Copywriter
Chaya Glatt
Experience 4 years
Average salaries in field
$60,000–$100,000+
What I do
When people hear I’m a copywriter, I get a lot of blank stares. So the next thing I say is that I’m in marketing. If they’re still giving me a blank stare, I say, “I help people make money,” and they’re like, “Coooool!”
In a nutshell: Copywriters write the words that sell things.
How I got started
I was working as an early-intervention therapist. Since I’d always liked writing, I wrote the company’s blog, and later a brochure for their new sensory gym. The designer saw my text and said, “Wow, this is great! Do you write copy?” I was like, “Yes, I do!” I started taking on more projects, word spread, and it just took off from there, baruch Hashem. Now, I do this full-time.
Hitting the books
I’m naturally good at writing, but that doesn’t translate into copywriting unless you educate yourself. You learn by getting your hands dirty and just doing it! Every time I take on a new project, I learn new things: I network, and do a ton of online research. Google is my full-time assistant. Sometimes the most inspiring thing is to look at a really amazing piece of copy and reverse-engineer what you see.
All in a day’s work
So we’ve signed a contract and are ready to go. Say we’re working on a website. First, we have an intake interview where we discuss the client’s goals: What they want the website to accomplish, their unique selling points, their brand identity. We cover technical details: What services do they offer, what are their prices?
The next step is a lot of research. I research their target markets. What interests the people they’re selling to? Where do they hang out? What language do they use while talking to each other? There’s a lot of psychology in copywriting, it’s about connecting with people’s emotions to get a desired outcome.
If I’m doing a real estate website, for example, I might Google properties and spend time reading reviews to get an idea of the language their market uses. When marketing to a group of people you need to talk like them, about things they care about, not like some corporate stuffed shirt. You want them to connect with you and feel like they’re your best friend before they even pick up the phone to call you or click that “contact” button.
When the research is done, the strategy is in place, and the client is on board, then I get to the fun part — writing copy! When I’m ready, I send the text to the client. I love client feedback — especially the kind that starts with “Wow!” There are always small changes that need to be made. We typically have three rounds of revisions and then the project moves into the hands of the web designer, who makes it into a real live website.
The first three to four hours of the day are when I have the most focus, so I try to immerse myself in my work and do some uninterrupted writing. Then I probably spend two hours a day on other stuff: billing, answering questions from prospective new clients, scheduling calls with clients, holding client interviews, writing e-mails and proposals, and networking on LinkedIn.
(Excerpted from Family First, Issue 623)
