10 Unexpected Things Being a Copywriter Has Taught Me
Like all small business owners, we do several different tasks to help our business run efficiently. I head up the marketing strategy here at Julian//West, which means I’m often scheduling emails, planning social media posts, and executing a content strategy for the blog. (And sometimes, I even make candy.) But people who know me know my first love is writing. Specifically, I love being a copywriter.
I’ve been copywriting since 2014, and I’ve learned a lot over the years. So today, I thought it would be fun to share some of the lessons I’ve had along the way.
10. Not everyone understands copywriting
If you’re not totally clear on what copywriting is, you’re not alone. Copywriting wasn’t a job that was explained in my classes, for instance, even though I majored in writing. I didn’t completely understand the concept until I was finishing up college.
And in case you need a refresh, copy is the brief amount of words listed on webpages, billboards, banner ads, commercials, and more. Copywriters are paid to assemble those words, concisely and memorably.
When you think about it, the fact that we don’t discuss copywriting more often is wild! For better or worse, advertisements (and the copy associated with them) impact us from the time we’re small. I remember once pointing to the words on a pizza box as a kid, saying, “I want to write that stuff.” Looking back, I had no idea that becoming a copywriter was a way to combine my two loves: pizza and writing.
So, if being a copywriter is important to you, just know, people won’t always “get” your work. And that includes your coworkers. You may be proud of the short sentence you wrote, only to have it changed into a paragraph by a well-meaning colleague.
What’s more, it’s not unusual for businesses to conflate copywriters and content writers. While many companies have one person doing both (like yours truly), it’s still important to understand the difference between the two.
Image source: AVO agency
So, what’s one to do when a coworker doesn’t quite understand your role? If you’re a copywriter in this situation, you may choose to calmly but firmly explain your position on something. “Unfortunately, I can’t add a paragraph to this banner ad, because it’s against copywriting best practices.” You may need additional stats or the help of your manager to drive the point home.
On the other hand, you may decide your energy is best used elsewhere. For instance, there’s usually no point in arguing over a single word (something that really happens!). Choosing your battles is important, no matter what job you’re in.
9. Coworkers want to help
Because people struggle to understand copywriting, it’s likely you’ll have coworkers who want to help. Helpful colleagues can be great: A designer or fellow copywriter may give you invaluable feedback.
Unfortunately, it’s also possible to get poor-quality feedback, too. In some cases, coworkers may even want to re-write your work. If I’m being honest, there’s not a perfect way to deal with this situation.
However, it’s important to remember that writing is fun. You likely have one of the most enjoyable jobs on your team. Because of that, people want to get in on the action. Believe it or not, some of your coworkers may even be trying to impress you with their writing skills.
By anticipating coworker feedback, you can better handle it. As we mentioned before, it’s okay to politely push back, whether your coworker is intentionally being difficult or innocently trying to help.
8. Don’t take feedback personally
Let’s say you do get irritating feedback from a coworker: “This isn’t what I was picturing,” or, “This doesn’t feel right.” The easy is response is anger, frustration, and frankly, feeling insulted.
The more difficult response? Taking criticism in stride. By separating your emotions from your work, you can more easily make improvements to your writing. This is hard, because your work feels personal. But remember, the feedback isn’t said to hurt you (and if it is, get outta there!).
Hopefully, at the end of the day, everyone has one shared goal: to make the best work possible. What’s more, if you have good relationships with your coworkers, it will be that much easier to accept their feedback.
7. Your copy may not be perfect (that’s okay!)
You may be surprised to know my thoughts on copywriting. When it comes to being a copywriter, I believe the work should be “good enough” rather than “perfect.” Let me explain why.
There’s no such thing as a perfect line of copy. There’s no perfect email, ad, or commercial. Good copy makes sense and performs well. After a certain point, changes to copy become superfluous, and the final result can even get worse, rather than better.
Trying to hit perfection on the first or second try is intimidating, so just start writing. Stop holding yourself to the perfection standard. What you write may be great, or it might not be, but the sooner you write, the more time you have to revise and improve.
You’ll never please everyone, so do your best to please yourself with copy that’s good enough for you.
6. Testing can help your copy convert
Before, I said copy should perform well. The best way to pinpoint performance is through testing. There are a number of ways to test copy; you can track engagement and conversion; you can A/B test subject lines and pages; you can even use software to view how people interact with your site in real-time.
Image source: Optimizely
For me, one of the most humbling experiences as a copywriter was when I tested a new homepage. My team and I loved it, and we were excited to see what prospects thought. Using a software called PlaybookUX, we sent it into the wild to hear feedback.
When we received the results—prospective customers videoing themselves using the site—they were confused by the copy. As the writer, I was feeling humbled. But it helped me improve and write an even better homepage for our final A/B test.
5. Prepare for changes
If you’re a copywriter, you know campaigns can change on a dime. The ability to change with them is critical. Sadly, great ideas get trashed, and big budgets get slashed. Your incredible project may never see the light of day.
But if you can prepare for these changes, you’ll be better off. Just because an idea gets canned now, doesn’t mean you can’t use it later. Keep a running list of your best ideas, push for what you need, and never stop pitching.
4. Be willing to kill your darlings
Nobody likes cutting their work down, but for copywriters, it’s necessity. Subject lines, ads, and emails are all marketing collateral with limited real estate. What’s more, they’re proven to perform better with fewer characters.
It’s possible you’ll have to cut down things you’ve written—several times a day. Often, this can make your work even better.
3. Save your work
We touched on this a bit earlier by suggesting a running list of ideas. In addition to your list, it’s important to regularly save your work with screenshots and PDFs.
Saving your work ensures you have adequate proof of your skills and talent. Plus, you don’t have to go looking for it later. This is especially valuable in the final weeks before you quit a job, and it’s a smart practice in tech, where layoffs are frequent.
Once your work is saved, you can add it to your portfolio with brief descriptions. Your portfolio is the perfect place to brag about positive metrics, like opens, clicks, and conversions.
2. You’ll improve with practice
Like anything, the more you practice writing copy, the more you’ll improve. It’s amazing to look back and see how much you’ve grown.
The best thing you can do is to keep writing, keep learning, and keep trying new things! Research is a great way to continue your journey, and volunteering for new and interesting projects will strengthen your skills, too.
1. Inspiration can come from anywhere
Inspiration can certainly come from other copywriters, but it’s important to remember that inspiration can come from anywhere. In other words, you can absorb and increase creativity from a number of sources.
What makes you feel inspired? For me, music videos and movies are a huge source of creative energy.
But inspiration can honestly come from anywhere. Reading books, watching TikToks, talking to friends—these are all ways to generate ideas you can channel into your work.
New ideas aren’t made in a vacuum, so expose yourself to new things as much as you can. Take plenty of notes and take plenty of breaks, and you’ll find inspiration more often.
Conclusion
My life has changed enormously since 2014—both personally and professionally. And while I wear a lot of hats, being a copywriter is still my favorite role. Hopefully what I’ve learned can help you as you begin—or continue—your own copywriting journey.
But even if you love copywriting, some projects require more bandwidth than any of us have. If that sounds familiar, our agency can help. We offer branding, design, and of course, copywriting services. Schedule a free consultation with us here, and we’ll design a custom plan just for you.
