There are plenty of opportunities online to hone existing skills and develop new ones – as well as to help you cope and plan. Jenny Sims takes a look


Learn while S


ince the coronavirus lockdown, online courses to help journalists update or learn skills and help them prepare for a new future have flourished.


Yes, it is hard, with job losses, redundancies, projects and commissions for freelances cancelled or dried up. Yet enforced social isolation has offered time for people to take stock of their lives and careers and consider change.


Never before has so much varied training been offered by so many organisations, particularly the NUJ and its sister unions in the Federation of Entertainment Unions (FEU). Some of this is free. The FEU’s deal with the BBC Academy allows freelance members of the FEU, the NUJ, the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain, BECTU and Equity free access to its online courses. The use of Zoom and virtual training have broken down geographical barriers to NUJ


Copywriting


COPYWRITER Hannah Abbott’s two-hour webinar for the NUJ could turn out to be a game-changer for some of the freelances who signed up for it. Introductions revealed we


worked in every part of the media: newspapers, magazines, broadcasting, digital, and public relations and comms. We knew we had


transferable skills. Covid-19 had made us hungry to know how to apply them to new areas. Abbott whetted our


appetites with tales of copywriters being better paid, having more freedom and better lifestyles. She may also have flattered


us, saying: “I think journalists make the best copywriters.” We may not all have


wanted to switch careers, 08 | theJournalist


but everyone wanted at least to add another string to their bow. Because of Covid-19, a


young sports reporter and commentator had no live sport to cover. The food and wine writers faced a similar problem with no restaurants to review, and the travel writer could not travel. A few were looking for a


change of direction and lifestyle, to give up news shifts and commuting and be able to work from home. A successful PR with


international clients wanted to engage in projects in her local community. A science journalist who had been


writing for a website and become good at headline writing because he was paid per click realised his was a copywriting skill and thought he would enjoy it. Abbott, a former


newspaper and magazine journalist, said switching to copywriting had helped her enjoy a slower pace of life that was also more lucrative and fulfilling. “Looking back, it seems


crazy I would be paid £150 for a double page spread. Now I can charge five times that for a similar spread in a brochure. Good clients pay you well, on time, because they value what you do for them,” she said. So, how do you become a good copywriter – and a


successful one? Abbott’s top tip is: “Have the right mindset. Write to be effective, not impressive. It’s about getting good results, getting people to act on what you’ve written, to do or buy something. If it sounds like writing, I will rewrite it.” What’s the difference


between journalism and copywriting? Journalism focuses on the facts and the duty to inform and hold people to account. Copywriting focuses on emotion. “When I trained, it was all


about the five Ws: who, what, where, when and why? Copywriting is about the three Ps: problem, pain, predicament. Identifying problems and giving solutions.”


training throughout the UK and Ireland, opening this up to members wherever they live or work. Opportunities abound not only for polishing professional skills and acquiring new ones but also, thanks to the wellbeing webinars, to cope with the problems of loneliness, isolation and stress resulting from Covid-19, as one of the case studies shows.


https://www.nuj.org.uk/work/training/


How do you get started?


Lacking a portfolio or a qualification does not necessarily put you in a catch-22 situation. Abbott’s tips include: think


hard about the work you have done and where it was published. Research competitors. Adapt the skills you already have; for example, interviewing experience enables you to obtain a good briefing. There are steps to get off


the ground during lockdown. On day 1, spread the word you’re a copywriter and open for business. Offer a discounted launch rate. On day 2, decide on a business name and register the domain for your website. The webinar also gave a


wealth of detailed advice about finding clients, pitching and managing business and resources. It was well worth the time – and the money.


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