9 answers
Paajcha Julie
Student
Saint Paul, Minnesota
8
Questions
Updated
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What is being a copywriter like?
What are the work hours for you? Are you self employed or work for a company? How do you come up with convincing scripts? Do you work in teams or on your own? Do you work remotely or on site? #work #career #marketing #business #advertising #advertisement #copywriting #copywriter #sales #job #career #online #networking #writing
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9 answers
Michael Ambrozewicz
Director, Communications, AT&T Global Marketing Organization
4
Answers
El Segundo, California
Updated
Michael’s Answer
If you love to write, be a copywriter. It’s a skill and a role that is indispensable. You will always be needed and valued because the basic form of communication is the written word. Every realm of communications needs this skill and these talented people – film/TV, journalism, marketing, PR, employee communications, technical writing (all those instruction guides don’t write themselves), social media, digital platforms including apps, fundraising and grant writing, etc. In fact, every person working in a communications job needs to be good at writing and adapting their writing to meet various mediums or channels (scripts, website/app language, speeches and talking points for company spokespeople, language used in advertising, etc.).
Almost always, you work for an organization – a company or an agency, although more likely to be an agency where you can support multiple projects/clients.
Convincing scripts are really just convincing stories. What about your intended audience emotionally connects with the story? Who are the people and what are the issues in the story that make it meaningful to your audience? How original but relevant is your story – will it draw viewers’ interests? Scripts for film/TV, and even for commercials and advertising, are best thought of as stories. Films and TV shows are stories that evolve over time (2 hours, an episode / season / series) whereas commercials are generally done in 30 seconds (although some carry through multiple commercials, like Flo from Progressive Insurance, Mr. Peanut / Baby Peanut from Planter’s Peanuts, Michael Jordan for Air Jordan’s / Nike, etc.). The basics are the same – protagonist/antagonist, story arc with plot points, scenes and pacing – just crunched down into a TV commercial, expanded for a TV episode or film, and drawn out over a TV series. Keep in mind thought that while they are similar, copywriting and script writing are not the same thing and are two different career paths.
Almost always, you work for an organization – a company or an agency, although more likely to be an agency where you can support multiple projects/clients.
Convincing scripts are really just convincing stories. What about your intended audience emotionally connects with the story? Who are the people and what are the issues in the story that make it meaningful to your audience? How original but relevant is your story – will it draw viewers’ interests? Scripts for film/TV, and even for commercials and advertising, are best thought of as stories. Films and TV shows are stories that evolve over time (2 hours, an episode / season / series) whereas commercials are generally done in 30 seconds (although some carry through multiple commercials, like Flo from Progressive Insurance, Mr. Peanut / Baby Peanut from Planter’s Peanuts, Michael Jordan for Air Jordan’s / Nike, etc.). The basics are the same – protagonist/antagonist, story arc with plot points, scenes and pacing – just crunched down into a TV commercial, expanded for a TV episode or film, and drawn out over a TV series. Keep in mind thought that while they are similar, copywriting and script writing are not the same thing and are two different career paths.
Chris Hare
Technical Project Manager
4
Answers
Ventura, California
Updated
Chris’s Answer
Hi Paajcha,
I worked as a copywriter several years ago - I worked at an agency, as well as on the Client side - both as a full-time, permanent employee of those companies. Working contract/freelance is just not for me; it doesn't usually include benefits, and you need to be constantly looking for another job. I'm not sure what you mean by scripts - copywriting is a vast field that covers many types of writing. I have worked only on-site and not remotely for my companies, but as a profession, writing can be done anywhere; it is very flexible. In terms of working in teams vs. my own, I basically wrote my own copy, but I had input and direction from a variety of team members, usually Account Directors, Creative Directors, etc.
Let me know if you have more specific questions!
I worked as a copywriter several years ago - I worked at an agency, as well as on the Client side - both as a full-time, permanent employee of those companies. Working contract/freelance is just not for me; it doesn't usually include benefits, and you need to be constantly looking for another job. I'm not sure what you mean by scripts - copywriting is a vast field that covers many types of writing. I have worked only on-site and not remotely for my companies, but as a profession, writing can be done anywhere; it is very flexible. In terms of working in teams vs. my own, I basically wrote my own copy, but I had input and direction from a variety of team members, usually Account Directors, Creative Directors, etc.
Let me know if you have more specific questions!
Thank you for the input, Nina. Paajcha, take Nina up on her generous offer of talking to her copywriting network. Opportunities like these don't come along every day.
Chris Hare
Hello Chris. What I meant by script was whether you follow a particular format. For example, do you start with addressing a the potential customer’s problems, talk about the product, add success stories and so on? If there is a format, do you stick by it or give yourself leeway to organize the information? And thank you for taking the time to answer my question. I appreciate it.
Paajcha Julie
Maryse Gartner
Marketing & PR Consultant
5
Answers
Ventura, California
Updated
Maryse’s Answer
Hello Paajcha,
I copywrite and edit as part of the job of marketing & PR consultant. I work on all kinds of copy: advertising, news releases, biographies, speeches, media alerts, blogs, website copy, news columns, and more. I work from home and rarely at a client's office. My hours are pretty regular, 8:30 to 5 except if I'm on an imminent deadline, I will work later and sometimes on weekends. I'm almost always working as part of a larger team, usually C-suite professionals or sometimes with an in-house marketing and/or public relations department. Occasionally I work with a company's outside agencies: advertising and PR mostly.
Each of the written assignments mentioned above has a basic format and I adapt it to the type of client and situation.
What area of copywriting are you interested in? I'd be happy to be in touch.
Best wishes,
Maryse
Ask me specific questions about the type of copywriting you are most interested in.
*removed by admin*
Shadow a copywriter at an advertising/public relations/marketing agency to see what s/he does on a daily basis.
Send me your copy drafts from school or internship and I would be happy to give you editorial feedback.
I copywrite and edit as part of the job of marketing & PR consultant. I work on all kinds of copy: advertising, news releases, biographies, speeches, media alerts, blogs, website copy, news columns, and more. I work from home and rarely at a client's office. My hours are pretty regular, 8:30 to 5 except if I'm on an imminent deadline, I will work later and sometimes on weekends. I'm almost always working as part of a larger team, usually C-suite professionals or sometimes with an in-house marketing and/or public relations department. Occasionally I work with a company's outside agencies: advertising and PR mostly.
Each of the written assignments mentioned above has a basic format and I adapt it to the type of client and situation.
What area of copywriting are you interested in? I'd be happy to be in touch.
Best wishes,
Maryse
Maryse recommends the following next steps:
Hi Maryse, I've removed the step where you discussed contacting you via LinkedIn as we do not encourage communication outside of this site.
Gurpreet Lally, Admin
Nina Segovia
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
8
Answers
Scottsdale, Arizona
Updated
Nina’s Answer
Chris' answer is accurate. Copywriting is very diverse and so you need to decide what kind you think you'd enjoy the most. Internships (particularly paid) are a great way to explore your interest. Like Chris (although not a copywriter but a marketer), I worked for both companies and ad/promotion agencies. Feel free to connect with me on Linkedin and I can get you connected to some of my "expert" copywriter friends that may share wiser advice. Best to you!
Nina
Nina
Thank you Nina for your answer. And yes, I’m interested in connecting with you on LinkedIn as I was considering gaining experience and contributing to the copywriting field.
Paajcha Julie
Chris Hare
Technical Project Manager
4
Answers
Ventura, California
Updated
Chris’s Answer
Hi again,
Yes - generally, no matter what you are writing - you are following a format, and you are always keeping your audience in mind. However, again, you will have internal and external stakeholders reviewing your work - so you will have to keep their input in mind as well. If you are working at an agency, you would get something called a Statement of Work, Scope of Work, or Creative Brief, which will usually have the details about what your writing would need to entail, and then it is a collaborative effort from that point forward with the team.
Hope this helps!
Yes - generally, no matter what you are writing - you are following a format, and you are always keeping your audience in mind. However, again, you will have internal and external stakeholders reviewing your work - so you will have to keep their input in mind as well. If you are working at an agency, you would get something called a Statement of Work, Scope of Work, or Creative Brief, which will usually have the details about what your writing would need to entail, and then it is a collaborative effort from that point forward with the team.
Hope this helps!
Thank you again for answering. I will keep that in mind.
Paajcha Julie
Nina Segovia
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
8
Answers
Scottsdale, Arizona
Updated
Nina’s Answer
Hello,
I connected with my friend Leslie G. who is a copywriter/editor. She is happy to answer your questions. I will connect you too through Linkedin.
Nina
I connected with my friend Leslie G. who is a copywriter/editor. She is happy to answer your questions. I will connect you too through Linkedin.
Nina
Hi Nina,
Is there any way that Leslie would be able to answer this student’s questions via CareerVillage? We SO appreciate you reaching out on behalf of this student, however as per our community guidelines, we cannot allow facilitation of outside contact with minors.
Alexandra Carpenter, Admin
My apologies. I'm not sure my friend will join but I will suggest. Otherwise, I can have her answer the questions and post on this thread.
Nina
Nina Segovia
Hello Alexandra, I'm actually not a minor but I understand why the guidelines are put in place.
Paajcha Julie
halee morgan
Social Responsibility
22
Answers
San Francisco, California
Updated
halee’s Answer
- For marketing copywriter: Understanding marketing funnel
- Very clear on actions you are driving from your writing
- Having wide variety of types of writing (long and short form): Blog, E-books, Whitepapers, ad copy, email
- Very clear on actions you are driving from your writing
- Having wide variety of types of writing (long and short form): Blog, E-books, Whitepapers, ad copy, email
halee morgan
Social Responsibility
22
Answers
San Francisco, California
Updated
halee’s Answer
There are many different types of copywriting you can get into depending on your interests. Different companies have different ways of writing and speaking, so each place you work will feel different - think about the difference between the way companies like Gong.io, Buffer, Nike, Google, and Wells Fargo write content. You can get into short-form copywriting, which might include writing taglines, copy for short ads, etc. There are also opportunities to write essays and long-form articles for executives and other business leaders if you’re interested in longer pieces. Either way, if you like writing, being a copywriter is a creative career field with lots of opportunities to explore different forms of writing.
Stephanie Polizzi Treyz
Senior Creative Strategist
3
Answers
Berkeley, California
Updated
Stephanie’s Answer
An interesting question that varies greatly depending on where you work! I work, essentially, for an in-house advertising agency. My hours depend on where my coworkers and clients are located, so for me that means continental United States. I have some early mornings sometimes for meetings, and may have some late nights depending on workload, but my work/life is pretty well balanced as long as I keep to my business hours deadlines. I work on my own to write, but in teams to divy up tasks and brainstorm ideas. I find it's a great balance between personal freedom and making the most of everyone's creativity.