Copywriting is the practice of writing text for promotional purposes. Traditionally, these texts came in formats such as billboards, radio jingles, brochures, magazine and newspaper ads, and TV commercial scripts. However, formats such as emails, social media posts, digital product descriptions, and blogs are growing in popularity along with the world of ecommerce. Businesses use copywriting to help meet their marketing objectives.
Creative people with persuasive writing skills are well suited for copywriting roles. They must also have a good grasp of the language they're writing in, including a strong foundation in grammar, spelling, and composition rules. Copywriters need to be willing to accept critical feedback from clients and adapt to sudden changes in marketing strategies. Timeliness is another important trait because you'll need to hit established deadlines and maybe even juggle multiple projects at a time.
Learning about copywriting can prepare you for a career working as a freelance copywriter or in-house copywriter for a company, which might use a different job title for a copywriter, such as advertising associate, communications specialist, web content writer, or digital copywriter. Strengthening your copywriting skills can help you in other careers. For example, PR specialists and social media managers often need to rely on persuasive writing to influence others. Knowledge of copywriting can also enhance the work of a video editor or graphic designer when they need to pair their visuals with catchy, memorable phrases.
Online courses on Coursera can introduce you to the fundamentals of persuasive writing, brand marketing, and content creation. Some courses may hone in on important elements of digital copywriting, including search engine optimization, a strategy in which you use certain keywords to increase a page's visibility. Other courses focus on general creative writing, so that you might form the ability to craft colorful descriptions, relatable characters, and coherent narratives that can enhance your copy.