Archive for 'Copywriting'
Why Would I Want to be a Copywriter?
Posted on 25. Apr, 2009 by admin.
Copywriting careers are in demand. Why? Because persuasive sales copy draws customers in — and the more customers a business has, the more money they’ll make. So companies pay big bucks for copywriters who can write the kind of sales copy that leave customers wanting more.
Most copywriters work on a freelance basis. However, there are copywriting careers available in advertising agencies or similar companies. If you work for an ad agency, you will more than likely be paid a salary, so your money making potential will be limited. But if you set your rates wisely and work smart, selling your copywriting services to companies on a freelance basis will provide you with the opportunity to make an endless amount of money.
The pay rates for creating sales copy for businesses can vary as there are a lot of variables to consider (time, project size, etc.). Some copywriting gigs can pay as little as $50 per project and others can give you the opportunity to make hundreds of dollars per job. Some copywriters set their rates on an hourly basis, but most business owners prefer to pay a flat fee so they’ll know exactly how much money the business will pay out once the project is complete.
Copywriting careers don’t cost much to get started. All you need is a computer, an internet connection and a few business cards. To be successful in the business of copywriting you must have a sense of how advertising and marketing techniques work. You need to also be well organized, self-motivated and have good people skills.
There are a number of books, websites and online training courses that can provide you the opportunity to gain the knowledge you need to start you on the path to a successful, money-making copywriting career.
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Some Copywriter Rates are Higher than Others
Posted on 23. Apr, 2009 by admin.
The Internet is full of open space that needs to be filled with words. The copywriter is the one who takes on the challenge of filling these pages with relevant information that is catered to the search engines and the clients – both potential and current. Setting copywriter rates will often depend upon the subject of the writing assignment, the length of the assignment and any previous knowledge the copywriter may have on the subject.
The subject of the copywriting assignment, without a doubt, is the number one factor in copywriter rates. This is the reason why some copywriter rates are higher than others. If the topic is vague or withdrawn from the mainstream topic, the copywriter rates may be higher. On the flip side of that coin, if the subject of the page is something that can easily be researched, the copywriter rates may be lower.
Some copywriters prefer to writer shorter articles over longer articles. For this reason, the copywriter rates for some authors will be directly related to the total number of words required per page. Shorter articles may bring one price while longer articles may bring another set of copywriter rates.
The final aspect of determining copywriter rates is the lack of pre-existing information on the topic. If a computer programmer is hired to write for a software firm, the rates may be lower than those suggested from a person with no previous knowledge of the subject.
If one thing is for certain, the World Wide Web is not finished growing and that means plenty of new websites in need of content and plenty of older websites in need of newer content. While there is no clear cut way to quote copywriter rates, every copywriter will eventually find their niche and run with copywriter rates reflecting that excitement.
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What’s The Best Way To Become a Copywriter?
Posted on 22. Apr, 2009 by admin.
The best way to become a copywriter is to have it in your heart from an early age. Combine that creative urge with a solid education in language, and an interest in details, and you could be on your way to becoming a copywriter. Of course, you can take some writing courses, especially radio, television and advertising studies, and go from there. The hardest part of becoming a copywriter is getting your first paid assignment.
Today, there are new avenues for aspiring copywriters who have access to the internet. There are many websites where writers can look to find assignments. Writing and copywriting are different, in that copywriting has more of a commercial element to it. Most copywriting involves promotion in some manner, either straight out sales writing, or a public relations aspect for informative and image writing.
If you are in a smaller town, you may be able to find employment at a local radio or television station as a commercial copywriter. From there, the path is open as you can move around to bigger markets and different jobs, just as disc jockeys move around in their careers. Larger towns offer more stations, newspapers or ad agencies. Employment at college or public stations is sometimes easier to obtain. Once you have the first job, you begin to assemble your portfolio of samples, from which you can expand to other businesses, such as advertising agency copywriting.
Effective copywriting can mean taking clear and concise marketing language and putting it into short time segments or small print ads, and that is not as easy as it may sound. The copywriter needs to be able to zero in and pinpoint the message, which is both a skill and an art. Natural talent is easier to hone than learned, but both are possible.
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What is a Copywriter?
Posted on 21. Apr, 2009 by admin.
A copywriter is a specialized writer who works mainly on creating sales oriented messages. The career would fall under the general category of writer, but being a copywriter is different than being a general writer or reporter writer. Copy refers to text in advertisements, especially in the newspaper business, or radio and television. The media copywriter takes information from salespeople and creates an advertisement for a client. That ad is then finished, if needed, by the art or creative department, and then inserted into the print or electronic media. The internet has opened many new opportunities for copywriters to make money writing content for websites.
The copywriter enjoys taking basic information and making it understandable to a wide audience, and working the information into copy that will create interest. That copy should create interest strong enough to either generate a sales call, inform, or help create an image. It helps to have a very broad background of experiences upon which to draw, and an excellent knowledge of language and grammar. Spelling and proofreading are also very important to a copywriter.
As a career, the copywriter usually will start with an entry type job, and with experience may move to better paying positions. Like much creative work, making a living as a copywriter is not easy, but with determination and drive, a person can enjoy a good income from this career. A college education is helpful, but not always necessary. The thing education can do for a copywriter is provide much general information, and open doors to opportunity.
The most important thing for a copywriter to have would be the ability to use language, create sales messages, and make their work of interest to the reader. Copywriting is an art form, and the wordsmith copywriter can truly enjoy creating their art.
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Copywriter~Defined
Posted on 20. Apr, 2009 by admin.
Copywriting is one of those careers that requires excellent communication skills, particularly in the areas of grammar and spelling. Many people think they can do copywriting, but soon discover that to do this as a business requires a lot of knowledge, time, and tenacity that not everyone can muster.
There is ample opportunity for work as a copywriter, and there can also be good money at the top jobs. Many copywriters start at entry jobs in newspaper, radio or television. To define the job of a copywriter is fairly simple: a copywriter is a person who composes text, usually for advertising purposes. The copywriter is given information, facts, and figures and is expected to digest and recompose those items into a coherent, concise sales message. There are other types of copy, such as informational, and descriptive, but most copywriting is aimed at generating interest in a product, company, or service. The copy produced should create desire in the reader for more information, resulting in a call or visit to a store that sells said item.
Once the prospective customer is in the store, in front of a salesperson, the sales job becomes that of the sales person. The written or visual message created by the copywriter can only be expected to prompt interest, not finish the sale. Mail order is one of the most visible examples of copywriting that is written as sales material to generate interest, and to prompt further inquiry by the reader.
Rates for copywriting vary from a few dollars to thousands, but money is not always the copywriter’s number one interest in this career. There is a lot of self satisfaction to seeing the end result of one’s work, and there is plenty of opportunity for the accomplished copywriter to enjoy reading and viewing their work.
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How to Find Work as a Copywriter
Posted on 19. Apr, 2009 by admin.
Copywriters have been hired for on staff jobs at newspapers, radios, advertising agencies, and in business marketing departments for years and those types of jobs are still available. However, the most common place to find copywriting work today is right on your computer. 95% of all copywriting online is done in a freelance capacity which means you do not work for the companies or clients themselves, but rather for yourself doing jobs for many different companies and clients.
There are tax implications of freelancing. You are completely responsible for reporting your income, although clients you do a large amount of work for during the year will provide you with a 1099 form for income tax purposes. It is up to you to save enough money to pay your income tax when you file.
Save all of your receipts related to business expense from the purchase of a new computer to any software you buy, and even website fees if you keep your own business site to attract clients. You can deduct all business expenses on your income tax report, although suffice it to say you will no longer be filing the short form for that purpose.
For most people it is a wise idea to seek the help of a reputable income tax preparer in order to be sure you are getting the proper deductions, it can save you a lot of money in the long run.
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Email Copywriting – Crafting Your Message For Email
Posted on 18. Apr, 2009 by admin.
Every day you sit down at your desk, open your computer, and check your email. If you are like most people, you do this multiple times a day. You may receive just a few messages, or like those that live online, you receive hundreds of messages each and every day. The quality of the messages can range from a quick forward with an attachment, a reminder, or some quickly hacked together message that takes for granted the process of writing.
Raise your hand if you have ever sent an email that was missing any form of proper structure and punctuation? All those with your hand raised consider swinging that hand toward the back of your head and give yourself a wake up call. Good. Now you can get started ensuring that it never happens again.
Just because email is a quick and easy way of writing – that is no excuse for not crafting your message.
When it comes to email copywriting, you have a high level of competition for your readers attention. Their inbox is filled with everyone else’s quick little message. So, here are a couple of quick tips to help you along the way as you work on improving your email copywriting:
1. Your subject has one job and one job only: Get Your Email Opened!
Your marketing message has zero chance of success if your email is never opened. Make sure your subject line pulls them in. Here are a few examples (fill in the blanks)
Who Else Wants _________? (Who Else Wants An Extra Hour Every Day, Who Else Wants A Movie-Star Figure)
Give Me _____ and I’ll _____ (Give Me 10 Minutes A Day And I’ll Give You A $100 a Day Residual Income)
2. Your message must have a purpose.
If you are writing to someone – make sure you know why and give them what you are promising. Before you start to write your message – write your purpose down first
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Learn About Copywriting For the Internet
Posted on 17. Apr, 2009 by admin.
Copywriting for the internet is the process of creating copy to be used online as content for websites, blog posts, and other information outlets. Internet copywriting not only serves as content for websites but can also help a website boost its marketing campaign to get more visitors to the site.
In order to have a great website, businesses must choose a copywriter that can provide quality, valuable content. Copywriting for the internet sometimes relies heavily on SEO (search engine optimization) techniques, so copywriters must be able to effectively use these keywords while still maintaining the integrity of the article.
All copywriting for the internet should first be checked for grammatical errors. Too many grammatical errors will take away from the overall message and may drive traffic away from a website. Then, the copy needs to be evaluated for its value. If the copy is just a recreation of existing copy, it adds no additional value for potential readers. This evaluation is also important to check for plagiarism.
Copywriters and those ordering copy for their websites need to consider balancing keyword density with overall information on their products or services. While SEO content has been proven to drive more traffic to a website, overusing a single keyword or set of similar keywords can be considered spam. A keyword density of 3%-6% per 500 words is the optimum density for informational content.
Since copywriting for the internet serves the same purpose as traditional copywriting, make sure that all the copy focuses on information about your product, service, or general topic that relates to the website. This is the way that your website copy can work for you.
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Brochure Copywriting
Posted on 15. Apr, 2009 by admin.
Brochure copywriting can be an interesting vocation because there are so many different topics that a brochure can cover. Topics for brochures can range from writing about exotic vacation spots to teaching someone about safety in different aspects of their life. I’ve seen brochures at hardware stores that teach certain basic skills to customers. Still others promote various services and/or announce a myriad of events. They are often like miniature books with a limited amount of time to give key points, keep the readers interest and persuade them that what is being said can make a difference in their lives.
Starting off with a key point about what the brochure will cover is important because if you do not grab the reader’s attention relatively quickly, the brochure is going in the garbage! Include a personal touch in the heart of the brochure. To get the reader to connect with what is being promoted in the brochure there should be a human connection. Most readers like to feel that they are being addressed directly. Whether it is trying to entice them into buying a vacation package or inform them of important health issues, most people need something and more often, someone to relate that to. So taking the time to find out the target audience is crucial in making a success of the brochure that is being written.
Your ultimate purpose in creating a well written and organized brochure is to compel your target market to take some action. If it is reserving a vacation in the Bahamas through a travel agent or talking to a doctor about a possible health risk they may encounter, the author must compel the reader to take the desired action or the brochure has been a failure. It is all in knowing what and to whom you are selling and marketing it! Good brochure copywriting can make all the difference.
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Bad Copywriting
Posted on 14. Apr, 2009 by admin.
Bad Copywriting
Copywriting is a skill that is learned over time and improves with practice and extreme attention to detail. Creating copy for the Internet requires focus and an understanding of the types of content Internet users seek, along with a basic understanding of the written word.
Bad copywriting proliferates the Internet. Some copywriting comes from individuals who are well intentioned; perhaps those who seek to start their own business or begin a blog. A person who has not been formally trained to be a writer can most certainly create compelling copy for web sites, but only after having made an effort to comprehend the practices best suited for this type of content. Too many decide on a whim that they will begin writing copy for a web site, only to find that the words they have created do not bridge the communication gap with their web site users.
Others may attempt to create web copy chiefly to gain visitors to web sites by being rich in keywords and light in true content. Generating web copy that consists of keywords only and have no real meat to them may not only actually lower a web site’s ranking, it can also drive visitors away. When copy is difficult to read due to the inclusion of too many search terms, it almost certainly will have the opposite effect of what was intended.
Ineffectual copywriting also exists in mass quantity. This type of copywriting may be easy to follow, but does not generate the excitement needed in order to cause the action that the copy is meant to promote. A solid writing style does not necessarily equate to an excellent grasp of making copy that captivates readers and promotes objects or ideas.