From Herbalist to Copywriter: An Interview with Victoria Ward

A computer keyboard with blue flowers sprinkled over — Diversifying income streams through copywriting

Have you ever wondered what a copywriter does?

I have! When I hear the term ‘copy’ my mind instantly goes to clinking old fashioneds, Donald Draper and the rush to write copy for an up-and-coming ad (Mad Men fan).

But apparently writing copy has come along way since the 60s and it’s an exciting way to work freelance and enjoy a location independent workstyle.

Why does this interest me?

I’m always super passionate about learning new ways to earn money freelancing and working remotely. Ten years ago I began the process of building a freelance portfolio career so that I could ditch the 9-5 and have control over my own workstyle. Why? So that I could follow my passion for travel, so that I could take a day off whenever I wanted to and most importantly, so I could have a lie in whenever I chose (I’m not big on mornings)!

Therefore, when one of my oldest friends, a passionate Medical Herbalist told me during the pandemic that times were tough and that she was going to pursue a new avenue of work based around writing I was intrigued and excited to see where it would go.

A couple of years on, she’s built up a portfolio of work and is enjoying her new line of work as a Copywriter in her niche of herbalism. I love that she has diversified her income in this way and used her knowledge and passion to work in a different area of work. Though of course, I still go to her for advice on all my health niggles as she’s a mind of herbal information!

This interview with Victoria uncovers what copywriting actually is, some of the benefits and how to get into it.

Interview with Victoria Ward – Medical Herbalist & Copywriter

An image of Victoria Ward as medical Herbalist — Victoria the Belvoir Herbalist

You’ve not always been a Copywriter, what is your background?

Coming from a farming/horticultural background plants seem to in my blood. At some point I became very interested in health, particularly alternative health and began making my own skin care products using essential oils and herbs. This hobby grew into a desire to train as a Medical Herbalist which I did gaining my degree nearly 15 years ago.

I have practised at health centres and in the community but during the pandemic this stopped and I focused on writing for my website producing blogs about my special areas of interest such as gut health and nootropic herbs.

Why did you decide to start copywriting?

I found I really enjoyed researching and writing about herbs but was frustrated my work wasn’t getting much much attention so started looking into copywriting with a desire to learn more about SEO practices. It occurred to me that this might be a nice route for me, enabling me to work remotely from anywhere in the world potentially.

I completed a couple of online courses to grasp the fundamentals and started applying for many jobs. I soon realised how competitive copywriting is as I struggled to get past first base. I realised I’d have to work for free to get started, so began an internship medical writing for a health library. The payback was further SEO training and becoming part of a team. This really helped my confidence and since then I’ve started gaining work through freelance websites and I’m beginning to build a decent portfolio of work. I also found there were plenty of jobs relating to my particular skills in herbalism and so realised I had found niche.

How important is it to find your niche?

I think having a niche is crucial. Firstly, it’s really helpful to write about something you’re passionate about and that interests you; it makes the writing better and more enjoyable. Secondly, it helps you cut through many of the jobs available, making it easier to zone in on your area of expertise. Thirdly, when you are applying for work potential employers want to be confident that you can produce work in their specific field. I suppose very experienced copywriters can write well about anything, but personally I’m very happy with sticking to my niche.

An image of dried lavender with a laptop — Lavender for relaxation whilst you work….

I’m always a little confused as to what copywriters do, can you describe it?

Copywriters write persuasively usually to sell an idea or product. In the olden days of course it was for newspapers and TV ads, now it’s all digital and about SEO – writing for websites, marketing emails, social media and blogs. Mostly it involves helping customers to rank highly in search engine results and convert customers to buy products or services.

What do you enjoy about being a copywriter?

I enjoy writing in my niche as I learn more everyday about health and herbs. I love getting feedback, particularly good feedback; but even not so good as it helps you improve. The challenge of writing in a way that gets responses whether that be likes or follows etc is also really fun, it’s a bit of a game to test out SEO practices as it’s all measurable in terms of readers responses and actions.

Is there anything you don’t like?

It’s super competitive and that tends to drive the money down, people want lots of words fast and cheap. I’m very scared about AI in the future taking increasing amounts of writing work away from real people.

For someone thinking of getting into this type of work, what do you advise?

Write, write and write! The more you write the easier it becomes, you begin to develop confidence and your own style. Work for free to get going, if you have friends with businesses offer to write for them. Try the freelance sites such as Upwork, you have to take the low paid jobs to begin with, but they do exist and you have to start somewhere. Get feedback wherever you can and try not to take it personally, it is always useful.

Are there any progression routes for someone with copywriting experience?

I think the sky’s the limit, if you are good and hard working, can produce great work to deadline there is so much work out there. Building a great portfolio and being a perfectionist in what you do will bring great feedback and lots of work. You can progress to manage marketing strategies for companies and overseeing teams of copywriters as you get more experienced. I’m also interested in other areas of writing such as ghost writing and maybe writing my own book.