A copywriting career is fun, rewarding and challenging. However, many budding copywriters never get their career off the ground because they don't know where to start. Jumpstart your copywriting career and get going today:
1. Make Sure Advertising is the Right Career Path for You
High pay. Set your own hours. Every minute is sunshine and rainbows. Advertising entices many people because it's often thought of as a glamorous career.
Is the advertising career you're dreaming of all it's cracked up to be? Evaluate the ad industry to make sure it can live up to your expectations because there are many myths associated with a career in advertising.
2. Agency Copywriter or Freelance Copywriter
If you want to become an agency copywriter, you'll take a different approach to getting a job than someone who wants to become a freelance copywriter and vice versa. Which type of copywriter you want to start off as is a big decision.
You don't have to be locked in for life as a certain type of copywriter, though. Freelancers become agency copywriters and agency copywriters become freelancers every day. You just need to know which one you want to start off as initially so you can get your career off the ground.
3. Create Your Writing Samples
As you're starting out, you won't have many or even any samples to your credit. But you can create your own writing samples to use in your portfolio.
These are known as SPEC ADS, meaning you weren't hired to write the ad but you've created the ad on your own. SPEC ADS are very common in the industry and even a lot of seasoned Creative Directors had SPEC ADS in their portfolio when they were just getting started too.
4. Prepare Your Advertising Portfolio
You may have a top-notch cover letter and resume but you have to have a solid portfolio to get the job. After you've created your SPEC ADS in Step 3, you need to prepare a portfolio that shows your potential employer or client your talent.
A professional advertising portfolio can make you stand out from other potential employees or freelancers competing for the same job. Even without commissioned writing samples to your credit, you can still make a lasting impression in your interview with a well-constructed portfolio of SPEC ADS.
5. Start Looking for Work
For budding agency copywriters, there are many ways to get a job at an advertising agency. First you have to land the interview with an ad agency so start researching advertising agencies to find job opportunities and also agencies that handle the type of work you would like to write.
If you've decided to become a freelance copywriter, you can also research advertising agencies for potential assignments but don't ignore the small businesses who can't afford an agency retainer or don't have long-term agency needs. As a new freelancer, you have a completely different path to travel to get your freelancing career up and running. You will be your own boss, accounting department, marketing team and copywriter so you will have a separate "To-Do" list before you can hang out your shingle.
Once you've made the decision to become a copywriter, stay on track and be persistent. You just need one opportunity to open up the door for you to enjoy a long, successful career in the advertising industry.