What is Copywriting?

It might sound like a strange question.

Yet when you tell people that you’re  a copywriter you either get a glazed look in their eyes as if they have no clue but don’t want to admit it or you get people who think you doing something related to protecting peoples products and services from being stolen.

But listen..

It raises a good question.

As I often talk to people who think that copywriters are just people who write.

WRONG!

Anyone can write, but that doesn’t make them a copywriter

You can write content for websites but that doesn’t make you a copywriter

You can write emails for business but that doesn’t make you one

Heck you can even write sales letters, but that doesn’t make you a copywriter

I’m Serious!

First, let’s see what the almighty wiki has to say, as we all know that most folk get their facts from that 😉

Copywriting is the act of writing copy (text) for the purpose of advertising or marketing a product, business, person, opinion or idea. The addressee (reader, listener, etc.) of the copy is meant to be persuaded to buy the product advertised for, or subscribe to the viewpoint the text shares.

Copywriters are used to help create direct mail pieces, taglines, jingle lyrics, web page content (although if the purpose is not ultimately promotional, its author might prefer to be called a content writer), online ads, e-mail and other Internet content, television or radio commercial scripts, press releases, white papers, catalogs, billboards, brochures, postcards, sales letters, and other marketing communications media. Copy can also appear in social media content including blog posts, tweets, and social-networking site posts.

A copywriter is someone who can entice people towards an action through the written word. ( even if that written word is verbally spoken via radio, TV, videos or phone )

That might be, reading further down a page, reply back to an email, clicking an order link, making a phone call or saying yes I want to buy on the phone.

As a famous author once said.

Anyone can write. But not everyone can write well

That is what divides those who are copywriters and those who are not.

You either can get people to take action ( as listed above ) or you can’t

…and if you can’t, you had better get someone who can otherwise your wasting your hard earned money and time!