You're a what?
“You’re a what?”
A copywriter, yes.
“So, like, a typist?”
No.
“Oh, I know. You’re someone who trademarks stuff?”
No.
“Oh. So, more like office admin?”
Shoot me now.
The notions of copywriter are a long way off, and yes, the above are all genuinely questions I’ve been asked. To be fair, the job description of what copywriters actually do is a little hazy at best. Which is why I thought I’d write a blog on the questions most frequent in my life since becoming a full time copywriter.
What is a copywriter?
Copywriting typically entails the writing of marketing and promotional material, in a various formats, such as websites, adverts, taglines, descriptions, blogs, or brochures.
Copywriters themselves are a little like designers, only, words are our muse. We contemplate them. We gaze at them. We listen to them. We invite them to sit and incessantly niggle at us behind our frontal lobe until we’ve got them totally sussed.
To put it another way, a good copywriter won’t stop until they’ve nailed the personality of the piece and the very best voice for the message.
Do you copyright things?
No.
Despite the name, a copywriter is absolutely nothing to do with copyright, nor trademarking.
So you basically write down words?
Well, essentially, yes. Only, good ones. Words with wit or wild imagination which roll wonderfully off the tongue. Phrases with pow, hyperboles that pop, language that persuades, informs and lingers in mind long after it’s been read.
Can’t anyone do that?
Can’t anyone do anything? I mean, if I jumped base right now and ran off to train as a skydiver I’m sure I’d get there eventually. (Well, before I was 60 at least.) Point is, yes we can all write. It’s just a good copywriter does it better. This doesn’t mean if you’re not a copywriter you can’t write well, it’s just we do this as our profession. We spend all day and almost every day coming up with ideas, creating something from nothing and writing, editing and writing some more.
It’s a little like comparing the difference between the Arctic Monkey’s song ‘R U Mine?’, one of the Alex Turner’s many lyrically sensational offerings and Alanis Morissette’s ‘Ironic’, which ironically manages to be written entirely about things that definitely aren’t ironic. Everyone can technically ‘write’ a song, it’s just some lyricists also happen to be gifted wordsmiths.
So what, are you like, the grammar police?
If by grammar police you mean do I rush to waggle my finger at shaky semantics and dodgy syntax, then yes. But it’s also worth noting copywriters aren’t always grammatically obedient either. Sometimes rebelling against the rules works better.
Yes, I can admit I’m one of those annoying people who comes over all sweaty and starts twitching her foot if I notice someone neglecting their commas or full stops.
I dabble in dashes, aim my apostrophes, pop in a little parenthesis (you know what I mean), quack out those quotation marks (and evidently some hilarious puns) and I know how to work those bad boys like a pro class tennis player. Without the noises. That would be weird.
What qualifies you to be copywriter?
I’ve got a double distinction diploma in Creative Writing and a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing under my belt, among other relevant qualifications.
But I wouldn’t say that’s what really qualifies me.
There’s not really a way to become qualified as a copywriter, per say. Most of the learning happens on the job and is therefore, self taught.
What I would say qualifies me is the experience I’ve gained over the last decade. My first copywriting job was at 18 writing for a whole food site. I provided blog posts, articles, recipes and I did their photography too.
Later on down the line, I took on various side jobs, writing blog posts and copy for websites here and there. A few years later I found myself working for a financial firm while working part time as a copywriter. Clients eventually built up, I got a few big names under my belt, and after leaving my job, I took the leap to go full time freelance. Now here I sit at my laptop, happy as a lark and working hard to progress my freelance business each day.
Do you meet your clients?
The majority of my work is conducted entirely online and therefore, there’s really no need to meet face-to-face.
I work from my home office. This means I can - and do - work with clients all over the world.
I communicate with my clients throughout each project via:
Sites such as People Per Hour
Phone
Whatsapp
Google hangouts, or most other instant messengers.
I can of course meet face-to-face with clients if the job requires it or if they’re in the local or surrounding area (Ipswich, Suffolk), so if you’re looking for a Suffolk copywriter, I may be right up your street!
Distance aside, I always work closely with my clients to ensure that their copywriting project is a success.
How much do you charge?
My price depends entirely on what you need written. I can work on a set hourly rate but I tend to prefer working for a set price per piece. I negotiate my fee based on the level of expertise and time required to both conceptualise and write it. Pieces that require more technical detail or research are likely to be steeper than a 500 word blog post about the top 5 cupcake flavours, for example.
Following that I’ll also look at the amount of words or pages required and the estimated time it’ll take me to complete it properly.
I request a 50% deposit on all pieces which must be paid prior to me beginning the work. For any minor jobs below £50 I request payment in full. Final payment must be made within seven days of completion of the project. This is the case even where minor amendments are required. (Don’t worry I won’t run off and ignore you).
You can get in touch with me at: roxy@copyrox.com
You can also hire me via PeoplePerHour: