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I work a traditional 9–5, and I was looking for a way to earn some extra money to pay off my student debt. I eventually enrolled in a copywriting course through Filthy Rich Writer, and I am oh-so-happy I did.
Hey, Siri: Search ‘how to make money online’
First, I googled “how to make money online.” I thought about thrift shopping, then selling things on eBay. I thought about buying a camera and trying my hand at professional photography. Then I remembered I know how to code. I heard coders make good money. So, I set my sights on software development and signed up for a free online coding bootcamp (again, trying to earn money, not spend it). But despite telling myself that I would finish the course no matter how long it took, I quit after just a few months.
Back to the drawing board. I asked Google again what I should do to make extra money from home. “How to make money online” yielded over 4.5 billion search results; there were just too many options. So I went soul-searching. And by soul-searching, I mean I took all the online personality quizzes I could find. I took the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), the Enneagram, the Big Five personality test, value inventories, skill inventories… And I learned that personalities like mine like to write.
And it was true. I do like to write. I always sort of liked writing essays, even on school topics I didn’t really enjoy. And introverts like me don’t have to talk to people to do it.
But when I thought of writers, I didn’t think of particularly wealthy people. I thought of starving artists who drink too much. Hard pass.
I felt stuck. I wanted to close the gap between doing something I liked (writing) and making money.
Back down the internet rabbit hole. Without high expectations, I googled “how to make money writing.” And I stumbled across the word “copywriting.” I found several of accounts of freelance (copy)writers making multiple 6-figure incomes… That totally shattered my idea of a writer’s lifestyle.
Naturally, I googled “how to become a copywriter.” I found an article called “How to Break into Copywriting” on a website called Filthy Rich Writer. Ask and ye shall receive, am I right?
Now, I didn’t need to be filthy rich. I just wanted to pay off my student loans and have a little extra cash. And this company was suggesting that writers could earn 6-figures. I was skeptical. But I kept reading and found another article on why the company is called Filthy Rich Writer. After reading the articles, I took the free video training. And the myths I believed about writers’ incomes were dispelled.
I learned that you can make a great income as a (copy)writer. I learned you can make this great income from home (or Maldives or wherever you want) without a boss. But it still sounded a little too good to be true…
How do you know it’s not a scam?
The program’s main coach is a real-life 6-figure copywriter, so you know it’s possible to make that sort of money. The Comprehensive Copywriting Academy (CCA) is designed by that coach, so you know you’re getting the right training. Both coaches have at least 10 years of copywriting experience.
And it looks like program graduates do pretty well too. In fact, I watched an interview with a graduate of the program, a 6-figure copywriter, living the dream in Cyprus with her family.
The Filthy Rich Writer program is not a get-rich-quick scheme; it’s a legitimate career path toward income that you control. You can make money as a copywriter while you’re learning how to build your business.
Flexible program with money-back guarantee
The CCA was what exactly what I was looking for. So, I signed up. It was an investment, but it was backed with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
I started CCA right around the holidays, so I was pretty busy and didn’t make a ton of progress at first.
But the great thing about CCA is that it’s self-paced. You can go as quickly or as slowly as you want. It’s flexible like that.
How I landed my first copywriting clients
When something is self-paced, I usually take that as an invitation to take my sweet time. I need deadlines. And that’s why it’s great that CCA has frequent challenges (with deadlines) in the students-only Facebook group. For example, in January, we had Pitch-a-Palooza. Pitch-a-Palooza really pushed me to get through the training modules in order to start pitching. I got my first two clients during Pitch-a-Palooza. I probably wouldn’t have even tried to get any clients if it hadn’t been for the Pitch-a-Palooza event. Thank God for deadlines.
CCA has TONS of resources in addition to the frequent challenges, the most basic of which is the Foundations Course. In the Foundations Course, you have Module 0, where you learn about the success mindset and how to deal with inevitable setbacks. Module 0 is incredibly valuable, and you may even want to go back to it as you progress through the course because, well, setbacks…
The rest of Foundation Course consists of:
-Module 1: Copywriting Fundamentals
-Module 2: Copywriting Tactics
-Module 3: Project Lifecycle
-Module 4: Interactive/Digital Copywriting
-Module 5: Print Copywriting
-Module 6: Building your Business
All those modules have action sheets designed to guide your next steps and give you real copywriting practice.
Ongoing support
There are monthly coaching calls, where you can get feedback on copy, your website, or any questions you have about copywriting or building your business. All calls are posted online for you to review in case you miss the call. CCA also has optional paid one-on-one coaching calls, as well as other courses that cover pretty much everything you can think of relating to building a copywriting business.
There are courses on:
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optimizing your LinkedIn profile
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how to price your services
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email marketing funnels
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content marketing
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and so much more
Student community
On top of all that, there’s an incredibly supportive students-only Facebook group that allows you to get feedback, encouragement, and inspiration from fellow students and coaches. The coaches are way more engaged than you would think, and I love being able to get feedback from established copywriters when I need it.
CCA has the ongoing support and sense of community that was missing from the courses like the free coding bootcamp. I understand that the coding bootcamp was free and teaches completely different skills… but sometimes, you get what you pay for. And that’s true when it comes to CCA.
And though the course doesn’t come cheap, it’s designed to pay for itself several times over.
I haven’t finished the entire course yet (it is comprehensive), but my overall impression of CCA is that it is well worth the money if you’re interested in copywriting. It’s certainly worth testing out a new career, and CCA is a fantastic introduction to copywriting. Even if you’re already an established copywriter, I think it’s always great to hone your skills and learn how to land better clients.
And the great thing about CCA is that you can try it out and cast it aside if you decide you don’t want to do it. AND you’ll get your money back if you decide that within 30 days of purchase.
And even if you don’t decide to take the course, Filthy Rich Writer has tons of free content about growth and development, building your business, and copywriting. These are a few of my favorites:
If you’re still reading this, there must be a reason. Click the button below to go to the FREE video training.
Haley Ramsey, Copywriter 