In the world of writing, there are countless job titles such as copywriter, author, editor, blogger, UX writer, and copywriter. They all communicate, whether on a typewriter, a piece of paper, or on a laptop. But do you know what the everyday life of a word artist looks like? How much money can you earn with it?
In this article, you will get to know the job description of a copywriter and I will show you what makes him special and differs from others or what makes them special!
As a copywriter, you capture complex contexts in a way that is appropriate for the target group in correspondingly clear and understandable messages. The spectrum ranges from brief headlines to multi-page texts, depending on the goal of the message. A basic distinction is made between the following formats:
Advertising texts
Factual/editorial texts
Website texts ( SEO, UX, Microcopy)
As the name suggests, the copywriter mainly deals with the development and creation of advertising texts. He only has one thing on his mind: Selling products and winning new customers! Whether classic ads, online advertising, radio or TV spots – the copywriter designs the perfect message for the advertising object and the target group.
Factual, i.e. non-advertising texts are, for example, press releases, blog articles, or white papers. The focus here is on providing information for the target group. Ideally, the copywriter – or the one for whom he writes – positions himself as an expert in this area and in this way wins new customers and inspires his readership.
Attractive buttons, phrases, or product descriptions are the be-all and end-all of a successful website. They represent the basis for a positive user experience and ideal customer journey and ultimately decide on success or failure. Professional copywriters in this field have mastered UX writing and know how to design the user interface for users in the sense of microcopy.
Definition according to Microcopy Kinneret Yifrah from his book “UX Writing & Microcopy”
Microcopy are those words or phrases of a user interface that are directly related to the actions of a user:
- The motivation
- Accompanying Instructions of the action
Differentiation from the individual text disciplines
- UX copywriter
The Ux Copywriter is mainly responsible for creating terms for the user interface of software applications. With the ideal combination of text and design elements, he creates an intuitive surface that is perfect for the target group. UX writers often work closely with product managers, product designers, and developers to create a holistic user experience.
- Editors
The editor is the Conductor of every writing orchestra and pulls all the strings. His focus is primarily on the selection process of the topics (agenda setting) and has the task of coordinating all the actors involved, such as authors, graphic designers, and content managers.
- Blogger
They are usually both blog post writers and publishers, mostly using their own websites. Bloggers generally write from a “first-person perspective” and share their opinions on certain topics with their readers.
Accordingly, your tasks can vary greatly depending on the assignment or position. Copywriters often specialize in one of these areas and rarely cover all of them. However, the following fields of activity affect all copywriters.
Table of Contents
Tasks and fields of activity
No matter where we look, we find everywhere we texts – on flyers, posters, websites, blogs, Facebook & Co. As a copywriter, you are mainly concerned with writing texts. As tempting as it may sound at first, it is also challenging.
Because not everyone is born a Shakespeare and, in addition to the lyrics, deals with a Copywriter with tasks like:
Concept development
Research
Marketing
Conferences
Customer Meetings
Concept development is the second biggest task, next to writing. Anyone who has ever worked out a concept knows how time-consuming it can be. As a copywriter, you often develop several concepts, most of which are sorted out at the latest during the customer or team presentation. But the research work should not be underestimated either! For whatever format you will use different sources (internet, books). A copywriter should also be familiar with (online) marketing. With digital texts, of course, more than with offline texts. After all, the messages should be up-to-date, appealing, and easy to find.
In order to be able to carry out these tasks professionally, the copywriter must have various skills.
Requirements and Skills
In addition to the expected skills such as good expression and eloquence, the Copywriters also hit the tone of the target audience. He must be able to put himself in their position in order to be able to distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information and to be able to select an appropriate language style. Every copywriter should have these requirements:
- Very good feeling about the language for writing target group-oriented texts
- High degree of care and absolute spelling security
- High level of creativity, resourcefulness
- Absolute security in the selection of relevant content
- Good, conceptual thinking
- Well-founded knowledge in handling content tools
- Good (online) Marketing Skills
- Affinity for the internet and social platforms
- Interest in trends and innovations
- High level of resilience
- Teamwork and Self-employment
- Good knowledge of human nature and empathy
- Good general knowledge
This list can be expanded as required depending on the position, industry, and company. Especially for online and website texts, broad knowledge of content marketing and search engine optimization is often required. Factors such as calculating the relevance of the content compared to the competition, keywords, and organic ranking are a constant challenge for online copywriters. Technical changes and updates from search engines and platforms are just as important for a copywriter as they are for an online marketer. Accordingly, he should definitely have a basic interest in what is happening on the (social) web.
T-Shaped Copywriters Are Better Team Players
Nowadays, as part of the marketing team, more is expected of a copywriter than “just” being able to write. In order to be able to grow personally and in a team, he also needs skills that lie outside his own area of expertise. The so-called T-Shaped Texter make a major contribution to value creation through their specific specialist knowledge (vertical) and, on the other hand, they can collaborate cross-functionally thanks to their broad basic knowledge (horizontal). In addition to the numerous variations within the T-Shaped Profile, there are also the X-Shaped and E-Shaped Profiles.
Career
Perhaps you are still at the very beginning of your career choice or in the middle of it and would like to turn your passion into your profession. Then you are probably wondering what training opportunities are available and which of them will bring you closer to your dream. Depending on your life and professional situation, there are different models: from evening courses and workshops to dual training and degree programs.
Education
There is no general professional training as a copywriter. However, the new text forge “School-of-ideas” based in Hamburg offers all young artists dual training or advanced courses.
Studies
A good copywriter is rarely asked if he has a degree. What counts first and foremost is the work he delivers, and in order to create good content, you don’t need a university degree. With a view to the career ladder, it is still advisable. Colleges, universities, and correspondence schools offer various courses in communication science.
Continuing education
There are also some offers for career changers to attend part-time or full-time retraining, further training, or postgraduate studies. Training providers such as carrier tutors offer you all kinds of courses in the areas of marketing, content, or design. If the requirements are met, you can even apply for financial support from the Employment Agency. Workshops and evening courses involve a little less effort.
Anyone who wants to make communication their profession should continue to educate themselves. The Internet and the digital world are reshaped almost every day and innovative applications will continue to revolutionize the way we will get in touch with each other in the future.
Practical examples
Publishers, agencies and small and medium-sized companies are looking for good copywriters across all industries. Not infrequently, it should be the content all-rounder: copywriter, manager, and editor in one person. But numerous freelance applications on placement sites such as the copywriter job exchange also offer projects throughout Germany. Below I have listed a few current ads that people are currently looking for:
- Junior Online Editor / Copywriter
- Copywriter SEO / SEA / Social Media
- Copywriter
The fact is, copywriters are desperately wanted! Both in advertising and editing, as well as for the optimization of websites. The change in marketing towards relevant content (keyword: inbound marketing) and the ongoing digitization are constantly opening up new avenues for copywriters of all kinds. Entirely new jobs and positions are being created, especially in online marketing and development.
Conclusion
The job description of a copywriter is and remains exciting. While the analog areas continue to offer a wide range of activities, the professional field in the digital area is constantly growing and opening up more and more new opportunities and paths. The copywriter is an important part of marketing and development and it is impossible to imagine today’s communication structure without it. Due to the constant change, it is extremely important for copywriters to closely follow innovations and new paths. Our professional field is currently anything but static, but that’s what makes it so interesting.