Hello. I’m a copywriter.
Thanks for scanning or clicking your way here.
I get asked what I do all the time, and I genuinely love talking about it. The problem is, it’s not always an easy thing to explain in a quick conversation.
So this page is the simple version. A clear, no-jargon guide to what a copywriter actually does in advertising—so the next time you meet one in the wild (and not behind a brief—I’ll get to that), you’ll know exactly what they mean.
Print:
Magazines, newspapers, brochures, and flyers. Basically, anything you can flip through and then throw away.
Magazines, newspapers, brochures, and flyers. Basically, anything you can flip through and then throw away.
Out-Of-Home (OOH):
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s… Mattress Discounters. Billboards, posters, transit ads, bus stops, benches. If you can walk past it, drive by it, or sit on it, it can be an ad. The name explains it fairly well.
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s… Mattress Discounters. Billboards, posters, transit ads, bus stops, benches. If you can walk past it, drive by it, or sit on it, it can be an ad. The name explains it fairly well.
Radio:
These are my favorite to write. The ones I hear on the radio sometimes make me question everything. There are reasons for that, but here is one of mine:
These are my favorite to write. The ones I hear on the radio sometimes make me question everything. There are reasons for that, but here is one of mine:
Social Media:
You know that thing you do where you hand over your location, your habits, your opinions, your face, your friends, and your entire personality to the internet for free?
You know that thing you do where you hand over your location, your habits, your opinions, your face, your friends, and your entire personality to the internet for free?
Video/Digital:
The ads you skip in five seconds. The ones squished between your Netflix show because you have the base subscription. The ones that follow you across the internet because you made the mistake of thinking about a product one time. Or the jingle on cable that gets stuck in your head.
The ads you skip in five seconds. The ones squished between your Netflix show because you have the base subscription. The ones that follow you across the internet because you made the mistake of thinking about a product one time. Or the jingle on cable that gets stuck in your head.
I write those.
Super Bowl Spot:
The pinnacle of the copywriter’s year. Where every word is argued over like it determines the fate of civilization. Where 30 seconds becomes a cultural event. Where you start wondering if this is actually the final boss of life.
The pinnacle of the copywriter’s year. Where every word is argued over like it determines the fate of civilization. Where 30 seconds becomes a cultural event. Where you start wondering if this is actually the final boss of life.
Experiential:
I am not going to explain this, but you have definitely experienced it and likely received free swag from it. It is none of the things listed above, and somehow it is every one of them when a brief demands it.
I am not going to explain this, but you have definitely experienced it and likely received free swag from it. It is none of the things listed above, and somehow it is every one of them when a brief demands it.
Research & Inspiration:
This is the foundation of everything a copywriter does. Research and inspiration go hand in hand. Most of the “aha” moments happen before the writing even starts. This is where the magic begins. We suit up, step into the arena, and argue with the internet until something makes sense.
This is the foundation of everything a copywriter does. Research and inspiration go hand in hand. Most of the “aha” moments happen before the writing even starts. This is where the magic begins. We suit up, step into the arena, and argue with the internet until something makes sense.
The Creative Brief:
I built this one up more than it needs to be. It is just our creative marching orders and guidelines for a project. We follow it, challenge it, overthink it, ignore it, argue with it, and then get another one.
I built this one up more than it needs to be. It is just our creative marching orders and guidelines for a project. We follow it, challenge it, overthink it, ignore it, argue with it, and then get another one.
Copy for your thoughts:
This is not copywriting. Also, copyright is spelled differently.
Around the holidays, it can feel like we are all trying to reinvent the same wheel, just with different wrapping paper.
We are not all grammar/punctuation police.
What a copywriter isn't:
This can be tricky. A copywriter wears many hats, but there are some things we are not. We may dip into them depending on the assignment, but they are separate roles with separate jobs.
This can be tricky. A copywriter wears many hats, but there are some things we are not. We may dip into them depending on the assignment, but they are separate roles with separate jobs.
1. A journalist (unless assigned)
2. A mechanic (if the writing thing doesn't work out)
3. An explorer (sometimes overlaps, but not the same job)
4. A playwright (give it time, a brief will make me do this)
5. A poet (often confused, not identical)
6. A wizard (despite what briefs sometimes suggest)
7. A legal writer (too boring)
8. A licensed elevator inspector with strong opinions (maybe after work)
9. A haberdasher (one can only hope)
10. A ghostwriter (same amount of work, but we make sure we get our credit)
2. A mechanic (if the writing thing doesn't work out)
3. An explorer (sometimes overlaps, but not the same job)
4. A playwright (give it time, a brief will make me do this)
5. A poet (often confused, not identical)
6. A wizard (despite what briefs sometimes suggest)
7. A legal writer (too boring)
8. A licensed elevator inspector with strong opinions (maybe after work)
9. A haberdasher (one can only hope)
10. A ghostwriter (same amount of work, but we make sure we get our credit)
This is just a tip of the iceberg. I could go into exceptions, nuances, emerging media, tech, and all the other “it depends” situations, but we would be here all day.
This is what is running through a copywriter’s head when you ask what we do.
So when we say, “We write the words in ads,”
this is what we mean.