If you’re new to the world of copywriting, you might wonder what exactly it involves. Is it just writing compelling content for websites and social media? What are the specific tools and training you need to become a successful copywriter?
This article will answer these questions and more. We’ll discuss what skills and training you need to become a successful copywriter, the tools of the trade, and the various specialties within the field. Let’s get started.
Copywriting Is A Broad Specialty
Although copywriting is a broad subject area, it actually covers a lot of specific areas. For instance, you might specialize in SEO copywriting or content strategy. Depending on your niche and the size of your firm, you might do one or more of the following:
- SEO Copywriting
- Content Strategy
- Web Content
- Social Media Copywriting
- Email Marketing
- Podcasting
- Website Redesign
- Brochure Design
- Event Marketing
- Product Launches
- And the list goes on
Each of these are distinct areas of copywriting. However, as a general rule, if you want to become a successful copywriter, you should look into one of the following:
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
- Content strategy
- Online marketing
- Public Relations (PR)
- Digital Marketing
- Writing
- Communications
- Journalism
- Corporate communications
- Business writing
- Technical writing
If you’re just getting started or if you’re looking for an entry-level job, you might decide to specialise in SEO copywriting or content strategy. Depending on your skills and experience, you might also do one or more of the following:
- Articleing
- Press release writing
- Feature writing
- Blogging
- Ghostwriting
- Technical writing
As a budding copywriter, you’ll no doubt be asked to write press releases and articles for local newspapers and magazines. You might also be asked to write pitching documents for businesses.
In addition to writing press releases and articles for publications, you might be called upon to write copy for businesses. Whether you’re writing marketing material, website content, or sales copy, you’ll need to learn to juggle multiple projects and deadlines. To optimise your productivity, you might want to look into using a content management system (CMS) like HubSpot. With a CMS, you can create and revise content whenever you like without having to manually check for spelling errors and arrange for images to be downloaded or embedded in the text. A CMS is also the ideal tool for creating web content that can be used across multiple platforms for different devices.
The Difference Between SEO Copywriting And Content Strategy
Although they are both forms of copywriting, SEO copywriting and content strategy have a few differences. Firstly, SEO copywriting is the process of improving the ‘organic’ or ‘natural’ traffic to your site. This usually involves using a combination of on-site and off-site techniques, such as:
- Keyword research
- Meta description and tags
- Content creation
- Link building
- Articleing
- Press release writing
- Social media management
- Geo-targeted ads
In contrast, content strategy is the process of developing a plan for creating and distributing content. This content might be used online or in other formats, such as a mobile app or printed magazine.
- Anchor text
- Headlines
- Subheads
- Body copy
- Images
- Citations
- Mobile apps
- PDF reports
- Web content
- And much more…
As a copywriter, you’ll need to know how to accurately incorporate keywords into the text of your writing. When someone searches for a product or service on Google, the keywords they use will affect the results they see on the search engine. Knowing how to properly incorporate keywords into your content and optimising your blog posts for the search engines is therefore essential. Using a free tool like Google Keyword Planner is a great way to make sure you’re using the right keywords in the right places. Don’t worry – you don’t need to run every keyword on every piece of content, especially if you’re just getting started. As you build your competence, you can increase the words you use. When it comes to SEO, more isn’t always better. A key phrase is usually just two to three words long. If you can fit these keywords into your content without it being too repetitive, all the better.
Specialties In Copywriting
As we’ve established, being a skilled copywriter involves knowing about a variety of topics. If you’re looking for a more specific specialty, you might want to look into one of the following: