Name: Carly
Bennett
Blog: www.writingfromthetub.co.uk (books) and www.lifefromthetub.co.uk (beauty +
lifestyle)
Industry:
Creative
Job Title: Copy
Writer and Social Media Consultant
Brief description of job role and industry:
I write copy and create social media content for brands. The copy
includes anything from blog posts to newsletters, web copy and press releases,
and the social media side of things includes social media content, channel set
up, editorial calendars, account management and the occasional dash of graphic
design.
An average day consists of…:
One of the
best things about my job is that every single day is different, as I have ten
or so regular clients, which means I’m
always working on something different, but I stick to the same rough schedule
every day:
8.30am (after sending my boyfriend off to work
and taking my dog for a walk through the village): Start work and have a quick
read through my to do list, as well as checking my emails in case any urgent
work has come in overnight. A few of my clients are based abroad so I get
emails round the clock because of time differences!
9am - 12.30pm: My morning session. In this block
of time I usually write up two or three articles and draft a week’s worth of social media content for
whichever clients I’m working with that
day. I try to focus on two or three clients each day so they can get my full
attention.
12.30 - 1.30pm: Lunch, which usually involves
ten minutes for lunch and fifty minutes for Netflix… Ah, the merits of being your own boss.
1.30pm - 5pm: My afternoon session, where I’ll finish off my to do list for the day
(usually another two or three articles) and then use any leftover time to work
my way through the never-ending stack of admin! Where does it all come from?!
5-5.30pm: In my last half an hour I write up my
to do list for the next day and reply to any urgent emails that have come in
throughout the day.
Some days I find myself working until 10pm at
night, some weekends are taken over by work but, on the whole, this is how I
spend my working days.
Career progression:
When I first set up my business I was focusing purely on copy
writing (as I come from a writing background) but gradually I was contacted
about the social media side of things, so I started to add that into the
services I offer. I try to keep evolving with the industry, so I’m shortly going to start offering training
courses and ebooks, as well as a few other bits and bobs.
I also started off freelancing part time as a
copy writer and working in an office part time. Eventually I got the point
where I was in a position to leave my office job and work for myself full time
so I took the plunge about eighteen months ago - so I guess that was the
biggest moment of progression so far!
Qualifications/experience required:
You don’t need any
particular qualifications to set up a business but it’s definitely handy to have some business knowledge. I studied
Business Studies for A-level and it was also my minor at university, which has
really helped me out with setting up a company and handling the financial/legal
side of things.
Aside from that, I have a degree in Creative
Writing, which was obviously integral to becoming a full time writer as it
taught me so much about the industry. That said, I haven’t had a single client ever ask about my
qualifications, so they’re
certainly not essential!
Best tip to crack the industry:
Don’t set your focus on
one area of business. Working for yourself is tough and, while copy writing isn’t so competitive, social media can be, so
don’t limit yourself by
thinking ‘I only want to write
about beauty so I won’t accept anything
else’.
I started off writing about gadgets, crafts,
cars and I even had to write a 1500 word case study about copper wiring… However, those
commissions all led onto other jobs and I now write about a whole host of
different industries, including travel, tech, dressage, web design and beauty.
If I’d only focused on one
highly competitive area of the market I doubt I’d have as strong a client base as I do today.
Also, be smart about money! Running your own
business is more empowering and rewarding than anything, but you’ll probably be skint for a very long time
and work can be irregular, so you need to save when you can and stick to a
budget.
Best thing about my job:
It gives me the freedom to work the way I want to and live my life
on my own terms. I’m not working on
anybody else’s schedule and if I
want some time to work on a new project I can. I’m branching out and launching a motivational and wellness business
later in the year (to run alongside my current business), and if I didn’t have the freedom of my current job there’s no way I’d be able to try new things like that.
Worst thing about my job:
The lack of security. A client can end a contract at a moment’s notice and you can never count any job as
permanent, so you’re never 100% secure
when it comes to finances. You won’t
ever get sick pay, holiday pay or a Christmas bonus, and there are things like
pensions and taxes to navigate as well.
Also, it’s really hard to switch off when you work from home. Although I
officially finish at 5.30pm I often get urgent jobs in the evenings or at
weekends, so I’m pretty much always
attached to my emails and refreshing various client accounts to check
everything’s ticking along okay
and there hasn’t been a social media
meltdown on a channel I manage!
sounds like a great job! *-*
ReplyDeletePam xo/ Pam Scalfi♥
I agree Pam! Such a great write up on it too - thanks Carly! xx
Delete