Here’s how to Spend More Time Doing what You Love and Less Time on the Bullsh*t.

The life of a freelance copywriter can be one of freedom, excitement, and…a never ending to-do list.

Yup. Freelancing is owning your own business, and with owning your own business comes all of that minutiae that isn’t fun, but absolutely necessary.

But, what happens when your business starts growing and you find yourself spending more time managing the backend of your business than, you know, actually writing?

Well, my freelance copywriting friend, the answer is in streamlining.

5 Ways Copywriters Can Collapse Time

Let’s look at 5 key things you can do to streamline your business and collapse time as your copywriting business grows.

1. Hire a Virtual Assistant or COO

One thing I always, always, always tell my copywriting coaching clients that if I could go back in time, the first hire I would have made was the COO for my agency.

Before writers. Before editors. Before any advertising dollars were spent. Having the right systems in place is one thing. Having someone operate them behind the scenes is another. 

Hiring a virtual assistant or COO helps keep your projects organized, your processes running smoothly, and alleviates you from having to deal with all of those crucial tasks that suck up all of your time.

Seriously. If I can teach you ANYTHING, it’s that as soon as you start spending more time working on the backend of your freelance copywriting business than you do actually working on client projects, hire someone to help!

2. Outsource Your Social Media

Here’s a huge shoutout to all the social media managers of the world! Truly, social media managers are unsung heroes. 

Having someone strategize your social media presence (which is increasingly important in the freelance world for building the know, like, and trust factor), design your images, schedule them, and even handle your DMs is priceless. 

Social media managers keep your channels active and relevant so that prospects from those channels keep coming in while you work on delivering badass copy to your clients.

3. Enlist an Editor

There comes a time in every copywriter’s growing freelance business where you absolutely need to hire an editor. 

Having someone be not just a “second set of eyes” on copy you’ve been staring at for days and offering you a different perspective, but catching any errors you’ve missed is totally worth it. Whether a line editor or a developmental editor, hiring someone to be your proverbial “right arm” is a worthwhile investment. 

4. Bookkeepers and Accountants Exist for a Reason 

If you’re like me and words are your thing, numbers might not be.

For real. Sticking me in a room full of calculators and math problems is my own personal version of hell. But that’s why I hired a bookkeeper. I get to focus on bringing those numbers UP by bringing in more clients and serving them well, and someone else focuses on what those numbers ARE. 

5. Automate, Automate, Automate

Automation is incredible. I get duck food and mealworms automatically shipped to me every month for my pet duck. I don’t have to worry about whether or not I’ve placed the order. I know that Pedro will get his beloved mealworms on time, every time, is a life saver. And the little dude loves his mealworms.

Automation in business does the same thing. Automated onboarding, automated emails sequences, automated billing––all of it saves you hours upon hours and keeps your business running smoothly in the background.

How Efficiently Are You Spending Your Time?

Every minute you spend on something unrelated to your zone of genius is a minute wasted. Delegation and automation will massively increase your productivity, not to mention your peace of mind. 

Your time and energy are the most valuable currency you have. Spend wisely.