Copywriting Guide: Copywriting Tips For Beginners

Copywriting Meaning: What is Copywriting?

The best copywriting definition is as follows; copywriting is a form of marketing that is designed to persuade customers in a certain direction and inform them about a certain product or action that should be taken. The content that a copywriter produces should work in a clear and distinguished directive while promoting an object or service and describing why it would be a useful asset. The type of copy that a copywriter produces is often directed towards a certain market and group of people, and the types of copywriting techniques that are used may differ according to this variation. copywriters work very closely with marketing teams to develop the correct type of content for different types of media and across various platforms. 

Copywriting skills are techniques that are often taught and then developed over time, with new methods, ideas and types of copy being created as the market grows. One factor that has greatly influenced the direction of the copywriting industry is technology, and as the world becomes more accustomed to different forms of media, the copywriting industry has to grow and develop with it. Have you ever thought about who comes up with all of the content for social media posts? This job would be done by a copywriter writing each of the headings, descriptions and tags on the various different social media posts across all platforms! 

What are Some Copywriting Examples?

When thinking about the different copywriting examples out there, it is important to remember that long and drawn out works are generally not the copy that we remember and the short, witty and funny slogans are very often the ones that catch our eye and draw us in! Some of the best displays of copywriting are short, controversial and uniquely designed texts that are targeted directly at a specific group of people. One of the best examples of good copy was done by the famous KFC fast food restaurant in the UK when they ran out of chicken in 2018. The “FCK…. We’re sorry” campaign revitalised their reputation with the public and the witty comeback to the saga left customers smiling and the apology. It’s hard to think that this 3-word sentence salvaged the brands’ reputation and even created a buzz that increased the revenue over the period. Something that could have been disastrous for the brand was turned into something funny, witty and charming, leading to boosts in sales and brand recognition. This is just one example of why having a copywriter on your team could make an astronomical difference when it comes to good marketing techniques and strategies. 

What is the Difference Between Copywriting and Content Writing?

Copywriting vs content writing, what is the difference between these two seemingly similar jobs? Many people often confuse content writing with copywriting, and while these two jobs have many similarities they are very different and require different types of writing styles and different strategies. One of the main differences between copywriting and content writing is that the purpose of each of these jobs is different. While content writing is designed to inform, teach or even entertain its readers, the job of a copywriter is to persuade and sell either a product, service or action. Copywriters have the job of describing, informing and creating awareness that leads to a customer having a certain response. 

Copywriters and content writers are usually grouped in different facets of a company and while copywriters are usually part of marketing teams, a content writer’s ability to help to create company and brand awareness while also relating to customers makes them perfect for PR roles. Though both of these jobs centre around creating brilliant, clear and concise written content, copywriting and content writing are incredibly different jobs with differing goals, objectives and strategies involved in each one. 

What is the Importance of Copywriting in Marketing?

Copywriting and marketing teams walk hand in hand with each other as both greatly influence the overall effectiveness of a product or service. Each different facet of a business is incredibly important and these two parts of a company work very closely to develop a sales strategy for the various content needed. While marketing teams are concerned with the overall effect that a certain project will induce, copywriters focus on how to get the main point of the advertisement or writing across to the customer in the most effective way possible. 

Copywriting is an incredibly important feature of marketing and it is very often the driving force behind sales, which is why it is so important that your copy is written well! Without effective copywriting, the overall impact of marketing strategies and the implementation of other advertising efforts may fall short. Copywriting in marketing is an integral part of the sales process and it ensures that the copy and content a company releases to their customers is clearly directed towards a specific action, whether it’s buying a product or signing up to an email funnel. 

One of the best ways to display the importance of copywriting and marketing working together can be seen when looking at Markethinkers. By working together to create a content strategy that reflected our customers’ needs, our SEO copywriters and marketing team managed to increase brand awareness, sales and overall profit generated within just a month of implementing our SEO strategies! While the marketing team found the problems with the current content, our copywriters worked at resolving them through corrective SEO content strategies. You can check our Avansas Success Story to see how important copywriting is and how it can help your businesses to grow digitally.

Is Copywriting a Good Career Even After 2021?

As the world seems to grow smaller and communication, with the help of technology, is even easier, it is becoming so important to have marketing strategies and teams that place your products and services in the best position to be seen and purchased by clients. We no longer have to worry about just the competition in our neighbourhoods or towns, the competition is now all over the world, and the demands of customers are only getting harder to meet. Good copywriting can place your company, product or service just that inch ahead of the competition and align your ideas with strategies that work to market your product in the most effective and profitable way possible.

When considering whether or not copywriting is a good career, it is important to acknowledge how effective the job is and understand exactly how influential and impactful it is to a business. Copywriting and editing profitability can be measured by what we call ROI (Return Of Investment). The amount that you spend on a copywriting service is measured against the profits from the addition and then this amount is the ROI you have made. When measuring profits against loss, the ROI is almost always higher, ensuring that a copywriter can greatly influence your bottom line. Whether you are looking to get into the copywriting industry yourself or considering hiring one, it is incredibly important to take this information into account. 

Though no one can be certain of the future or the direction that business will go, it is a certainty that a company will need a wordsmith to construct and form the perfect pitch to drive sales. Many say that a business is only as good as its final product, but we here at Markethinkers say that a business is only as good as how its final product is marketed! 

How to Start Copywriting?

So you have decided that this may be the perfect career for you, now comes the question of how to start copywriting and find the perfect job suited to your talents. Like with most jobs, the process starts by measuring your capabilities, strengths and weaknesses and then working from this point. The following are just a few of the different aspects to consider and parts of copywriting that are important to learn before attempting to find a copywriting job. 

One of the first aspects to consider and work on are your research skills, as this is an incredibly important feature of copywriting and the depth of research you complete greatly influences the overall impact of your work. The next step to do is to simply put pen to (proverbial) paper and start writing. Copywriting is greatly considered to be something of an art form, and setting up information in a way that makes sense and flows in perfect synchrony may be harder than you first thought. Combining good research with the perfect form to entice customers to purchase a product or service takes time, and copywriting is a field where you learn something new just about every day. 

When it comes to beginning your copywriting journey, practice makes perfect and doing copywriting activities and finding out about the various tools and techniques to use is a good starting point. 

Copywriting Qualifications: What Skills are Required for Copywriting?

Copywriting is a versatile career that often entices people from different walks of life and from many different industries. There are a number of copywriters who have traditional copywriting qualifications, and many large marketing companies may prefer that their copywriters have a formal education based around this skill. These types of formal qualifications range from English (or other languages) to marketing degrees. Those who are hoping to join a formal marketing company should consider completing a degree or certification of this kind. A copywriting job description may verb and there are a number of different roles that a copywriter could play. These copywriting roles may also vary from company to company, with different roles and people being assigned to different parts of the process. 

While many choose the more traditional route, that does not mean that this is the only way to develop copywriting skills, and many great copywriters have developed the expertise needed through practice and copywriting skill-building exercises! The following are just a few of the different skills that go a long way towards being a good copywriter. 

• Being an excellent writer: In order to produce coherent, logical and well-structured content, you have to be a good writer. This is a skill that can be developed over time and there are many ways to improve your writing capabilities. One of the most effective ways to improve your writing skills is quite simple; practice! Whether it’s writing a story or coming up with new ways to write about an object or service, your writing skills will get better as you practice and do it more. 

• Having good research skills: One of the first steps to complete when writing about a product or service is to research it. Research skills are an incredibly important feature of copywriting and your ability to find information and the depth of research you complete greatly influences the overall impact of your work. Again, this is a skill that is improved on with a bit of practice, you will improve the amount of usable content you are finding while also reducing the time that it is found in. 

• Good time management and the ability to meet deadlines: This is probably one of the most important things to acknowledge when thinking about the different skills needed to be a good copywriter. Each document or piece of writing will need to be completed within a certain time frame and when this time frame is not met, you may be disrupting an entire system that would otherwise work like a well-oiled machine. If you are unable to meet deadlines and manage your time well, copywriting may not be the ideal job for you. 

• Creativity: With so much content out there, it is becoming increasingly important to ensure that what you write is unique and creative. This is incredibly important with all kinds of copy, from content that goes on your website to the information you are placing on social media accounts. Coming up with new ideas and constantly refreshing yourself on what is being done is a good way to stay on top of things and make sure that you are not producing dull and overdone content. 

Where to Get Good Copywriting Training?

There are a number of different ways to learn about copywriting and the best ways to learn about this form of marketing. Whether you are hoping to go the more traditional route and take a few copywriting courses or work towards a degree on the topic or are rather hoping to go at it alone and use many of the different online sources, you can be sure that there are many different copywriting training methods that can be used. 

One of the best ways to learn about copywriting and get access to the various strategies, latest methods and different examples is to join an academy where you have access to all of this information. The Markethinkers academy has a number of different sources to help budding copywriters learn about the market and the different aspects of marketing and copywriting! This academy is suited to all kinds of writers, from those just starting out to those who are just hoping to fine-tune their skills. 

How to Make Copywriting Exercises?

There are a number of different copywriting exercises that a person can do to start learning and improve on copywriting talent. Like with most jobs, or anything you do, practice makes perfect and to develop the skills you will need to become a great copywriter, there are different exercises you can do to improve your skill set. One of the easiest ways to create your own copywriting exercise is to simply write persuasive arguments and try to sell a product or a service. This product or service does not have to be real and you do not even have to share what you come up with, it’s all about finding the perfect way to structure your writing to be persuasive. When doing this, you may want to set up a specific number of words and a time frame to ensure that you can write convincingly within a certain period. This is known to be one of the best ways to keep your copywriting skills sharp and learn about the trade! 

Copywriting Basics: Copywriting Tips for Beginners

Those who are hoping to learn about the copywriting basics and are just starting their journey to become a genius wordsmith should be sure to use all of the copywriting tips for beginners. These different tricks and tips are often the easiest way to move forward and become the best copywriter that you can be. The following are just a few of the best ways for beginners to gain their footing in the world of copywriting and get a better understanding of the basics. 

What are the Best Copywriting Books?

One of the best ways to learn about the world of copywriting is to purchase one or two copywriting books. Books offer a perfect way to learn and understand the skills and strategies involved in creating good copy. The following are just a few of the most popular kinds of copywriting for beginners books that may contain one or two copywriting secrets! 

• “Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This” by Luke Sullivan: One of the most popular books for copywriters to read is “Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This” by Luke Sullivan. This novel was published in 1998 and it is a good book to have on hand as it has both theoretical and practical information about the world of copywriting. Along with a large amount of information on old-school skills and different tactics of copywriting and marketing, campaigns that have worked and even a few that didn’t, it has also been updated to cover topics like social media and the role that copywriting plays on those platforms. For a good read and a chance to develop your skills, be sure to purchase a copy of this great book! 

• “The Copywriters Handbook” by Robert W. Bly: For those who are hoping to find the perfect book to outline the various strategies and other practical information, this book by Robert W. Bly would be the perfect addition to your book collection. With over 35 years of copywriting experience, this handbook outlines, teaches and equips readers with a number of different skills that are needed to become an amazing copywriter! 

• “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion” by Robert B. Cialdini: As mentioned previously, one of the main aspects that differentiate writing from copywriting is the writer’s ability to persuade. With this book, you are able to go behind the scenes and look into what actually makes a person tick and the different strategies that are known to catch our attention. Not only does this author layout the 6 key principles of persuasion, but he also teaches you how to look out for these different tactics and how not to fall for them! 

Best Copywriting Blogs to Follow

By following a copywriting blog, you have the chance of interacting with actual writers who are analysing and acknowledging the changes in the market in real-time! While books and other forms of data may become dated as technology and information change, following a good blog will ensure that you are kept up to date with all the latest information in the world of copywriting. The following are just a few of the best copywriting blogs to follow.

• Markethinkers MT Academy blog: One of the best blogs to follow is our very own Markethinkers MT Academy blog. With a focus on digital marketing, SEO tactics and social media management, following a blog like this could go a long way to improving your understanding of digital marketing and all of the effort that goes into each of the services offered. Along with a large amount of information, there are also copywriting tips and tricks that could provide you with a great source of information to improve your copywriting skills! 

• Copyhackers: Another fantastic blog to be sure you regularly read is Copyhackers. This blog can be used by both professionals and those who are looking to get into the business as there are many different tools, loads of relevant information and even a few courses to take. Copyhackers has an assortment of different resources that are made available to its readers and can offer even the most experienced writer the chance to learn more about the industry. 

• Copyblogger: Founded by Brian Clark, Copyblogger is one of the largest networks of information for copywriters and is one of the top blogs to follow for those who are hoping to learn more about copywriting. With an assortment of different copywriting tips and a few techniques, reading this blog is a great way to keep up with everything new going on in the world of copywriting. 

Best Copywriting Tools on the Market

There are many different copywriting tools to help you on your journey to becoming the best copywriter that you can be. These tools are used by even the most experienced copywriters and are extremely valuable. The following are just a few of the best copywriting tools on the market. 

• Copywriting AI: A popular copywriting tool that is becoming more and more advanced as technology develops are copywriting AI tools! These tools are extremely useful as they are designed to pull together content about certain topics and organise the content in an easy to read way. While many may be thinking “Wait, is that not taking away my job??”, Copywriting AI is not meant to take away the need for a copywriter, as automation would not be able to pull together seamless work, and the role of the copywriter is still extremely important! This kind of technology does make researching and content structuring easier, allowing for the copywriter to spend more time refining their work. 

• SERP Preview: Very often, things do not look or translate exactly how we expected them to on a search engine. Things do not pop as we hoped or there are inconsistencies with what you were hoping would be highlighted on the page. This can be detrimental to your website and may impact the amount of traffic that your site receives. The SERP Preview, or Search Engine Results Page Preview, allows for you to clearly see what will be displayed on a search engine, ensuring you know exactly what the final result will be and that it is perfectly suited to your requirements. A great SERP preview tool is provided by Markethinkers and can be found here.

• Word counter: A popular kind of Copywriter tool that is commonly used is a word counter. Not only does this tool count the number of words in your writing, but it is also capable of providing information about specific keywords and the number of times they appear within the text. This is extremely important when creating copy for websites as SEO copywriting is one of the leading generators of ROI and they rely on specific percentages and word amounts throughout a text. For access to one of the best word counter tools on the market, head on over to Markethinkers Word Counter and Keyword Checker Tool. 

How Should a Good Copywriting Brief be Written?

Communication is key when it comes to organising and planning content with a copywriter. Having a plan in your head and voicing the details and different topics that you hope to be discussed allows for a copywriter to take your vision and run with it. The information that a copywriter receives within the copywriting brief template is incredibly important to ensure that both you and your copywriter are in sync. The following are just a few important steps to follow when preparing a copywriting brief. 

• İntroduce the topic: This is a very important step in working with a new copywriter and having a writer who understands who you are and what your company stands for can go a long way to secure a final product that you are happy with. Information about the brand being written about, even if it is just their name, should definitely be added to each copywriting brief that is prepared. 

• Describe the target audience: It is important to ensure that your copywriter knows exactly who they are writing to as the tone and information provided may differ between different groups of people. Teenage boys may react quite differently when compared to middle-aged mums and therefore information needs to be adjusted according to who you want the information to be directed towards. This is an incredibly important part of the process and copywriters should have a full understanding of their target audience before beginning any research or writing. 

• Describe the Tone of voice: The type of tone used varies across different platforms and different types of copy that is written. İnformation that is produced with an incorrect tone can reduce the effectiveness of the text and may confuse your audience. The most common distinction would be to make sure that your copywriter knows whether the tone should be formal or informal, though more information can also be given. 

• Be sure to state what kind of content needs to be written: Whether you are writing the content for a website or for a blog, it needs to be specified within the brief. This information adds to the copywriter’s ability to produce content that is in line with your vision and that the information is structured in a way that is conducive to the platform that it will be placed on.

• Technical specifications: Any other additions that you or the client want to be included or excluded with the content should be placed on the brief. An example of this could be that the client has specified to not include any information with regards to the price of the product or service. This information is imperative for a copywriter and not including these specifications can lead to inconsistencies and incorrect information being included in the content. 

Free Copywriting Brief Template for Beginners