward to seeing the sunlight reflecting off the panels of the entirely-glass building, but then I realized how beautiful the hall still looks on the greyest day with all the random colourful panels! 

I stopped in Te Og Kaffi (which I've established is the Starbucks equivalent in Iceland) to rest and figure out where the heck I was, and learned my first lesson of the Icelandic lifestyle: it's SO. SLOW. PACED. omg. It was stressing me out to watch people order their drinks and take ten minutes to pay. Once I had finally made it to my hostel, I befriended one of my roommates who happened to be Icelandic, and he invited me to get coffee with him and his friend, where I learned a lot about Icelandic culture, like the fact that they're building their first mosque in Reykjavik! I also learned that an Icelandic Christmas tradition is to leave a shoe out a few nights leading up to Christmas, where children find a present every morning! 

Reykjavik is an unexpectedly artistic city: the streets are strewn with independent clothing & jewellery designers, unique secondhand shops, and random, eclectic stores, and so many well-known musicians come from not only Iceland, but Reykjavik City, specifically (Of Monsters and Men, Björk, Sigur Rós). On the other hand though, it's exactly what you'd expect it to be: empty, desolate, and bleak, but a stunning juxtaposition to the vibrant buildings. 

View fullsize

I know myself enough to know I'd never have survived alone in Reykjavik city for 3 days. The bus system is confusing, street names are way too hard to pronounce, and the cost of visiting one site can be as much as 15,000 ISK (~$170 CAD). I figured it made more sense to sign up for a few tours with Reykjavik Excursions, which cost about the same as a round trip bus ride, but include a tour guide and multiple stops along the way to make the most of the 3+ hours of driving each way (also, almost no chance of me getting lost). 

On my second day, I did a 12 hour tour to the Landmannalaugar mountains in the Highlands of Iceland. Along the way we stopped at Ljotipollur, a massive red crater that was formed by a volcanic explosion, Þjóðveldisbærinn, a reconstructed medieval farm, and the Hjalparfoss waterfalls.

We arrived in Landmannalaugar several hours (and bruised bums) later, where we were given directions for a self-guided tour in Laugavegur, one of the shorter trails in the Fjallabak area. 

Of course, with my luck we got lost, and our hour-long hike turned into a two hour-long hike. On the plus side, it was a GREAT workout, and eventually we made it back in time to spend the last hour relaxing in the hot springs. Although it was exhausting, hiking through Landmannalaugar was probably one of the most exhilarating things I've ever experienced. 

On day 3, I took a tour along Iceland's south shore where we visited sites like Seljalandsfoss, Skogarfoss, Reynisfjara, a black sand beach along the Atlantic Ocean, the small village of Vík, the Skógar Folk Museum, and some glaciers. 

The weather was not quite as cooperative on the 3rd day, and it poured on and off throughout, which made the tour a little less enjoyable than the previous one. You can actually walk behind the Seljalandsfoss waterfall, which I would imagine is more exciting on sunny days, and not when you're already drenched. 

View fullsize

To top off the day (and my visit to Iceland), I stopped by Babalu, a very small, eclectic restaurant/cheesecake place, specifically to take a picture in their Star Wars-themed bathroom. I then stopped at the Lebowski Bar, which is (pretty self-explanatorily) named after the movie The Big Lebowski. Again, specifically to get a picture, and also to FINALLY try Icelandic beer (can you believe it took me 3 days to finally try it?!).

If I were to sum up my experience in Iceland in one word, I'd say it was introspective. Solo travelling in itself is very conducive to self-awareness, and I think the added vastness of the country makes one realize a) how beautiful nature can be if we leave it alone (especially after having come from Toronto), and b) how small we are in respect to the world. If I were to go back, I'd definitely go with a friend or two, and rent a camper in order to cover the most ground. Guided tours are a great option when you're alone or only there for a few days, but the two+ hours back to the hostel after every tour could have been used more efficiently with the ability to camp at each location. 

See Gallery