What does it take to be a copywriter?
What knowledge should a copywriter possess?
Which skills should a copywriter offer?
These questions have been bubbling away in our brains ever since we started work on a Copywriter Code.
In an early draft of the code we mention that copywriters require specific training in order to become competent copywriters.
A few people have rightly asked what, precisely, a competent copywriter is.
If you were going to train someone to be a copywriter, what would you teach them?
Copywriter Competencies
We got to work on a list of all the things a competent copywriter needs to know or be able to offer.
We started building a list, using a few sources for guidance:
- Our professional experiences
- Training course outlines
- Job descriptions
- Online conversations
And then we grouped the competencies into categories to make the list easier to judge, and easier to work with.
Here’s a rough outline of what we think copywriters need to know:
Marketing knowledge
Copywriters need a good foundational knowledge of marketing as a function.
Including:
- What is marketing?
- Product, price, promotion, people
- Market research
- Marketing strategies
Writing skills
Copywriters must be comfortable using language.
In some copywriting roles this means using language to convey ideas or to build a brand.
In many roles, copywriters are expected to have a high level of spelling and grammar proficiency.
Copywriting techniques
Copywriters should be aware of a wide range of tested copywriting techniques.
These are the tactics that differentiate copywriting from other writing professions.
Techniques like:
- Addressing objections
- Alliteration
- Appealing to authority
- Asking questions
- Using ‘because’ as a persuasive tool
- Benefits Vs features
- FOMO
- Social proof
- Storytelling
- Conversational copywriting
- Front-loading
- Framing
- Serial position effect
- Urgency
- Selling the sizzle
- Getting to ‘yes’
Project and client management
Copywriters need to know how to contribute effectively to projects.
Including:
- Managing a copywriting project
- Contributing to a project
- Tracking and managing time
- Communicating with clients and stakeholders
- Managing expectations
- Controlling (and responding to) feedback from stakeholders
- Managing document versions and changes
- Managing document flows and sign-off processes.
Soft skills
Including:
- Curiosity about the world around them (about people, trends, culture etc)
- Empathy to understand different audiences
- Creative thinking and problem-solving skills to help tackle challenging marketing problems.
Specialist skills
A copywriting foundation can be built upon to specialise in specific domains, including:
- advertising
- PR
- digital content
- content strategy
- content design
- SEO
- user experience.
What are we missing?
What’s missing from this list?
Have we missed a detail – or perhaps an entire category?
Let us know what you think a copywriter needs to know.
Or maybe tell us what too many copywriters don’t know.
Cover photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash