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section One: Are You A Copywriter?
For the past five years I've bustle one of the leading copywriting agencies in the UK. We work with several major search agencies and brands, writing web pages, email, blogs, articles, news feeds, white papers and magnificent distinguished every other type of marketing communication you could care to mention.
But a copywriting agency doesn't unprejudiced spring into life fully formed. Many agencies spring from a successful freelance copywriter having more work than they can handle. And before that every freelance copywriter has to inaugurate somewhere: with their first paying client.
Even before you catch the drop and commence marketing yourself as a freelance copywriter, you need to be aware that copywriting isn't a career for everyone. To be successful you need to have an aptitude, an interest and a willingness to learn. So before you even type your first word, ask yourself the question:
"Have I got what it takes to be a copywriter? "
In reply to that request I consider there are FOUR key skills you need to have before you launch marketing yourself.
These are:
1. A appreciate of language
By the time I started my career as a staff copywriter for a describe company sixteen years ago I'd already had a sparkling bit of practice as a writer. I wrote stories, essays, poor poetry and developed a appreciate of language through reading widely. If you're not keen in writing in all its varied forms then reconsider your choice of career. That may sound clear but there are many people out there who judge that copywriting is an easy method to design a living. It's not – and you have to like the written word if you want to succeed.
2. A kindly concept of spelling and grammar
By the time I started working I could already write structured, grammatically moral allege largely free of spelling mistakes. You may believe that no one in this day of fonespeak and tweeting really needs to expend honorable grammar or spelling. You would be imperfect. clear, there are writers who utilize idiomatic forms but in my experience you've got to understand the rules to know when it's appropriate to wreck the rules. obedient grammar and spelling accomplish your communication more effective.
3. An conception of how gracious writing is structured.
Structure starts with being able to resolve the legal words and then shiny how to write a expedient sentence that conveys your meaning clearly. It's about how you build together those sentences to acquire the finish you want most effectively and efficiently. Different forms of writing exercise different conventions for creating the desired accomplish and piece of being a valid copywriter is in notion not only how to expend those conventions imaginatively but also how to subvert them.
4. An awareness that copywriting is about getting results
In my first job as a staff writer I learned an fantastic amount about producing sharp, well-constructed writing. Working in a business environment taught me very fleet that copywriting is very different to other kinds of writing – it has to elicit a response. In my case, I was writing press releases. These were designed to collect stories about our artists into the press. There are lots of tips and tricks I could give you about press releases but that's for another time. The point here is that copywriting is about producing action in the reader.
People (well, not many anyway) don't read brochures, product descriptions or sales letters for fun. They do it because they want to be persuaded to occupy (or to vote, or to fraction with their email address, or to donate) and copywriting is all about the art of persuading someone to hold action. If you're thinking that copywriting will be a fun arrangement of writing stuff you like for money then reflect again.
In fact, most copywriting requires you to forget yourself completely and only assume about the client and the customer. Copywriting is closer to a craft than an art and while it can be imaginative, creative work the ultimate aim is functional – to persuade the reader to do something you want them to do.
If you can tick all these boxes and get pleasure in each one then you're ready for the challenge of trying to become a freelance copywriter. In my next article I'll talk more about what it's like to be a copywriter and the kind of challenges and rewards you can ask.
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