Sarah Townsend: Living the dream as a freelance copywriter

If you read my last post you'll know I've just taken the leap from full-time employment to freelance copywriting.

Two days in and you're probably expecting me to be still dressed in my PJs, cultivating a wild writerly beard, and typing the same sentence about 'all work and no play' over and over again. Because freelance is a crazy, chaotic thing, right? A rebellious path that veers away from the straight and narrow of everyday life. Where freelancers hide in the shadows, with a look of reckless abandon in their eyes.

Well... no. It turns out that freelancing is actually something that very sane people do - and can do very successfully. And, as I've had the good fortune to know some of these amazing people over the years, you better believe that I chatted to as many as possible about working in a freelance capacity before I made my decision.

Sarah Townsend is one of these well-respected freelancers and, to be honest, one of my favourite people on Twitter. She has operated her own freelance copywriting, copy editing and proofreading business for over 15 years, so she knows a thing or two about how to make it work.   

With that in mind, it seemed a great time to ask her a few questions about a career I'd wager more than most writers dream about at some stage. And she was generous enough to answer...

Sarah Townsend

You’ve got an extensive copywriting background, covering both agency and client-side work. What made you decide to start out on your own all those years ago?

I was working as an editor for a magazine publisher in Bristol when I became pregnant with my first child. I’d had enough of the commute from Gloucester, and wanted to work part-time when the baby – now my 15-year-old daughter – was born. Deciding to work for myself was the perfect solution.

How did you prepare for starting your own business – was this something you had experience in previously, or were you starting from scratch?

With a shocking lack of planning and a huge amount of enthusiasm! I had no business plan, I just knew what I wanted to do. I designed myself some stationery (apologies to any designers reading this) got some business cards and letterhead printed and sent out a few letters on spec.

Freelance work from my previous employer kept things ticking over while I looked for new clients, and I was fortunate enough to gain regular editing work for a local book publisher the month after I started. They recommended me to another business, who recommended me to another business… and so it’s continued for the past 15 years.

Everyone can write (or so they might think). How do you convince people they need your services as a professional copywriter?  

The best clients are those that appreciate the value of good copy and compelling content. They might not fully understand the benefits until they start working with a professional copywriter, but they’re open to the idea.

Because I get all of my business through recommendation, the clients who approach me have already identified a need for good copy. I might need to talk them through the process and the benefits, but thankfully they don’t require too much convincing.

What do you love about working for yourself? And is there a downside?

The things I love the most are the flexibility and the variety. I can spend the morning meeting a new manufacturing client, the afternoon writing a training workshop for a health charity and the rest of the week writing a website for a coffee company. You can’t beat it.

As a parent, the flexibility means I’ve never missed a school play or sports day, even if it means finishing work later that night once the kids are in bed.

Negatives… I guess if you’ve worked in a busy office, like I did, you can miss the banter and the buzz. Social media and networking events can help to fill the gap, but you have to like your own company.

Money can be an issue to begin with – leaving a job with a monthly salary and benefits can be hard. I quickly began earning more than I had when I was employed, but I was fortunate, and it can take years to get used to the unpredictability and the occasional quiet times.  

What are the qualities a freelance copywriter needs to be successful?

You need two types of quality to be a successful freelance copywriter: those that enable you to be a successful freelancer, and those that enable you to be a successful copywriter.

Successful freelancers are motivated, focused, tenacious, organised, ambitious and single-minded. You won’t get far if you get distracted by daytime TV or spend hours on social media (though the latter can help to build your business if you use it wisely). You also need to be great at time management and able to work well under pressure – there’s plenty of that!

As for being a successful copywriter… where to start! Aside from the ability to write concise, engaging, sparkling copy, it helps to have creativity, versatility, attention to detail, curiosity, imagination, a good understanding of business, and a genuine love of language.

The one with chicken pox and a change of career

Have you ever considered giving it all up to write full time?

Where you might sneak away to a cottage in the mountains, or by the lake, where an antique desk and comfy chair await by a log fire. And there are no distractions (or at least your kids and dog are quiet), and you've got all your best characters for company?

No... *cough*... me neither.

One day. Oh yes, one day YOU WILL BE MINE Lake District Cottage.

Okay, so yeah, we've all done that. And no, I know what you're thinking. "Is this leading into that post where you tell us amazing news about literary agents and multi-million pound book deals?"And I'll go, "No, but it IS a pretty cool blog post all the same. So read it." And you'll be all disappointed, but you'll be polite and respond, "Okay, sure."

At which point you'll probably shrug to yourself. But if you DO read on, you'll see that I'm actually about to live out at least part of that dream. Because I'm giving up the 'day job' to become a full-time writer.

So yeah. Not bad, right? Consider yourself undisappointed.

The mystical work/life/family/writer balance

It's been on the cards for a while. I've been back and forth on the logic of swapping job security and working with people I like for sitting in my pants at home writing my ass off, trying to earn money. And, until now, the less risky (and better dressed) option always won.

Then my youngest got chicken pox. It meant a week at home, unpaid, while still paying child care. Not ideal.

Yet despite the fact that he was a little poorly, it was hella fun hanging out with him. Plus I got more writing done than I would normally after a hard day in the office.

It made me realise that some moments in life are fleeting and need to be embraced as much as you possibly can, while you can, and certainly if you can. More time with the kids. More time to write. And (mostly) offsetting lack of regular wage with lower child care costs. It suddenly seemed possible.

So I made my decision. And in a week's time I will open my own freelance copywriting business.

WELL IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME!

Oh yes, truly. This move represents the end of one adventure and the beginning of the next. A turning point some 38 years in the making, which started with ripping off Temple of Doom set-pieces in my stories and writing my own Spider-man comics, to actually finding myself scriptwriting for Lara Croft, having my own movie/comic in development, and finally becoming a copywriter - like my father before me.*

And the best part is: I now get to tie all those things together as I move forward.

What my copywriting business will be called, and how it relates to all my side projects, will soon be revealed. (Sign up to keep posted. You know you want to.)

But for now I'd simply like to thank the amazing writing community I'm a part of for all their support and inspiration in leading me to this point - even if you didn't know that's what you've been doing all along. Your passion for writing, all those publishing deals, all the rejections, the lonely nights where you're #amwriting and think you're just tweeting to yourself but I'm actually sitting here nodding and admiring your ballsy spirit... it's all part of why I'm taking the leap. (That and a kick-ass supportive wife, obviously.)

You are all wonderful. Thank you.

Now. Bring on the future.

* Sorrynotsorry. It was there to be said and I said it. Plus it's actually true. He was. And I am. (A copywriter, not a Jedi, just FYI.) 

photo credit: Ennor via photopin cc