I fell into website copywriting by accident, kinda like how I became a nurse on a whim to be honest (but that’s a story for another day).

Can you believe I really just woke up one mid-afternoon post night shift, opened my MacBook Air, and just started writing?

Back then, I wrote for my non-existent blog — I swear, when I finally launched the SDN website, I had over 30 blog posts 100% written.

But along the way, I realized I wanted more.

As fate would have it, while scrolling through Pinterest, I virtually fell in love with my future copywriting mentor — shout out to Sara at BTL, she’s literally the best — and launched into my journey of finally leaving bedside care for good.

Copywriting is a skill that requires a whole lot of practice, sooo much patience, and a never-ending dedication to learn.

If you stick with it, even when you want to give up, you’ll be well on your way to crafting compelling content that brings new leads to your website, engages your audience, and inspires action.

I know you have all the skills you need to be successful in any business — and if you don’t believe me, check out this post so I can prove it to you — but nurses are masterfully skilled at acquiring new skills, and copywriting is no different.

I know you’ll be successful in DIYing all your own copy for whatever project or business you’re working on.

So, let’s just get started, dive into some copywriting basics, and figure out how the heck to transition from frontline nurse to freelance copywriter!

Here’s what to know on your journey from nurse to copywriter…

1 | Copywriter vs content writer

Before I get into it, maybe I should start by answering what the heck copywriting even is.

Let’s begin by clearing up some confusion and talk about the difference between copywriting and content writing.

I hear nurses talking about becoming health and wellness copywriters all the time, but what most nurses don’t realize is a health and wellness “copywriter” is misleading. More often than not, nurses diving into writing for the health and wellness industry are content writers, not copywriters.

When it comes to writing on the internet, sometimes these two terms get used interchangeably: copywriting and content writing...

So what’s the difference?

While both involve creating written communication for a target audience, copywriting focuses on persuasion, selling a product, service, or business, and inspiring the reader to take a desired action. Copywriting is a skill in and of itself to build authority, influence the target audience, and convert sales.

However, content writing focuses on informing, educating, or entertaining the audience. Content writing creates engaging and informative content that draws readers in and keeps them engaged, which is used mainly in your run-of-the-mill blogs, articles, and social media posts.

Understanding the difference between these two types of writing can help you better tailor your message, achieve your goals, and build an audience that returns to your offerings again and again.

But just because there may be some confusion between the two terms doesn’t mean you can’t do both. While these two terms are different, they can be used together to create effective and powerful calls to action — both copywriting and content writing are essential tools to have in your arsenal.

Combining these two disciplines allows you to create calls to action that capture your reader’s attention and inspire them to take the desired action. By using persuasive copywriting techniques, you can build rapport with your audience, create a sense of urgency, and encourage them to act quickly. And by incorporating informative content that provides value to your readers, you can build trust and credibility and make them more likely to follow through on your call to action.

So, the key to creating effective calls to action is to strike a balance between persuasive copywriting and informative content writing. By doing so, you can engage your readers and motivate them to take action, leading to increased conversions, sales, and a stronger bottom line.

2 | Make writing a habit

I’m sure you’ve heard the age-old saying, “Practice makes perfect.”

Well, maybe practicing will never get us to the ever-elusive “perfect” but it turns out there’s some truth in that saying, if we switch out “perfect” with “progress”.

Practice creates progress.

Even if you don’t see progress right away, practicing a skill every day is incredibly powerful. Not only does it help improve your abilities over time, but it also builds discipline and dedication.

Think about it—if you only practiced when you were in the mood or when it was convenient, you’d never make any real progress. But if you commit to practicing every day, even if it’s just for a few minutes, you’ll start to see results. Maybe it’s playing an instrument, learning a language, or improving your writing skills. Whatever it is, the key is to keep at it.

Building a writing routine to motivate yourself to come back to practicing this new skill will help you to stay consistent, and trust me, there is no greater lesson than this.

Staying consistent is key — I know, I hear the groan from here, but I’m sorry to say, it really is key. 🫣

So write and write more, then edit, proofread, and revise along the way because this also is a crucial part of the writing process. They help ensure the accuracy and clarity of your writing and can also help you identify any potential problems.

When editing your own writing, it’s important to be ruthless with your work — you’ll probably be your harshest critic anyway. Ensure you’re using proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling (the basics). Also, always, always, always read your work aloud — you’re going to feel and sound stupid, but it will help you identify any errors or awkward phrasing you may have missed.

But back to the practicing thing — even if you don’t notice immediate improvement, don’t get discouraged. Remember that progress takes time, and the more you practice, the better you’ll get. And who knows — one day, you might look back and realize just how far you’ve come.

So, in the words of Marie Forleo, “I win, and I learn. But I do not lose.” Come to your computer every day to write, research, and learn. Make it a habit, stay dedicated, and don’t give up. No matter what — even if you don’t achieve all your copywriting and business goals — you will not lose...

You will learn valuable lessons and use that experience to propel yourself forward so you can create the career and life you love.

3 | Really get to know your audience

Before diving headfirst into any industry, do plenty of research simply to make sure you’re idea has an active market that your services can solve.

Don’t worry so much about getting ahead of your competitors — by all means, research your competitors as well. But don’t become consumed with this notion that “someone is already doing this better than me, so why would I even try.”

Your differentiating factor, your secret sauce, or the thing that will set you apart from the rest will come with time.

Start by researching the topics you enjoy writing about and the people who tend to search for those solutions. Identifying your target audience and understanding their needs, desires, and wants are essential for creating content that resonates and inspires action.

To do this, first determine your target audience, and everything they dream of, all their questions, all their desires, and even all their pain points. Once you have this information, you can create content that speaks directly to their hearts.

Some ways to do this research include reading industry articles, attending industry conferences and seminars, conducting surveys, and interviewing industry experts. You can also use social media to engage with your target audience and see what topics they are interested in — seriously, don’t overthink this.

But whatever you do, don’t think that just because you’re a nurse, you’ll get higher ticket offers for your writing than non-nurse copywriters.

Spend the time to level up your skills just as you would for bedside care — you are in charge of your own professional development, and if you want to transition from nurse to copywriter, you have to take responsibility for learning those skills.

4 | Learn how to write compelling copy

I’m a firm believer that copy doesn’t need to be perfectly grammatically correct or scholarly by any means. Some of the best copy is pretty informal and actually sounds like a real person would say it.

Consider what you have to say and say it as clearly and succinctly as possible while still sounding like the imperfect human you are. Because it’s not just about what you say but really more about how you say it.

I read somewhere (not sure where, honestly, I wrote this in my notes page and neglected to write down the source), but the average person can read 150-300 words per minute, so copy that takes 3-5 minutes to read will be about 450-1500 words long.

Dr. Google does love the longer posts a little more and will rank the longer posts higher, but again, try to be clear and concise while still getting your message across.

A long message can get lost in translation.

Then, getting down to the heart of things here, learn how to write compelling copy using psychological triggers and an active conversational voice. Psychological triggers like social proof, scarcity, and storytelling can make the difference between mediocre copy and copy that converts every time.

Remember, copywriting isn’t the same as content writing — you’re attempting to write words that inspire people to take action, and you’ll want to learn how to use the powers of persuasion.

5 | Try not to be a multi-passionate human to a fault

I’m pretty sure most of us are multi-passionate these days and there’s nothing inherently wrong with that. However, when you’re first starting out in freelance copywriting, I bet you’re going to want to learn ALL things, do ALL the things, and write ALL the things.

If you’re anything like me, you might start out researching copywriting and then next thing you know you’ve signed yourself up for a web design course.

Been there, done that.

You’re not alone in wanting to learn as much as you can and then becoming overwhelmed in a sea of information overload. You start out really strong and then it slowly fizzles because there’s just too much to learn.

Being multi-passionate can be overwhelming in this way, because it can be difficult to balance interests and commitments, leading to burnout and decreased productivity. But if you’re honest with yourself, it can be challenging to focus on one area of interest and achieve mastery in that field if attention is constantly divided.

Figure out what you actually enjoy writing about and then choose one or two industries to start out with, because you’re other passions and areas of interest aren’t just going to go away. You can add them into your services or pivot entirely later if you wanted.

So try not to be multi-passionate to a fault, right? Because being multi-passionate can be a positive trait as long as it is managed properly.

It’s important to prioritize and focus on your more relevant passions (aka writing in this example), while still allowing room for exploration and growth in other areas (like actually getting into web design after you’ve mastered copywriting). With balance and intention, being multi-passionate can lead to a fulfilling and successful career.

6 | Network, network, network

If you’re attempting to write for the health and wellness industry (which I’m assuming you are if you’re a nurse), absolutely use your wealth of knowledge and experience in nursing to increase your odds of actually getting those higher ticket offers and writing projects. Just don’t get overly confident and solely rely on those skills.

You don’t need to be an expert writer to get started on your journey from nurse to copywriter — you’ll learn along the way as nurses always do.

Just start jotting down your thoughts, ideas, and experiences as they happened, and then network, network, network.

Write articles, blog posts, or even social media posts on your chosen topic and share your work with friends and family to let your network (yes, friends and family count, too) champion you in this new skill and maybe even get you some clients.

As you gain more experience writing, consider building a portfolio of your work. You could include articles you’ve written, guest posts you’ve contributed to on other websites, or even your own blog. Having a portfolio can help you showcase your skills and attract potential clients.

And last but certainly not least, join professional organizations or networking groups specifically for nurse writers. You can connect with other nurses, learn about new trends and opportunities in the industry, and, again, even find potential clients. You still may have to do some cold outreaches along the way, but your network will be invaluable in this journey, no doubt.

7 | Cold pitching is just networking

Trust me, cold pitching gives me the heebie-jeebies, too.

When I first started out on my journey from nurse to copywriting, you could absolutely find me in the corner somewhere in a cold sweat and freaking panicked about reaching out to people I didn’t know to try to sell them on my services.

And you know, for some people, using their network of friends, family, and coworkers will be enough, because ultimately, you do have a circle that reaches far and wide if you think about it.

However, depending on your niche or whatever type of copywriting you want to focus on, your immediate network might not actually be your ideal client and they might not actually have the type of business you want to write for.

So when that happens — in my case, that’s exactly what happened — you’re likely going to need to do cold pitching.

There’s nothing wrong with that. And it doesn’t have to be a negative experience. In fact, I don’t want you to think of cold pitching as a means to pitch your services at all, rather think of cold pitching as another way to network.

Cold pitching can be a powerful way to build relationships and a strong referral network. By reaching out to potential clients, you have the chance to make a strong first impression and establish a relationship that could lead to future sales. At least that’s the goal, though it may not always happen that way.

Of course, the key to successful cold pitching is to be thoughtful, targeted, and respectful. You don't want to come across as pushy or desperate, but rather as someone who genuinely believes in the value of what you have to offer.

With a well-crafted pitch and a willingness to put in the effort, cold pitching can be a valuable tool in increasing your network and developing your freelance business.

8 | Volunteer to work for free

Nurse friend, sister, bestie…

I know you’re worth more than offering your copywriting services for free.

I know it.

YOU know it.

HOWEVER, in an industry you’ve never worked in before and one you didn’t get formal training in, it might actually be beneficial (and necessary) to take on a few projects pro bono (aka with no charge)…

While it may seem counterintuitive to give away your time and expertise without immediate compensation, there are several advantages to this approach.

Offering free services can help you build a customer base and establish yourself as a credible and trustworthy business. By providing value to potential clients without asking for anything in return, you demonstrate your commitment to their success and therefore, earn their trust.

By doing free work for something you’ve never done before helps you to gain valuable experience and feedback. As a nurse turned freelance copywriter, you may not have a lot of experience under your belt. So, by offering free services, you can gain practical experience, refine your processes, receive feedback from clients, improve your services, and even better understand your target market's needs and preferences.

In a crowded marketplace like copywriting and AI threatening to take over the industry, it can be challenging to get noticed and attract new clients. By offering free services, you can capture the attention of potential customers and demonstrate your unique value proposition.

While it may require some upfront investment of your own time and energy, the benefits can be significant in terms of expanding your network, building your customer base, gaining experience, and standing out from competitors.

And I know that’s exactly what you want, so at least in the beginning stages of your freelance writing business, you’ll have to be okay with doing a few projects for free. It’s just up to you how many free projects you take on and what type of free projects you take on.

9 | Mindset and mentorship

When I first started my writing journey, my goal looked very different. I just wanted to write for my then-non-existent blog. But as I wrote and wrote and wrote, I realized I wanted something more...

And in researching content (and spending way too much scrolling on Pinterest), I came across a copywriting mentor I virtually fell in love with and wanted to work with because her vibe wasn’t like anything else I had seen on the internet at that time.

And when I finally decided to invest in her mentorship, my life changed.

I’m not being dramatic just to be dramatic, because my life really did change.

Collaborating with an experienced copywriting mentor has the potential to be a game-changer for your personal and professional development. And that’s exactly what I experienced as I learned copywriting basics from my mentor.

The benefits of having a copywriting mentor will have a lasting impact on your life, career, and business. A mentor provides invaluable guidance, support, and advice that can help you navigate difficult situations and make more informed decisions.

With their wealth of knowledge and experience, mentors can offer fresh perspectives and insights you may not have considered before, allowing you to approach challenges more confidently and clearly. By working with a mentor, you can speed up your progress toward your goals and achieve success more effectively IF you put in the work.

In many ways, you have to be your own catalyst for your career. Still, the mentor-mentee relationship can lead you further in your personal and professional growth, leading to greater fulfillment and a more rewarding life and making your journey from nurse to copywriter that much easier.

So, you’ve learned the skills, now what?

It might be easy to brush off, but nurses really can do whatever they want with their careers. The possibilities really are endless, especially when you decide to redefine what it means to be a nurse because then you don’t have to subscribe to what society and big corporations have defined as a nurse.

You can walk a nontraditional path and be incredibly successful.

If you learn how to leverage the skills you learned at the bedside and develop those skills into marketable business skills, you’ll be unstoppable. You’re just one step closer to turning your career into something you’re truly passionate about while still being able to make a positive impact in your community.

I know you still care deeply about your patients, and your experiences at the bedside have probably been life-changing, but you can have it all. You can be a nurse, restore your health, scale a purpose-driven business, and care for the community of people you love.

I just wish I had known all that before starting my journey from nurse to copywriter, because I honestly would have started that journey so.much.sooner.

What about you?

Ready to redefine what it means to be a nurse and scale the business of your dreams with connection-worthy copy?

LET’S DO THIS THING

What to Know on Your Journey From Nurse to Copywriter