"Never be afraid to put yourself out there and welcome rejection with open arms"

 

30-year-old artist, freelance actress and a copywriter residing in the heart of South Africa- Bloemfontein, Jana Coetzer.

You are never too old to learn, I only started learning about digital marketing and copywriting in 2019. I am a copywriter at a UK company called TribeFirst, we help start-up companies with their crowdfunding campaigns. I am so lucky to be able to work with such a phenomenal group of people who essentially is helping to make the world a better place.

I am very new to the world of copywriting, however as an actress and artist the art of storytelling has always been part of my existence. The story of how l got hired is quite funny, I applied for a copywriting position at a UK company called TribeFirst through the job search platform. After sending my resume, I took another look at it with a shock I realized that I made a major typo, I figured that I would obviously not get the job and might as well send them an email apologizing for the typo and to say that l hope they got a good chuckle out of it (and of course attaching a typo-free version along). Within less than hour they positively responded, after some practical evaluation and a super chilled interview, they offered me a job. Me making a mistake, acknowledging it and setting it right was the main reason I got hired. I couldn’t believe it! Does this even happen in real life? Well, apparently yes. Yes, it does.

Studying acting in New York on a scholarship in 2015 definitely shaped me a lot. I learned so much about different cultures, worldviews and life outside my comfort zone. It added so much to my personal growth and brought me all the way to where I am today. So grateful.

Having little experience in the industry can be a bit demotivating. I guess self-doubt might be the hurdle, I am busy getting over. Totally working on it though. Of course, there are many things I wish to achieve in the future, but life has a way of taking different turns when you least expect it. So, I just try to be better than I was yesterday and to set ting, seemingly non-life-changing goals for every day. I want to better myself and grow in all aspects. I want to contribute to a better, more inclusive world.

For one to become a copywriter, you have to be able to tell a story; to entice and inspire. It’s so important to always keep the reader in mind; to not talk at them, but with them. Words have a lot of power and you should be able to project that power in the best way possible.

It's all about attitude, the willingness to learn and ability to adapt. Secondly, practice; practice, practice, there’s a really cool site called Vollie where you can do volunteer copywriting for worthy causes. The internet has made it so convenient, check out Udemy or the digital school marketing to up your skillsets. Lastly, never be afraid to put yourself out there and welcome rejection with open arms, if it’s not meant to be, it’s not meant to be, and remember no one really knows what they are doing, you have got this.