What You Need To Know About Being A Copywriter.

Without mincing words, some job roles or career paths are going to become redundant in a few years to come because technology is becoming increasingly advanced, and machines are already taking up the roles of humans. This is not to scare you, but to show you why you need to start thinking about the prospect of your present career path a few years down the line. However, some jobs are going to be even more in high demand, and copywriting is one such job. You have probably heard of copywriting if you work in the corporate world, but in case you haven’t, and you are asking, “What do Copywriters do?” “Can I be a Copywriter without experience?” “How lucrative is copywriting?” and other related questions that are probably going through your mind, this article seeks to address them.

What Do Copywriters Do?

Putting it simply, a Copywriter writes advertisement copies and other sales materials. Copies are the texts that you see on all advertising materials, be it billboards, online ads, traditional ads, email, and so on. Being a Copywriter is probably in high demand because of globalisation and as a result, competition has grown for scarce resources and customers. So, especially for online content, brands will always need Copywriters to grow their brand presence and also make a profit. Copywriting is also not dependant on the economic situation; in fact, the economic situation might make brands see the need for Copywriters to strategically position them above their competitors.

Can I Be A Copywriter Without Any Experience Or A Degree?

Yes, you can. As a matter of fact, most Copywriters started without a degree in English language or writing of any kind. Brands are not interested in your degrees, they are only interested in your results. If you can show a body of work, you are good to go; which brings us to experience. Can you be a Copywriter without experience? The answer to this is yes and no. Yes, because, in actual fact, you can be anything without experience, you just have to pass through the beginner’s stage. No, because, you have to show a body of work for brands to trust you with their campaigns. What I will recommend is to polish up your skill as a writer by writing copies for yourself, family, and friends for free. When you have gathered enough portfolio from all these, you can scout for work, using your work as a reference point.

How Do I Become A Copywriter?

This is where the real work comes in. Being a Copywriter is interesting and lucrative, but it is not possible without putting in the work. The following steps will help.

Have A Flair For Writing

This is quite clear; if you don’t have a flair for writing, being a Copywriter will be difficult because all you will be doing is writing and more writing. Nobody can survive as a writer without a passion for writing; contrary to popular belief, writing is hard work and your flair for it is what will keep you going.

Learn Persuasive Writing

Being a copywriter is not just about knowing how to write, it is also about persuasive writing. In fact, some would argue that copywriting is less about writing and more about sales and marketing. I’ll say you need to learn both. You don’t have to be an expert to start though, sometimes, people never start things in the guise that they are still learning. Learn the basics, then start and keep learning. Luckily, there are tons of resources online on persuasive writing; it will go a long way in helping you start.

Keep Learning And Practicing

There is no peak in learning; you cannot afford to get to any point as a Copywriter where you feel you have reached the peak of learning; there is always something new to learn. Learning is also not only for beginners; you can even read materials on copywriting for beginners if it comes to that. And as you are reading, keep practising. If you are a Freelance Copywriter and don’t have frequent jobs, don’t let that stop you from writing, otherwise, you will get rusty.

Follow Industry Leaders

Follow industry leaders on social media and learn from their wealth of knowledge. Thankfully, most of them are always willing to drop snippets that have helped them in their career. You can even consider them as virtual mentors.

Brush Up Your SEO Skills

Being successful as a Copywriter is literally impossible without the knowledge of SEO. SEO makes it possible to rank on search engines to gain organic traffic to your website or content. Brands want to know that their contents are being read and that they can convert to sales. Read up on all you can about SEO and brush up your skills, so you can be more effective as a Copywriter.

Network and Build Relationships

No man is an island; you need other Copywriters, strategic partnership is important in every field. LinkedIn is probably the best place to find Copywriters across the globe; connect and engage with them. You can also search for copywriting groups on other social media platforms. The idea is to learn from them and probably even get jobs from them; they could refer you or help you scout for clients.

Like any other job, being a Copywriter, or at least, a success at it, takes time. Don’t expect to yield results a few months after you start, but keep at it, it is only a matter of time before you start seeing the results of your efforts.