What do you do as a Copywriter?
With copywriting, there is promotional copy which is the words you see on flyers, posters and ad campaigns and then there is more formal copy such as writing press releases.
The sort of writing that I do started off when I used to work for a theatre called Hull Truck Theatre, which produced its own theatre shows. My job was to write the brochure copy for show to sum up what they were about and to promote them. The creative copywriting I love that I've done over the years has been about promoting theatre shows or comedy gigs and thinking about coming up with creative one liners or something similar.
How did you first get involved in the industry?
I saw this job advertised for a press officer for a theatre company and it just sounded so exciting, so I applied for it. As part of the job interview I had to write some copy but I had never written a press release so I ended up writing some creative copy for the show, called Bouncers, and though it didn't fit in a press release format at all, they saw something in my writing. Once I got the job, I learned over time how to write in the required formats.
In your opinion, what makes a good copywriter?
I think you have to be able to break the rules a little bit...it's more important to grab someone's interest, to make them smile, laugh or provoke them, than to be technically spot on. I think creativity and the willingness to do things a little bit differently, is a really good thing.
It's more important to grab someone's interest, to make them smile, laugh or provoke them, than to be technically spot on.
What would be the pros and cons of this creative career?
A positive is that if you're a writer, there are so many different things you can turn your hand to and it's so diverse. For instance, I write copy for social media, press releases, award submissions and pitch emails to editors and journalists, and I think that there are just so many different opportunities out there. It's also great being a freelancer because of the flexibility and being your own boss.
The downside is that you don't have that guaranteed salary, which is a little bit frightening. With that said, I've actually found that since I've been freelancing, I've probably earned more and have had more fun.
What is your favourite part about being a copywriter?
I just love writing. You're creating something new and playing with words, and if it's something that you love, and if reading is also something you love, it's a good job to get into.
What would you recommend students to do if they want to become a copywriter, either while studying or after graduation?
I think actually getting your work published...that's how I started, I wrote a couple of pieces for free just so I could get my CV looking better and then I started getting paid for them. I think blogging is also a really good way and you can use that as creatively as you like. Also, note down any ideas you have, if I'm lying in bed and an idea comes to me, I'm just always writing it down because you never know when it will be of use to you.
Also, if you want to get things like by-lines out, then you should reach out to media titles as well as universities, because having those business partnerships and getting involved in some live projects is a really good thing to do and are absolutely invaluable.
What is your Creative Careers session going to be about and why should students attend?
I will be touching a little bit on the different career paths and the different types of work you can get into, as well as the writing skills you can use in the industry to be for example, a copywriter, journalist or blogger. I will also get into the process of getting into publishing such as how to get an agent, the benefit of it and whats involved when it comes to the publishing industry.
Have you got any last advice for our readers?
If you are writing, you are a writer. You don't need to have been published by one of the biggest publishers, have a regular column in the Guardian or have worked for the biggest brands in the world...If you're doing it, then you are a writer; so just get that pen to paper.