LWP Business of Writing: Copywriting Crash Course - Jun 19, 2025

Join me on the dark side, where writers still get paid

As part of relaunching Live Write Publish, I’m updating my 7 Days to Freelancing course and giving it away for free. The revamp isn’t finished yet, but it should be ready by the next Substack post.

Here’s why I decided to remove the paywall: It’s all about freelance writing for publications. And yes, that’s still an option. Absolutely. I know editors who still hire freelancers, but that pool is getting smaller and smaller.

As I was updating the materials for 2025, I realized the 7 Days course is actually a great introduction to finding your niche and polishing your portfolio—both those skills are important for copywriters, too. They’re foundational to all freelance writing.

So let’s talk about copywriting today. I really want to talk about OpenAI’s next release, but let’s start with copywriting for now. (ha)

Let’s get started!

Blog highlight: What does a copywriter do?

Last year I published a YouTube Short about “article writing vs copywriting” and it got shared more than usual. Apparently people wanted to know the difference—who knew?

In that video, I compared it to wine vs. espresso. Wine is sipped. You take your time. You parse out all the notes. (Yes, I’m aware you can pick out notes in espresso, but stick with me.) Espresso is a short shot. It’s exciting. It gets you going.

You have an espresso and you’re thinking—heck yeah! Let’s do this.

That’s copywriting.

If you’re transitioning from the editorial world to corporate writing or copywriting, one of the first skills you develop is getting to the point fast. Like espresso. Distill emotions, information, data—whatever you’re communicating—into a quick-hit piece of content. The second skill you develop is consumer psychology—and I cover that in this week’s LWP blog post.

If you’ve ever wondered if copywriting is right for you (and yes, there are still plenty of opportunities even with AI on the horizon), then check out this overview: What Does a Copywriter Do?

Freelancing tip: How to get paid as a copywriter

In the copywriting spirit, let’s keep this short and sweet.

There are two main ways you’ll get hired for copywriting work: on contract or per project.