What does a copywriter do? - Copywriting as a career?

Are you new to copywriting?

Then you are at the right place. Copywriting is the art of writing text or content for the purpose of advertising or any form of marketing. Before we understand what does a copywriter do?, it is useful to understand the meaning of “copy”.

The term copy generally refers to text in books,magazines and newspapers. The act of persuasive writing to motivate people to take some form of action such as making a purchase, click on a link or signing up for the newsletter is called copywriting.

What does a Copywriter do?

Most of us might have seen taglines under various brands . But have you ever wondered who writes these taglines? It is the role of the copywriter to write these creative and catchy taglines or slogans.

Copywriting is used to promote the image of a brand. For example, consider the brand “Nike”. Nike sells various products such as T-shirts, shorts,trousers, shoes and many more. Someone someday named the brand name Nike, it might be CEO or any other person. Nike for example has created a slogan “ Just Do It” . This slogan might likely be created by the copywriters. Good Slogans feature good copywriting.

source: Nike

Copywriting is not only used to promote the brands identity but also to sell products and services.Apple for example sells various products such as ipads, iphones, macbooks and services such as itunes and many more. “This Colour makes a Difference”, is the text used by Apple to promote their products which are red in colour. Copywriting is not only used to promote a brand but to sell products as well.

source: Apple India

Different Types of Copywriting

Copywriting is broadly divided into 4 categories. The 4 different types of copywriting are

1. Direct Response Copywriting
2. Marketing Copywriting
3. Brand Copywriting
4. SEO Copywriting

What is Direct Response Copywriting?

Direct Response Copywriting is a persuasive type of copywriting where readers are persuaded to take an action such as sign up for a newsletter or share a piece of content.

Direct Response Copywriting is usually used to write squeeze pages, home pages, contact us pages and about pages.

Lets understand direct copywriting with an example

source: Netflix.com

In the above image the text “See what’s next” is an example of direct response copywriting. The writer creates a sense of urgency within the readers to see what's gonna happen next. The headline stands unique and makes the reader intrigued to learn more.

What is Copywriting in Marketing?

Marketing copywriting is another form of persuasive communication to promote the sale of products and services. Selling products on radio and television or newspapers requires a different style of copywriting.

Radio,for example, relies entirely on spoken words, sound effects and music to communicate with potential buyers. Television on the other hand relies on graphics,sound and appropriate tag lines to communicate effectively with the audience.

What is Brand Copywriting?

Brand Copywriting is a form of copywriting where text or content is used to promote the image and identity of a brand. In brand copywriting the copy should sound as if the image is speaking.

Brand copywriters try to establish an emotional connection between the brand and its target audience.

Image -Apple think different

source: Apple

Apple for example once used the slogan “Think Different”. By looking at or reading these slogans people connect emotionally to the brand. That's the power of copywriting. A good copy attracts more audience.

Brand Copywriting is used to write About us/About me pages.

SEO Copywriting

SEO copywriting is another compelling writing technique that focuses on readers to take a particular action and also rank on google.

In this form of copywriting the writer has to portray content in such a way that it is appealing to both readers as well as google.

SEO copywriting is used to write product pages , landing pages and product descriptions.

Content Writing vs Copywriting?

The most important thing that differentiates copywriting and content writing is its purpose. Copywriting is used to sell something. It can be a product such as a shoe, mobile phone or a service such as gmail or it can be promoting a brand. A content writer informs,educates, instructs readers.

source: Uxplanet

Copywriters want people to take immediate action, such as signing up for a newsletter, clicking on an ad or downloading a resource. Content writers try to build relationships with the audience, establish trust and want to position their brand as resourceful and trustable.

Copywriters usually write short form content while content writers write long form copy.

Copywriters write copy for

1. Print
   1. Newspaper
   2. Magazines
   3. Direct Mail
   4. Catalogs
2. Outdoor:
   1. Billboards
   2. Bus Shelter ads
   3. Vehicle Signage
3. Online
   1. Banner ads on websites and social media platforms such as Facebook, Insta
   2. Mobile ads ( on smartphones)
   3. E-commerce product pages.
4. Branding:
   1. Naming a product
   2. Taglines
   3. Slogans

Difference between public relations writing and copy writing:

Many people confuse between copywriting and public relations writing.Public relations writing is not copywriting. People who write speeches, media briefs and news releases are public relations writers. The main objective of a public relations writer is to inform them whereas the aim of copywriting is to take an action or sell something.

Difference between Technical writing and copywriting:

Technical writing is designed to explain how a product or a service works. COpywritingis used to promote technical products such as antivirus software. This is considered as technical copywriting.

Source: amazon.in

To get a lucid understanding of these terms , let us consider an example. For example, Amazon Prime launches a new service that costs $5 per month.

1. A copywriter writes a promotional message that promotes the service and persuades people to sign up for the service. The goal of copywriting is to sell.
2. A content writer educates or informs the reader more about the service and how it could be useful for the audience.
3. A technical writer explains to the reader how to sign up or pay for the service.
4. A public relations writer gives out a press release inviting media people to the launch event or informing the media about their new service.

Copywriting as a career?

If you enjoy writing, a copywriting career is a good match to your talents. Copywriters come from a variety of backgrounds. Copywriting is one of the most profitable and fruitful careers. Businesses are hiring copywriters on a massive scale to promote and sell their products and services.Choosing copywriting as a career gives you flexibility to select the type of job. Here are the 3 different roles if you take up copywriting as a career.

1. You can work as a copywriter in an agency
2. You can work as a copywriter in your in house marketing team
3. You can work as a freelance copywriter as well.

The next question that comes to use, How much does a copywriter earn?

Here are the average salaries of copywriters.

1. Copywriters working at agencies start at an average salary of $47k and go up to an average of $88k
2. Freelance copywriters are all over and earning depends upon the number of projects you take up. There are some freelance copywriters who earn more than $100k per year.

It is advised to look at entry level jobs and get a grip on various skills needed to become a professional copywriter.