Want to do a copywriting course? How to get your boss to pay

Handing in my resignation, to become a copywriter, was glorious.

Not because I ran through the office whooping and throwing papers, although that might have been fun.

It was glorious because in addition to leaving a job I had lost all excitement for, I converted my old job into my first retainer copywriting client!

This quote from my interview with entrepreneur Yaro Starak pretty much sums up my approach:

Most of us have responsibilities, so making rash decisions like randomly leaving your job in the hope of figuring out how to make money yourself is just not realistic.

Belinda made the process much safer by being careful with how she transitioned between each key change to her work. She had a sound strategy, made sure she was educated and could provide value, and slowly rebalanced what she focused on until she found herself living the dream.

Before I left full-time employment, I invested in developing my copywriting skills and slowly built my business on the side. I’m not sure I’m “living the dream”, but I’ve been pretty damned happy with my working life since that moment, and I am not considering going back to working for someone else.

And it all began with a copywriting course. The sweetest part? My boss paid for it.

This post shares some tips to help you take a copywriting course with the full (financial) support of your employer.

Research the copywriting course

When you’re researching courses, you’ll need to consider such aspects as:

• Whether you want to do an online copywriting course or attend face-to-face sessions.
• How much time the course requires and if that will impact your workload.
• What you will learn and how it can be applied to your current job.

And, of course, how much the copywriting course costs.

I chose a home study option. That meant I didn’t have to take time off work to attend sessions, and I could revisit the content over and over again without having to ‘get it’ in one hit. I wanted my boss to pay for it, but I was happy to study outside of work hours because I had my eye on the end prize – becoming a copywriter!

Find out the training budget (if you can)

One of the reasons my request for my boss to pay for my copywriting course had a good chance of success was that I knew how much budget each employee was allocated for training each year.

Knowing my request was within the allocated budget reduced the potential reasons for a no.

You can ask your boss directly or play detective and ask someone in the know. If the cost is over the training budget, ask HR about policies on partial reimbursement if you pay for the course yourself.

Arm yourself with answers

Your goal is to maximise the benefits of the course (to the company) with minimal disruption to your current role. Your first piece of copywriting research and analysis!

If your boss is smart, she will ask you questions such as:

• Why is this copywriting course the best choice?
• How will this copywriting course make you more valuable to the company?
• In what areas will you perform better and how?
• Can you share, for the benefit of the company, what you’ve learned with others?

Prepare to answer these (even if they aren’t asked).

Tip: Don’t make this request about you. Your pitch should be about how the company will get a return on its investment (and how your boss will end up looking awesome).

For my own pitch, I created a list of the copywriting projects I did over the business quarter. As the marketing bod, my list included email marketing, brochures, website copywriting, sales letters and advertising. And anything else that needed ‘a writer’ to tackle it, including business letters.

If you don’t have that kind of list, document any written communications you do on behalf of the business you work for. Consider the promotional aspects and the impact on customers, because when customers are impacted, so is the business.

Present your case

If you write copy as part of your job, your chances of getting your copywriting course paid for are greatly increased.

I wrote lot of copy as part of my job, so it was easy to present the benefits of writing more effective copy in the various campaigns I planned and ran.

Benefits might include:

• Improving the effectiveness of your writing, resulting in:
  • Greater responses from campaigns.
  • More sales/brand awareness/engagement etc.
  • Enhancing the company’s reputation with more professional communications.
  • Savings on outsourcing writing projects to copywriters.
• Improving the efficiency of your writing process, helping you to achieve more in less time.

Sample letter

You can write a letter or email (like the one below), and, if you can, book a meeting to discuss your recommendation.

Dear [boss name]:

I appreciate [company name]’s investment in our skills each year. As part of my training schedule, I am recommending a copywriting course.

Some of the writing my role requires includes [example of writing 1, writing 2, writing 3].

I believe that by improving the effectiveness of my [business/marketing] communication, I can help [company name] to:

• Benefit 1.
• Benefit 2.
• Benefit 3.
• As many as you can – remember to focus on the business gains.

I have done extensive research on the copywriting courses available and suggest the Copywriting Master Class offered by Copywrite Matters. The lessons are delivered over 12 weeks, with approximately three to five hours of engagement per week. As the course is self-paced and online, my lessons won’t impact my workload, and I am happy to study outside of work hours.

The course opens just twice a year and I have the chance to become one of only 15 students to learn from and be coached by experienced copywriter Belinda Weaver.

The current price is $1799 as a one-time payment or a payment plan with affordable payments over six months.

I believe the return will outweigh the investment. I welcome your thoughts.

If you have any questions or if I may proceed with booking the course, please let me know.

Want a copy of this sample letter to use?

Yes please!

What if they say no?

Don’t be afraid to ask why. It might be a matter of timing, and you can ask again later in the year. You might get some specific requirements you have to meet or ways you can up your game to make a yes more likely.

Get smart about using your company’s training budget to level up your copywriting skills. I did it and you can too!

Belinda