If you’ve been searching for a new career, you’ve probably come across the term “copywriter.” A copywriter is someone who takes a story or pitch and turns it into a compelling piece for publication. Stories typically deal with some kind of advertising or marketing push, and are designed to be concise and compelling enough to make an average reader want more.
If you’re curious about how to get started in copywriting, keep reading. We’ve put together a detailed career guide that will get you confidently applying for jobs in just a few short months. You’ll learn about key skills your future employer might look for, as well as gain a good understanding of the profession. Let’s get started.
Overview Of This Profession
To begin with, let’s take a quick look at what makes up a typical day in the life of a copywriter. You’ll note that there are four distinct stages to this process.
First, you’ll need to research the story you’re working on. You’ll want to find out everything you can about the product or service the story is based upon. What is the current market share of this product? How long has this product been on the market? What are some of the biggest complaints from customers?
You’ll need to delve into the background of the product to make sure you understand the motivations of those who would purchase it. Your job is to make sure you know exactly what the product is and does so that you can write intelligible, compelling copy that will make those who read it want more. In order to do this, you’ll need to actively listen to customers and analyze their feedback. Many copywriters suggest that you should spend between ten and fifteen minutes per day on this stage of your workflow. You’re looking for patterns and trends that might arise from this information, so that you can develop a comprehensive understanding of the situation.
After you’ve gained this understanding, you’ll move to the second stage of your process: creating material for the story. You’ll need to take all that you’ve learned and synthesized it into an easy-to-follow pitch. Justify why the target audience should care about the subject matter you’re covering. Use keywords effectively and ensure that the story’s content is both original and compelling. Most importantly, make sure that everything you write is as objective as possible. Your goal is to create a balanced report that presents both sides of the argument. You’re not presenting these views yourself, you’re just recording them for the benefit of the reader. This material should be easy to understand yet entertaining enough to hold the reader’s interest. If what you’ve written is difficult to follow, overly academic, or filled with clichés, it’s probably not going to catch on with the general public.
Once you’ve created a draft of the pitch, you’ll need to review it thoroughly. Look at everything from the point of view of a general consumer. Imagine that you’re a prospective buyer, or at least someone who cares about the subject matter of the story. Now, go back and rewrite the pitch from this new perspective. Ask yourself questions, such as: Is this easy to understand? Is it well written? Does it present both sides of the argument well? You’re looking to improve every part of the pitch, as well as make it more concise and to the point. It should take about five minutes to go through this stage of your writing process. Anything longer and you’re leaving yourself open to editorial errors. Remember, you’re under a lot of pressure to make this pitch work, and you only have so much time to do it. You’ll need to keep this review short, but complete.
Working With An Editor
Once you’ve successfully passed the pitching stage, you’ll be assigned an editor. An editor is a person who takes your material and makes it look professional. They might help you format your work, polish your language, and suggest changes to make the piece more interesting or accessible to the reader. Working with an editor is an important step on the road to professional publication. You’re going to want to find someone with a lot of experience in the field, as well as someone you can trust to guide you through the process. Simply choose an editor you feel most comfortable working with and move on to the last stage of your process: proofreading and copyediting. This is where you’ll go over the material with a fine-toothed comb, ensuring that nothing stands out as being wrong. You might also be sent a copy of the piece to proofread, so that you can find any errors before the publication date. You’ll need to look for any typos, as well as make sure that everything is spelled correctly and that there aren’t any inconsistencies in the text. If you’re lucky, you’ll only have a day or two to do all this. If you’re doing the work remotely, you might have a week or more to complete this stage of the process. Either way, make sure that you leave yourself plenty of time. If you’re not comfortable doing any of these tasks yourself, ask the editor for help. Most likely, they’ll have some freelance writers they can put you in touch with. In any case, you’re not doing this yourself so don’t feel bad about asking for help. Remember, there are no shortcuts to becoming a successful copywriter. This is a profession that takes years of experience to learn. If you’re looking for a new career, you might want to consider exploring this one.