A day in the life of a copywriter?
Sometimes while watching television, we come across advertisements that grabs our attention and sticks to our long-term memory, which we always remember. Or we find some blog copies so enticing that we can't get up before we finish reading them.
That's how magical is copywriting, and no doubt how lucrative it is for the people who know how to it well. Behind every successful advertisement is a talented copywriter who knows how to target the following market strategically.
Being a copywriter gives you the power to boost sales, proliferate engagement and increase followers for a company. You would play a significant role in making or breaking the firm for which you are working.
Copywriters are underrated, yet those who understand the potential of hiring a skilled copywriter can see their profits go beyond the roof in a matter of months.
Apart from having such responsibilities, copywriters live a pretty decent life. They are productive people and take good care of their surroundings. They love to spend most of their time in solitude.
In this blog, we'll talk about 'A day in the life of a copywriter', and you'll see how these professionals go about their day so that you can also take inspiration and insights if you are planning to pick the same venture.
Let's divide their day into three parts, each of 4 hours.
7am to 8am- Wake up at 7 am and start the day with some exercise, coffee and music. Take a few deep breaths and look outside the window to see nature's beauty and feel a sense of gratitude within. Starting the day with a positive mind enhances productivity and performance.
8am to 9am- Read a book for 20 min, and then start journaling- meanwhile planning for the day in advance. After this, spend some time with family and enjoy a healthy breakfast with them.
9am to 10am- Checking emails and replying to the most important ones. Sometimes, some emails demand long replies; in that case, you can mark them as necessary and come back to them after you finish all the critical and urgent stuff. It is vital to keep your email inbox organized to avoid any future hassle.
10am to 11am- This is the time for personal branding, especially for freelance copywriters. It is crucial to do their branding well because all of their future gigs or jobs will depend upon how well they are putting themselves out marketing their skills. Spending some time on social media, posting about their life, their career, giving tips about something they have expertise in, can open doors of opportunities for them. LinkedIn is the best platform amongst all other social media for this purpose. Spend some time going through posts of other people, liking commenting, taking inspiration, putting out some ideas, optimizing profile continuously.
Second Part
11am to 12pm- Being a copywriter is more about research than writing because a good copy results from exceptional research. At this time, the research process starts- where the writer analyses the topics in hand, makes a list of them and start researching their competitors. It is not to copy them but to learn from them to see what's working and not working. Keep noting down the essential points that they wish to cover and elaborate. Checking how the audience responds to different copies, where they spend the most time, is there a new trend in the market, etc. Practising such things naturally increases the effectiveness of the content.
12pm to 1pm- Now comes framing the copy where the writer comes up with the flow. Flow is like a wireframe that mentions all the headings and subheadings of the copy to avoid any hassle while writing the actual copy. The flow contains all the crucial points to be covered, images, video links, etc. It works like an idea generator that guides the writer to mention every vital fact he researched. Flow doesn't require an intricate piece of copy but just a few bullet points, headings and sub-headings arranged in the right order.
1pm to 2pm- After preparing the wireframe, 70% of the job is done. Now is the time to have something to eat with family and spend some quality time with them. Taking breaks to collect yourself is never a bad idea. It enhances the efficiency to think better and do work with full absorption. Also, it creates a balance between personal and professional life. Sometimes while relaxing, since the work is still in our head results in developing an idea out of nowhere (also known as hunches) which turns out to be a blockbuster in some cases.
Third part
2pm to 4pm- Finally the writing part, where the copywriter starts spilling those magical words he had researched and planned to write. This is where the wireframe comes into play. Whether it is short copies, long copies or both; they require equal effort in research. In fact, shorter copies demand heavier analysis. It has been said by multiple copywriters that, shorter the copy, more difficult it is to write. Since you have to restrict your writing to a few words rather than free-flowing of thoughts. While writing the copy, make sure that you don't get distracted since the mind is in flow and would eat your time if you revise again and again before writing.
4pm to 5pm- It's time for a 30 min break. Catching walk with a friend, listening to music, talking to the partner, or doing whatever to take the mind away from work helps regain touch with personal life which in turn increases creativity and productivity. After the break, spend the next 30 minutes revising the written copy multiple times and check if the flow factor is in place. Make sure the copy is readable and engaging.
5pm to 6pm- Concludes all the written work, whether short or long copies. However, some copies take multiple days to finish, depending upon their type and objective. In that case, leaving it for the next day to continue is an appropriate choice.
After all this, the writer spends some time surfing through random content, brushing their brain with fresh material, and getting ideas for the next time. It is the time where they do the homework and learn about new markets and opportunities. Being a copywriter requires daily sharpening of your creative tool, that is, brain. And make it ready for the next day.
So, this was all about 'a day in the life of a copywriter' where you got insights on how a copywriter's day unfolds. It may vary from person to person based upon their experience and expertise. Some are quick at research while others at writing. Depending upon the capabilities on an individual level, the routine may change, but the overall is almost similar for every copywriter, whether freelance, or job.
I feel pandemic has changed many things, and the new normal has become real for most firms since the founders and workers have switched to work from home. Many of them claim that it has increased their revenues since people turn out to show better results working from the comfort of their house than the office.