Why copywriting is cursed and what it takes to survive.
Being a copywriter is overhyped. Promises of high pay, time freedom, and leisurely days paint a glamorized picture that sets up new writers for a harsh reality check. This blog spills the bad and the ugly of the industry—so you can decide if you can live under a curse.
This blog is a collection of problems and from-the-hip hot takes on the dumpster fire this role can be—and currently is—from the POV of a working copywriter, ex-hiring manager, and someone who crawls job boards for a living.
But before we dive in, let’s address the obvious. Yes, I’m about to go in on some of the biggest problems facing copywriters right now. No, that doesn’t mean I hate my job or think copywriting is a bad career. I love what I do—and I’ll always be a writer.
My goal here is to balance out the overly romanticized noise online. Before you walk into this career, let’s take off the rose colored glasses.
A brand new catch-22
If you asked me just two years ago about the biggest barrier for new copywriters, I would have said—the portfolio. It’s impossible to get a writing job without writing samples. For new writers, this is the part that keeps them stuck the longest (not me for 8 years). And it’s the classic new writer catch-22—no portfolio without clients and no clients without a portfolio.
Unless you know that there are other ways to build a portfolio without being hired, you’ll never get your career off the ground.
But now, there’s a brand new catch-22 that new writers have to contend with—the starting line got moved way down the field. Basically, the new standard for company writers is being an experienced writer… which naturally wipes out entry-level copywriters.
I actually see it as such a problem that I have a dedicated section for it.
AI eliminated the entry-level writer job
On the now rare occasion companies actually hire writers (or keep one safe from another round of layoffs), they’re looking for someone seasoned. Strategy, editing, the whole marketing and sales enablement funnel, and how to make AI-gen content better than its default outputs. The list of requirements goes on and on.
The ecosystem of the content department changed in the last 2 years. The way that writing teams used to work, until, say, 2024, was that an agency or company had a content lead who managed junior writers.
Now? The junior team has been replaced with an AI content process, managed by one overworked and holding-on-for-dear-life writer.
What it looks like from where I’m standing is that corporate leaders try to save as much money as possible on huge expenses (salaries), all while gutting the one department that humanizes their brand by installing code and one or two exhausted content managers in its place.
If the only jobs are for experienced writers, then the barrier to entry just got raised way past what entry-level writers are capable of.
Being new shouldn’t preclude you from getting a start. But realistically, it’s so much harder to get a foothold in the industry.
Whether companies are hiring full-time or just freelance/project-based, they’re looking for turnkey experts. Not people they have to train.
The role keeps ballooning
The mass layoffs mean companies are trying to still do it all—with a skeleton crew. The jobs that used to be distributed across 5 people are now crammed into one. Whether you’re the sole survivor of a team or joining one now, the list of requirements and skills is WAY longer than it used to be.
Not only that, companies are notorious for asking for way too much for too little pay—$20 per hour for a senior-level copywriter, and you need a Master’s Degree? Sure, why not?
Anonymous and undervalued
If you want to be a writer because you want people to know your name… reduce your expectations. Yes, some writers (journalists, columnists) get their own byline. But I’d categorize that as content, not copywriting.
Copywriters writing marketing and sales materials almost never attach their names to published work.
In reality? You’ll be writing emails, sales pages, blogs attributed as “Customer Service” or “Content Team Member” or on behalf of an executive who will get the credit (that’s ghostwriting).
Bylines aren’t a given. And in my experience, they’re really rare. I think there’s been 1 client that has allowed me to use my own name on content in 10 years. And, honestly, it makes sense. Most of the content I produce shouldn’t have a byline.
If your heart's set on a byline, then you should intentionally pursue the type of writing jobs that allow it. Or hope that you’re working for a company that wants to capitalize on whatever personal brand and niched clout you’ve built.
Beyond being virtually anonymous, you’ll always have people (clients, leads, department heads, and strangers on the internet) taking shots at your work.
AI could do a better job. (No, it absolutely couldn’t.)
Can you edit this? It’ll only take 5 minutes. (It never does.)
Good first effort! (This content is better than anything you have on your website.)
Being a writer of any stripe means you’ll face critics. It’s no different in a brand setting.
Pay is all over the place
Many corporate writing jobs pay really well—but they’re harder and harder to find. And sometimes writers can make a great living freelancing—but finding and signing clients is a constant grind.
If you Googled “copywriter salary,” you’d find answers like “$30 per hour” or “$75k a year.” And those are real figures I can personally attest to. But it’s not like you become a writer and immediately start earning that kind of money. Entry-level pays as little as possible and varies depending on the company, but I’ve seen salaries as low as the $30–40k range.
It’s a slog to get to that $75k mark—between the untenable application process taking months and months and the magic trick of signing a five-figure project contract.
The reality about pay is: it’s feast and famine. One day you’ve got work and things are great. The next, you don’t. I think the old conversation about 9 to 5 versus freelance needs to retire. In 2025’s rocky job market, you should seek both.
Most days are spent at your desk, not strolling around museums
I don’t know any real copywriters who jet off to Bali for a month and leisurely write ocean-side under a striped cabana.
Copywriting is real work that requires a lot of hours from the writer. There’s research and vetting sources. There’s outlining and style guide adherence. There’s strategic planning and message positioning. THEN you can start writing, editing, and proofing.
In what world can you do all of that—and do it well—in that glamorized 4-hour work week we all get pitched? Or even in a 4-hour day, for that matter?
Sure, you can write from anywhere, but you won’t catch me with a full client roster and work backlog, spending days on packing, travel, and recovering from jet lag.
No one has the time, if they’re doing the job ethically or well.
My day in the life is me scrolling in bed with coffee for a while after I wake up. Emails and messages. Writing until 6 to 10 pm. Maybe I’ll get outside to walk the dog or go to the park, though it’s not an everyday thing. I think my most consistent break in my work day is when I make lunch. I do like to cook, and it’s a needed mid-day brain-break.
Could I do fun stuff in my area? Yep. And I do, occasionally. But life isn’t a highlight reel filled with museums and hole-in-the-wall bookshops. I’m at my desk most of the time.
What it takes to survive as a copywriter
If all this hasn’t scared you off, if you’ve come face to face with the reality of being a copywriter in 2025 and beyond—and are ready to weather the curse anyway—you might be cut out for this.
The most successful writers have built soft skills that turn the idea of "cursed" on its head. While each career is unique, these five character traits show up in every writer’s personality:
Curiosity – The best writers never stop learning. Storytelling, psychology, tech, culture—curiosity keeps your work sharp and your voice original.
Empathy – You’re writing to persuade and ingratiate. The best writers are experts at seeing the world through a different perspective.
Resourcefulness – Work is fragile. You need to find a way to make ends meet, even when one job dries up. If copywriting is part art, part science, then sometimes the artist needs to find a day job. Beyond that, apply resourcefulness to get projects done—against tight deadlines among other challenges.
Strategy – When it comes to our deliverables, every word matters. Each phrase and line break is meticulously chosen and planned. But the ones who are around for the long haul? They’re playing chess with career decisions, too.
Tenacity – Stick with it. Through dry spells, bad clients, and your own self-doubt. The writers who last are the ones who keep showing up.
It’s a completely fresh way to frame this (sometimes) nightmare of a career path. Yes, copywriting is hard, but I don’t think we need to let that weight bury us. We can be CERST and write for a living.