This post was written by TCCS member, Anja Skrba
Want to Be a Copywriter? You Should Be Aware of These 7 Things First
So, you have heard that being a copywriter is a creative and well-paid job, and you’d like to become one?
Well, sure, there are well-paid copywriters out there and sure they have enough time and room to explore their creativity, but that’s only a small percentage of people in this niche.
EDITORS NOTE: Hmm, I know lots of well paid copywriters but agree not all have time to be creative as well!
On the other hand, being a copywriter isn’t a dead end job – there’s room for progress if you work hard and there’s certainly money in the business, so why not give it a go?
If you’re any good at it, you may just become an influencer. However, before you begin your journey, there are some things you should be aware of.
Knowing your Austen and Shakespeare isn’t a huge help
Sadly the fact that you have a degree in English literature doesn’t really make you qualified for the job.
Knowing how to manipulate words and form sentences properly will definitely be helpful, but the core of copywriting isn’t really the art of writing, but rather advertising.
Additionally, you mustn’t allow yourself to get attached to your copy – sure, you need to do your best work and create quality content, but what happens with it from the moment you submit it isn’t your concern. You need to learn to let it go!
Most writing is done under pressure
If you aspire towards becoming a copywriter you’ll need to know how to work within the deadlines.
If you’re not very productive in stressful situations, you might want to reconsider becoming a copywriter, or at least explore new ways to improve your focus and productivity.
Your portfolio is everything
Having a killer portfolio of samples is the way to quickly climb the success ladder. However, this isn’t something you can build in a couple of months.
Great projects take time, and you can’t expect to become famous overnight.
Only awards can make you mega famous
Speaking of famous – one of the things that can help make a copywriter’s name recognisable is an award.
To win one you need to be lucky enough to work with the types of clients or agencies who enter awards.
Basically, the planets need to align, you need to find a four leaved clover and your muse needs to be in a good mood!
It’s not as exciting as you might think
This job will enable you to learn many different things, and it’s true that you will become a walking-talking encyclopedia in no time.
However, be aware that a fair percentage of the projects you work on could be boring and way out of your interest area.
Also, it’s likely that your copywriting projects could be repetitive or very similar. Sorry but you need to learn to suck it up sweet heart!
You’re an entertainer
Your job is to make your client and their target audience (and your client) happy.
You’ll occasionally have to pull word rabbits out of hat in order to do so.
And even when you write something you think is amazing, the client might just hate it. Sorry :-(
So, your mornings may start with dealing with difficult clients and trying to figure out what they actually want from you.
And the rest of your day could consist of struggling to find creative but informative ways to attract a particular target audience. It’s not all eating biscuits and checking Facebook you know?
You need to dig deep
As a copywriter often you need to become an online detective – in order to write something truly valuable.
Thorough research is vital, so that you can get into the heads of your client’s target audience. This may be potentially problematic and time-consuming, if you have never talked or read or even heard about a subject that’s assigned to you.
So yes – being a copywriter can be challenging. Are you up for the challenge?
Oh, and one last piece of advice – if you want to be successful as a copywriter, you must be open to constructive criticism.
Being precious and feeling offended by your client’s comments won’t get you anywhere. It’s time to toughen up!
Who is Anja Skrba?
Anja Skrba is Content and Community Manager at FirstSiteGuide.com. She’s been blogging for over five years and she uses her big experience to help web newbies in the blogging world.
