What Does a Copywriter Do?
If you’re considering a freelance writing career, you may have wondered to yourself, “What does a copywriter do?” You’ve probably heard of copywriting, but do you know what falls under the scope of a copywriter?
No need to feel sheepish if you don’t – in today’s post, we’ll tell you everything you need to know. We’ll look at:
- What copywriters do
- Essential copywriting skills
- Different types of copywriting
By the end of the post, you’ll have a better idea whether copywriting is the right career for you.
What Is a Copywriter?
A copywriter is someone who writes persuasive content designed to promote brands, products, and services. Their goal is to encourage readers to take a specific action – known as a “conversion” – such as buying, downloading, or signing up for something.
If you spend any time online, you’ll have seen copywriting in action. Landing pages, email campaigns, press releases, and social media advertisements are all examples of copywriting. You can also read the work of copywriters in magazines and newspapers, see it on the television, and hear it on the radio.
Copywriting vs. Content Writing
While the lines between the two are often blurred, there are some key differences between copywriting and content writing.
The goal of a content writer is to create informative pieces of content that provide the reader with genuine value. Content writing isn’t about sales, but building brand awareness, boosting engagement, and encouraging customer loyalty over time. Content writers produce content such as blog posts, ebooks, white papers, and case studies. For instance, this HubSpot article on copywriting best practices is packed with valuable insights. There are calls to action (CTAs), but they are all for free resources.
In contrast, the goal of a copywriter is to trigger an immediate action, often in the form of a purchase. Copywriting is typically more concise and direct, with a sense of urgency. For example, you might recall the “Got Milk?” campaign. This simple, catchy slogan took the world by storm in the 1990s and drove a 7.7% increase in US milk sales in its first year!
Copywriting vs. Creative Writing
Copywriting also differs from creative writing. While imagination and creativity are essential to the role, copywriting isn’t simply about being artistic. What you write as a copywriter may be engaging or even motivational, but its ultimate purpose is to persuade. If it doesn’t achieve that, it’s not effective copywriting.
Creative writing, by comparison, is all about engaging readers by encouraging them to use their imagination. Novel, poetry, and script writing are all examples of creative writing.
What Do Copywriters Do?
The role of the copywriter varies depending on the type of copywriting they offer, and the type of client they work with. Ultimately, though, their workflow will look quite similar.
1. Understand the Brief
Before a copywriter starts work, they need to make sure they understand the client’s brief. The brief will outline key information such as:
- The client’s target audience
- Branding and tone of voice guidelines
- The objective of the content
- The deliverables (e.g., a blog post and three 150-word Instagram captions)
- The deadline (possibly including details of the revisions process)
A clear brief ensures everyone is on the same page and reduces the need for time-consuming rewrites. If there are any gaps in the brief, the writer may reach out to the client to clarify the missing details.
2. Conduct Research
Once the brief is agreed, the copywriter will begin their research. As well as subject-matter research, this might include research on:
- The client’s products or services
- Customer behavior, demographics, and psychographics
- Industry trends and best practices
- SEO keywords
- Competitor content
This research allows the copywriter to produce valuable content that is tailored to the needs of the client, as well as their current and potential customers. It also ensures their content is on a par with – or exceeds! – that of any direct competitors.
3. Draft the Copy
Once the research phase is complete, the writing stage begins. This generally involves:
- Deciding how to organize content for readability
- Drafting conversion-focused headings and subheadings
- Drafting clear, engaging body copy that incorporates elements like social proof
- Strategically placing CTAs
It may also involve adding in other types of media, such as videos, infographics, or sign-up forms.
For web copywriting projects, the writer may be supplied with a template known as a wireframe. This maps out the layout and key features of a web page, making it easier for the writer to see how their copy will be positioned and how much space they have to work with.
4. Edit and Revise the Copy
While it would be great to get it perfect the first time, copywriting often involves writing multiple drafts. This means incorporating any feedback from the client (and any other stakeholders) and fine-tuning the copy until it hits the mark.
5. Deliver the Content Piece
Now that the copy has been tweaked and polished, it’s time to deliver the content piece to the client. Depending on the type of copywriting, the copywriter might need to collaborate with other professionals, such as marketers or web designers, to publish their copy.
Types of Copywriting
As we mentioned earlier, a copywriter’s exact responsibilities will vary depending on the type of copywriting they offer. Next, we’ll take a look at five key types, and what they involve.
1. Brand Copywriting
The goal of a brand copywriter is to clearly and consistently communicate a brand’s voice, personality, and ethos. In doing so, they help a business stand out from its competitors and build a connection with its target audience.
Brand copywriting goes beyond writing simple descriptions of products or services. It’s about making sure every piece of copy reflects the brand’s personality, is memorable, and connects with readers on an emotional level.
Consistent brand voice is essential across all areas of marketing, so a brand copywriter’s scope can be broad. They might work on website copy (e.g., home pages, product pages, landing pages), ads, mission statements, taglines and slogans, email campaigns – the list goes on!
All kinds of businesses employ brand copywriters, from small businesses through to global corporations. They are often hired by:
- Marketing, PR, and branding teams
- Ecommerce companies
- Startups and new businesses
- Charities and not-for-profit organizations
Nike’s slogan “Just Do It” is a great example of brand copywriting. The tagline, coined by Dan Wieden, debuted alongside TV ads showing athletes of all ages and abilities. The short, catchy slogan quickly became representative of inclusivity, empowerment, and pushing beyond your limits. It also, in turn, positioned Nike as the go-to brand for sportswear.
2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Copywriting
The job of an SEO copywriter is to write copy that engages readers and ranks well on search engine results pages. This can be a tricky balance to strike! They must follow SEO best practices – such as integrating relevant keywords, optimizing meta tags, and adding internal and external links – without sacrificing reader enjoyment. Their copy still needs to be interesting and informative, and formatted in a way that makes it easy to read. Keyword stuffing is a no-no!
An SEO copywriter works on any copy that might be crawled by a search engine. That primarily means website content, such as landing pages, product descriptions, and blog posts.
Any business that wants to boost their online visibility and drive traffic to their website might hire an SEO copywriter. For instance:
- Ecommerce websites
- Startups
- Tech and software as a service (SaaS) companies
- Nonprofits
- Education providers
This product description from La Colombe Coffee Roasters is a good example of SEO in action:
The short description tells the reader everything they need to know about the coffee (origins, flavor notes, etc.), while also subtly weaving in key search terms like “filter coffee” and “specialty coffee beans.”
3. Business-To-Business (B2B)
B2B copywriters write copy for businesses who sell products or services to other businesses (rather than to general consumers). B2B copywriting is usually:
- Formal and professional in tone, with use of industry-specific language, to establish expertise, authority, and credibility
- Thoroughly researched, detailed, and focused on business benefits such as boosting efficiency or profitability
- Data-driven, with copy supported by persuasive evidence targeted to the interests of key business decision makers (e.g., statistics, case studies)
B2B copywriters work on content including case studies, sales brochures, press releases, and scripts for video, podcasts, and webinars. All kinds of businesses work with copywriters, for instance:
- Technology and software businesses
- Manufacturing and industrial businesses
- Financial service providers (e.g., corporate banks)
- Medical software and equipment providers
- Business services providers (e.g., HR, legal, accounting)
- Marketing and advertising agencies
Here’s an example of B2B copywriting from OECHSLERhealth, a company that manufactures medical equipment.
This excerpt demonstrates some of the key characteristics of B2B copywriting:
- Industry-specific language (e.g., FEM, 3D-CAD)
- Evidence of the businesses’ high quality standards (i.e., “Design Review Standards”)
- Potential business benefits (developing “innovative and robust products cost-efficiently” with “short lead times”)
4. Direct Response Copywriting
Direct response copywriting is all about encouraging your audience to take action, whether that’s purchasing an item or service, downloading or signing up for something, or following a brand on social media.
Direct response copywriting is characterized by the use of compelling headlines, persuasive language, and clear CTAs. It addresses the audience’s pain points and desires, making it clear how the product or service in question will benefit them. Then, using psychological principles like “fear of missing out,” better known as FOMO, urgency, and scarcity, it prompts them to take action.
Direct response copywriters may have the opportunity to work on sales and landing pages, email marketing campaigns, brochures, and television commercials.
Any business that wants to generate immediate action from consumers might hire a direct response copywriter. Prospective clients include:
- Marketing and advertising agencies
- Ecommerce businesses
- Entrepreneurs and small businesses
- Nonprofits and charities
- Affiliate marketers
This landing page from Fussy, a sustainable deodorant brand, has an attention-grabbing headline and a straightforward CTA. It also speaks to the target audience’s potential pain point – the difficulty of finding a natural deodorant that actually works.
5. Social Media Copywriting
Social media copywriting involves crafting posts that drive engagement, whether that be likes, shares, comments, or follows. This means combining attention-grabbing visuals with punchy captions, relevant hashtags, and clear CTAs.
A good social media copywriter will understand the best practices for different platforms, stay up to date with social media trends, and collaborate with designers and marketers to ensure the words and visuals work perfectly together.
A social media copywriter may work on organic or paid social media content. Any business with a social media presence (or a desire to build one) might hire a copywriter. Potential clients include:
- Marketing and advertising agencies
- Fashion, clothing, and makeup brands
- Hospitality and travel businesses
- Entertainment companies
- Nonprofit organizations
This Instagram reel from fashion retailer New Look encourages follows, likes, and comments by encouraging users to enter a competition. The winner gets £150 to spend on clothes to help them beat the end-of-summer blues.
Becoming A Copywriter
Now that you are more aware of the different types of copywriting and what copywriters do, you may want to consider trying our latest course, Becoming A Copywriter. You’ll learn everything you need to know to enter this field, including how to write client-attracting web copy. It’s an ideal course for copywriting newbies, as you don’t need previous skills or experience. You can learn at your own pace, free from looming deadlines, and access support from our awesome tutor team whenever you need it! Plus, we offer free lessons for this course to give you a taster.
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