This is not another post about a copywriter, not even a website content writer, who feels underappreciated. Not even slightly. In the next lines, you will see my theory of how this feeling originates and if there is anything that you can do about it. The first factor that comes to mind is…
The “F” word
Flow. We all have our pet peeves, and mine is nonexistent text flow. This is what many of today’s copywriters are lacking, and this is why many writers feel their work doesn’t get the attention they think it deserves. It took me a while to really get my writing put together. I’ve experimented in many different ways and wrote nonstop to achieve a flow I felt happy with. And practice is what many who claim to be writers are lacking.
Does this make the new copywriting era dead?
No, not entirely. But with all the online blogs available, people start self-promoting themselves as copywriters out of the blue. And they don’t have a good example to learn from.
What do I mean?
Think of all the cheesy quotes you read everywhere. They’re taking over the fashion world, they’re taking over furniture, they’re EVERYWHERE. This is definitely not copywriting. But many people believe it is. Many people brainstorm smart idioms, put them on a shirt, and then call themselves copywriters.
This has got to stop
As soon as the bad examples are gone, people will realize what it is that makes an ordinary article writer a real copywriter. It’s not that I really believe copywriting is dead, it’s just a notion popular among amateurs.
Other than achieving flow with a lot of practice, a real copywriter should solve problems and understand the core of the business they are writing about. Understanding the business helps to solve the customer’s problem. This is what great copy means. Even if your job is to think of 5 words for an H&M shirt, you should be well-familiar with the brand and the target audience.
Then comes creativity
The only problem with creativity is that it is subjective. There is no exact rule for what creative copy is. This is why staying true to yourself is probably more important than trying too hard to be creative.
Desperately trying to be creative is what prevents writers from actually being creative.
Last but not least, copywriting today needs flexibility!
In many cases, copywriters and business owners/clients will have different ideas about the path of the copy creation and implementation. A copywriter should be confident enough to voice personal options and ideas but also be able to graciously accept constructive criticism and make changes based on the preferences and goals of the business owner.
Let’s wrap up
There are many great copywriters nowadays, it’s just that the amateur self-promoted writers give copywriting a bad name.
There is hope!
For all fellow article writers that are just getting started, keep your head up, read as much as you can, write as much as you can, always do your research, stay true to yourself, and let’s revive this mythical creature — copywriting!
