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Welcome back to the thirteenth episode of The Logophile’s Lounge (#TLL)… Your one-stop source for all content and digital marketing particulars.

Moving ahead in this journey, we now take this opportunity to introduce you to the best Career Opportunities in Copywriting.

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Copywriting – A way with words

In advertising and marketing, one’s way with words is the most important prerequisite for successful dissemination of ideas. When you see a pen and come up with some catchy creative phrase that can quickly grab anyone’s attention, you are cut out for copywriting.

Before exploring various career opportunities in Copywriting, see the four-minute video to quickly go through the concepts of copywriting.

There are two ways to start a career in Copywriting. Writers can start off as

1. 1. Career Copywriters:

If you are planning to go into career copywriting, you can become

1. 1. • Agency Copywriters
      • Corporate Copywriters

A career copywriter begins with a Bachelor’s degree preferably in Marketing. It is the best route to enter the copywriting role. However, the industry is open to anyone who has a knack for creative writing. There are a lot of successful copywriters who do not have a degree in marketing or who started their career in journalism and further took it to the next level of creative writing.

You can also look for an internship in copywriting and then explore the jobs in the field with some experience. For a career copywriter, maintaining a portfolio is of utmost importance. The portfolio can be a digital or physical representation of products/projects.

1. 1. Freelance Copywriters:

Becoming a freelance copywriter is the first choice of any copywriter expert. Working as a freelancer, a writer can set preferable working hours and charge accordingly. A person often ends up earning much more than what one can earn working for someone else. Instead of dedicating a major part of the day working at an agency or on dull and uninspiring projects, you can simply start working on projects that are exciting.

Certain specific jobs for a copywriter:

1. 1. Caption Writer:

The responsibility of a caption writer is to transcribe dialogues for movies and shows. Experienced caption writers work on transcribing live programs, news, sports, and foreign movies/shows. It is easier to get into the field of Caption writer when one holds the certification in stenography. As a caption writer, you will have to be exceptionally critical to minute details and keep updating your skills in lastest software of captioning and word processing.

1. 1. Technical Editor:

Technical editors are given the responsibility of reviewing the works of technical writers. They check clarity, content, content flow, grammar, and punctuation in a piece of work. They sometimes may also create & develop contents, design graphics, maintain websites, and create manuals for training. Technical editors also collaborate with developers and researchers to increase the accuracy of any documents that they are to publish. Their work revolves around strict guidelines and many times they need to get a security clearance for documents. Technical editors can work for technology companies, government agencies, research organizations, and defence contractors.

1. 1. Fashion writing:

This job role can be found in journalism, fashion criticism, catalogue writing, and fashion editorials. Love for fashion and strong skills in writing come together to develop strong reviews, powerful editorials, and other commentaries on the fashion industry.

A copywriter may not always find himself in the spotlight, but the role is extremely important and helps companies create a brand reputation among customers.

The job responsibilities of a copywriter include:

• • Writing content for social media:

Technological advancements have taken marketing to a whole new level. These days, customers spend significant hours on social media and marketers are advised to show ads where there is a high chance of visibility. So, copywriters are often hired to produce quality content for products/brands and ensure that they communicate the ideas properly.

• • Collaboration with teams to develop plans:

Copywriters directly collaborate with the marketing team, Customer Service team as well as the Personal Branding team of the company. They take in survey results conducted by teams, analyze the results to find out the right target keywords and then create ad copy that meets all requirements.

• • Production of error-free content:

When a company hires a professional ad copywriter, they expect that the ad copy to be flawless every time. So, it is the writer’s necessity to develop error-free content that is of high quality and adheres all companies guidelines.

• • Interpretation of creative direction:

It is no surprise that an ad copy should always be creative, creative enough that it sticks to the customer’s mind after watching a few times. It is wise for a writer to adapt keypoints and briefly create a persuasive copy.

• • Managing multiple projects at a time:

A copywriter is often given responsibility for multiple projects at a time. So one must learn to prioritize the project depending on the urgency and juggle between them whenever required.

• • Proposing concepts for ad copy:

As an ad copywriter, one is responsible for the strategic presentation of developing the company’s leadership among competitors. He/she is required to present an underlying strategy for a company’s overall campaign.

When you have exceptional talent and skill for writing captivating ads that can stick to target audiences, you become one of the most important resources for companies.

A copywriter can start making $30K mark (USD 30,000) or more depending on personal calibre. When writing an ad copy, a copywriter must keep in focus the target audience. The writer must adopt the technique of 90% research and 10% writing.

When working on an ad copy for big ad agencies, the work is strategically coordinated among many writers. They conduct meetings to discuss the respective target market, the ultimate purpose of campaigns, expected results, etc. before they start working on an ad copy.

Career Paths in Copywriting

A copywriter may start with an internship and then go for a full-time job. In an agency, the copywriting career path starts with becoming a Junior Copywriter and then reaching the ladder all the way up to become the Creative Director.

• • Junior Copywriter:

After completing a bachelors degree in advertising, English, Journalism or marketing, you can apply for the role of a junior copywriter in advertising agencies. As already discussed, the role will include developing ad copies for campaigns that are well established. Often referred to as assistant copywriter, proofreading and editing come under the purview of a junior copywriter. On certain occasions, a junior copywriter may also be given the responsibility of collaborating in new campaigns and come up with fresh ideas for a copy. Junior copywriters can work on ad copies of radio, television, or print.

• • Senior Copywriter:

After working for 2 years or more, a junior copywriter becomes eligible to become a senior copywriter in many agencies. As a senior copywriter, one spends most of the time on new accounts. The responsibilities include creating unique pitch ideas for the sales team for potential clients. While applying directly for the position of a senior copywriter in an agency, you must have a work portfolio. As a senior, you will have to show flexibility and adapt to various changes as per the clients’ requirements. Additional certifications and training may come handy when honing skills and showcasing talent. However, experience in the field is given more weightage than certifications when it comes to the position of a senior copywriter.

• • Creative Director:

On top of the ladder, one finds oneself as the creative director of an agency. The creative director is also known as the executive creative director. These are the people who have worked in the industry for a while and have gained recognition through their successful ad campaigns. Anyone who is in charge of the creative team either from the ranks of artists or copywriters can successfully become a creative director. As a creative director, you will have to set the tone for the creative team and give your final approval for the projects that are good to go.

Some Prominent Personalities in the field of Copywriting

• • Padma Shri holder, Piyush Pandey:

In the year 2018, Ogilvy India announced Piyush Pandey its new Chairman. He is a well-known personality in the advertising field and has also been named Ogilvy’s next worldwide CCO. His big and unparalleled ideas successfully help in creating extraordinary ad campaigns that stay on top of mind. Some of the famous ad campaigns ran by Piyush Pandey are ‘Ghar ka khana, Ghar ka khana Hota hai’ for Fortune foods, ‘Nayi Soch’ for Star Plus, ‘The ultimate adhesive’ for Fevicol, etc.

• • Padma Shri holder, Prasoon Joshi:

The Chief Executive Officer of McCann World Group India, Chairman (Asia Pacific), Mr Prasoon Joshi is also an Indian lyricist, poet, screenwriter, and a marketer. He started his career with Ogilvy and Mather and now is a widely known personality in the field of advertisement. Some of the famous ad campaigns ran by Prasoon Joshi are ‘Dead Hour by Nescafe’ for Nescafe, ‘Gold Moment’ for Coca-Cola, etc.

• • Prahlad Kakkar:

Best known for his creative work on the TV commercial of Pepsi along with Sachin Tendulkar and Amitabh Bachchan. He is the founder and Advertising Film Director of Genesis Film Production. He is often referred to as ‘The man behind the ads.’ Some of the famous ad campaigns ran by Prahlad Kakkar are ‘Yeh hai right choice baby’ for Pepsi, ‘2minutes’ for Maggi, ‘Zor ka Jhatka’ for Limca, etc.