I was going to call this article "get inside the mind of a copywriter," but that might be too creepy. "Under the Copywriter Dome?" Uh, weird. "What's Inside My Copywriting Head?" Somewhat disturbing.
As a kid, I actually wanted to be a tour guide, believe it or not. I wanted to take people all over the country, point at certain spots and say, "look! This is where King Herod ate falafel" or "this is where Goliath slipped on a giant stone, thereby creating the slope of Mount Hermon." I thought it would be could to do that kind of stuff, but I wasn't too sure the tourist ministry would appreciate that. Also, as a someone introvert, I lacked to confidence to pull it off.
It's not easy being a copywriter. People expect you to bee a word magician and pull out phrases and sentences and rhymes out of thin air, within seconds. But that's not how it works. On rare occasions it does, but those are the exceptions to the rule. For the outside observer, it can seem that way, and people always say, "ah, anybody could come up with that line/slogan/tune."
“Copy is not written. Copy is assembled.” – Eugene Schwartz
Some prospective employees believe it doesn't take much, in the way of time, thought, and effort to come up with something original, creative, compelling, interesting, etc., that gets the readers hooked until they take the desired action, or at least keep your name or service in their mind, ready to draw it at a moment's notice. Others may think that someone tosses you a brief, you think about it for a few hours, and - viola! Here's your copy, headline, tagline, web content, landing page copy, blog, whatever. But that's not true. For the most part.
When I started out as a copywriter, more specifically when I studied copywriting and advertising at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, the advertising world was massively different: Print ads ruled, broadcast TV was the platform for creative, memorable and effective commercials, and billboards loomed all over the place. They still do, only now they move. And you know what? The more "online" the world has become, I'm not so convinced the results are that different, or better, than the "old school" of advertising. Do you know why? Because today people can simply skip an ad or move on to something else while an ad is playing. When you're reading a magazine an your eyes hit a upon a unique ad, you'll pause.
“Copy is a direct conversation with the consumer.” – Shirley
Polykoff
As a copywriter, you live in a world of words: You think, write, rewrite, mix & match, put in the mind oven and let it bake for a few hours, then take a peak and see if it makes sense, or does it need additional "ingredients." As a copywriter, your main tools are your brains, your experience, copywriting books (and website), and the unique spin you bring. Your mind never stops working, even subconsciously. You'll sometimes come up with something original and fresh, even when you least expect it. In this regard, we're very similar to writers. I should know - I'm also a writer.
Many people and companies sometimes confuse between the terms copywriter and content writer. Sometimes they think one is the other, sometimes they think they are both one and the same. That's not really true. Yes, a person can be both a copywriter and content writer, but the two positions themselves are different.
A copywriter is usually in charge of short content, such as headlines, taglines, banner texts, short paragraphs, ad texts, etc. A content writer can be in charge of writing long-form texts, such as blog, web content, emails, newsletters, brochures, press releases, and more. A person can do both. But, don't confuse the title copywriter with content writer!
I've learned that any fool can write a bad ad, but that it takes a real genius to keep his hands off a good one. - Leo Burnett
As a copywriter, you zig and you zag between projects. Why? Because you can; it's your second-nature. You work on something, then move to something else, then to something else, then come back to what you started (unless you finished it already). Sit too long on just one item and the steam will come out of your nose, your ears, and everywhere else.
One of the funniest, or strangest, questions copywriters (and content writers in general) often get asked is, "describe your thought process." Why? What do you care what my thought process is? If I create good copy, or a good piece of content, does it matter if I do it while meditating to John Williams music, jumping on a trampoline, playing darts or simply writing gibberish? No one asks me what my though process is when I choose which clothes to wear each morning.
However, it's not all sunshine and rainbows for a copywriter/content writer.
Technological innovations matter less when you're a copywriter. I don't really care about automation software or collaboration software, because the hard truth is that, these things don't add or improve the creative process. Which is vital to the copywriter and/or content writer. Why does person X need to know every few hours where a copywriter stands on the project? ("working on it," "Still working on it" "almost done," "finished," - I mean, come on!) Let us to our job and we'll send it when it's done!
These days, being a copywriter and/or content writer is more difficult because companies feel you're so disposable. They feel they can always find another one. Like products, copywriters and content writers have become more and more "changeable." Because these days, it seems, they put less value on quality and more on quantity, and I should know: One company wanted to send out one newsletter a day. Companies will look to hire, ask for "work samples" the size of the Magna Carta, then you never hear from them again. Recruiters look for freelancers, but at the rate of a penny a word. And as an icing on the cake, they expect you to know or do stuff that's not really related to your field of expertise.
This is my Blackjack year (21st) as a copywriter. I love doing it. I hope to keep doing it for many more years. (Unless, of course, some studio buys the rights to one of my books and then I'll be living off royalties somewhere in the Caribbean. Or Hawaii, I'm really not that picky.)
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