What’s it like being a copywriter with all this AI going on?

Writers ask annoying questions and get obsessive about particular words because they understand that meaning goes both deep and wide. Wide, in the sense that their work has to cater for dozens or millions of different brains that will each see it from a slightly different angle. Deep, in the sense that once you’ve got someone’s precious attention you need to follow up with substance if you want to catalyze that attention into action. AI tools are fantastic for messing about with language but they’re basically a hack on your human weakness for first impressions. Particularly in a work environment, you’ll save yourself time, effort and future pain by chatting about what you want to write with a human rather than a machine. And if that human is also a professional writer, that you’re paying, then they’ll probably do all the writing for you.

What kind of businesses do you work for?

I have transformed the creative output of global brands in the tech, music, gaming and fashion space. I’ve also worked with local independent businesses here in Amsterdam. And I support various NGOs. The kind of business matters less than having being able to collaborate with people who share the belief that they can make money in a fun and entertaining way.

How do you like to work?

I bring together an unusual combination of creative, strategic, and process-driven skills. I can slot in at any point during a campaign’s development - from before the brief is written to after the ads have been shot - or oversee the whole shebang. Thank you for giving me the chance to use the word shebang.

How do creatives charge for their work?

At an agency, freelancers usually charge a day rate. A day is a block of 8 hours. I’ll usually just charge the blocks I’ve worked. The day rate depends on the market I’m working in. New York is around 1600 dollars per day. London is around 500 GBP. Amsterdam is around 700 euros.

If you are charging a project rate - which is more likely to happen if you’re working directly for a brand - then do what agencies do. Take the number of hours required for you to do the work and multiply by it four, to allow for the extra meetings, feedback sessions, intake. This becomes important as the project progresses and you need to balance your time with other projects coming on-stream

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