Lois Puttbach ⋅ Berkeley Heights, NJ AIG ⋅ 7 years experience

Dear Michael, Becoming a direct response copywriter can be an interesting and lucrative career move. Best of all, it can be done anywhere over the internet. An excellent place to start is with American Writers & Artists Institute (www.awaionline.com) . They have a complete at-home training package to get you started, plus tons of resources, and you'll join a network of like-minded people to help you stay on track and meet your personal goals. I'm a graduate of AWAI, and I've written donor solicitations, case studies and the like for organizations like The Wounded Warrior Project, New Eyes for the Needy, Providence Ministries, and other not-for-profit organizations. You can choose to write for any type of industry, whatever your area of expertise, and you'll get lots of support and guidance. Since you're interested in travel, you may find their Travel writing department most helpful (www.thetravelwriterslife.com) . Hope this helps, good luck and thanks for your service!

Prem Shanker ⋅ Bentonville, AR Walmart Stores, Inc. ⋅ 18 years experience

One way to jumpstart your career would be to immediately sign up (for free) at guru.com and elance.com. Create a nice profile and be clear on your differentiators (since there are many copywriters on these sites). Quote aggressively for your first few projects, build your referral base (happy customers) and before you know it, you may have a thriving copywriting career/hobby. Best wishes!

Kate Nava ⋅ Decatur, TX Mount Mary University ⋅ 26 years experience

Hi Mike,
Thank you for your service; on behalf of my family , friends and neighbors.

Worth looking into is a post-career in writing/editing for an institution of Higher Education in their (at a minimum) quarterly magazine distributed to alumni, donors, etc. There can be some meaningful travel in the work, interviewing donors, distinguished alumni or interesting individuals/families.

The positions general reside in University Advancement or University External Relations, sometimes Development. They would be titled Director - Advancement Communications, or something akin to that. Further, these writers/editors thoughtful write campaign literature, donor acknowledgements and direct mail pieces. Deeper in one might be grant writing, or writing reports on grant utilization.

Check out case.org. Check on the CAREER ap. They there is the opportunity to "search jobs without logging in" OR to post your resume as well.

Hope this helps!

Sincerely yours,

Kate

Naomi Finkel ⋅ Westlake Village, CA Say It With Words Marketing & Corporate Communications ⋅ 30 years experience

I am an award-winning copywriter. The name of my firm is Say It With Words. I suggest taking marketing and copywriting classes at your local colleges. Some may offer online classes. Also, make friends with graphic and web designers. Have lunch with them, ask for their advice, volunteer to do copywriting for them to get some experience. I wish you the best and invite you to visit my website... www.siww.net Naomi Finkel

Patricia Sanderlin ⋅ Hempstead, TX HP ⋅ 20 years experience

Thank you for your service!

Lots of good advice here, so I am just going to add, for inbetween, check out elance.com which is a great service to find clients and build your portfolio.

Patricia

Steve Molnar ⋅ Westminster, CO The Creative Group ⋅ 13 years experience

Hey Michael, thanks so much for your service. Before you do anything else, I would read this book, "Hey Whipple Squeeze This: The Classic Guide to Creating Great Ads." It's the copywriter's bible. It's a very easy read and covers all the bases on what it takes to have a career in copywriting.

(http://www.amazon.com/Hey-Whipple-Squeeze-This-Creating/dp/1118101332/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423525422&sr=8-1&keywords=hey+whipple+squeeze+this)

From there, begin working on your portfolio or book of sample ads to showcase your writing skills. Write about things you know and enjoy. For example, if you like to fish write a magazine ad for your favorite type of fishing pole. It's easier to write about things you know, than things you don't - especially for sample pieces.

Once your book is established you can begin looking for work. If you plan on working remotely freelance jobs would be your best bet. Most freelance projects will give you the flexibility to work remotely.

Network on LinkedIn.com with ad agencies in your area as well. Most ad people are more than happy to help someone looking to get started in the industry.

Good luck!

Steve

Joseph Tedino ⋅ Chicago, IL The Boeing Comany ⋅ 30 years experience

You'll need to decide what kind of writing you want to specialize in and develop writing samples on that topic. As Judy mentioned, good clips will get you noticed. You can develop these by writing for volunteer organizations -- the newsletter at your church or neighborhood association, for instance. Once you have decided on a specialization and you have some clippings, you can target publications / websites that would be interested in your content – and paying you to write. For example, if you plan to specialize in writing about personal finance, you can target publications like Money, Kiplinger’s and others that may take freelance work. On the investment management side (copywriting) you can target Morningstar, Fidelity, etc. Come up with an idea for an article, create an outline, indicate the sources you’d use and pitch it specifically to the managing editor and assignment editor. Writer’s Market online is a great tool for finding places to sell your writing.

Jeanne Yocum ⋅ Durham, NC Tuscarora Communications, Ltd. ⋅ 30 years experience

Hi, Michael,

Since you've already done some writing for a travel magazine and plan to travel a lot, it might be worth your while to peruse the websites of other travel magazines and look for their author guidelines, which will tell you how to submit articles for them. You may end up doing some things on spec at first, meaning you'll do the writing before knowing that they're going to accept it and pay for it. But that's okay; we all have to start out somewhere.

Also, the advice of someone earlier in this string of comments about finding a nonprofit is excellent. That's what I tell anyone who comes to me seeking advice on how to kick start a writing career. (I've been self-employed as a PR consultant/ghostwriter for over 25 years.) Find a nonprofit whose mission you're passion about. Who knows...if you do a good job volunteering for them, they may be able to give you some paid projects.

Best of luck!

Peter Billard ⋅ Glastonbury, CT Peter Billard Photographer ⋅ 34 years experience

Michael–one possible resource, if you think it fits your needs, is The Great Courses at http://www.thegreatcourses.com, see Literature and Language, then Writing, and see if there's something there that works for what you have in mind. Mostly instructional and introductory programs. I wish you well!

Joy Graham ⋅ Houston, TX ⋅ 17 years experience

Hi Mike,

I'd like to also suggest flexjobs.com. Although there is a membership fee, I've found the projects and opportunities to be well worth the $50 per year investment (which they offer to refund if you're not happy with the service).

Thank you so much for your willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice for people like me to live safely... comfortably... freely. Your service is very much appreciated.

All the best!

Craig Hordlow ⋅ Naples, FL Red Bricks Media ⋅ 17 years experience

Lois gave good direction. To expand on his point, I highly recommend going to the library and reading this book (https://bookstore.entrepreneur.com/product/direct-mail-solution/). Note: I am not affiliated with the authors in any way.

Judy Tomlinson ⋅ Richardson, TX Energy Future Holdings ⋅ 30 years experience

I have been a copywriter and techncial writer for over 30 years. First, you must develop a portfolio of work samples. Any prospective client will want that. Second, look on Craig's List. Many people and small companies who need a writer for a project will post there.

Technical Writing contract jobs are longer term but if you want to write copy, you should also seek out local advertising agencies. Contract work is fun but not always available. I'd be happy to take a look at your samples and resume if you would like. Send them in word format to tomlinsonjk@aol.com

I'm happy to help any way I can.

Steve Yamamori ⋅ Goodyear, AZ Arizona Public Service ⋅ 28 years experience

Hi Mike, thank you for your service. There are a lot of great tips already posted, I do know there are a lot of different subcatagories of copywriting, Direct Response is very different than branding and advertising copywriting. I think if you were to start keeping a "book" of work, putting some of your Veteran Magazine articles as well as some conceptual ads, and maybe even do some "pro bono" work for family and friends that will publish your work if you devfelop the messages for free. Also a good idea to partner up with an art director that you can work together, to conceptualize and layout your combined ideas!

Best of luck, it's a fun and creative space. Happy to answer any questions you might have!

Barbara Stern ⋅ Boulder, CO Affordable Closets,llc ⋅ 35 years experience

If you already have the skills and you need exposure, start volunteering at a non-profit who may need your help in developing press releases and/or articles for their newsletter. This can help establish you. Since you will be traveling a lot, another avenue would be to speak with travel agencies and see how/if you could write articles about your travels. A trade may be possible where you use their services in exchange for a review of your destination.
Writing is an art form and if you need exposure, you can create a blog and promote on social media sites. If you have a Linked In presence, you can post your work and develop a following.
There are many groups on Linked In that you can also join and establish relationships which could lead to paying projects.
Best of Luck

Curt Middlebrook ⋅ Largo, FL U.S. Navy, Commander ⋅ 20 years served

Michael: You can begin practicing/showcasing your current skills using a blog. Go free getting one at wordpress.com (added benefit is you'll be learning how to work within one of the most used website tools, giving you a leg up if an engagement requires you to post/edit pages).

It's not that expensive to grab a domain and set up WordPress, so you can begin branding yourself, which is not a bad way to get out of the starting blocks.

Also scour LinkedIn for groups related to copywriting. Join and participate. Even just reading the discussions will bring you a wealth of information, and as you join in the talk, most likely you will find some mentoring from the group members.

For blog posts, take fictional products/stories and craft what you think works. Now you have something others can critique and help boost your skills.

Good luck!

JOSE ZUNIGA JR ⋅ Lubbock, TX U.S. Marine Corps, Corporal ⋅ 4 years served

Hello, Michael

I would suggest outsource.com. This is a great place to start your copy writing career. Set up your profile and you can begin looking for positions. If you have the skills needed for particular projects, you will get requests. Soon after setting up my profile, a day later, I received 26 requests. So, it is a good way to get yourself started.

Other great places to get started is American Writers & Artists Inc. (AWAI) http://www.awaionline.com/ and Elance.com. Check these out. I hope it works out for you.

Ming Lai ⋅ Alhambra, CA Humanist Films, LLC ⋅ 20 years experience

Hi Michael! My experience is in advertising copywriting. To get trained, I took advertising classes at a university extension program and then I went to an advertising school. I studied not only copywriting but also consumer research, account planning, strategic planning, branding, conceptual thinking, art direction, graphic design, photography, media planning, and other important related subjects, all of which helped me to become a stronger copywriter. Ultimately, you want to become a well-rounded creative person in addition to being a skilled copywriter. You don't have to go to school for advertising copywriting, but you do need to be educated. You can learn this craft by studying great advertising, from print ads and outdoor ads to commercials and videos to interactive media and emerging media. You can also review respected advertising award annuals, like the One Show and Communication Arts. You can visit the websites of great ad agencies, like Wieden and Kennedy (http://www.wk.com), who creates the iconic advertising for Nike. There are also some great books about copywriting, including Luke Sullivan's "Hey Whipple, Squeeze This: The Classic Guide to Creating Great Ads." Eventually, you'll learn the most about copywriting on the job and through your own influences. Good luck on your career!

Martin Varley ⋅ Chicago, IL Artworktool ⋅ 20 years experience

Michael.

People Per Hour is another great resource that will help you find freelance writing work. You need a clear differentiator as there are many low cost/low quality providers, equally there are many people looking for a copywriting services that have original quality content and they are prepared to pay a fair price for it. With all of these services, the key is to build a good set of reviews which means great output, timely delivery and instant response to questions from customers.

Thank you for your service. I wish you every success in the future

Martin Varley

Michael Ball ⋅ Oxon Hill, MD U.S. Air Force, Master Sergeant ⋅ 24 years served

thank you! I will check them out.