Anyone can be a copywriter
I often have people ask me how to become a copywriter. They’re always surprised when I give them the answer: anyone can do it!
Yes, even you.
I’m definitely not saying that it’s an easy gig, and it’s certainly not for everyone… I mean, that’s why people pay other people to do their copywriting for them. But frankly, anyone with a penchant for language and a knack for making information easy to understand can build a career – or a side gig – out of this.
Allow me to dispel some common misconceptions about copywriting, to demonstrate that anyone can do it.
You don’t need a fancy qualification
Clients don’t ask to see your education history when they’re deciding whether to work with you or not. They don’t care if you studied communications, or microbiology, or bartending, or nothing at all! It’s pretty irrelevant where you’ve come from. What matters is your skills. They want to see examples of your writing, and feel reassured that you can understand what they’re trying to communicate.
So essentially I’m saying forget about doing a three-year comms degree or a fancy Masters in Editing… unless of course you’d like to do that!
I personally studied a Bachelor of Professional Communication at RMIT, and I can tell you now it didn’t teach me any of the skills I use on a daily basis as a copywriter/marketing professional. (I’d like a refund please.)
You don’t need a team
Plenty of clients like to work one-on-one with their copywriter, rather than going through a larger agency. I’ve worked in an agency and I’ve worked as a freelancer, and while it’s nice to have people around to review your work before you shoot it off to a client, copywriters are more than capable of working solo!
You’ll actually learn so much from working with clients directly. If you’re just starting out as a copywriter, be prepared to go back and forth with your clients a bit to get it right (you can include the cost of your time for this in your quote – feedback and revisions are an important part of the process).
What I will say is that peer reviewing will help you hone your craft and get better. Whether this looks like working in a team at an agency, or having a few wordy friends on hand to review your work for you.
You don’t need heaps of experience
What I mean by this is you don’t need to have worked as a copywriter for 15 years to be good at it! Chances are you already have a bunch of writing experience up your sleeve, even if it looks a bit different.
It might be that you wrote newsletters or reports in a past role, or that you’ve managed your brother-in-law’s business’ social media accounts. Take a look at what writing experience you do have, and keep a few examples of your skills up your sleeve.
If you really don’t have much to show for your way with words, now might be the time to get a free Wordpress blog and start writing! Or, reach out to some of your favourite publications and offer to write some pieces for free.
You don’t need to be full-time
The great thing about copywriting is that it can be done ‘on the side’ of another job, if you wish. Or as a part-time gig for stay at home parents (Hello! That’s me right now).
Writing copy for clients is awesome as a side hustle or even just a hobby if you like writing but don’t want to make a living out of it. Maybe you’re an accountant by day (yeah, crunch those numbers!) and a copywriter by night/weekend, you can use copywriting on the side as a way to get your creative fix!
You don’t need to write like Shakespeare
...Actually that would be super weird. He came out with some doozies in his works… swoltery, carlot, foxship… don’t use Shakespearean language, ever!
The point is, you don’t need to know every fancy, long word to be a successful copywriter. True story. Pretentiousness is out and simplicity is in! Your job is to use language that’s succinct, easy to understand and straight to the point. The simpler the better.
So put that thesaurus away and just use everyday words that everyday people use.
You do need to be good with words (obviously)
It probably goes without saying but I’ll say it anyway – you’ll need to be excellent at spelling, grammar and punctuation to be a copywriter. Lots of people have a knack for this stuff, so if you’re confident in this area you’ll be fine. There are short courses (like The Good Copy) you can take to improve your skills if you’re a bit rusty or uncertain.
But being good at grammar and spelling isn’t the only thing – maybe not even the most important thing – that makes a copywriter decent at their job.
You do need to be empathetic and unbiased
Hello… if you take away one key thing from this article let it be this!
The best copywriters in the biz are the ones who can effectively put themselves in the shoes of the audience they’re writing for. You need to be a serial shoe-putter-onnerer (that’s a real word*).
This is often why clients can’t write their own copy well. They’re thinking about what the business needs, not what their customers need. But who needs to read and understand the copy? The customers, not the business. As a copywriter, you can take the emotional, biased stuff out of the equation and focus on what sort of language and information the target market will connect with. Go you!
You do need to understand basic writing for the web principles
If you’re a copywriter in the world today, a lot of your work will probably be destined for the internet. So while your writing skills may have stemmed from writing short stories in university, it’s important to brush up on your web writing skills, because there are specific things to keep in mind when writing for an online format.
(The main thing to keep in mind is that people have super short attention spans, so long-winded writing will be a flop. Think lists, headings and short, sharp copy that grabs attention.)
I’m not embarrassed to admit that my profession is one that a lot of people can do. In saying that, there are excellent copywriters and mediocre ones. By working at it and honing your craft, you can be awesome. Just don’t be afraid to take the leap and call yourself a copywriter if you’re thinking about it. (Oh! And read my explanation on what copywriting actually is to help you understand the day-to-day a bit more!). It’s a really rewarding job, and I love it!
*it’s not a real word
