While copywriting is an essential skill for digital marketing, it has been used in marketing more broadly for years. From ad campaigns to flyers, brochures, billboards, and much more—copywriting is one of the most versatile marketing skills you can have and it plays an invaluable role in the success of a business. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary for writers in the U.S. is $69,500 per year. Income is largely influenced by education, skills, and experience, with the lowest 10% earning around $38,500 per year and the highest 10% earning $133,500.
Where Do Copywriters Work?
Marketing is an ever-changing field, so you’ll also want to be sure to keep up to date on marketing trends and emerging marketing technology as part of your ongoing professional development. The writing is often medium or short form (e.g., the “Got Milk?” campaign) and has a clear, simple message meant to inspire action (e.g., milk is healthy, grab a gallon). Often copywriting directly addresses a customer problem, promises entertainment, or evokes an emotion. For example, the “Share a Coke” campaign put different first names on Coke cans to inspire positive thoughts of friendship. Copywriting and content writing overlap and the roles are often confused. If you’re creative, organized, have an eye for detail, and are great with words, then copywriting could be a great career option for you.
How Much Do Copywriters Make?
Learn the basics, refine your writing skills, and copywriter job start building a portfolio. You can also reach out to copywriting agencies and other professionals to get some initial experience. Finally, always stay on top of the latest trends and technologies in the field. Copywriting isn’t a role that usually requires formal education, so don’t worry if you don’t have a degree.
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The field of professional writing is expected to grow by 9% from 2020 to 2030. And while non-written mediums like video, audio, and podcasts are on the rise, they still need copywriters to produce scripts and other content. In short, as the digital landscape evolves, so will the role of the copywriter. But it’s hard to imagine a situation where they’ll ever not be in demand. If you’re looking to jump in as a freelancer, you might have to show your skills and knowledge another way. This might mean taking a course or otherwise demonstrating that you know about the digital marketing techniques most relevant to copywriting, such as SEO and content strategy.
Copywriter at Ancient Gaming
For the past 15 years I’ve worked as a copywriter for a digital marketing agency and in-house marketing departments and also as a freelancer. Copywriting is a fun career that offers day-to-day variety and collaboration. It requires a self-starter’s mindset, a love of language, and strong listening skills. Meanwhile, content writing (while it falls under the umbrella of copywriting) tends to be longer form and more educational. It’s usually intended to provide information or entertainment rather than to persuade or sell.
- Finally, always stay on top of the latest trends and technologies in the field.
- Income is largely influenced by education, skills, and experience, with the lowest 10% earning around $38,500 per year and the highest 10% earning $133,500.
- It’s also a good idea to incorporate some SEO copy—many copywriters start as content writers or in SEO, before gradually specializing and honing their portfolio in a particular direction.
- You never know who will become a mentor, know of a job opening, or have a colleague who’s hiring copywriters.
- Marketers are a social bunch and networking is an important part of career development in the field.
- Ideally, you’ll have a portfolio offering different pieces, from press releases to blog posts, brochure copy, op-eds, and articles.
- As you might suspect from the previous step, a strong portfolio is your key to success as a copywriter.
- The purpose of content writing, on the other hand, is educating, helping, or entertaining existing and prospective customers.
- A marketing master’s degree will help you prepare for a wide range of exciting marketing careers.
- Or did you see constructive criticism as an opportunity to learn and improve?
- It’s fun to find the words that spark interest, pause the scroll, and drive sales.
- If you’re an 80% fit and excited about the position, we encourage you to apply.
It’s written with the UK in mind but is applicable anywhere. Copywriting is the art of using persuasive words and phrases to generate interest and action in a reader. It’s about crafting memorable messages that grab people’s attention and appropriately target specific audiences and their needs. If you want easy recruiting from a global pool of skilled candidates, we’re here to help. Our graduates are highly skilled, motivated, and prepared for impactful careers in tech.
So strong writing skills are essential, but this is also a career where soft skills rise to the top. You need to learn diverse subjects and industries quickly so you can write about them with confidence, which requires a blend of curiosity and tenacity on top of the ability to pinpoint relevant data. “I look for someone who is deeply interested in almost anything,” Felber says. “Copywriters who have a strong journalism or education background are often curious people who go the extra mile and enjoy finding a story in anything and everything.
EDUCATION & BEST DEGREES
The first step in becoming a copywriter is to earn a bachelor’s degree in English, communications, or marketing. Within these programs of study, you’ll learn and develop skills in research, writing, editing, and audience awareness, all of which are essential for success as a copywriter. Gaining writing experience as an intern for a local business or small publication while earning your bachelor’s degree will help you begin to develop your portfolio (examples of your best writing). Once you earn your degree, you’ll want to apply for entry-level copywriting roles where you can continue to earn relevant writing experience and enhance your portfolio. Additionally, earning an MBA or master’s degree in marketing will allow you to move into leadership roles and increase your earning potential.
Step 1: Get educated
This could be as low as $5 for writing a whole blog post, for example. Finally, copywriting tests are where a business asks you to complete a test piece of copy, with no payment for your time or effort, and no guarantee of a job at the end. Above all, copywriters must be creative and capable of thinking outside the box. With such a public-facing role, messaging has to be perfectly honed and bang on brand every time. However, with practice, it is a potent skill set that will set you up with transferable skills that you can use no matter where your career takes you in the future. This diverse role is one of the most fascinating and varied digital marketing roles you can find.
