Do you have a good handle on the English language? Can you pull off flawless speech? Can you craft a winning sales pitch? Are you confident your writing will always bring in the money you need to finance your entrepreneurial venture?
If your answer to any of these questions is ‘no’ then it might be time to consider building a career in copywriting. This is an industry that is growing year after year, particularly as content creators continue to grow in importance.
In this article, we will discuss how to test your copywriting skills and how to become a confident copywriter.
The Basics
Before you begin your copywriting journey, it’s important to establish some technical foundations.
First up, you need to learn grammar. Learning grammar doesn’t mean you’ll end up sounding like a dictionary, but it does mean you’ll have a better understanding of English syntax and the rules that govern it. Even if you go through a course that doesn’t teach you grammar, there are still plenty of words and phrases you should know, such as:
- Can’t
- Don’t
- Shouldn’t
- Good idea
- Usually
- However
- Nevertheless
- Nonetheless
- Although
- While
- When
- Because
- Since
- Meanwhile
- What is
- When
- If
- Then
- Who is
- Where does
- Who is
- What is
- When
- Why
- Where does
- Why
- Who is
- What is
- While
- Goodbye
- Your
- Saw
- Mine
- Next to
- Anybody’s
- Neither
- Neither
- Now
- There
- There’s
- Since
- Then
- Finally
- But
- Nowadays
- However
- Nonetheless
- However
- Nevertheless
- Nowadays
If you’re looking for an easy way to remember these words and phrases, you might want to pick up a copy of ‘Grammar For Dummies’, by Louise Carpenter. It’s an excellent reference book that will not only teach you the basics but also provide you with useful tips and insights on how to improve your speech and writing skills as a copywriter.
The Industry
Let’s first discuss what is copywriting. Simply put, copywriting is the art of writing compelling text to persuade, inform, or entertain an audience.
The focus of a copywriter is usually on brand voice, technical accuracy, and readability. A good copywriter will have a firm grasp of linguistic fundamentals and will put these skills to use in order to produce compelling, error-free content for a variety of industries. If you’re looking to establish a career in copywriting, it’s important to have a good understanding of the industry’s main objectives and the styles of communication required to achieve these objectives. This will make you stand out among other applicants and allow you to put your skills to good use sooner than you know it.
The Types Of Copy
As previously stated, the focus of a good copywriter is usually on brand voice, technical accuracy, and readability. This means you will be writing press releases, articles, and captions for websites and social media channels. When it comes to digital marketing, the term ‘copy’ can be used to describe all the content that is posted to a social media platform, such as a website or blog.
Another important factor to keep in mind when establishing your copywriting career is that you will be working with different clients, industries, and platforms. This means you’ll be learning new skills and establishing new connections as you progress in your career. For this reason, it’s essential you are ready to put in the hard work that will be required to establish yourself as a competent copywriter.
The Requirements
Although there are no fixed rules for what constitutes ‘good’ copy, there are certain guidelines you should follow if you want to become a successful copywriter. Here are some of the main requirements:
- A good grasp of the English language
- A proven ability to write solid stories
- A basic understanding of SEO
- An interest in all things digital
- A willingness to learn
- A drive to succeed
- A desire to work hard
- A great attitude
- Honey! We’ve got lots of honey!
These are just some of the requirements to become a successful copywriter. Now that you have an idea of what a copywriter does, how to test your grammar skills, and the basic technical foundations required, let’s get to the good stuff: how to become a confident copywriter.
Build Your Vocabulary
When we think about speech, we usually think about our mother tongue. However, it is important to remember there are several words and phrases you should be familiar with, even if you don’t speak English as your first language. Knowing these words and phrases will certainly make you sound more intelligent when speaking, and it will also make you appear more experienced to those who are listening. If possible, take a look at some of the most commonly used words in professional writing, and see how they are used in everyday speech. For example, words such as ‘verify’, ‘prove’, and ‘document’ can be used in both everyday speech and professional writing. Knowing when to use these words and phrases, and what meaning they carry, makes a huge difference. In most cases, these words and phrases will not be found in a typical English dictionary, but they will be used frequently in everyday conversation and even in text messages.
Develop Your Writing Style
Good writers usually have a clear voice, regardless of whether they are writing an article for a popular magazine or a company blog post for the whole world to see. It’s important to familiarize yourself with different styles of writing and learn how to apply them to your own work. If you want to become a confident copywriter, you need to familiarize yourself with the following:
- Numbered lists
- Bullet points
- Citations
- Caption styles
- Adjective-noun combinations
- Keyword-rich H1, H2, and H3 segments
- Short paragraphs
- Active voice
- Fancy fonts for headings
- Capitals
- Web addresses
- Chronological order
When it comes to developing your writing style, it’s important to understand how to use language to express yourself clearly and persuasively. Once you understand how to construct a well-written sentence, you will find it much easier to write a coherent story, whether you are writing for an academic publication or a popular blog. Learning about different styles of writing will also help you identify the most suitable one for your own brand. If you want to become a confident copywriter, it’s essential you identify your strengths and weaknesses, and work on fixing the latter.
Study The Industry
As stated previously, the focus of a good copywriter is usually on brand voice, technical accuracy, and readability. Unless you are aiming to become the next big name in digital marketing, it’s important to understand what your main audience is and what they want. You need to learn what the industry is doing and how to position yourself as an expert in your field. The better you understand the industry, the better you can connect with your audience and produce compelling content that will benefit them.