What Is A Copywriter?

What is a copywriter? At the most basic level it's a person who writes copy. So, what's copy? Copy is one-half of any advertisement or sales promotion. (The other half being graphic design)

That said, there are two main types of copywriters. (Aside from the dozens of niche specialties) There are marketing copywriters (ad agency, corporate writers, and media reps fall into this category). And then there are direct response marketing writers who are paid very well because of the results they are capable of bringing to the bottom line. These are harder to find, because the good ones are mostly freelance. And its not always easy to separate the wheat from the chaff as it were.

So what we are talking about is someone who writes ads that ideally bring in lots of sales or generates new leads.

A copywriter is part wordsmith and part salesman. Take away either part and you don't have a very good copywriter. Without understanding how to sell you're left with just a plain old writer. Who may or may not be able to write convincing, persuasive advertising copy that sells.

Without the wordsmith part you're left with just a salesman. Now, that said I'd still take the salesman to write my copy if I could get only one or the other trait. But when you combine the two you get a powerful combination.

There is a third part. What is a copywriter without having some knowledge of marketing strategy. Afterall its like having a brain surgeon who knows nothing about the entire rest of the body below your neck. What does he do if something he does up there, affects some other part of the body that he knows nothing about.

I guess thats why brain surgeons go to med school first, before working in their specialty. Copywriting is a specialty of marketing. Maybe copywriters should have to go to marketing school first, before they start writing copy. Some do. Most don't.

What is a copywriter at their core? Passionate about the subject their writing about. A master at creating descriptive word pictures that depict an emotionally compelling story. And finally, a fantastic sales person who knows how to close the sale.

Find out critical information BEFORE you decide to choose a freelance copywriter. Click on What Is A Copywriter