Perth-based Copywriter and Freelance Journalist Caitlin Scott.
Written by Caitlin Scott
I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was five years old.
I was that clichéd image of a kid reading a book under the covers with a torch, and that passion for words naturally evolved into my dream of being an author and eventually, a professional writer. I was very lucky to have a clear path ahead of me. There was never any question in my mind, from asking for an English Literature class option in high school to deciding to study a Professional Writing and Publishing course at Curtin.
After graduating from Curtin, the future became more open; how was I going to turn this passion into a career?
At the end of 2018, I moved to Nottingham, England, and started frantically applying for every job with ‘writer’ in the title. I worked full-time as a barista, spent one day a week writing marketing content for a small business, and in any spare time available, I wrote for a local magazine. Then eight months in, I received an email from the digital marketing agency, Adtrak, accepting my application for their Junior Copywriter role.
I think that’s the way to do it, be flexible and open to any deviations in your career path. If I had been too single-minded about working in fields like publishing or journalism, it would have been easy to reach a standstill.
So, how do you make a living as a writer? Here are the biggest lessons I’ve learnt over my career that enabled me to make it possible.
1) I didn’t always find university easy, my first year was not my best work, and those ‘failures’ became the reason I pursued discipline and self-motivation.
It’s well-known that you learn independence at university, but my version of this universal lesson was invaluable to my career.
I didn’t always find university easy, my first year was not my best work, and those ‘failures’ became the reason I pursued discipline and self-motivation. I learnt that the only way to achieve my career goals was to make it happen – to seize growth opportunities and avoid coasting along with only what was expected of me.
My tutors could let me know that public speaking was important in my career, but if I wanted to develop that skill, I needed to act myself. Giving voluntary presentations to my creative writing class allowed me to step outside my comfort zone and put what I was learning into practice. After I graduated, this determination was essential to making freelance writing viable and made networking, cold emailing, and connecting online a bit easier.
1) You may not find success by simply applying for jobs on Seek.
We all hear far too often that career pathways for writers are not as straightforward as those for engineering or medicine. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to make a living as a writer, it just means you must be open to different strategies.
Before landing my very first copywriting role for UK digital marketing agency, Adtrak, I had to build a portfolio of articles, gain office experience at a small business, and apply for hundreds of jobs. Then, when I returned to Perth in 2020, I had to start from scratch again and make a name for myself in the local industry through networking and online connections.
I freelanced for two years, finding work by researching marketing agencies, pinpointing the key team members I needed to meet, and then messaging them on LinkedIn. I developed my online presence to showcase my work and professional brand. I attended small business networking events and worked from a co-working space where I could meet more business owners.
When I began to freelance for Lush – The Content Agency, I made sure everything I delivered was on-point, I worked from their office when they offered so I could become part of the team, and during slow periods I followed up to show my continued interest. Eventually, this work turned into a full-time job.
2) Pick yourself up when you become disheartened.
Every writer receives rejections (or even a total lack of responses) to their applications or pitches, you just need to be resourceful and keep pushing on. There are a lot of passionate people working in writing, marketing, and other creative industries, people who will go above and beyond to reach their goals, that’s what makes it so competitive. If you love this work, show that hunger – people will appreciate it.
3) Take some time to contemplate the opportunity and consider the kind of work you want to be doing.
Once you start to gain momentum with your career, then it becomes important to have parameters for your openness.
When I first returned to Perth and was freelancing, I took on any writing opportunity that was given, knowing that any portfolio addition or professional connection would be beneficial. However, once I was getting regular work with Lush and several other agencies, I soon realised that I needed to develop a clear idea of what I wanted.
Working as a full-time copywriter, I was spreading myself too thin with my freelancing – across film and theatre reviewing, travel, and general news articles. I knew if I was to succeed in any area, I needed to narrow my focus. So, I dropped the film and theatre reviewing to solely pursue food and travel writing. This process worked, as I have now covered a wolf conservation expedition in Germany, travelled all-expenses-paid to Adelaide, and written for the Swan Valley magazine. I also recently became a regular contributor to Broadsheet Perth.
I think it’s important to remember that choosing to stay open and appreciate opportunities shouldn’t stop you from learning when to say no. In the end, we should be writing about the things that light us up, that’s what makes it worthwhile.
Written by
Caitlin Scott, Copywriter & Strategist at Lush – The Content Agency and freelance contributor for Broadsheet Perth.
Graduating from Curtin in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts specialising in Professional Writing & Publishing, Caitlin’s passion for words has seen her produce articles and website content for various companies locally, nationally, and overseas. Caitlin’s copywriting experience has included two years in the UK, where she began her marketing journey as a Junior Copywriter at the digital marketing agency Adtrak. Nowadays, Caitlin works as a full-time Copywriter & Strategist at Lush – The Content Agency and in her spare time contributes to food and travel publications like Broadsheet Perth.
