Wow 2022. I think we will all look back on this year with mixed feelings. It was the year things ‘opened up’ after lockdowns and for many, this was exciting to live life a little more freely. For many, that was quite anxiety provoking and meant making personal decisions about how much risk we were willing to take in our lives.
For me, it was a combination of both. I tried to get out there, live my life and make up for the past few years. But now in December, it’s led to a whole new level of… exhaustion. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been more ready to take a break and recharge for 2023!
From work to home life, 2022 has been memorable for me. Here’s a bit of a summary:
The highlight
The highlight for me was CopyCon, the copywriting conference which took place in October. I won Copywriter of the Year 2022 and also made a presentation about how to thrive as a freelance copywriter. Doing this presentation reminded me how much I love public speaking and how I’d like to integrate it into my career in the not so distant future.
I also just loved attending the conference and learning so much from the presenters. The conference went for two days with a smaller group Mastermind and the main conference day. My standouts were:
- Mariska Threadgold who talked about creating bucket lists in life and business.
- Jonathan Crossfield who talked about the importance of fact-checking and how to really check your work.
- Christine Corcoran who gave some amazing tips on how to overcome the imposter syndrome.
Of course, the other highlight was finally meeting all the other copywriters who I’ve been chatting with online over the last few years. I’ve already booked in for the Misfit Entrepreneurs conference next October. Who’s coming?!
The lowlight
The lowlight about this year was the backlog of bugs. All the viruses and colds that we’ve avoided over the last two years of on-off isolation came to visit in 2022. What fun for us all. With two kids at school and one at daycare, it felt like someone was constantly sick.
In our house, we’ve had 3 cases of COVID, 3 cases of gastro (this was particularly crazy as my daughter’s ENTIRE kindy class came down with it in one night) and eleventy billion cold viruses.
I know I’m not alone with this! Let’s hope everyone has built up some more immunity and next year can be a bit healthier.
The clients
I’ve worked with 27 clients this year. Many of the clients I worked with have been ongoing clients who I’ve either done regular work for over the years or who come back when they need more copywriting work. I love building relationships with clients and really getting to know their brand and tone of voice. However, many are new clients who I’ve worked with for the first time. This has been wonderful to get to know new people and new industries.
My niche is caring industries so many of my clients are in the medical and health, aged and disability care spaces. However, those genres can be quite broad – this year I’ve worked on topics including healthcare furniture, medical accounting, medical waste, hospitality, coaching and transport.
The work
As a former news journalist, my favourite pieces to write are blogs and articles. I love researching complex topics and writing about them succinctly and hopefully entertainingly. This year, I wrote:
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- 101 articles
- 87 website pages
- 23 brochures
- 16 video scripts
- About 20 other types of content including emails, case studies, LinkedIn posts and a few other things.
I guess I’ve been pretty busy!
The learning
I believe we should never stop learning and 2022 is no different. I continued to be a member of the Clever Copywriting School where I did countless masterclasses and training sessions. This year, I refined my skills on white papers, SEO copy, video scripts and awards as well as lots of mindset coaching.
I also completed the How to Write Patient Education Materials course at Health Writer Hub which was a great education and one I look forward to sharing with my clients.
What’s coming up in 2023?
In 2023, I have a big move… literally. I spent the second half of this year packing up and selling our house. In 2023, we are moving to a new home where I will have a new office space to call my own. And yeah the kids will have their own bedrooms and a backyard blah blah blah. But it’s mainly about the office! I’m looking forward to having a bit more space and a door to close so I can’t hear my noisy family!
Thank you to everyone who has chosen me to be their content and copywriter this year. Also thank you to the people who have supported me and my business this year.
After a break in January, I look forward to working with more new and old clients on their content needs.