Thanks for posting this video! This is the best step-by-step copywriting "SPEC" ad tutorial I've ever found on TH-cam. Most of the YT copywriting creators are influencers selling their copywriting courses. They usually discourage you from using Canva to create your "SPEC" ad graphics because they'll look amateurish to the potential client. They also try to convince you to shell out money for a professional graphic designer. After watching your video, I'm now confident about moving forward to complete the SPEC ads I've avoided because they seemed too complicated to complete. Thanks again and great job!😄
Great, glad I could help. Looking professional is important. You want to make your spec look as slick as possible BUT you are trying to get a job as a copywriter, not an art director. I always think simplicity is best. You want your spec ads to show off your writing skills but also convey your idea. Simple, clean layouts will make your ads easier to read. Putting your words into a layout will also show you if your headline is too long or if your copy is too short. When I started, I wanted to work in an advertising agency, so I teamed up with an art director. We created concepts together. He excelled at creating layouts and I wrote the copy, so we could present a more polished article. That might be an option for you. But if it is not, all the graphics programs are excellent now, so you can do this by yourself. A portfolio of work is a very persuasive tool, so it is well worth creating.
With the mockups, do we have to redesign their webpages/ facebook posts from scratch, or create something similar? What tools do you recommend I use to do this?
Mock-ups unfortunately need artwork, so you will have to create layouts. You should not have to redesign their sites or posts, you can replicate their existing site, but you might want to add more copy - that’s the whole point, right? To show off your copy. In the video, you will see that I just made screen grabs from the images on the Women only gym site. I then replicated the Home page, copying the colours but I did add an extra panel for some copy that I thought would improve the site. I also mocked up some Facebook posts using screen grabs of their images. I have been very lucky and have always worked with an art director - he usually did all that stuff, but I learnt from them. It is not particularly difficult. I use Photoshop to create mockups but Canva will work just as well for these simple layouts. If you cannot use screen grabs because they have headlines you can’t remove, find something similar. I will create layouts using low-resolution images if I am only creating digital examples. You can get them from stock sites (they will be watermarked, but that is not an issue for spec work.) You can also get free images from places like pexels.com. Mock-ups will really help sell your copy as people can see it in context, so it is well worth the effort, it is much better than just sending someone a Word doc. Hope that helps.
Thankyou for making this video! Question: so for portfolio do we have to show like the original copy on left and the copy that we re-created on the right? I am kinda lost how to creat a portfolio and show work as Im a beginner and want to create work to get a job?
The original copy is not important. What you are trying to demonstrate is that you can write good copy. You create a spec portfolio to show to potential employers/clients how you approach a writing task. In the video I created copy for a Women Only Gym but I would show this to other businesses - gardening centres, wholesalers etc. What would be useful for them to assess the copy, because it is not their area of business, would be a short summary of what you did - why you chose to write the copy that way (what was the problem you solved.) Then you need to decide how you want to present your portfolio. Is it a physical portfolio that you want to carry round to show to people in person, or a digital portfolio, a website? If you are creating a hard copy portfolio, you can either just have the artwork and explain why you wrote it in a certain way, or have a brief summary beside the artwork if you are dropping it off. If you create a digital portfolio that you host online, then you can incorporate your explanation onto the page. Here is example of how I would do it - beezkneez.co.nz/tauranga-city-council This was a real job but you can take the same approach for speculative work. What you have to remember is that people will employ you not just for your ability to write but also for how you think. A spec book is a sales tool.
Great video! But I just reach out to the business and call them and tell them to check their email or just send them an email? If I send them a email do I send a adapted copy to their business/niche? And if I’m freelancing my own clients can I just create mock ups with graphics and art (as samples)and send them out?
Hi there, picking up the phone and sending emails is a great way to find business but if you are a beginner, you need some way to persuade a potential client you can create work for them. Advertising agencies will go through a pitch process with new clients - they’ve made the phone calls, sent the emails and then they give a very expensive presentation of work they think will move the client’s business forward. They come up with a strategy and then create mock-ups of ads that show how that strategy will be implemented. Advertising agencies will already have a portfolio of work they can show and they would much rather not have to do a creative pitch because it is so expensive (time and money) but that rarely happens. Switching accounts is a huge decision for a client. A freelancer will not have to go to those lengths to get work but you do have to provide evidence that you can deliver well written copy and/or concepts. Sending out emails is good but if that is an unsolicited email, the client will spend very little time reading it, they have a business to run, so your email should be short and to the point about what you can offer and then offer a link to a portfolio site that provides evidence that you are a good writer. It does not have to be examples of writing in their niche or a rework of ads they have made before, it just has to show proficiency. A portfolio will help you secure new work. Good luck.
@@plugcopywriting thank you so much for taking the time and answering me! Much respect ! Thank you very much. If you need anything art related to your work let me know. Much love 💯🙏🏽
Thanks for posting this video! This is the best step-by-step copywriting "SPEC" ad tutorial I've ever found on TH-cam. Most of the YT copywriting creators are influencers selling their copywriting courses. They usually discourage you from using Canva to create your "SPEC" ad graphics because they'll look amateurish to the potential client. They also try to convince you to shell out money for a professional graphic designer. After watching your video, I'm now confident about moving forward to complete the SPEC ads I've avoided because they seemed too complicated to complete. Thanks again and great job!😄
Great, glad I could help. Looking professional is important. You want to make your spec look as slick as possible BUT you are trying to get a job as a copywriter, not an art director. I always think simplicity is best. You want your spec ads to show off your writing skills but also convey your idea. Simple, clean layouts will make your ads easier to read. Putting your words into a layout will also show you if your headline is too long or if your copy is too short. When I started, I wanted to work in an advertising agency, so I teamed up with an art director. We created concepts together. He excelled at creating layouts and I wrote the copy, so we could present a more polished article. That might be an option for you. But if it is not, all the graphics programs are excellent now, so you can do this by yourself. A portfolio of work is a very persuasive tool, so it is well worth creating.
Awesome! Thanks for your wise advice!😁
With the mockups, do we have to redesign their webpages/ facebook posts from scratch, or create something similar? What tools do you recommend I use to do this?
Mock-ups unfortunately need artwork, so you will have to create layouts. You should not have to redesign their sites or posts, you can replicate their existing site, but you might want to add more copy - that’s the whole point, right? To show off your copy. In the video, you will see that I just made screen grabs from the images on the Women only gym site. I then replicated the Home page, copying the colours but I did add an extra panel for some copy that I thought would improve the site. I also mocked up some Facebook posts using screen grabs of their images.
I have been very lucky and have always worked with an art director - he usually did all that stuff, but I learnt from them. It is not particularly difficult. I use Photoshop to create mockups but Canva will work just as well for these simple layouts. If you cannot use screen grabs because they have headlines you can’t remove, find something similar.
I will create layouts using low-resolution images if I am only creating digital examples. You can get them from stock sites (they will be watermarked, but that is not an issue for spec work.) You can also get free images from places like pexels.com. Mock-ups will really help sell your copy as people can see it in context, so it is well worth the effort, it is much better than just sending someone a Word doc. Hope that helps.
Thankyou for making this video! Question: so for portfolio do we have to show like the original copy on left and the copy that we re-created on the right? I am kinda lost how to creat a portfolio and show work as Im a beginner and want to create work to get a job?
The original copy is not important. What you are trying to demonstrate is that you can write good copy. You create a spec portfolio to show to potential employers/clients how you approach a writing task. In the video I created copy for a Women Only Gym but I would show this to other businesses - gardening centres, wholesalers etc. What would be useful for them to assess the copy, because it is not their area of business, would be a short summary of what you did - why you chose to write the copy that way (what was the problem you solved.) Then you need to decide how you want to present your portfolio. Is it a physical portfolio that you want to carry round to show to people in person, or a digital portfolio, a website? If you are creating a hard copy portfolio, you can either just have the artwork and explain why you wrote it in a certain way, or have a brief summary beside the artwork if you are dropping it off. If you create a digital portfolio that you host online, then you can incorporate your explanation onto the page. Here is example of how I would do it - beezkneez.co.nz/tauranga-city-council This was a real job but you can take the same approach for speculative work. What you have to remember is that people will employ you not just for your ability to write but also for how you think. A spec book is a sales tool.
@@plugcopywriting Many of my questions got cleared with your reply. I appreciate you taking time to write this reply, it helps, Thank you very much😊🙏🏻
Great video! But I just reach out to the business and call them and tell them to check their email or just send them an email?
If I send them a email do I send a adapted copy to their business/niche?
And if I’m freelancing my own clients can I just create mock ups with graphics and art (as samples)and send them out?
Hi there, picking up the phone and sending emails is a great way to find business but if you are a beginner, you need some way to persuade a potential client you can create work for them.
Advertising agencies will go through a pitch process with new clients - they’ve made the phone calls, sent the emails and then they give a very expensive presentation of work they think will move the client’s business forward. They come up with a strategy and then create mock-ups of ads that show how that strategy will be implemented.
Advertising agencies will already have a portfolio of work they can show and they would much rather not have to do a creative pitch because it is so expensive (time and money) but that rarely happens. Switching accounts is a huge decision for a client.
A freelancer will not have to go to those lengths to get work but you do have to provide evidence that you can deliver well written copy and/or concepts.
Sending out emails is good but if that is an unsolicited email, the client will spend very little time reading it, they have a business to run, so your email should be short and to the point about what you can offer and then offer a link to a portfolio site that provides evidence that you are a good writer. It does not have to be examples of writing in their niche or a rework of ads they have made before, it just has to show proficiency. A portfolio will help you secure new work.
Good luck.
@@plugcopywriting thank you so much for taking the time and answering me! Much respect ! Thank you very much. If you need anything art related to your work let me know. Much love 💯🙏🏽