Last month I took a little break from the regular treadmill of running a small business and took myself away for a little me time.

With my laptop under my arm and some shiny new stationery in my bag, I tootled my way down to Melbourne to join a few hundred fellow copywriters for Australia’s only dedicated copywriting conference, CopyCon.

Yes, for a self-confessed word nerd, me time means spending the day with a room full of other word nerds talking about, well, words.

And I couldn’t be happier.

What exactly is CopyCon?

CopyCon is the brainchild of SEO copywriter extraordinaire, Kate Toon. Until just a few short years ago, copywriting was typically relegated to a guest spot at larger marketing, advertising or digital conferences. CopyCon was born to give copywriters a chance to meet, learn and discuss all things copywriting – all day.

What was on offer at CopyCon19?

From tips on how to run our businesses and attract clients to the latest in copywriting trends and SEO strategies, we enjoyed a tasty tray of word nerd nibbles designed to make us better writers, improve our skills and grow our businesses.

A few words of wisdom from the best in the business

Host Jenny de Lacy wrangled a strong line up of guest speakers in her signature irrepressible style that kept the day barrelling along. Jenny’s sage tip to the audience early on was to grab at least one key take away from each speaker. So here’s a few:

Robert Gerrish – Founder of Flying Solo

Robert laid out a plan for tackling imposter syndrome by exploring Valerie Young’s The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women. The trick? Owning your type – Perfectionist, Superwoman, Natural Genius, Soloist or Expert – and tackling your negative behaviour head on.

Suzanne Chadwick – Founder and Brand Consultant at The Connection Exchange

Suzanne encouraged us to share the love as we move beyond the digital revolution to the ‘the revolution of the heart’.

Ryan Wallman – Associate Creative Director and Head of Copy at Wellmark

Ryan showed us that when it comes to tag lines, there is power in simplicity. Looking at greats like “Just do it”, you can’t really disagree.

Aaron Agius – Co-founder & Managing Director at Louder.Online

Aaron opened our eyes to just how much digital noise there is out there – 90% of online content gets no traffic from Google.

Kate Toon – Founder of The Clever Copywriting School

Kate walked us through the nuances of working with clients and the importance of getting the four Ms right – mindset, marketing, method and management.

Bernadette Schwerdt – Founder of Australian School of Copywriting

Bernadette urged us to take the time to get our headlines right for sales pages – they can make or break a marketing campaign.

David Bell – Executive Creative Director at MercerBell

David shared his secret weapon against staring at a blank screen. Surprisingly simple, just turn the computer off (and get out a pen and paper).

Rob Marsh – Copywriter and host of The Copywriter Club Podcast

Rob explained the dark art of using the Pandora Effect as a force for good in our sales copy.

And of course, we washed all this knowledge down with the much-anticipated networking drinks at the end of the day. Much-anticipated not just because of the open bar, but also because it was a chance to mingle with our peers and put a lot of faces to names. Most of us work entirely online these days and while many of us had crossed paths digitally, it was a rare in-person catch up.

So yes, it was work. But when you love words, spending a day with other word people is a whole lot of play.