How to Become a Copywriter

To cut it short.
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Who is a copywriter

If you always thought that a copywriter is a mythological character, which comes directly from Narnia or something like that, in this article we are going to open and enter that wardrobe and find out all about this mysterious and yet very known profession.

Copywriting is not such an imaginary job as you might think, it is actually a very old profession: billboards, newspapers, magazines and TV commercials that you read, see and listen to are specifically made by copywriters to grab your attention. Modern copywriting has evolved and adapted to new communication media, like the ones brought by the Internet: personal blogs, social networks, webpages, online journals.

Therefore, a copywriter’s job is to craft words in a way that will grab, connect and interact with a target audience and possibly, move them to take action. Copywriters write copy that sells. In order to do that they have to write content that actually gets read, so they need to understand their audience, what is their problem and present them a solution. They want to inform and educate of course, but most of all they want to inspire action, moving readers to do something: clicking on a button, calling for info, subscribing to a newsletter, activating notifications, buying something.

The skills of a copywriter

But copywriters don’t just write copies. There’s a lot more to this job. They have to do tons and tons of research first: keywords, backgrounds of a specific topic or product, statistics, brand history of a company or service. Not to mention the market survey they have to carry on: customers, their buying journey, trends, competitors and the overall industry. They have to create the copy also keeping in mind the company’s vision, mission and core values, in order to choose the right words that will represent them.

Then, they have to brainstorm, find ideas, create concepts, build a story behind a product, working at times side by side with other professional figures, like graphic designers and marketers for example. They have to think about the copy they have to write according to the media and format it is meant for; whether it’s for a magazine, an advertisement or a blog, they have to adapt the copy to it. Moreover, they have to be able to present their copy to the client, explaining and pitching the marketing campaign they have worked on.

They need to have strong writing, reading, listening and communication skills, they need to write in a straightforward, simple, consistent way. They have to master language and grammar, refining tone of voice, punctuation, readability, style, context and content. Speaking about tone of voice, they also have to identify a brand voice, adjusting the copy to it. The final job of proofreading and editing is not to be underestimated. A lot of drafts of a single copy are produced before getting to the final one.

So, copywriters need to have the big picture in mind. To do all the work listed above in order to have this big picture in mind, what are the skills required to become a copywriter?

First of all, being a pretty “old” profession, a degree is not explicitly required, and yet there isn’t a specific degree, bachelor’s or master’s, dedicated to the art of copywriting. Many copywriters start from a writing curriculum: journalism, creative writing, communication. So, if you do have a degree in one of these fields, you do have a pretty good background. There are also lots of certifications, like writing and editing, or marketing and communications which work as a good starting point.

Then, it goes without saying that well…you need to like writing and have an impeccable command of the language. Punctuation, grammar, spelling, vocabulary, semantics, pragmatics and all aspects concerning linguistics. Only if you have a perfect knowledge of the language you will then be able to bend it as you like it, in order to be ironic, clever and original. An attention to detail is also essential, especially in the proofreading and editing phase.

You’ll also need to have a creative mind: you have to think creatively and write creatively. Other technical skills you will need to have are the ones related to the marketing aspect: SEO knowledge, digital marketing, content management systems, promotional thinking. Knowing how to “place” a brand on the Internet using the right words, how to build a webpage or a personal blog, any kind of related skill is an added value to being a copywriter.

As a more experienced copywriter you will need a portfolio of your works. But no worries, if you have just started in this industry, a personal blog or journal articles will be a perfect litmus test. Writing is the killing feature.

The demand for online content is getting higher and higher and therefore copywriters need to write more and increase their productivity, but without affecting the quality of their content. They must arm themselves with tools that can facilitate research, ideation, and content creation. That’s why in their daily work activity, copywriters use several different tools to research, ideate and write their contents. But there’s another thing copywriters must enhance, which is time-saving. They need to speed up their writing process, focusing on what they are writing, from which sources they are studying and giving vent to their creativity and imagination.

Now, they can do this in one single platform, Storykube. Its powerful AI will help them speed up their work, save time and write more. Storykube is there, waiting for all copywriters, with all its amazing features and its unique technology. Opening that door and entering that wardrobe will let copywriters discover a world of magic. They will not want to get out of it.