A copywriter is a person with strong writing skills who is able to compel their target audience to take action through their work. People who write copy for products, work in marketing or public relations, and manage small-to-large campaigns are all considered copywriters. They may also work as contractors or as part of a staff. If you’re looking to write a resume to apply for a job in this position, we highly recommend checking out the guide below.
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Job Duties of a Copywriter
Copywriters play a significant role in the sales and marketing strategy of products or services. They work closely with clients and companies to, depending on the product or goal, develop copy that is interesting, fun, easy-to-read and informative. A copywriter also has to follow specific rules to deliver the “right” message and drive a reader to take action.
Some key responsibilities of a copywriter are:
Understanding the client’s intent.
Performing in-depth research about the product or service, but also about potential customers.
Bringing new perspectives to ideas that have already been thoughtfully developed.
Researching client competitors.
Understanding and possibly developing writing style guides.
Being culturally aware and competent.
Motivating themself and other team members for optimal efficiency and developing trust, which helps in creative work.
Assisting other parts of the marketing team, including print, audio and video.
Median Salaries of Copywriters
The salary of a copywriter ranges from $38k to $75k, depending on various factors like educational qualification, work experience, job location, and the economic health of the industry. According to the compensation software and data company Payscale.com, the average salary of a copywriter is $52,335.
Top Skills for Copywriters
Though there are numerous skills to acquire in order to become a truly awesome, well-paid copywriter, there are a few top skills that all of them must have to be successful.
- Versatility: Copywriters are needed everywhere. From mom-and-pop retail shops to multinational construction companies to technology software firms, they are critical to putting out good copy for the benefit of the public. That’s why copywriters need to be flexible in their writing style, understand different types of editorial processes, and know the typical voice expectation of different industries.
- Empathetic: A refined copywriter ensures their targeted audience feels a personal, emotional connection with the product or service they write for. Remember, content drives people to take action and fulfill the intent of their clients. And since writing is an interactive medium, putting yourself in the shoes of other people is a critical part of the writing process.
- Thorough researching: A good copywriter researches the client, potential customers, the product or service to be sold, and competitors to have a broad understanding of the narrative focus of their work. If you wish to stay ignorant to cultural, social, economic and class issues and still be a copywriter, you should probably look for a different job.
- Trendspotter: It’s quintessential to be up to date about trending topics. Quickly assessing the developments in the industry you work in is actually part of the job and is something that pops up in meetings constantly.
- Tactical: A copywriter is a strategist that promotes products, services and organizations to their highest magnitude. For example, if you write copy for a big television advertisement, you need to consider what time and on which station it will appear to have the best possible effect on the audience. Selling breakfast cereal during dinnertime is not optimal.
- Open to constructive criticism: Copywriters work with editors who make their work better, more incisive, and generally easier to read and understand. That sometimes means throwing away work that you have worked on because it’s not good enough. And you can’t take it personally. Know that the more you work on copy, the better it will always get and the more experience you receive.
Educational Requirements for Copywriters
Degree
There is no professional degree that makes you specifically qualified to be a copywriter. But most companies prefer candidates with a bachelor’s degree in English, Journalism, Advertising, Marketing or a related liberal arts major. These bachelor’s degrees provide students with great knowledge in writing including narrative flow, voice, grammar, logical reasoning, argumentation, and other key skills. A degree in the specific fields of advertisingand marketing is the most directly valuable education for people who only want to work as copywriters in those industries. There are many schools in the U.S. that are well-known for their communications-type undergrad and graduate degree programs including the University of Southern California, Northwestern University, the University of Michigan and Syracuse University.Certification
It is not mandatory to do a certification course to become a copywriter. Nevertheless, it does boost your resume, highlighting to potential employers that you know the rules and expectations of the job.If you want to know more about copywriting certificate programs, we recommend looking into for-profit educational companies, member associations and, yes, even some of the big colleges and junior colleges. The latter tend to offer courses in general writing or marketing but there are subsets in marketing-specific copywriting, such as those offered by the City College of San Francisco. For-profit companies’ offerings tend to run in the hundreds of dollars per course and are available from places such as the Comprehensive Copywriting Academy, Copyblogger, SuccessWorks, The Writer’s Bureau, the Blackford Centre for Copywriting, Udemy and more.If you want an association, the American Writers & Artists Institute offers a $500 course that helps you learn how to write better ledes and teaches four-part outlining. The Professional Writers Alliance also has a certificate you can try.
Resume-Writing Tips for Copywriters
The first step towards writing a resume is the selection of your resume format. With several styles available, you have to choose one that suits your skills, experience and education the best. Below are a few pointers to write an influential copywriter resume:
- A great opening profile: If you are a copywriter with talent, you know how to grab the reader’s attention. Just remember to always write clearly, to delineate your career goals, and to be direct about your accomplishments and capabilities. If you are skilled but inexperienced, show that you have a ton of potential and that you are always willing to work hard.
- Present your skill set thoughtfully: You have to be selective in your resume-writing so mention the skills most needed for the job you’re applying to. Maybe you know how to create videos on YouTube but if the job listing wants its candidate to be focused on copy, your video experience is likely not needed.
- Job-relevant accomplishments The presentation of your skills and experience is sometimes not enough for a resume to be attractive. Make sure to mention any remarkable achievements. For instance, describe a project where your work maximized the profits of the organization.
- Credible work in academic or non-work years: If you’re applying for your first job or your first in a long while, make sure you describe what you did during that time that might be relevant to writing. For example, you may not have had a copywriting job in years, but maybe you worked for the local library as a volunteer blogger and email newsletter editor. Put that on your resume. Maybe you are just out of college and you helped write the social media blurbs for your organization’s social media posts. The lesson is that if you worked on something that was public-facing and good, you should put it in.
FAQ
What is a copywriter?
A copywriter is a creative writer capable of driving traffic for a product or service with their engaging content. Copywriting is a type of communication art that provides seamless service to the consumers which prompt an action and derive a client’s desired results. Copywriters are powerful! Their words can make or break a business.
How do you become a copywriter?
Though there are some basic qualifications to become a copywriter, they’re not all required. You only need to learn the basics of copywriting and keep on practicing until you get really good at it. Some of the features necessary are:
Skilled at writing attractive headlines.
Present foolproof ideas.
Learn about landing pages, advertisements, sales emails, video scripts, brochures, white papers and more.
Keep up with trends of various industries.
Be self-assured and resistant to criticism.
Is a copywriter a good career?
If you have the qualities and are passionate about it, then yes, being a copywriter is a great career. It’s especially good for people who want to work remotely (which is most of us during and after the pandemic years). Recently, research analysts at Mckinsey stated that there is high demand for content marketers and copywriters.