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# How to learn copywriting from scratch and for free
- URL: https://www.unbore.com/how-to-learn-copywriting-from-scratch-and-for-free/
- Published: 2026-03-04T01:19:43.000Z
- Updated: 2026-03-06T15:26:30.000Z
- Description: If I had to start my career from scratch, here's how I'd do it...
- Author: Shlomo Genchin
- Tags: Career

*If I had to start my career from scratch, here’s how I’d do it:*

## 1\. Study

You’ll find everything that is taught in ad schools in books or for free.  
But, portfolio schools, courses, and universities give you four things that books don’t:

• Structure

• Mentors

• Community

• Internships  
​  
If you can’t afford education, that’s alright. You can still do it yourself.  
Start with structure. Create a personal syllabus of everything you want to study, or use mine:

![my personal syllabus](https://storage.ghost.io/c/56/7c/567cd7c2-834c-4b5b-a024-a798f2ebbdf8/content/images/2026/03/2.webp)

​[Click here](https://affiliate.notion.so/shlomo?ref=unbore.com) to access my favorite books, articles, and posts.

## 2\. Practice

Creative practice mainly comes down to:

• Imitation

Find work that you like and try to make something similar.

• Improvement

Find work that you don’t like and try to make something better.

• Invention

Come up with your own [spec campaigns](https://shlomo.wpengine.com/?ref=unbore.com#fake-ads-bring-real-opportunities).

![creative process, imitate, improve, and invent](https://storage.ghost.io/c/56/7c/567cd7c2-834c-4b5b-a024-a798f2ebbdf8/content/images/2026/03/3-2.jpg)

💡 Tip: Find a creative partner. For example, if your focus is writing, work with a designer.  
It can be someone from your course or a community like [r/advertising](https://www.reddit.com/r/advertising/?ref=unbore.com) or [Very Creative People](https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1790186/?ref=unbore.com).

## 3\. Get feedback

Practice without feedback is useless.  
Get social, peer, and mentor feedback on these platforms:

![creative feedback, social and peer feedback, and mentor feedback](https://storage.ghost.io/c/56/7c/567cd7c2-834c-4b5b-a024-a798f2ebbdf8/content/images/2026/03/4.webp)

I explain how to find mentors [here](https://shlomo.wpengine.com/?ref=unbore.com#how-i-found-mentors-as-an-ad-student).

## 4\. Build your brand

A creative’s personal brand consists of:

![personal brand chart, portfolio, network, and content](https://storage.ghost.io/c/56/7c/567cd7c2-834c-4b5b-a024-a798f2ebbdf8/content/images/2026/03/5.webp)

Learn how to build a creative portfolio [here](https://shlomo.wpengine.com/portfolio-guide/?ref=unbore.com).

💡 Tip: If you want to share your journey online, these will help you:

- [The Ultimate Guide to Writing Online by David Perell](https://perell.com/essay/the-ultimate-guide-to-writing-online/?ref=unbore.com)
- [Writing Better by Julian Shapiro](https://www.julian.com/guide/write/intro?ref=unbore.com)
- [Show Your Work by Austin Kleon](https://www.amazon.com/Show-Your-Work-Austin-Kleon/dp/076117897X?&linkCode=ll1&tag=shlomo08c-20&linkId=1cf96bc4b0584cc2229e42418489aad5&language=en%5FUS&ref%5F=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl&ref=unbore.com)

## 5\. Start working

Get your first client, land an internship, or start a business and promote it.  
The more you invest in your personal brand, the easier it’ll be to land your first gig.

💡 Tip: If you do cold outreach, remember that 99% of creatives just send boring emails. So, show, don’t tell. Create a spec piece for the clients you’d like to work for. If they hire you, congrats. If they don’t, great, you have a new portfolio piece.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/56/7c/567cd7c2-834c-4b5b-a024-a798f2ebbdf8/content/images/2026/03/6.webp)

The process isn’t linear, though.  
Usually, it’s more like everything, everywhere, all at once.