About Me — Vallabhi Upadhyay

I’m a copywriter, freelance consultant, and an overall lover of words

“Vallabhi, if you have access to me, don’t use it to kill me.” This was my Creative Director’s response when I asked questions about the account that I was assigned on my 2nd day of work.

I was nervous. Very nervous.

As a brand new employee, I didn’t know who was who and everyone seemed friendly. They said it was okay if I called them for help anytime… until I actually did.

“Creative people are a bit rude”, someone had said to me a long time back. “They keep the best to themselves”. The early-20s bright-eyed woman in me didn’t pay attention to this fact and shrugged it off as a bad experience that someone might’ve had.

Why? Because she was told that work-life is really different. Everyone is mature and helpful.

Soon I saw big media corporates for what they were: Machines with an endless churning of ideas, designs, and decks often causing mental fatigue in their employees.

I don’t complain because this helped me learn the trade.

I was told that I had come in with a reputation for quirky ideas. If that was the case, it didn’t show. While the account directors appreciated my ideas, they often found their execution lacking. There were instances when harsh feedback left me teary-eyed, struggling to maintain composure while on mute during client meetings.

I would wipe my tears later and rework the entire thing.

A Clueless Beginning:

When I started copywriting back in college, most of my friends didn’t understand what it was.

Now, 10 years later, they still don’t.

You will still hear them saying, “Vallabhi..I think, is a content writer”.

Hell, my mom tells people, “Vallabhi toh online articles likhti hai”, (Vallabhi writes articles online). People respond, ‘Achha, Content writing’.

This again is something I can’t complain about because where I’m from, only a handful of people understood what copywriting was.

I too had stumbled upon it.

I was drawn to copywriting when I first realized the power of words in driving businesses. This was when I was writing brand descriptions for a venture capitalist firm I was working in.

I was slowly realizing that everything we read, hear, or see was written somewhere first. That writing was the foundation of all media.

What was there to say now? I was heart, soul, and mind into it!

I didn’t have anybody teach it to me, no degree in English, and no literary societies.

All I had was a passion for words.

But passion alone doesn’t suffice, does it? After all, to earn a livelihood, one needs to hone a set of skills.

And you guessed it right, I didn’t have any trade-worthy skills.

I didn’t have any framework or systems in place. I was unaware of the technicalities. I was good with ideas but I had to do several iterations for hours on end to get to the right version! I had to work 2X, maybe even 4X harder than anybody else on my team.

I had no idea:

• How to conduct research or competitor analysis or
• How to replicate a brand’s tone

My employers had seen the potential in me and loved my writing tests & samples so they gave me a chance.

I remember my manager saying to me once, ‘Vallabhi, you have the knack for this — now all you need is to refine your skills.

So to prove myself worthy, I did tons of courses, and deep work on the side.

Learning is called a curve for a reason

The agency I was fortunate to work for was under the renowned Omnicom umbrella. I was thrown into the deep end, handling accounts of market giants and spearheading massive projects.

As you’re already aware, I dreaded meeting with the creative director like anything. I was afraid he’d think me a noob and in all honesty, he probably did.

But eventually, what always happens, happened. I gradually found my footing.

I improved my systems, advanced from a junior copywriter to a senior one, and finally, stepped into the shoes of an account manager. What a journey!

I had found what I was looking for. Experience in a field I’m passionate about.

During my time at the agency, I worked for some of the greatest brands you’ve heard of. My projects spanned across continents, teams, and verticals. Philips, Amazon, Redmi, Haier, OnePlus and so many more. I even wrote for celebrities like Neeraj Chopra, Kapil Dev, and Ranveer Singh.

I was the brand expert for Schneider Electric, the biggest silent player in sustainable growth.

Everything I learned was experimental, experiential, and challenging, and I loved doing it.

But monotony set in again.

If you work on a handful of accounts on a daily, you begin to embody their tone and forget your own.

Dude, I couldn’t even write something that didn’t sell a product’s benefit (lol). Agency work can do that to you.

I guess, this is when my new life subtly announced itself.

I recognized the importance of continuously upgrading my skills. I delved into every possible resource — books on copywriting, insightful blogs, enlightening newsletters, and more.

I wanted to get better so I started practicing various writing formats, talking to people, and landed my first freelancing client. I was fortunate enough to receive referrals. That’s how I got my 2nd client and 3rd.

After some initial hiccups, I took a leap of faith into the world of freelancing. Now, I am thrilled to share that I have been a full-time freelance consultant for the past few months.

How I found my calling

My CD must’ve spent years doing hard work, and stacking skills but never once utilized those skills to help another. That’s why, I want to.

I wanted to help the starters, the hustlers, the nervous ones.

I wanted to help them get better quickly, with the right guidance so that in this speedy race of skill, branding, and monetization they’re not left behind.

So while I was stacking up my skills, I was also taking notes to share with anyone who might need a quick swipe.

As I was practicing my email copywriting skills, I was developing exercises that could make learning faster and more effective. Hooks, subject lines, blogs, and ads copywriting, I created quick 1-minute exercises on all of them and shared them with my LinkedIn network for free.

I even spent my holidays preparing an email copywriting workbook. Created a newsletter on persuasion writing on LinkedIn and a lot more free resources.

Quick Lesson?

Learn, skill up, implement, and help as much as you can. It is a long and tiring journey, if your knowledge could shorten it a bit for someone else, do it.

I’ve begun learning and teaching, and to be honest, I haven’t enjoyed anything as much.

So, if you’re fortunate enough to have access to me, I invite you to utilize it to the fullest — even if it means challenging me to the point of exhaustion.

Cheers

Vallabhi