An unconventional entry
I pivoted to advertorial copywriting from a career in medical information management because my mind yearned to think outside strict regulatory borders and disclaimers.
Advertising is great and all (a hot take this early in the essay, you remark), but I kept running into one problem that stymied my career from ever taking off — the hallowed coffee calls weren’t helping me find work.
Stop me if you’ve heard this before
Picture this: you’re a young creative with a good portfolio, plenty of drive, and signs of promise looking for a full-time role at an agency, and they’re on a coffee chat with a creative director. The call ends with the following sentence you’ve heard again and again:
“You’re doing all the right things; it’s just a matter of time. I’m cheering on for you.”
Well-intentioned, sure, but they have no idea how many times you’ve heard that, in how many variations that essentially says the same thing — that this past half-hour of conversation didn’t help where it needed help.
How to get creative directors invested
Look, I get it. Creative directors are already up to their nose hairs in perennial agency floodwater, performing a typically thankless, stressful job – and the fact that they’re doing coffee interviews itself is generous. So let’s see how we can get them invested in our journey to employment.
- Why them?
Tell the CD on the call why you wanted to discuss your book with them. Similarity of work? They’ve worked on brands you want to crack into? Their reputation for stellar feedback? No CD wants to spend time on you if you can’t tell them why their opinion mattered.
- Follow up late, but follow up
Take a week. A month. Heck, even two. But if a CD you respect gives you feedback, take the effort to make the changes in your portfolio. It shows respect, a willingness to take feedback, and an opportunity– yes, an opportunity to do what they want and then some. It gives you an excuse to follow up a month later and show them. And CDs remember creatives who are proactive.
- You gotta build that relationship
People hate this, but a career in advertising is also the long game of building respect and street cred. This is not to be confused with currying someone’s favour. You show up on their radar enough times, for different reasons, and they finally know who you are and what you’re worth. Then they’re motivated to jump in. Think LinkedIn posts where you’ve done some cool work and you’re just DM’ing them the link.
- You have to be honest sometimes
Let’s say you’ve done all this, and you have a few CDs you know really well, but nothing’s happening. If you can manage it, have a chat and tell them you’re hurting financially. Maybe a freelance gig or two will see you through. They may not be able to hire you at their agency, but they can use their connections to find you a project or two.
A break-in at last
That last point was how I got my first month-on-month freelance job this year, after applying in vain for every full-time job in Toronto. I called an American CD I knew well, and who knew the work I’d put in on my own. I’ll be broke in 3 months, I told him, but I know I can do this.
He heard me quietly, and the next day, was an email of introduction to a US agency he knew, with just three lines:
“He's a damn fine copywriter, capable of both sharp, incisive bon mots and longer form, data-driven wording. And he has an incredible drive and work ethic. The dude pushes hard.”
The following week, I interviewed successfully and began freelance for the first time.
But that’s the secret: You have to get them to cheer for you.
Nikhil Rajagopalan is an award-winning Canadian copywriter in Toronto. Follow him on LinkedIn and bookmark his (currently under-construction) portfolio.
An unconventional entry
I pivoted to advertorial copywriting from a career in medical information management because my mind yearned to think outside strict regulatory borders and disclaimers.
Advertising is great and all (a hot take this early in the essay, you remark), but I kept running into one problem that stymied my career from ever taking off — the hallowed coffee calls weren’t helping me find work.
Stop me if you’ve heard this before
Picture this: you’re a young creative with a good portfolio, plenty of drive, and signs of promise looking for a full-time role at an agency, and they’re on a coffee chat with a creative director. The call ends with the following sentence you’ve heard again and again:
“You’re doing all the right things; it’s just a matter of time. I’m cheering on for you.”
Well-intentioned, sure, but they have no idea how many times you’ve heard that, in how many variations that essentially says the same thing — that this past half-hour of conversation didn’t help where it needed help.
How to get creative directors invested
Look, I get it. Creative directors are already up to their nose hairs in perennial agency floodwater, performing a typically thankless, stressful job – and the fact that they’re doing coffee interviews itself is generous. So let’s see how we can get them invested in our journey to employment.
- Why them?
Tell the CD on the call why you wanted to discuss your book with them. Similarity of work? They’ve worked on brands you want to crack into? Their reputation for stellar feedback? No CD wants to spend time on you if you can’t tell them why their opinion mattered.
- Follow up late, but follow up
Take a week. A month. Heck, even two. But if a CD you respect gives you feedback, take the effort to make the changes in your portfolio. It shows respect, a willingness to take feedback, and an opportunity– yes, an opportunity to do what they want and then some. It gives you an excuse to follow up a month later and show them. And CDs remember creatives who are proactive.
- You gotta build that relationship
People hate this, but a career in advertising is also the long game of building respect and street cred. This is not to be confused with currying someone’s favour. You show up on their radar enough times, for different reasons, and they finally know who you are and what you’re worth. Then they’re motivated to jump in. Think LinkedIn posts where you’ve done some cool work and you’re just DM’ing them the link.
- You have to be honest sometimes
Let’s say you’ve done all this, and you have a few CDs you know really well, but nothing’s happening. If you can manage it, have a chat and tell them you’re hurting financially. Maybe a freelance gig or two will see you through. They may not be able to hire you at their agency, but they can use their connections to find you a project or two.
A break-in at last
That last point was how I got my first month-on-month freelance job this year, after applying in vain for every full-time job in Toronto. I called an American CD I knew well, and who knew the work I’d put in on my own. I’ll be broke in 3 months, I told him, but I know I can do this.
He heard me quietly, and the next day, was an email of introduction to a US agency he knew, with just three lines:
“He's a damn fine copywriter, capable of both sharp, incisive bon mots and longer form, data-driven wording. And he has an incredible drive and work ethic. The dude pushes hard.”
The following week, I interviewed successfully and began freelance for the first time.
But that’s the secret: You have to get them to cheer for you.
Nikhil Rajagopalan is an award-winning Canadian copywriter in Toronto. Follow him on LinkedIn and bookmark his (currently under-construction) portfolio.
