How one copywriting course took me from unemployed to freelance success

Oneonta landscape - wooded hills in autumn | Dorothy Fee | freelance copywriter | copywriting portfolio

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I’m grateful every day that a Facebook ad caught my attention in 2018, and changed the course of my life. Zero hyperbole. Nicki Krawczyk’s Filthy Rich Writer ad led me to their Comprehensive Copywriting Academy (CCA). It’s an online copywriting course for beginners, which you can sample by watching their free video training.

Wondering how to become a copywriter with no experience, like I did? Keep reading for my insider’s take on why the CCA is the best place to learn copywriting. I’ll start by answering some of the questions you’re probably asking:

What makes the CCA different?
Will the CCA pay for itself?
Will the CCA help me become a full-time (/part-time/freelance/staff) copywriter?
How quickly can I finish the CCA?
How soon can I start making money with the CCA?
How much support is included in the CCA?
How will I get paid copywriting jobs, with no previous copywriting experience?
Can't I just learn from Filthy Rich Writer's free content?
Can I try the CCA before I commit?

…And then I’ll share about my personal experience with the CCA, as an endearingly imperfect human (😁) with health stuff and family drama taking up a lot of my bandwidth. (Hint: I got through it and became a successful copywriter annnyway.)

Here we go!

Quick answers for your CCA FAQs!

Lemme answer some of the most common questions I hear....

1. What makes the CCA different?

I know CCA alums who have also taken multiple other copywriting courses, sometimes for upwards of 3x the investment. They’ll all tell you that other copywriting courses lack balance. There’s always something important missing. But the CCA prepares you for a huge range of opportunities in marketing and sales copywriting, so you have the tools to choose what’s right for you.

Now I hear you asking, “But Dorothy, what’s your experience with other copywriting courses?” And the answer is, I don’t have any. Why? I started with the CCA, and that was the only course I needed to become a successful freelancer. It walks you through how to:

Execute a wide variety of in-demand digital and print projects (no content-mill nonsense)
Collaborate effectively with designers
Write copy full-time, part-time, or as a side gig
Build a portfolio that sells your services for you
Land freelance, agency, and/or on-staff copywriting work
Proactively find clients with effective cold pitches (seriously!)

2. Will the CCA pay for itself?

As long as you follow the steps and push through setbacks, it’s hard not to earn your money back. I had the course paid off with my second project, a few weeks after I started my part-time business. And if you decide you like copywriting, you’ve got a new career that can earn you a great income long-term.

3. Will the CCA help me become a full-time (/part-time/freelance/staff) copywriter?

Yep. Whatever arrangement works for you, on-staff, freelance, etc., you’ll be prepared because of your CCA training. And when you need to make a shift, you’ll be ready for that too. You can even move back and forth, if that’s what you want!

4. How quickly can I finish the CCA?

It’s entirely self-paced, so it depends on your available time and focus, and other priorities. I’ve seen people race through it in a month or two, and others (like me!) need a few months longer. As long as you don’t stop til it’s done, you’ll get to the same destination. 😉

5. How soon can I start making money with the CCA?

This depends on your personal circumstances, but it’s not uncommon to start landing work before even finishing the CCA’s foundation modules. The sooner you work up the confidence to call yourself a copywriter and offer your services, the sooner you’ll get paid work.

6. How much support is included in the CCA?

SO. MUCH. Your fellow students show up in the student-only Facebook group to give each other pep talks, constructive criticism, and laffs. It’s a pretty remarkable space. There’s also a team of coaches who pop in daily for additional help, monthly coaching calls, portfolio reviews, special events and workshops, and more stuff that’s frequently being added or updated.... When you join the CCA, you are never alone.

7. How will I get paid copywriting jobs, with no previous copywriting experience?

It’s all in the portfolio! You’ll learn exactly how to build a portfolio without previous paid copywriting experience. And you’ll have guidance on what belongs in a copywriting portfolio, and what doesn’t. (Bloggers, journalists, and authors, I’m looking at you. 👀)

8. Can’t I just learn from Filthy Rich Writer's free content?

Man, I hear you. There is a slew of great free content from FRW, including the Build Your Copywriting Business podcast. Which I've been a guest on three times at the time of this writing, thankyouverymuch. (Check out Episode 32, Episode 107, and Episode 190!) But if you’re serious about making a change now? Getting a step-by-step hand up from the CCA is the way to go. You’ll thank me when you’re looking back, margarita in hand, laughing at the doubters and haters.

9. Can I try the CCA before I commit?

Absolutely! Watch the free video training to get a taste of the course content and Nicki’s teaching style. Then you can decide if you’re ready to get started for real.

My personal experience with the CCA and FRW

Why I joined the Comprehensive Copywriting Academy

Since 2016, I’ve been disabled by a chronic illness called ME/CFS that affects my nervous system. I spent a couple of years unemployed, looking for a new career I could both manage and enjoy… getting paid well would be icing! But I’d never been paid to write a thing at that point, so becoming a writer wasn’t even on my radar.

Enter the CCA’s Facebook ad. It led me to try their free copywriting training, and wonder if copywriting could be for me. Though I was skeptical, I was in a situation where I really had nothing to lose. So in 2019, I decided to join the CCA and give it a fair shot.

The CCA coursework and pacing

As a former educator, I was impressed when I saw how thoroughly the course had been planned out. There’s a ton to learn, with bonus courses still being added periodically. Everything is structured around the Foundations course to give you a solid... well... foundation. That includes not just copywriting theory and practice, but portfolio- and career-building steps you can take right away.

There’s a big emphasis on learning through practice and helping other students, which is a solid evidence-based approach. Nicki knows what she’s doing! And once you work through the foundations, you decide which additional trainings are most important to your goals.

The fact that the CCA is self-paced was also crucial for me, because of my health. I took breaks when I needed to, and came back when I had more bandwidth. Nobody ever pressured me to do more than I was able, and I got to the finish line when I was good and ready!

How I started landing paid freelance copywriting work

I started networking online through a business mentor (look up small business mentors in your state or region!). She immediately introduced me to a contact who needed a new copywriter. I didn’t have my portfolio finished yet... but they were ready for my help! I may have definitely cried when I got my first payment for professional writing services. 🥹

That project led to repeat work, and to referrals to other clients, and it snowballed from there! I supplemented by marketing my work through pitching and a little social media outreach, but most of my growth has come from networking and referrals.

The full-time freelance life: how it started, and how it’s going

I started very part-time and adjusted slowly as I went, to protect my health. But within a month of signing my first client, and with two projects, I’d surpassed my initial revenue goal of $1,000/month. I’m now five years into freelancing, and most of my work still comes from repeat clients and networking. I reach for goals I choose intentionally as a business owner, never an arbitrary definition of success.

Being a full-time freelancer also lets me shift revenue and capacity goals, based on what else is going on in my life. In fact, my freelance flexibility made it possible for me to leave a toxic marriage in 2023, freeing up energy to double my revenue over the previous year in the process. It was a 123% increase, if you want to split hairs. Show me a W-2 job that will let you do that!

If I hadn’t found the CCA, the CCA Next Level mastermind, and the freedom of a freelance copywriting career – ok, and a great therapist – I would have stayed stuck a lot longer, in a life that was making me physically ill. No doubt: I’m a CCA hype man for life.

Oh, I’ve been on a few podcast episodes…

If any part of my story resonates for you, and you want to hear more about how this could work for you, check out Filthy Rich Writer’s Build Your Copywriting Business podcast. Here are the episodes where I’ve been featured:

Episode 32: Starting a Copywriting Business with a Chronic Illness
Episode 107: Building a Copywriting Business as a Mom
Episode 190: Freelance Copywriting through Divorces, Separations, and Breakups

I probably sound like a totally different person from one episode to the next, just from growing so much as a business owner and person! (I can’t bear to go back and verify this myself… it’s like looking at my 8th-grade yearbook photo… but you go right ahead. 😂)

It’s your move

That’s my take. FRW and the CCA put me on a flexible and profitable career path. And that helped me take back control of my life, dramatically improving my physical, mental, and financial health. It all started with an online course I’d never heard of.

So, check out the CCA’s free training for a test drive. There’s no telling where it could lead you. 💕

— Dorothy

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