What is a copywriter?

Occasionally I run into the question ‘what is a copywriter?’, when I tell people what I do for a living. Most have some idea that writing is involved, but sometimes people assume I am in fact fighting piracy.

 

 What is a copywriter? Nothing do with copyright

Although copywriters sometimes argue about exactly what their trade involves, one thing is for sure – piracy and copyright theft is completely unrelated to copywriting. So you don’t have to worry about me kicking your door in because of that MP3 you downloaded from Napster back in 2001.

 

A picture of a BSOD - no longer part of my job as a technical copywriter

The Blue Screen of Death – (almost) behind me now as a tech copywriter

What is a copywriter? Not a copier of writing

Copywriting also has nothing to do with copying writing. It is not being a paid plagiarist. Or a human photocopier.

 

Stealing content, including words, is wrong. Which puts us back into “copyright” territory.

 

So what is a copywriter? Someone who sells with words

At the most fundamental level, copywriting is the art of producing words that sell.

 

Traditionally, copywriting has revolved around sales letters, taglines, and upfront advertising. The age of content marketing however has somewhat changed the definition.

 

Any kind of article, including white papers and reports, which do not blatantly sell can still be considered as examples of copywriting. These articles may not be selling your products or services, but they are selling your brand as an expert in your field.

 

Even the About Us page on your website becomes a form of copywriting if it is designed to ‘sell’ your skills and experience. A bit like this blog post in fact.

 

What is a copywriter? My favourite question!

Having worked in IT for over 16 years, I used to dread the ‘what do you do for a living?’ question. Inevitably my answer would be followed up by a request to help troubleshoot some nagging computer issue. As a technical copywriter, I do still keep up to date with IT issues and technologies. But I no longer need to make house calls to fix dead PCs.

 

Instead I get to talk about the companies I have worked with, the exciting copywriting projects I have helped deliver and the amazing people I have met.

 

Image courtesy of FreePixels.net

 

FAQs

How much do you charge?

Prices are calculated on a project-by-project basis. You can find details about how I calculate my quotes on my copywriting rate card.

How do you work?

Actually, the correct question is ‘how do you work?’ After all, my job is to simplify yours. Your business has its own way of working, and I do whatever I can to accommodate your preferences. You can be as hands-on or hands-off as you like during the project – all I need is an understanding of what you need. Then it’s over to me to deliver by the agreed deadline.

Can you deliver copy tomorrow?

Possibly. Drop me a line and we’ll talk.

Yes, but can you *really* deliver copy tomorrow?

It has been done before, and it will be again. But we need to talk now if you want it to happen. Drop me a line using the live chat box to get started ->.

Can you do a free trial sample?

No.

Do you write tutorials / user guides?

Absolutely. Sometimes I’ll even supply screenshots. Let’s talk.

Do you write technical manuals?

I have written technical manuals and administration guides in the past, and I’m open to doing it again. If you have a specific project in mind, we should talk.