For those with a good grasp of the English language and talent for writing attractively then becoming a copywriter is a practical career path to head down. Associated with the advertising and marketing industries in particular, copywriters are employed to create text content for a wide range of purposes.
Because copywriters can be utilised in a variety of ways, there is a reasonable demand for their services. However, the job appeals to a large proportion of people due to the creative freedom it allows and its relatively simple requirements. Because of this, some aspiring copywriters can have difficulty gaining a foot into the industry.
If this applies to you, here are 5 tips you can use to help you become a copywriter.
Get the Right Qualifications
Copywriting is a flexible industry in respect to the fact that you don’t need to enrol on a specific course to be offered a job. A skill for writing and a willing employer should allow you a way into the industry. However, with a competitive job market it typically isn’t as easy as this, especially with no experience or examples of work to draw on.
In this sense, having a relevant degree that showcases your potential to produce high-quality content can help in the employment rat race. University courses in the branches of such topics as English, Journalism, Communications and Marketing are highly ideal. Depending on what sort of copywriting you will be completing, even courses in Arts, Media, Business Studies and History can be beneficial to your cause.
Look for Internships
Although the majority of internships will be unpaid positions, they provide you with on-the-job training in an otherwise restricted line of work. Once inside a company and operating in conjunction with the other staff, you will have a much better idea of what becoming a copywriter actually involves on a day-to-day basis.
There is a chance you will then move into a paid position with the same company if you impress your employer and form a good bond with the other workers. If this doesn’t materialise, the practical experience you’ve gained will still prove invaluable for your future applications.
Maintain a Portfolio
When you start to produce your first pieces of work as a professional copywriter, remember to build and maintain a personal portfolio. For whatever role you’re asked to carry out – be it writing company emails, internet content or press releases – then saving your work is important for gaining potential jobs down the line.
You can save work onto your hard drive or a USB memory stick so it’s always on hand. Grabbing screen shots of online ads or social media pages you’ve help produce can be useful also. If there has been a positive response and feedback from the work you’ve produced then keep this safe as well.
Develop your Copywriting Skills
Many copywriters are employed to assist with the advertising side of a company; this can be to produce group emails or brand taglines in an attractive manner for example. Tasks like these can be fine-tuned over time with practice. However, when it comes to producing internet content, the topics can be very diverse and quite often on subjects you have no knowledge of writing about beforehand.
To combat this, it is advisable to stay on the ball when it comes to the latest news, technological developments and advertising techniques. Read newspapers and watch popular TV programmes as a way to keep up with the latest music, film, sport and news stories. It also helps to be updated with the advertising industry in general and its latest marketing trends.
Consider Freelance Work
Some people decide their best course of action is to go it alone down the freelance route. This means you are not employed or tied to a company but rather act like an independent business yourself. For budding copywriters who are finding it difficult to find employment opportunities, this can be the perfect alternative, although, there are more aspects to consider.
Going down this road means you need to create a company structure, find your own clients and keep your own financial affairs in order (i.e. tax and national insurance). This can be tricky, especially for an inexperienced copywriter who cannot depend on a regular income straight away. In the modern age it is beneficial to utilise social media sites to advertise yourself and perhaps even create a personal website with links to your portfolio included.
