How to become a copywriter?

Question

Is it difficult to become a copywriter? How did you become one of them? In case you did.

Answer 1

It's not too difficult to become a copywriter, per se, but it does take strong writing skills and an exceptional portfolio to GET a job as a copywriter.

Now, there are a few different ways you can enter the advertising field, depending on what career path you want to take. Like, if you want to work on Nike vs. doing brochures for the local resort hotel.

The most common start is to get a degree in communications from a college. Unfortunately, most college programs don't offer strong portfolio classes so graduates don't typically have "great books," which is a collection/portfolio of work that showcases the person's talents.

Another option is to go to an advertising school, which is what I did (after college). Schools like Miami Ad School, Portfolio Center, and Creative Circus focus exclusively on creative fields like copywriting and art direction. They aren't cheap, but students graduate with great books and are fully trained for positions as copywriters. (Most of the "best" agencies in the country recruit from these schools ONLY.)

A third option is to get a job at an advertising agency in whatever capacity you can and "work your way" to a copywriter position. This is the hardest because most agencies don't typically train employees. This is also the longest path to actually becoming a copywriter, unless you have exceptional skills.

Advertising is extremely competitive. Not knowing what area of the country you live in, you may be faced with a shortage of good agencies where you can apply. That's why a lot of creatives move from city to city. Still, it's a great career to have. But, it's not for everyone and not everyone can do it, to be honest. Remember: the one thing that will get you a job in advertising as a copywriter is a great portfolio. Get one and you should be good to go!

Hope this helps! Good luck!

Answer 2

There's a decent job market for people with strong writing skills.

Get a college degree with substantial writing and advertising study. Then apply to ad agencies.

If you want to work for a newpaper rather than do ad copywriting, you'd also be best off with a degree heavy in writing ability - then apply to newspapers. You'l probably have to start with small papers, then work your way to larger ones if that's what you want to do.