This week, I sit down with Dave Harland, a copywriter, who shares his journey from young Scrabble enthusiast to a successful freelancer and agency owner. As well as exploring the events that lead to him changing his relationship with work talk about the importance of humor and authenticity in copywriting, the challenges of building a personal brand, and the evolution of his agency, Copy or Die.

 Dave discusses the impact of newsletters on audience engagement and the significance of standing out on platforms like LinkedIn whilst emphasising the need for authenticity and personal connection in writing. He also shares why he left a comfortable corporate job for the world of freelancing and public speaking. The discussion also highlights the balance between leveraging technology and maintaining the human touch in creative work.

Takeaways

• Humour plays a crucial role in engaging copywriting.
• Building a personal brand can filter out unsuitable clients.
• The pandemic prompted a shift towards more humorous content.
• Newsletters can be a powerful tool for audience engagement.
• A strong personal brand can attract the right clients.
• Engaging content can be both professional and lighthearted.
• Vanity metrics on social media don't always translate to real engagement.
• Copy should create a sense of urgency and curiosity in readers.
• Enjoying the creative process is essential for fulfillment.
• Stepping out of your comfort zone can lead to unexpected opportunities.
• Authenticity is key in a world increasingly influenced by AI.
• Outsourcing creativity can dilute the personal touch in writing.

Dave Harland

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/daveharland/
Website - https://www.thewordman.co.uk/author/dave/
Website- https://copyordie.co.uk/

Keywords

copywriting, humor, authenticity, personal branding, agency, newsletters, LinkedIn, marketing, freelance, audience engagement, copywriting, humor, AI, creativity, freelance, LinkedIn, personal branding, public speaking, outsourcing, authenticity

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