What is Copywriting? Courses, Skills, Salary & Career

In this post, you’ll learn who is a copywriter, what is copywriting job description, copywriting skills, salary and career expectations.

Copywriting is the best career move one can make in life. It is the most sought-after skill and highly profitable side hustle.

Now, obviously not a cakewalk to encash even six-figure money out of it right off the bat. However, hard work and the spirit of learning from mistakes can go a long way!

If you learn the trade right, career in copywriting can make you earn millions. And, interestingly, this career doesn’t require you to burn thousands of midnight candles. 

What is Copywriting Job?

The traditional definition of copywriting is “salesmanship in print”. However, this definition is recently revamped. The most accurate definition nowadays is-

“Strategically delivering the words that will convince people to take action.”

By action here, we mean carefully crafted words persuading the user or the customer to purchase the service or product. Copywriting is not merely an informative matter, but it’s more than that. Copywriting involves:

• Infographics
• Video scripts
• Advertisements
• White papers
• Email funnels
• Press releases
• Product descriptions
• Sales pages

Copywriting is part of the sales and marketing department, responsible for the promotion of products and services.

Want to know how to become a copywriter? We’ll get to detailed steps later, but keep these four rules of copywriting in mind:

What is a Copywriter?

• A copywriter is a person who writes engaging, flexible and clear content to communicate the brand on various social media platforms. 
• They are responsible for planning ad material for diverse audiences. 
• Researching keywords to create SEO-friendly content.

Is Copywriting and Content Writing the Same?

Well, aren’t copywriting and content writing just pieces of writing?

We all have been here. First, however, let us distinguish the two.

• Content writing is a piece of writing written for informative purposes.
• It aims to engage the readers and increase click rates.
• Content writing is commonly delivered digitally.

• Copywriting is a promotional piece of writing that aims to sell a product or service.
• The copy’s main purpose is to hook the readers and drive sales.
• Copywriting can be delivered through banners, flyers, and digitally.

30+ Latest Content Writing Samples to Master Content Writing

Skills for Copywriting

These are the eleven must-have Copywriting skills:

• Ability to perform extensive research
• Ability to Simplify Complex Information 
• An Eye For Detail 
• Staying Up To Date
• A Strong Understanding of the Marketing Funnel 
• Ability to Think Creatively
• Receptive to Feedback
• Adaptability
• Knowing Your Audience
• Awareness Of SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)
• Ability To Hook The Reader

Career in Copywriting:

Although a degree is not a prerequisite to pursuing copywriting as a full-time career, landing even the first copywriting gig can be a test of patience. It is a career with high earning potential.

Depending on the type of copywriters, organisation, expertise and experience, a person can expect to make:

• 2.5 lacs to 3 lacs INR per anum as a fresher
• Three lacs to 5 lacs INR per annum as a mid-level copywriter
• Five lacs to 8 lacs INR per annum as senior copywriter

Since copywriters are closely associated with journalists, web design teams, and sales and marketing departments, various career pathways are opened in advertising agencies, print media, and market research, to name a few.

Copywriter Job Profiles:

Copywriting job profiles are subjective to one’s interests and creativity. However, the most common job copywriter job roles are listed below:

1. Creative Copywriter:

Mostly advertising-based, creative copywriters write compelled and brief ads to create product and brand awareness.

2. Technical Copywriter:

Technical copywriter specialises in writing copy for a particular field. This copywriting requires the writer to have in-depth knowledge of the said industry, such as technology or healthcare.

It involves a copywriter describing the product and its utility to the customer. And then prompting them to purchase it.

3. Marketing Copywriter:

Marketing copywriting is the most familiar type. The role of a marketing copywriter is to produce a promotional copy of products by analysing market trends.

It can be online ads, YouTube videos, direct emails, or flyers. A marketing copywriter aims to sell the product with compelling print. 

4. Digital Copywriter:

Digital copywriters create copies to communicate the brand through various social media platforms. Researching the audience’s engagement on digital platforms helps the copywriter deliver the right message. 

Tips on writing digital copy:

• Keep the tone informal.
• The copy must be brief.
• Ad copy must redirect the user to the landing page.
• The ad can be coupled with audio-visual elements.

5. Email Copywriter:

The name itself is self-explanatory. Email copywriting has proven to be the best way to connect to the audience. It includes:

• A catchy prompt
• A thoughtful preview sentence 
• A great introductory line for the body of the email
• A convincing CTA

 Email copy can be either educational or promotional.

6. Brand Copywriter:

Brand copywriters create brand copies keeping the customer’s preference in mind. Then, they strive to communicate the brand through specific images, audio, or brands related traits that resonate with the audience.

7. SEO Copywriter:

The job of SEO friendly copywriter is to get the website a high ranking on google search engine results. In addition, they are in charge of optimising the page using keywords for higher visibility.

8. Direct Response Copywriter:

Direct response copywriting involves writing a copy that prompts the action immediately.

For instance: pop-up ads while exiting or shifting to the next page sometimes require the user to join or subscribe.

How to become a Copywriter?

Check this specially curated guide on how to become a copywriter (and it is free!) Check out and give it 10 minutes. I’ve put in years of writing experience in one guide.

But if you need quick copywriting tips, here are three rules to remember:

How to become a Copywriter: 12 Proven Steps to Doing it Right

FAQs on What is Copywriting?