The OTHER skills you need to be a great copywriter

Since I get so many inquiries about copywriters and copywriting, I created a Copywriter Information Center on my business website. Here?s one of the many articles and resources you?ll find there.

I?m often asked what copywriters do. So I tell them, in a nutshell, a copywriter writes copy for advertising and marketing materials, such as print ads, direct mail, and brochures.

Oh, great, they say. I?m a pretty good writer. I got good grades in English class. I should get into copywriting.

Well ? it?s not just about writing.

In the real world, a copywriter must have skills beyond copywriting.

A copywriter must also have expertise in a variety of areas related to creating and producing the ads they write, which may include:

Marketing and Advertising Principles: A copywriter must have a basic understanding about business and selling in order to work with clients, colleagues, and sales people. Copywriters often attend meetings, give presentations, and deal directly with clients.

Design: A copywriter will work closely with designers to brainstorm ideas and help craft promotional messages. Often a copywriter will provide a designer with a ?copywriter rough,? a sketch showing what an advertisement should look like.

Printing: Sometimes a copywriter will work with a printer, especially when creating direct mail, to make sure ideas are practical and affordable to produce. Every printer has different equipment and capabilities.

Mailing Lists: While copywriters seldom choose or buy lists, they must review list data to visualize the real people who will read and respond to their copy and to see what type of promotions have worked with the lists selected.

Postal Delivery: When writing direct mail pieces, a copywriter may consult with postal experts to see how mailers can be modified to cut postage costs, whether a piece will cause problems with mail sorting equipment, or what regulations will affect the design concept.

Audio or Video Production: A copywriter writing a radio ad, TV spot, or online video, must consider how an announcer will read the script, how visuals will be created, and what sound effects work best. It is difficult to write an audio or video script without being able to ?hear? or ?visualize? the final result. Sometimes a copywriter will act as a ?producer,? overseeing the production in a studio.

Online Marketing: Today, copywriters must understand how people interact with online information and how to write search-engine-friendly copy. Writing good online copy requires a working knowledge of search engines, social sites, web technology, eye tracking, online shopping, and other matters. Working with programmers and web designers is routine.

Copywriting is like anything else. There?s no easy path to prosperity. You must have skills, experience, and expertise beyond what others offer in order to reach the higher levels. Anyone telling you different is either lying or trying to sell you an ebook. Or both.

Related posts:

1. Copywriter thumbnails and how to draw them
2. Sharpen your writing skills with the stopwatch challenge
3. What exactly does a copywriter do anyway?
4. Are you an ethical copywriter or a marketing weasel?
5. New Copywriter Information Center

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