Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Skills Needed To Become A Professional Copywriter

By Martha Hamilton


While there are a number of freelance editing and writing jobs online, there are only a few for which most are qualified. In particular, one of the hardest positions to fill is that of a freelance Professional Copywriter. For, while there is often no degree required, most hiring agencies look for a great deal of ad, print and web experience in the area of advertising.

Most often, these individuals have worked as freelance or contract employees who have been part of an advertising team. In most cases, these teams work together to create art, content and prices for various advertising campaigns. As such, it is important these individuals build a portfolio based on the different jobs one has worked over time.

Those looking to become involved in copy-writing need to have a variety of skills. For the most part, the individual will be working on everything from print and web-advertising to brochures, pamphlets and proposals. The job description can often vary depending on the agency and project. Although, most all require an individual to have experience in producing clear, communicative, concise and grammatically correct content.

Those who understand and can use a number of different writing styles are often going to get the best and most high paying jobs. While, there may be junior associates who only work to assist the copywriters with language mark-up, revisions and pasting of art work. As for copywriters, when working on a campaign, it is important to maintain a consistency when it comes to the voice with which one writes across all materials associated with the campaign.

Having experience with regards to editing, revision and search engine optimization is often desirable, though at times can be overlooked in lieu of learning on the job. Whereas, having familiarity with commonly used style guides is essential as is being self-motivated and well organized. For, as this type work is often driven by deadlines, it is important all content related to a campaign be delivered on or before any associated deadline.

In most cases, educational level is less important than experience. While this is the case, most often at least a high school diploma is required. In addition, those without an upper level degree must often provide a number of examples related to other advertising campaigns on which one has worked in the past. Whereas, those having recently acquired a degree must often provide work from an internship or other project before an hiring agency will place the individual on a creative team.

When establishing a portfolio, it is important to include all aspects of work which one has completed in the past. For example, any print ads, bylines, content, blog posts, radio spots or emails related to marketing. In doing so, the individual has a better chance of getting hired than otherwise.

One of the most important aspects an individual can have in relation to this type position is that of strong verbal and written communication. For, while a writing position, there are often times when an individual will need to discuss the campaign with advertisers, clients and media organizations. As such, one must also be able to present oneself as a creative professional while knowing how to gain the attention of these individuals as well as readers before, during and after having worked on a campaign.




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