Freelance To Agency: A Copywriter’s Journey
Our Gareth shares his experience in moving from freelance copywriter to the agency world as he celebrates one year at Making You Content.
More than 365 days have passed since I made the switch from the self-employed scene to agency side. In that time, I’ve been asked a lot about our copywriting agency and my role within it. But what most people want to know is what convinced me to make the switch from freelance to full-time employee in the first place.
True, a steady wage, job security and company pension are always appealing, but this wasn’t what swayed me in putting pen to paper for Making You Content. When Kelly got in touch to talk about the vacant position in early 2017, I was well-settled into the freelance rhythm and had built up a healthy portfolio of clients. A prospective return to the office environment wasn’t something that’d really crossed my mind. But then, Making You Content wasn’t just another workplace. It was a writers’ room.
Joining MYC proved to be the right decision for so many reasons. Now I’ve just passed the annual milestone, it seems like the perfect time for contemplation…
Several content writers are better than one
I got more than a few funny looks when I told people I was leaving freelancing behind and returning to the office environment. In some of their minds, I was free to roll out of bed whenever I wanted and do as much or as little work as I felt like. Why on earth would I want to give that up?
In reality, if you’re serious about making money, freelancing is nowhere near as laid-back and luxurious as many believe – but there’s still something to be said for having complete control over your own schedule. You get to pick and choose your projects and even decide deadlines… but what you don’t get is a group to bounce ideas off.
There’s no underestimating the benefits of having fellow writers around you. Your good ideas become great ones. Your strong paragraphs get burlier. Your smooth sentences receive more substance.
Having talented scribes at your side means the ultimate result is always better than you could have produced alone. And that in itself is a huge confidence boost.
Opportunities are rife in agency life
In the space of one year, I’ve become the official copywriter for the networking group MEG, trekked across gorgeous landscapes with Freshwalks, and spent evenings mingling amongst the city’s business elite at award ceremonies. All on behalf of MYC.
When I was freelancing, a brief would arrive in my inbox and I’d follow the instructions. Upon joining a copywriting agency, I discovered my responsibilities were far bigger. The copywriter role here isn’t just about business blogging – it’s about sourcing the material you need to get going, and becoming a brand representative.
Every week, I interview entrepreneurs, take tours of company buildings, bat for MYC at business events, and then curate the content that transpires. At a copywriting agency, it’s not just content briefs that fall into your lap: opportunity does, too.
Everybody helps one another to improve
Most writers are never entirely satisfied with their final draft. In any blog, there’s often a line we can’t quite warm to or a word that doesn’t seem completely at home in a sentence.
But whilst writers rarely regard any piece they produce as absolute perfection, we are often adept at recognising – and being able to make – improvements to our work when we’re nudged in the right direction.
Thanks to the steady hands of Kelly and co., I can honestly say I’m a better copywriter today than I was this time last year. Spending time with creative people, being thrown into unfamiliar challenges, and given the responsibility to produce thousands of words daily have all played a role in turning me into a more well-rounded scribbler.
It’s been a good year…
It seems strange to think I joined a team of two back in May 2017 – especially when I look around now and see four other writers clacking keys and sharing ideas. MYC has morphed into Manchester’s number one agency for top-quality content, and it’s an honour to have been a part of it.
It’s good to ruminate now and then, but I won’t get too wistful now my first year with the company has been and gone. Plans in the pipeline suggest that the future will be just as rewarding and, as my time at MYC has taught me, it’s always best to look forward rather than back…
Get in touch with Gareth and the rest of the Making You Content team on 0161 660 9206 or [email protected] for more information on our services and how we can help your business.
