We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Erin Cafferty. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Erin below.

Hi Erin, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

The biggest risk I’ve ever taken was to go freelance. I was pursuing my Master’s degree in strategic communications when it came time to job hunt. After applying to over 100 corporate jobs because I felt like that was the obvious next step but never getting a single interview, I took a step back and asked myself what I wanted. I dug deep and realized I had talked about becoming a consultant for years, but didn’t go after it because I didn’t know what that looked like, how to start, or whether that would bring me success.

I started anyway. I took my goal — to become a consultant — and asked myself what I needed to make it happen. My first thought was to find someone who was doing what I wanted to do. I found a public relations consultant in Richmond who was willing to meet with me and asked her a million and one questions. While she didn’t end up hiring me, she did make me realize what I wanted wasn’t out of reach,

That’s when I went all in. I told my network online and offline that I was a freelancer (what I started calling myself after doing some more research into consulting) looking for social media or writing opportunities. That led to my first contract role, which gave me the confidence to keep pursuing this dream. After that, it was a snowball effect. As my confidence grew, I put myself out there more and more — I went to freelancer networking events, created my own community online, started a newsletter, met other creatives, and got hired to write for a living.

While it felt like a risk to pursue freelancing over a stable 9-5 at the time, it doesn’t feel like it now. Instead, I look back at 24-year-old Erin and thank her for staying true to herself and not following the linear path laid out for her that so many people before her took. The biggest risk of all is never going after your dreams.

Erin, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m Erin! I’m a freelance copywriter, co-founder of a membership community for remote workers, dog walker, and soon-to-be published author! I pursued public relations as an undergrad and got my Master’s degree in strategic communications. This led me to start freelancing immediately after graduation, where I’ve built my own personal brand over the past 4 years.

As a freelance copywriter, I write and assemble copy for your website, newsletters, and blogs that sounds like you and connects deeply with your audience so they come back to you again and again (and tell their friends!). My purpose is to provide clarity and direction for your messaging so you feel confident that you’re attracting the right type of clients and customers.

What sets me apart is my ability to dig deep and uncover the thread that connects your story with your audience. My clients tell me all the time that I’m able to take a jumbled mess of ideas in their head and turn it into persuasive copy that inspires action and builds deep connections. I also hear that I am extremely genuine and empathetic, which I feel aids my work as a writer.

I am most proud of being able to make a living writing every single day. That’s one of those things people tell you from a young age just isn’t possible. I’m living proof that it is.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I started out my business on Instagram. It began as a way to share my experience and thoughts on freelancing, being a remote worker, and becoming a highly-paid writer. It became a way to connect with other people who shared a similar journey and that could relate to me.

Freelancing and working remotely can be incredibly lonely, so the power and importance of community were apparent to me very early on. Instead of looking at social media best practices or what my “competitors” were doing, I connected with the people I was supposed to be competing with. I asked them to answer questions I had, I looked to them for advice, I organized Lives with other creatives, and I just reached out to people who I thought had interesting lives to see how they got there.

My curiosity and desire for connection drove me to build a social media presence, which turned into a true community of other writers and freelancers I can now call friends. If you want advice, I offer you this: Look inward. Why do you want to build an audience? Once you can figure that out, the numbers or slow growth you’ll inevitably face won’t matter and it will help you stay the course even when it feels like no one is listening.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I’m here to be the person that I needed when I was deciding what to do with my life. I wasn’t getting hired after I decided to go back to graduate school for strategic communications, so I took matters into my own hands and decided to go freelance. This was not done lightly and let me tell you… I was scared. But for the first time in my life, I felt excited about my future. I want everyone who comes into contact with me — whether as a friend or a client — to feel the same way.

As human beings on planet Earth, we have the power to design the life we want. The tough thing about that? Admitting that the life you have now is a result of the choices you’ve made and the opportunities you’ve acted upon. It’s tough to take responsibility for our lives. But I feel so strongly that when we do, our life gets better. Our mental health improves and we realize that everything we want out of life is possible.

The life I wanted seemed so out of reach, but once I focused on my mindset and really understood that my thoughts and energy have the power to help me create something beautiful, I built the life of my dreams… in reality. I want people to walk away from conversations with me feeling inspired, empowered, and pumped about their life, their business, and their ability to create the reality they’ve always wanted. Whatever that looks like for them.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.erincafferty.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/itserincafferty
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/erincafferty
• Other: Remote ID membership community + directory: https://remoteid.travellerbytrade.com/directory

Image Credits
Nicole of Peaks+Waves Portraits