What Is Copywriting & Is It A Good Career?

What Is Copywriting & Is It A Good Career?

Starting around the age of 5, we start to get asked a very popular question.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

When we’re young everything sounds exciting, and our innocence makes it all seem possible.

The answers range from astronaut to ballerina to movie star to veterinarian and everything in between.

Copywriter typically doesn’t top the list, but why?

Chances are after reading Harry Potter, writer might make the list, but not everyone likes to write.

In fact, some people hate it and are willing to pay someone else a decent amount of money to write for them.

For this reason and many others, copywriting is a good career choice and in my humble opinion the best choice!

First things first – what is copywriting? It may mean different things to different people so let’s clarify.

Contents hide

1 Copywriting – The Official Definition

2 What Does a Copywriter Do?

3 What Skills Do You Need as a Copywriter?

4 How Much Can You Make Copywriting?

5 What Is Copywriting & Is It A Good Career?

Copywriting – The Official Definition

According to dictionary.com, copywriting is a “writer of copy, especially for advertisements or publicity releases.”¹

Wikipedia describes copywriting as “the act or occupation of writing text for the purpose of advertising or other forms of marketing. The product, called copy or sales copy, is written content that aims to increase brand awareness and ultimately persuade a person or group to take a particular action.”²

And, the Mike Giannulis (that’s me) answer to the question what is copywriting, and the only definition you need is, using words to sell stuff.

That’s it! There’s no need to overcomplicate, and that’s the beauty of a being a copywriter.

Copywriting is as simple or complex as you make it.

What Does a Copywriter Do?

A career as a copywriter could mean working for a corporation, most likely in the advertising, marketing or public relations department. It could also mean working for an advertising or digital marketing agency.

Or, it could mean working as a freelance copywriter who sets their own schedules, rates and works on their own terms.

The good news is every company needs marketing to survive, and every form of marketing needs copywriting.

Copywriting is a good career because you’re not limited to only working for an agency. As a copywriter, you can work in any industry. If you decide you want to switch industries or need a change, copywriting is practically universal.

A good copywriter can write about anything and can easily transfer their skills to another industry or company.

Here is a quick list of the types of projects that copywriters typically work on.

❖Blogs

❖Ad copy

❖TV and Radio Spots

❖YouTube Scripts

❖Direct Mail

❖Customer Letters

❖Phone Scripts

❖Newsletters

❖Brochures

❖Email Campaigns

❖Sales Flyers

❖Resumes

❖Cover Letters

❖Web Content

❖Mission Statements

❖Social Media Posts

❖Speeches

❖Articles

❖Training Materials

And, the list could go on and on. Once you’ve got the copywriting basics down, the possibilities are truly endless.

What Skills Do You Need as a Copywriter?

Obviously, you need to be good at copywriting, but more importantly you need to love copywriting. If you love to write, then copywriting is a good career choice for you.

As the famous saying goes, if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. And, that’s how I feel when I’m copywriting so here’s another shameless plug from me about copywriting. It’s a good career choice. In fact, it was the best career choice for me, and it can be for you too!

Here are the skills you need to be a copywriter and a quick checklist:

❖The Desire to Learn More and Work Hard

❖Good Research Skills

❖Ability to Create Something out of Nothing

❖Patience and Understanding

❖Willingness to Adapt to Clients When Necessary

❖Confidence

❖Self-Promotion Skills

❖Time Management Skills

❖An excellent Multi-tasker

❖Good Listening Skills

❖Great at Catching Mistakes and Proofreading

❖Knowing When to Say No and When to Ask for Help

Even seasoned copywriters need to continually enhance their skills and practice. Luckily, resources abound and it’s extremely easy to find information. Most of it is free which is another reason why copywriting is a good career choice.

A copywriter is always learning. It’s important to stay current, know the lingo and keep up with technology and the latest trends. Find a few trusted resources and read up on everything as often as you can to stay in the know. There are also a number of inexpensive and free courses out there to help streamline your knowledge, get results and continually develop your copywriter brain.

Good old-fashioned book reading is another great way to learn more about copywriting and find ways to improve skills even further. Here’s an in-depth list of books that I’ve read over the years that have really helped me enhance my copywriting skills.

How Much Can You Make Copywriting?

The answer to this question is a bit ambiguous and there isn’t one right answer.

In fact, if you’re in a room full of copywriters, chances are each one is earning a very different living. It depends on skill set, experience, client base, relationships and even a bit of pure luck. Being in the right place at the right time and having the right connections have a significant impact on how much money you can make as a copywriter.

Salaries can range from a few hundred dollars each month for those who use copywriting as a side gig to $50,000 per year for career copywriters. For those copywriters who have found their copywriting groove and made the right contacts, salaries can hit the six-figure mark. For those lucky copywriters, copywriting is a very good career.

The good news is that copywriting can be as lucrative as you want it to be. It depends on how hard you work, how much time you want to devote and how well you nurture your talent.