If you read this blog regularly, or have searched for something like “how to become a copywriter” and found this article, we have good news for you. We’re digital copywriters, and good ones. We get paid to do what we love – write. And in this article, we’ll give you loads of advice on how to get started as a copywriter. 

Is Copywriting a Good Career? 

While we’re not “old,” we do have a lot of experience. But we remember what it was like to start out, and how we felt when we were just figuring out what we wanted to do professionally. Like all young people (and even older people), we wanted to make sure copywriting was a good career before we invested our hopes, time, energy and money into pursuing the career.

Here’s the good news: Copywriting is a great career. Just because ChatGpt exists doesn’t mean it’s any good. The text it produces is boring, generic and not good. And as the technology evolves, there will be more tools to detect AI. People don’t want to read words written by computers. They want to read content created by humans. So copywriting will always be a solid career path.

The government agrees. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, which monitors career outlooks, says, “Overall employment of advertising, promotions, and marketing managers is projected to grow 6 percent from 2022 to 2032.” 

Copywriting is technically a type of content product that falls underneath the umbrella of advertising. 

The job usually means conceiving of and developing words for  product descriptions, advertising copy, posts/captions for social media and more. In Mad Men, the popular tv show, many characters like Peggy and Don were copywriters. 

Not all copywriters come up with slogans.

We’re copywriters because we come up with content, which includes words, for the websites, social media accounts and paid ads of various companies. 

Copywriters earn anywhere between $40-$85K per year, according to PayScale. It all depends, of course, on where you live, your experience and more. 

Some other job titles that mean the same thing as copywriter, or include copywriting, are:

• Content producer
• Content strategist
• Creative director
• Social media strategist
• Content writer
• SEO Copywriter

What Kind of Education do Copywriters Need? 

 

It’s hard to say. Bill Gates didn’t have a college degree, but he was educated. He simply educated himself, and made use of books, interviewing professionals and more.

All we can do is tell you what types of training and education most copywriters have. 

Copywriters often go to college and major in advertising, marketing, communications, public relations, English or communication. All copywriters need a strong grasp of grammar and punctuation. They need to know how to research effectively. But most importantly, they need to think creatively, and use words in unique ways. 

Some copywriters even major in computer science, and specialize in copywriting that’s recognized by search engines. This is called SEO copywriting. 

Graduate school isn’t required, but many universities do offer advanced degrees in advertising, one area of which is copywriting. Instead of pursuing a master’s, some people go to portfolio school. These are usually one year programs. Some are in person, and some are online. The Denver Ad School is one such program. Graduates leave with a complete portfolio, or sample, of their writing and creative skills. 

You can also get a certificate in copywriting. Here are some places that offer them:

• SEO Copywriting Certification: Offered by SuccessWorks, the SEO Copywriting Certification demonstrates a writer understands how to incorporate SEO into their content. To earn this accreditation, students complete a training course that instructs them on how to understand client needs, target keywords and get webpages to the top of SERP. and candidates also pass a final examination following the training course. 
• Copyblogger Content Marketing Certification: Offered by Copyblogger, this certification is for writers who want training in all areas of copywriting, from social media posts to infographics to email marketing. 

Another avenue is getting an internship. Some companies will only take on interns if the person is getting school credit for the experience. But increasingly, companies are seeing that college is too expensive for many people. So they’re investigating other ways to bring budding copywriters into their workspaces. Don’t forget to look for opportunities the old fashioned way. Set up job alerts on LinkedIn or Indeed for entry level work, perhaps even part-time, at ad agencies. Once you have your foot in the door, you can find mentors to teach you about the advertising business. 

Start Thinking Critically About the Text You Read

If you really want to be a copywriter, you really, really have to be interested in words. That means that when you’re reading – anything – you look at it critically. What keeps you engaged? What makes you stop reading? 

You need to be someone who doesn’t necessarily need to love what they’re writing about to be engaged with it. In other words, it’s great if you get to write about something you’re super passionate about – whether that’s makeup or football. But even if you’re writing about something that doesn’t naturally interest you, like how fast food restaurants can increase their sales, you need to be up for making the topic interesting – to yourself and others.

You need to see words, about any topic, as a puzzle. You have to have passion for putting words together, like a puzzle, until they all fit and are compelling to read and look at. 

So you should be studying, even in a half-hearted way, everything you read. Take manuals for products you’re trying to put together. They’re notoriously hard to understand. A good copywriter will not just get frustrated, but figure out exactly what words are confusing, and how you’d improve the manual if you could. 

In other words, you need to be a student 24/7 (well, not when you’re sleeping). You need to constantly be aware of what makes certain words work together, and what words are the equivalent of nails on a chalkboard. 

You have to be someone who would look forward to learning a little bit about grammar or punctuation every day. There are all kinds of ways to do that. For example, Grammar Girls offers a daily text service. 

Write. A lot. Every Day. 

Wanna know the best way to become a copywriter? Write, silly. 

Sometimes, even the best writers do everything they can to learn how to be a better writer except the obvious – writing.

They’ll read about writing. Take classes in writing. Watch videos and listen to podcasts about writing. All of those things help, in moderation.

But when it comes down to it, you have to write every day.

Stephen King, the famed fiction writer, advises writing every day, even if it’s only for a few minutes. 

In fact, nearly every famous writer, when asked, says that the only way to improve your writing is to write every day.

Most also suggest turning off your inner critic. You don’t need to like what you write. In fact, expect mediocre or bad writing at times. Does every meal you make turn out perfect? No. So why should everything you write be a masterpiece? 

Most writers schedule a time for writing, just as you would schedule anything else in your life. If you don’t, it can easily be bedtime and you’ll suddenly remember, “I didn’t write.” 

The majority of writers, when polled, find they write best in the morning, when their minds haven’t been clouded by news of the day, emails, and chores. That said, some writers are night owls. Whatever works for you works best.

And don’t limit yourself to one time of writing. If you want to be a copywriter, most of the writing you’ll do professionally will be about products or for companies. While you’re practicing, have some fun. Write fiction or a poem. Or write about something funny that happened to you (or for free therapy, something really sad). 

If you have writer’s block, don’t focus on it. Just find a prompt to get you writing. And again, turn off that inner critic. No one is reading what you’re writing for practice or for fun. You can find daily writing prompts all over the place. Here’s a list.

If you want to practice copywriting specifically, you can always take a free online course. Most of the classes listed here are free. 

And don’t forget you are probably writing more than  you realize. Did you post on social media today? Good. That counts as writing. Did you write an email? That’s writing. A grocery list? Heck, that’s writing too. 

So keep at it, and keep reading our blog about copywriting. We specialize in digital copywriting with an emphasis on SEO. 

 

FAQ

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