My career change to copywriting—100 blog posts and 4.5 years later

• My career change to copywriting wasn’t without risks
  • Lots of people start blogs—but how many last?
• I can safely say my career change to copywriting wasn’t a bad decision
  • My career change to copywriting was perhaps unexpected—I’ve never been much of a writer
• 4 ½ years later, what does all this mean?

This blog marks a significant milestone. If you’ve read any of my personal update blogs, you’ll know I love a good streak. When I started this journey 4 ½ years ago, I had no idea where my career change to copywriting was going to lead. But here we are.

Four and a half years ago, I didn’t truly know what copywriting was. I’d spent years editing and proofreading my students’ work. I knew that “somebody” wrote websites and marketing emails, but I didn’t know what that job was called. I now know that’s a copywriter.

And that’s what I’ve been doing for the past 4 ½ years. Actually, it’s been a combination of all those things. Between my full-time remote job and my freelance DCCopyPro endeavor, on any given day, I can be a

• Copywriter
• Content Writer
• Editor
• Proofreader

Depending on the day, you’ll also find me using various platforms and tools. I’d never heard of them before my career change to copywriting. These include:

I’m by no means an expert in all of these platforms. But I use most of them to some degree during the course of my work. 

Needless to say, it’s been quite a ride, with lots of twists and turns along the way. But it’s also safe to say things have worked out pretty well. 

My career change to copywriting wasn’t without risks

When I changed careers, I had significant concerns. Aside from working in retail and as a waiter back in Canada, I’ve had only one career—EFL teaching. I landed in Korea on December 29, 1995, and until February 28, 2021, that was the only job I’d ever known. I taught students of different ages and levels in various settings, but I always taught English. For a couple of years, I worked as an academic director and a head teacher, but I remained within the same sector. 

From fall 2003, I taught at a university. I had a fairly relaxed schedule, which often included several months of paid vacation. That meant that I hadn’t had a “regular” 9-to-5 job in over 17 years. I had real doubts about whether I could adapt.

Until I decided to switch careers, I’d never maintained a blog. I’d never really built and operated a website either. While teaching at university, I had a simple website for my students. I posted updates, shared resources, and announced homework assignments. But it was only for my students—not the world. 

Lots of people start blogs—but how many last?

And that brings us to the crux of this post. This is my 100th blog post. Let me put that in perspective for you. According to ChatGPT (so, please, take this info with a healthy pinch of salt): 

• Studies suggest that 60–80% of blogs become inactive within the first 3 months
• On average, new bloggers publish between 3 and 10 posts before abandoning their site
• 94% of blogs eventually go inactive
• 80–90% of bloggers quit within 18 months
• 90% quit within their first year

When I started this journey, I decided to leave teaching and bet on myself. I didn’t want my future in someone else’s hands. I wanted to be the main reason for my success or failure. And if I failed, it wasn’t going to be due to a lack of effort or inconsistency.

I can safely say my career change to copywriting wasn’t a bad decision

With this post, I think I’ve definitely achieved that goal. My blog doesn’t have as much traffic as I’d like, but I’m in a pretty niche market. Not all of my 100 blog posts are winners. There are definitely some real duds in there. I have two blogs that have only received single-digit views (and it ain’t because they’re new!). But I’ve got some decent posts that help me rank well on Google and appear in AI summaries. So I must be doing something right.

My career change to copywriting was perhaps unexpected—I’ve never been much of a writer

I was late to the Facebook party. It took me 3 years to join after it launched. I was only two years late to the Instagram party. While I was somewhat active on Facebook, I’ve never used my personal Instagram much. In fact, I have fewer than 100 posts on that, despite it being more than a decade old.

However…

My DC CopyPro account? That’s a different story. I created both my Facebook and Instagram accounts in 2021. I initially only posted daily on Instagram. But I soon started posting on Facebook, LinkedIn and X. Then, I eventually expanded that to include Threads. And now, I’m going to stop posting on X because my scheduling program, Later (affiliate link), is ending its support for Twitter. I’m not going to lose any sleep over that.

When this post goes live, I’ll have just over 1,750 posts on Instagram. That happened because I’ve posted every single day since May 31, 2021. Looking at my blog and Instagram posting history, one thing’s pretty clear. I know the meaning of the word consistency. 😉

I also know a lot more about marketing and copywriting than I knew 4 ½ years ago. When I first started with my current company, I kept a list of acronyms and jargon I heard in meetings. I’d look them up later to help remember them and follow meetings more effectively. 

In addition to working as a copywriter and proofreader, I’ve gained other skills. I became the team lead and learned how to use Asana to keep our team humming along. I’ve also learned the basics of HTML (and I do mean basics). I’ve had to use it to tweak webpages and marketing emails on occasion. But I’m doing it.

4 ½ years later, what does all this mean?

Damned if I know. Basically, I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks. My career change to copywriting, made as I approached 50, has been successful. Freelancing hasn’t worked out as anticipated. But I’ve got 4 ½ years more experience, 100 blogs, and an Instagram feed showing I know how to commit. They also demonstrate my expertise and serve as an example of my ability and work ethic. So when the time comes, I’ll be much better positioned to break into the freelance market than I was 4 ½ years ago.

With 100 blogs, I’ll continue writing new material monthly. But I think I need to look more at tweaking and optimising what I have. Some of those “dud” blogs could use some work. I also haven’t made any updates to my site in a long time. It definitely needs a little love.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me on this journey. Whether you read my blogs, like my Instagram/Facebook posts, or share pictures for me to post about—thank you. None of this would be possible without you.

Will there be a 200th blog post? At my monthly cadence, that’s gonna take another 8 years. I’d be 60 years old. That seems like “forever” away—but who knows? If I end up going full-time freelance at some point, I may have more time for blog writing. I guess you’ll have to check back in 2033. 😉

Until then, thanks again. I’m looking forward to enjoying the ride my career change to copywriting will take me on. Who knows where it will take me—but I hope you’ll come along for the ride.

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