FAQ

What is copywriting in marketing?

Copywriting, unlike, say, fiction writing, is designed to advertise your brand or product and attract customer interest. Copywriting has always been important in marketing: T.V. ad roll scripts, product jingles, packaging calls-to-action, magazine ad text, brochures, catalogs, and so on. Now, in the world of branding online, companies need more written marketing copy than ever before: blog posts, social media content, whitepapers, affiliate listicles, email newsletters, guest posts, and more.

Simply put: Copywriting in marketing is any type of writing that you create to attract customers, build brand awareness, and sell your products and services.

What are some typical copywriting jobs?

Anything that involves writing-as-advertising could be considered a copywriting job. Typical copywriting jobs may include SEO-optimized blog posts, news articles about new products, articles about affiliate product links, backlinking opportunities, website copy (homepage, FAQ, About Us), eCommerce product descriptions, product reviews, informative articles about problems your customer may have (and that your product may solve), Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/Reddit writing, Google Ad text copy, an e-whitepaper about your product, a listicle that focuses on your expertise, and many more types of content.

Do writers need copywriting courses?

Copywriters only need two things: a good portfolio and experience. Everything else is gravy. I, for example, have a BA Honors in English Literature, 4 years of post-secondary Creative Writing courses, and a MA in English & Film Studies. But the best “course” I had as a copywriter was over 5 years of practical experience in product writing, blog marketing, digital marketing, and tech writing (B2B, B2C, SaaS).

What are some copywriting examples?

There isn’t just one type of copywriting and you should leverage multiple types to give your audience a full picture of your brand. Here are some samples from my own portfolio indicating common types of copywriting examples:

• Brand Building Blog Post: Pick a topic your customers care about and write expertly about it before linking back to your product.
• Informational Listicle: You have several affiliate products you want to tout OR you want to position yourself as knowledgeable within your industry niche.
• Product Review: You want honest feedback about a product or service, perhaps for word-of-mouth recognition or because your audience sees you as a source for industry expertise.
• Topical Content: Quickly product written content that positions you as a thought leader during monumental times of change (during entertainment events, alongside popular hashtags, in response to world news, etc.).
• Answer a Question: Put yourself in the mind of your ideal customer and answer a question that might interest them.
• Give Advice: As an expert in your field, you are uniquely qualified to offer potential customers advice that relates to your specialty.
• SEO Optimized Article: Leverage what people are searching for online into content that “looks good” to Google and ranks better in search listings.

What should I expect to pay for copywriting?

The unsatisfactory response is: it depends. How research-intensive is your project? Will it have multiple feedback/editing cycles per piece? How many words do you need written? Is it a rush deadline? All of these considerations will influence what you pay. No two copywriters are the same. Some (like myself) may include CMS help, graphic design, social posting, and other auxiliary services. This, too, effects pricing.

Be wary of too-good-to-be-true rates. Do not expect to pay pennies-per-word unless you are tapping into a content-mill like Upwork, where your experience will be less personalized, may not come with phone/video briefing services, and will have dubious quality control. Remember: Your audience is intelligent and competent. They deserve to be written for accordingly.

For a personalized copywriting quote, drop me a line in the contact form.