Copywriter

What does a copywriter do?

If you are currently thinking about choosing a new career path, whether you are a student or a professional working in a certain field, you may consider a Copywriter position. Based on the name of this profession, it is clearly only suitable for people who enjoy writing and are able to write professionally and in big volumes. In this article, we are going to talk about what a copywriter does, what skills are required for this role, and what salary you can expect.

What is copywriting?

Initially, the term was used for the definition of advertising text (copies) creation. Then the term has broadened, and now it includes many different directions, for instance, the creation of copies for emails, SEO copywriting for websites, and so on. In today’s world, copywriters are mainly required in the IT business with a presence on the Internet, which means basically any business that wants to succeed. Namely good copywriting “sell” the services and products offered online. Any website or web store owner is interested in text content that will lead it to the top positions in the search engines, which ensures the attraction of more potential clients.

Who is a copywriter?

It is a specialist who creates text content. These can be topical articles for a website, blog posts, posts for social networks, emails, press releases, and so on.

A copywriter has to study the specifics of the company’s work, subject business field, and unique selling proposition (USP) of the product or service, analyze the target audience, and learn the basics of online marketing. An expected final result of the specialist’s work is a clear text with a certain recognizable style that inspires and encourages people to buy or do any needed targeted action.

How to become a copywriter in India?

• Learn copywriting basics from online courses or books.

• Choose specialization ( email, landing pages, articles or etc.).

• Write some copy for free ( you can ask your friends and acquaintances).

• Try to find first clients on popular freelance platforms in India (Upwork., Guru. , Freelance India).

• Build your reputation and develop skills.

Copywriting skills

• Ability to write grammatically correct, structured, and useful texts;
• Understand your target audience for whom the texts are created;
• Being able to “pack” the content, i.e., accentuate main points, select illustrations, infographics, and format the text during uploading;
• Ability to write texts for different purposes, i.e., for a landing page, newsletters, SEO (search engine optimized) texts, etc.
• Ability to develop a content strategy, analyze the effectiveness of the content, and adjust the strategy, respectively;
• Ability to competently negotiate with clients;
• Ability to follow the terms of reference if they are provided;
• Basic knowledge of content management, i.e., working with different website admin systems such as WordPress, Joomla, UMI;
• Knowledge and ability to work with HTML and CSS formatting;
• Ability to create presentations;
• Ability to find necessary information about the text or content subject, i.e., ability to use the search engine effectively, conduct surveys, interviews, find illustrations, etc.
• Ability to edit texts;
• Creativity and knowledge of advertising to create attractive headlines and slogans;
• Knowledge of SEO and online marketing principles;
• Sometimes, a degree in philology, journalism, or marketing is also required.

Types of copywriting

There are several most widespread types of copywriting that are the most demanded:

1. SEO copywriting implies the creation of content optimized with certain keywords and phrases, i.e., words and phrases that describe the topic of the website or an article and are used by the search engine systems to ensure an exact match (relevance) of search results. Such content helps websites rank higher in Google, i.e., to be shown on the first page of the search results, which ensures higher traffic and the likelihood of acquiring new clients for the business. Besides, the texts should also be well-written and useful to the reader; otherwise, they would quit the page without buying or doing another desired target action even if the website is well-ranked due to the use of the correct keywords.
    
2. Email copywriting implies writing content for emails sent to potential customers or previous customers. The aim of such newsletters or reminders is to encourage a subscriber to visit a certain target or landing page. The main difference between this type of copywriting and SEO copywriting is that email texts should be more intriguing. They do not reveal all cards but encourage the subscriber to go to the website to know more and do a target action there.
3. Ad copywriting implies the creation of attractive, attention-catching texts for different media, i.e., social networks, mass media, street media, and so on. This type of copywriting is completely different from text writing. It is a highly creative profession that requires broad-based knowledge and the ability to write catching and concise texts to encourage a potential customer to make a buy.

Copywriting vs content writing

It may seem that these are the names of the same profession, but there is a difference between them. Copywriter always advertises a product or service he or she writes about. Content-writer can create content more like a journalist. His or her aim is to explore the topic and share information rather than encourage any action, although, in some cases, they combine these goals. However, in most copywriter job postings, namely a content writer is meant. Most employers seek a specialist able to create interesting, useful, but optimized texts, encouraging action. Only when Ad copywriter is required, we can say that an employer needs a different specialist.

Copywriter salary in India

In India, the median yearly salary is ₹368,000 or $5,000.  According to the Payscale platform, salaries by city:

• Average copywriter salary in Bangalore - ₹380,000 / year

• Average copywriter salary in Mumbai - ₹374,210 / year

• Average copywriter salary in Delhi -₹360,000 / year

• Average copywriter salary in Hyderabad-  ₹311,231 / year

• Average copywriter salary in New Delhi-  ₹390,000 / year