copywriting career - Express Writers

Why Today is the Era of the Online Content Writer

December 31, 2020November 24, 2015 by Adam Oakley

Anyone who has ever studied English or writing knows just how hilarious people think they’re being when they ask “What in the world are you ever going to do with that?” It’s long been considered a source of fun and frivolity to pick on writers for their delicate sensibilities and their seemingly useless talents and training…until now. Right now, you and I are living in the era of the copywriter as the online content writer, or SEO copywriter… and it’s arguable that there are few other skills that are in such high demand right now. That’s right: high demand. Copywriting is a broad profession that embodies many things and, now more than ever, people need copywriters to make their online businesses go around, to help their pages show up in search results, to execute good SEO, and to master the written word in order to provide value and excitement for readers. The Evolution of the Copywriter To The Online Content Writer The role of the copywriter as it is today, with many jobs in online content writing specifically, has metamorphosed hugely since the inception of advertising. Back in the ‘30s and ‘40s, copywriters were charged with developing ad copy people would love, which typically meant it was full of puns, over-explaining, and outrageous exaggerations (like the 1937 Camel Cigarette ad whose headline was “for digestion’s sake – smoke Camels!”). In the ‘60s and ‘70s, the job of copywriting began to change when Bill Bernbach, the first man to put copywriters and art directors together on projects, created a new-age copy creation team that was dedicated to producing ads that were more honest, stark, and open. Throughout the ‘80s and the ‘90s, copywriting continued to change: long copy dominated advertising and visuals became more important but in the year 2000, it all began to change. Suddenly, visual gags were all the rage and body copy all but died altogether. Throughout the next several years, copywriting became a spammy profession that was focused on cramming as many keywords into a piece of content as possible or building sneaky, unethical links. Thanks to the pressures of the market and the overwhelming trend of copy in general, copywriting became an environment in which crappy content was king and black hats were in vogue. Today, however, copywriting is a high-brow practice that requires extensive knowledge of SEO, marketing, and a wide variety of writing tactics that can help businesses put their best face forward. The Changing Tides of Copywriting: Google, Value, and Other Factors The reason for the evolution of online content writing that has taken place over the last decade has to do in large part with Google. Over the years, Google has released a series of updates aimed at targeting so-called “black-hat SEO” practices, such as keyword stuffing, doorway pages, invisible text, or page swapping, and rewarding sites that feature high-quality, original, valuable content. These changes have made it nearly impossible for crappy sites to scrape by and, as such, the algorithm updates have created a brand new demand for talented, knowledgeable copywriters that know how to produce great site rankings through skill and technique rather than spammy, dark-side practices. As Google’s algorithm updates have only continued to press forward, this need has become more and more pronounced and, nowadays, it’s impossible for a site to rank or survive without a team of talented copywriters and other marketing professionals on staff. 4 Important Things Copywriters Need to Know Despite its great demand right now, very few people know what copywriters actually do. We’re confused with journalists and, when the profession comes up at a dinner party, are often regarded with raised eyebrows and a deer-in-the-headlights sort of “Ohhhh” from the person who mistakenly asked what it is that we do. Nobody knows what copywriters do and that’s because we operate largely behind the scenes. Despite this reality, copywriters play a large part in making the digital world go around and there are dozens of things copywriters need to know in order to do their jobs well. Here are just a few: 1. How to Write Electrifying Headlines What makes you decide to read an article as you scroll through your Facebook feed? If you’re like most social media users, it’s the headline or the featured image or some combination of both. Little did you know that copywriters have a hand in both of those things, but specifically the headline. One of the most important jobs a copywriter has is to create magnetic headlines that draw audiences in and make them want to click on an article. This requires a little bit of a magic, a little bit of technical skill, and a whole lot of technique. 2. How to Use SEO Components in Writing Copywriters are asked to create great content that wants to go viral and, aside from writing clearly and providing value to readers, there’s only one way to do this: SEO. SEO stands for “search engine optimization” and is the practice by which writers make content easy to read for both people and search engines. SEO entails everything from keyword usage to meta titles and descriptions and is an important part of making sure you can find exactly what you’re looking for online. Additionally, good SEO helps sites get their content out there in front of consumers and makes sure that google users can always find what they’re looking for when they enter a search queries in the search box. 3. How to Provide Value to Readers People use search engines to ask and answer questions and one of the most important jobs of a copywriter is to ensure that the content that pops up in response to search queries is valuable, useful, and helpful. This means that copywriters must be able to anticipate reader questions and answer them from an empathetic and informative standpoint. They must also be able to cite sources, provide trustworthy research, include visuals for reference, and do everything in their power to ensure that the reader’s questions are answered … Read more

Today’s Fabulous, Growing Career: Copywriting

January 1, 2021January 9, 2014 by Adam Oakley

Because of the Internet, the copywriting profession has blown from a small existence of professionals being paid exorbitant rates in a journal or media based career to dozens of people working from home in any given American city. Sitting and typing away with a baby or two in the other room… a tea break or two midday… and yes, this is a career, folks! Copywriting? What’s that About? So let’s talk about it. What is this wonderful work-at-home-opportunity all about? Being a copywriter is thought to be a very inviting and easy way to make money; this is true to a great extent. You can work from the comfort of your own home with no specific work hours, rest when you want in a comfortable bed – not having to dose off on your office chair worrying about getting caught–go on long vacation, and on top of all these, get paid well. What more can you ask for? In fact, it might even seem too good to be true – but this is one instance where this saying does not apply. The ONE problem here: not many people are aware of what a copywriter is exactly. The common mistake that people make is that they confuse it with ‘copyright’ which is a totally different thing. So these people assume that you come up with copyrights to protect peoples’ inventions and discoveries from being stolen by others. This is far from the truth, as copywriters are basically people who write marketing materials and other business copies that bring in new prospects for the business through more customers, leading to sales and profits. The job of a copywriter is very much a part of the marketing aspect of an organization. Copywriting Explained So what is copywriting? Copywriting work involves producing brilliant articles specifically for advertising and promotional activities, both online and offline (although a huge percentage now is online). You see the various billboards, promotional emails, catalogs, and other advertising material out there – well, the wording on them is written by copywriters. It is estimated that copywriting is a $2.3 trillion industry, according to the AWAI, and a fast growing one at that. Unlike informative writing like the news and editorial articles, copywriters focus on getting readers to take action by persuading them to want a product or service and finally buying it. They are essentially a salesperson, trying to sell business though the power of words. On the contrary, the word copyright, which so often is applied to the job description, is completely different. Copyright is having legal rights to use, reproduce, sell, publish or distribute a person or a company’s work. Unlike copywriting, the purpose of copyright is to safeguard these knowledgeable assets of a person or company from being used or taken advantage by some other party. Factors That Attract People to the Industry For many who are fascinated by copywriting, it is because they are very much interested in working from home such as for mothers with infants or anyone who hates going into a corporate office every day. A huge aspect here to remember is that everyone who actually succeeds was innately gifted in writing in some way or another. In other words—it was their calling, their God-given gifted talent. And the other parts can be learned. Today, let’s face it, who doesn’t want to work from the comfort of their home? Another attractive aspect of copywriting is you really do not need a large investment to get started – all you need is a good Internet connection and computer. And, best of all, there is no education qualifications specifically required – although some skills are needed which are explained later. This industry is growing rapidly, and people employed within it are able to pull 6 figure salaries working full-time, while many part-time works are still enabling them to earn the full-time salary of an employee in another industry. Qualifications Needed for Copywriting As mentioned earlier, there are no specific qualifications that you need to acquire to be a copywriter. To be successful, you won’t need to possess any degree or even a high school qualification. Unlike most jobs that require a specific degree in that area and extensive experience in a certain age, copywriters do not need any of these. There are successful copywriters who have no formal education above high school, while there are some who have not even made it through high school. Moreover, there are still many teenagers who are only 18 and yet, make a considerable earning through copywriting. All you need as a qualification is the ability to write an article and even that doesn’t need to be in formal writing styles that are taught to us in school. On the contrary, it is believed that copywriters write the way that normal people talk – as it helps to communicate with them on their own level and get the message directly. If you have and know how to use a computer and Internet then you are set. The rest of it is self-learned through various online guides and tips. Is the Six-Figure Salary Margin Really Achievable? This is completely possible and if you search on the Internet, you will come across many who claim to be doing so. It depends on how much effort you put into it and the way you go about it. There are copywriters that have been able to negotiate some very valuable contracts with top companies that bring in an income of around $300,000 per annum for the copywriter. To be successful you have to be business-minded and have good negotiation skills along with the ability to spot and react to opportunities that come your way. Even if you work part-time or work during the holidays or in your spare time, you can still make a considerable amount of money. The beauty of copywriting is that you have no targets other than your own for how much work … Read more