So you’re thinking of becoming a copywriter. You might be a recent graduate looking to begin your career, or you’ve worked in other jobs and have decided it’s time for a change. Perhaps the recent pandemic has opened your eyes to the benefits of working remotely and you’re wondering how to become a copywriter online.
Whatever your circumstances, breaking into any industry can be a challenge, especially during such a volatile time for employment and the economy. If you succeed, however, copywriting can be extremely rewarding work. Here are our top tips for getting started on your path to become a copywriter.
How to become a copywriter
Education
Many people ask: do you need a degree to become a copywriter? Education is never a bad thing, but while a degree is advantageous, it is not strictly necessary.
Relevant subject areas include journalism, English, communications and marketing. These will teach you some of the important skills such as good grammar, conducting research and meeting deadlines. There are also offline and online courses to become a copywriter, giving you a qualification to show you have an awareness of the industry and its techniques.
However, if you have an aptitude for writing and can prove your ability, it doesn’t matter whether you’ve studied or not. Most employers will be far more concerned with your experience and attitude than your education.
Experience
We also get asked: Do I need writing experience to become a copywriter? Truth be told, we all have to start somewhere, and some form of writing experience is essential for securing any type of copywriting role. The first thing you should do is start a blog covering an area that is of interest to you, for example fashion or music.
To get some more hands-on experience, local marketing or PR agencies will usually welcome the opportunity to take on apprentices. If you haven’t managed to get anything published, you can always do some speculative copywriting. Choose a product (real or imaginary) and invent a strapline and some compelling product copy.
Portfolio
To get any copywriting work you will need a portfolio of your best writing. Note that this should be copywriting experience specifically, not a news piece you did for your local paper, so this