Finding Your Niche and Scaling Smart: An Interview with Andrejs Zenkevics, Founder of Get A Copywriter

Building a successful startup requires a robust product. On that note, we sat down with Andrejs Zenkevics, founder of Get A Copywriter, an international content writing platform. Our conversation explored three of the most pertinent issues common to the startup space: how AI is reshaping the content industry, what it takes to scale effectively, and which non-negotiables every sustainable startup must have. 

AI is now capable of generating high-quality copy, and it can even replace human writers in specific tasks. As the founder of a major content platform, how do you view this shift — and is it even accurate to frame it as a “conflict”? 

At this point, AI handles basic copywriting tasks quite well. In fact, it effectively replaced entry-level writers almost overnight when GPT-3.5 launched. But when it comes to expert-level or long-form content, AI still can’t consistently deliver. Maintaining brand voice, tone, and strategic goals is still a challenge.

That said, AI might eventually get there. But it will take years to refine the output quality because the companies building these models don’t focus solely on content creation. Their ambitions are much broader. The fact that AI can write well is just a byproduct of that larger mission.

There’s also an interesting side effect here. Search engines still rely on identifying and ranking expert-level content. But if a tool can generate tens of thousands of articles that appear just as polished and reliable as expert work, how will search engines know what to trust? If everything looks equally professional, AI-written content may dominate the top rankings, even if it’s not always accurate. That could degrade the overall search quality and drive users toward alternative sources.

This capability gives search engines a new challenge: avoiding being fooled by AI-generated content. Ironically, they’re also leaning into it themselves. Google, for instance, has rolled out AI Overviews — AI-generated topic summaries that appear at the top of search results.

So, while established businesses relying on organic traffic tend to stick with human-created content to avoid potential penalties, startups are in a different boat. They’re more open to experimenting with AI-generated content because they have less to lose — and potentially more to gain.

How has this shift impacted your business? 

About three years ago, when AI-generated content started going mainstream, we launched a hybrid service — “AI+Human.” The idea was to use AI to draft content and then bring in human editors to align it with the client’s tone, style, and brief. It was roughly half the cost of traditional content creation.

But we soon discovered a misalignment: clients expected prices 10 times lower than standard rates. Those demands made it infeasible for us to maintain content quality and SEO performance. So, we pivoted away from AI-generated offerings and doubled down on human expertise.

Tell us about the origins of Get A Copywriter. What was the initial idea, and how has it evolved over the past decade? 

After selling my previous business and relocating to Australia, I decided to explore opportunities in a new market. I joined a local SEO agency, but within six months, I realized that corporate life wasn’t for me. That’s when I set myself a challenge: for one month, I would post a new business idea on social media every day — each one feasible to launch with a $1,000 investment and capable of producing results within 30 days.

By day 14, I’d run out of “good” ideas — but one stuck with me: offering high-quality, SEO-optimized content delivered on a predictable timeline. This kind of business would solve a critical pain point for both SEO agencies and small- and medium-sized businesses, allowing them to launch campaigns without wasting time on editing, proofreading, or revisions.

Another challenge it could address was budget predictability. Agencies and smaller businesses often work with freelancers whose rates vary depending on experience, article length, and more. My idea was to offer fixed pricing — no surprises, no hidden costs.

I saw real potential in the product and was eager to build a minimum viable product (MVP). In the end, it cost me not $1,000 but $8,000 just to get that initial version off the ground — and eventually, even more. But within a year, I had a functioning platform that directly addressed the specific needs of SEO agencies, as well as small- and medium-sized businesses.

From the beginning, I wanted the product to be global. But I quickly realized we’d need to niche down to be effective. I started by analyzing 27 countries, narrowed that list to six promising markets, and ultimately focused on four core regions. For a long time, our main markets were Australia and the United States, with some presence in Western Europe. Today, 80% of our business comes from the U.S.

For the first eight years, we operated as a single-product company focused solely on content writing. But we began to realize that agencies and other businesses needed more than just text — they also required a broader range of digital services. That led us to start testing graphic design, SEO, and other offerings.

We tested additional services where we could offer reliability, speed, predictable pricing, and fast turnaround. Our goal was not just one-off sales but rather long-term relationships. Many businesses struggle with routine operational tasks, and we wanted to solve those problems by handing the work off to our specialists or using automation. All of it, ideally, in one seamless interface.

Today, we’ve expanded our offering beyond writing to include graphic design, motion design, SEO, and website development.

You’ve expanded Get A Copywriter beyond its original niche. How do you decide when a market is ready for a new service? 

It wasn’t so much that I chose the timing — the timing chose me. We still focused on content alone when GPT-3.5 came out. Not knowing AI’s limits, we didn’t know if the copywriting business could disappear overnight. No one knew how Google would treat AI content or how clients would respond.

That uncertainty led us to diversify. We launched and tested several new services in late 2022 and early 2023. Based on those tests, we chose to continue leading with content creation. However, we also expanded our white label services, graphic and motion design, and WordPress development — especially since many of our content and design clients were already on WordPress.

Tell us more about your white label offering. 

We don’t just work with end clients — we also serve agencies. In the early days, I studied our competitors and realized many of them came from a pure writing background. They were great at producing copy but didn’t fully understand the operational pain points agencies face.

I approached the business as a founder, not a writer — which meant designing solutions to simplify agency workflows, not just deliver content.

Agencies often have their own in-house writers and trusted freelancers, but they can hit bottlenecks. Maybe they have landed a massive client with urgent needs, or they branch into a niche they’re not familiar with. We’ve worked with over 5,000 clients and hundreds of vetted writers, so we can scale quickly and deliver expertise in any niche.

Sometimes, we work with agencies that specialize in other services — like graphic design — and want to add content to their offering. Or we help new entrepreneurs resell our services under their brand – our white label services. They set the markup, but we do the work.

Interestingly, when I researched the white label space, I found almost no similar offerings. It turned out to be quite an innovative angle.

What principles guide you when launching a new product or feature? To you, what makes a product “good”? 

First, you need a clear plan for customer acquisition — and a firm grasp of the economics. What will a click cost? What’s your conversion rate? Is this financially viable through paid channels?

Second, you must focus on lifetime value (LTV). Can this product lead to repeat sales or long-term relationships?

Third, you need to solve a real pain point. Read negative reviews of your competitors — that’s where the best product ideas are hiding. Talk to potential customers. Often, success doesn’t come from inventing something new — but just improving what’s already there. Speed up a process, make pricing transparent, and remove friction.

Early-stage products should be simple. No complex operations, no oversized teams, no over-engineered systems. Simplicity increases your odds of survival — and success.

You’ve also evaluated startups in pitch competitions and accelerators. What do you look for in early-stage companies? 

I’ve seen two main types of founders: the numbers-driven planners and the passionate dreamers.

The planners focus on systems and risk. I try to inject optimism into their thinking — to help them envision success. The dreamers often need the opposite: a dose of realism and structure.

Most of the startups I’ve judged were from small European markets, aiming to launch locally. I always encouraged them to think globally from day one. Every local market has its quirks, and if you over-optimize for them, scaling internationally becomes harder later on.

So, I look for clarity, scalability, and a fresh perspective — ideas that make you rethink something familiar. True entrepreneurs don’t build businesses for a quick buck. Company founders should want to make a difference and create something that will help others.

What are the common mistakes in launching digital service products? And what would you have done differently if you started over? 

The biggest mistake is failing to develop your service into a product. If you only charge hourly rates for vague deliverables, you end up with a freelance business, not a startup. You need defined pricing, a clear scope, and real solutions to client pain points.

Another common issue is underestimating financial risks. Founders often overlook hidden costs or fail to build safety nets into their models. That can sink the business down the line.

Looking back, I would’ve started in a bigger market. I launched in a niche with little competition, which quickly made us profitable, but it also capped our growth. Given my experience, I should’ve gone after a larger opportunity from the start. We’d be even further along today.

Still, things have turned out well. We’re growing in promising industries and niches — and we’re not finished scaling and creating solutions to help businesses grow.

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