Duties and Responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities of a copywriter depends on the which part of the industry they work in, whether they work freelance or are salaried employees etc. The general duties of a copywriter working in any section of the industry are articulated below.

• Copywriters get the briefs from their clients about what they want to convey and then produce original copy ideas which would capture the target audience’s imagination.
• Copywriters should make sure that the substance that they write is factually correct and within the purview of advertising practice codes.
• Copywriters familiarise themselves with the client’s products, for whom is the ad to be targeted, and the competition’s activities in the market.
• Copywriters work as a team with art directors and one of their duty is to swap ideas and concepts to make a successful ad.
• Presenting the ideas initially conceived to the creative director and then working further on the feedback received.
• Making a storyboard to present to the client which would have various copy options, and going on editing, chopping, cutting, reframing these copies till the client is satisfied.
• As mentioned above copywriters also get involved at the production stage by booking and coordinating with designers, illustrators, photographers, printers and production companies.
• It is the duty of the copywriter along with the art director to see that what they are producing is factual, truthful and within the scope of advertising practice codes.

About Copywriters

Whenever we look at a well conceived ad in print or other media, or a promotional brochure or a jingle on the radio or on television, online ads etc. we often wonder who must be writing these wonderful words. These wonderful words or text is written by none other than a copywriter who not only writes these words but also edits copy or written content for a living usually to generate sales of a product or of a marketing nature. They write blurbs for books, sales letters, web content, articles and other forms of word-mongering for entertainment, information, education and in any other way to get a thought across. These guys touch our lives constantly and their catch words or jingles reverberate in our minds long after we have turned the page or the jingle has died down. They use catch phrases such as, “what the eyes, see the heart desires.”

Copywriters or as some prefer to be called, commercial writers or on the internet as content writers work either freelance or work full time in firms, agencies, companies or larger corporations as an employee and can be known as staff copywriters. Freelance copywriters are entrepreneurs work for whoever pays them money for the written word and would either charge by the hour or have a contract for a particular job.

Copywriters do not work alone as they are a part of a creative team which includes an art director. An art director and copywriter both sit down to work with ideas but when it comes to the execution of the task the art directors are responsible for the visual effect while a copywriter brings words to the table. They not only write the headline for the printed media along with the detailed body write up as it appears in newspapers or magazines or promotion brochures, but they also give their input about the kind of voice and the specific sound effects that are to be used in television or radio commercials. They also take part in the production of these commercials to make sure that the effect that was conceptualised by the creative team is achieved.

Copywriters not only write in academically, grammatical correct way but they have to put the concept to the lay people in ways that would capture their imagination, in a language that both idiomatically and ideationally imitates the spoken word of the common people. The language skills portrayed in an advertisement increases the overall effectiveness than just stating facts.

Education required for this job

Imagination and good creative ideas could be a gift but to write informatively, concisely and with a command and fluency over the language one has to get educated. What education should one have is enumerated below.

• Most employers require aspiring copywriters to have a college degree.
• As a pre-requisite student must have completed high school or obtained GED to enrol in a bachelor’s degree program.
• Should have a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts, in English or mass communication.
• Many schools give the option to students to major in journalism, marketing or advertising.
• As an undergraduate in communication students are encouraged to take internship in their chosen field.
• The coursework for communication is varied and could include writing, mass communication, human behaviour and language, communication studies and advertising.
• In Bachelor of Arts in professional writing a student is introduced to practical topics that develop professional skills. They encourage students to build portfolio of their work and also ask them to obtain internship.

Skill and Abilities

• To be a good copywriter one must be skilled in writing clearly, concisely, grammatically correct, have a good command over the language and fluency in writing. To be an excellent copywriter one must have a creative, vivid and lively imagination and the ability to persuade with the written word.
• Understand the different language styles that appeal to different and various target markets.
• Must have excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Must be able to work with the creative team in a positive manner with the least bit of wrangling.
• Must be well organized and have an internal sense of self motivation.
• Must be able to see the point of view of others and be able work on tight budgets and time frames.
• Must have good computer skills and be able to learn and work with the newest software introduced in the market.

Salary and Earnings

A person’s worth for the work that they do is measured in terms of money payment in the form of weekly, monthly or annual salary or hourly wage. This salary varies and is generally dependent on various factors which could be due to experience, the industry that they work in, the type of employer that hires them, the city, state or province that they work in, etc. This is also true for a copywriter and a few of the factors that affect salary are given below.

• Years of Experience

• Experience of less than one year the salary range is between $ 24,806 and $ 48,962 and the hourly wage range is between $ 7.68 and $ 19.87.
• Experience between one to four years the salary range is between $ 29,128 and $ 57,021 and the hourly wage range is between $ 9.84 and $ 31.09.
• Experience between five to nine years the salary range is between $ 34,923 and $ 67,716 and the hourly wage range is between $ 12.73 and $ 50.39.
• Experience between ten to nineteen years the salary range is between $ 38,884 and $ 71,282 and the hourly wage range is between $ 14.47 and $ 73.40.
• Experience of more than twenty years the salary range is between $ 30,767 and $ 83,595 and the hourly wage range is between $14.43 and $ 72.72.

• Industry
  • A copywriter working in an advertising agency gets an annual salary range between $ 29,946 and $ 62,515 and an hourly wage rate between $ 11.84and $ 60.82.
  • A copywriter working in marketing, advertising and media management gets an annual salary range between $ 28,592 and $ 57,979 and an hourly wage rate between $ 9.74 and $ 49.07.
  • A copywriter working in internet advertising gets an annual salary range between $ 25,644 and $ 52,711 and an hourly wage rate between $ 9.86 and $ 59.60.
  • A copywriter working in retail gets an annual salary range between $ 30,728and $ 68,956 and an hourly wage rate between $ 7.76 and $ 53.33.
  • A copywriter working in retail, apparel gets an annual salary range between $ 32,157 and $ 53,725.
  • A copywriter working in financial services gets an annual salary range between $ 29,460 and $ 82,591.
  • A copywriter working in information technology (IT) services gets an annual salary range between $ 27,000 and $ 63,318.

• Employer Type
  • A copywriter working for a company gets an annual salary range between $ 29,772 and $ 61,520 and an hourly wage rate between $ 9.90 and $ 38.78.
  • A copy writer working for a private practice or firm gets an annual salary range between $ 25,936 and $ 61,398 and an hourly wage rate between $ 10.14 and $ 43.40.
  • A copy writer working for a non profit organization gets an annual salary range between $ 29,483 and $ 51,278.
  •  A copy writer working for other organization gets an annual salary range between $ 31,000 and $ 60,000
  • A copy writer who are self-employed gets an annual salary range between $ 12,868 and $ 68,510 and an hourly wage rate between $ 11.07 and $ 64.56.
  • A copy writer working for a college or university gets an annual salary range between $ 29,590 and $ 54,631
  • A copy writer working for a hospital gets an annual salary range between $ 36,000 and $ 53,000.

• City

• A copywriter working in New York, New York gets an annual salary range between $ 35,835 and $ 71,599 and an hourly wage rate between $ 8.21 and $ 58.72.
• A copywriter working in Chicago, Illinois gets an annual salary range between $ 30,839 and $ 61,396 and an hourly wage rate between $ 9.80 and $ 55.18.
• A copywriter working in San Francisco, California gets an annual salary range between $ 33,837 and $ 74,237 and an hourly wage rate between $ 12.72 and $ 61.28.
• A copywriter working in Los Angeles, California gets an annual salary range between $ 30,791 and $ 70,485 and an hourly wage rate between $ 11.84 and $ 50.68.
• A copywriter working in Seattle, Washington gets an annual salary range between $ 37,191 and $ 62,188 and an hourly wage rate between $ 17.27 and $ 39.31.
• A copywriter working in Dallas, Texas gets an annual salary range between $ 30,536and $ 58,552.
• A copywriter working in Minneapolis, Minnesota gets an annual salary range between $ 35,486 and $ 63,322.