I’m going to point out the obvious: teaching is a lot of work for little pay.
That’s not to denigrate the fine work of educators in the United States, as I spent five years in the profession teaching middle school English. In fact, I went to college specifically to teach and made many memories over the half-decade before I fully made the switch to copywriting.
Yet the reality of the situation is that teaching itself is not a very lucrative career path. Teachers know this and continue on in the the pursuit of giving the next generation the tools they need to do well in life.
It’s a noble pursuit…but it doesn’t bring in the big bucks.
Many teachers choose to have second (or even third) jobs in order to make up for the pay discrepancy. And while working in retail or providing services on the weekends is nothing to scoff at, what if, as a teacher, you were able to use the skills you’ve already learned?
One that allows you to be creative, persuasive, and financially comfortable.
What if I told you that…
Teaching is Marketing.
If you’re an educator (public, private, charter, tutor, any will do) and you’re looking to increase your monthly budget, then marketing and copywriting are for you.
All it requires is tapping into that rich pedagogical reservoir you’ve built over the years. Even if you’re not an English/Language Arts instructor, there are still many crossovers between the two jobs.
Persuasion
Do your students study, take their tests, do their homework, or generally behave in class because they thought about the consequences logically?
Of course not. They have something motivating them to do those tasks. As an effective teacher, you know how to bring those motivations to the surface, whether it’s the fear of failure, the expectation of verbal praise, or even tangible rewards.
Marketing works in the same way by tapping into a customer’s desires. They, just like your students, act on their emotions first then reflect on their actions with logic. As a copywriter, you’ll remember how you motivated your own students and apply it towards a new demographic.
Collaboration
Even the most standoffish teacher isn’t an island unto themselves. At the middle grades level, I had an entire team to bounce ideas off of, an administration to discuss behavioral strategies, and the network of many, many educators to help me grow in the practice.
If you’re worried that you’ll be alone in this new endeavor, don’t. From discussion boards to Facebook groups to mentor programs and more, you have an entire community ready to help you.
And that includes me (but we’ll get to that another day).
Research
Your lesson plans didn’t spring from some “hitting your head” epiphany, let’s be real. You most likely found similar lesson plans online or from other teachers (shoutout to Teachers Pay Teachers for the help all those years).
And you know what? That’s okay. You learned from others and modified it to fit your students’ needs.
Copywriting is very similar in that regard. I often find myself looking at multiple ads from the industry I’m writing for to see what I can pull from them. Swipe files will be your best friend for finding that creative spark and finding your client’s voice.
Results
The dreaded tests.
You hate it, I hated it, your students hate it, and your principals hate it. That meant reviewing percentage after percentage to see how you can adjust your lessons for the standards your kids are not grasping.
Yet all that time perusing through summative and formative assessments has made you familiar with analyzing data. And if you’re looking to add copywriting to your resume, why not use that exposure to your advantage?
Depending on what type of copy and content writing you do, you’ll review many different types of results. If your client wants to build on their social media success, you may look at how many times people react to a post and how many times the link/button was clicked.
Another client may ask you to write a blog post that is search engine optimized (we’ll cover this in a future blog). For them, you might look at how well the keywords you’re using on the web page are doing compared to others.
Either way, you’ve spent way too many meetings during lunch and after school for that skill to be neglected.
That’s not all…
Believe it or not, I’ve only scratched the surface of how teaching is marketing. And the concepts above can (and will) definitely be fleshed out over time.
This year, I have an amazing surprise planned for teachers like you who may be curious about copywriting as a side hustle – and for those who want to make it a full-time career, you’ll love it even more.
For now, consider this the start to a wonderful journey that leaves you feeling rejuvenated, inspired, and excited about the extra cashflow you’ll create.
Let’s build something wonderful together.
Are you a teacher looking to become a copywriter? Let’s connect for your free consultation and get you started on the right path.