To embark on a career as a copywriter, you first need to
understand exactly how it differs from regular writing. It doesn’t
help that the word “copy” is sometimes applied to writing of any
kind that is intended for publication. A newspaper journalist
may be congratulated by his editor for producing “great copy”; a
draft novel will be scrutinized by a copy editor before being sent
for printing.
In a way, newspapers and novels are copy in that the desired
result is that they are purchased. However, the content of that
copy does not directly advertise the publication, and this is
where it cannot be considered copywriting in the sense that this
book is using the term i.e. producing words that sell.
Copywriting is the use of words as promotional tools. They can
promote a person, a business, a product, an opinion or idea, and
they can appear on TV, radio, websites, in direct mailings,
brochures, press releases, catalogues, on flyers, billboards or via
any other kind of advertising material.
A copywriter’s job is to persuade the reader, listener or viewer
to take action, which usually means parting with some money in
exchange for a product or service. Alternatively, it may be used
to promote a certain opinion, or to dissuade people from
subscribing to a certain point of view.
One huge area for copywriters to plunder these days is Search
Engine Optimization (SEO), which is content written for
websites with keywords tactically dropped in at given intervals.
This is designed to rank the website more highly on the various
search engines so that more potential buyers will find it on a
related search.
