Copywriter (Tekstschrijver)
Information on this skill...
A copywriter is a writer who is responsible for writing different types of texts. Think of writing books, professional literature, theatre pieces, advertising texts, speeches and writing music. A copywriter is therefore responsible for writing texts, which can relate to different texts. In terms of content, the profession of copywriter must be seen more broadly than just writing texts. The actual writing of texts is usually carefully prepared by the copywriter, and can only be done if the copywriter has gathered sufficient background information of a certain topic or theme. Sometimes it can be important for a copywriter to first delve into a subject, or the copywriter will have to interview people to gain sufficient knowledge of the subject. There are many copywriters active in the Netherlands, who often work as freelancers. The profession of copywriter must also be seen as fairly general, because there are different types of copywriters who can perform different types of work. For example, writing news articles for a media company cannot simply be compared to writing advertising texts. Writing books also involves different activities and skills than writing news articles. Nowadays, the profession of copywriter in more and more cases relates to the Internet. This can also concern different activities in terms of content, because writing commercial texts, for example, involves other activities than writing blogs or informative articles. In addition, it is conceivable that a copywriter specializes in writing various texts. There are many copywriters active, who work for different clients.
So there are different copywriters who may have specialized in a particular field or in multiple fields. Think, for example, of writing general texts, writing about certain topics, translating texts or writing as a press officer. Depending on the specific work, a copywriter can also use other names. Consider, for example, the names copywriter, writer, speechwriter, screenwriter, playwright and blogger. These are all examples of different types of copywriters. In general, copywriters are important communication employees for companies, because companies have a lot to do with text. For companies that publish news, it can also be important that the texts are first sent to the legal department, to prevent possible problems. But also writing articles for a website is common nowadays. When a copywriter writes articles for a website, it is often important to take SEO into account, so that the various search engines can index the text well and an optimal result is achieved with the text. This often concerns commercial texts, which are written to promote certain services and/or products. Nowadays, copywriters often work as freelancers.
TASKS OF A COPYWRITER
As described earlier, a copywriter does more than just write. A copywriter cannot have knowledge of everything and will usually first discuss with his client exactly what direction or purpose a new text should have and how long the article should be. Sometimes it may be necessary for the copywriter to first gain knowledge of the matter and to delve into the subject, because without specific knowledge, writing will be difficult. When the copywriter has finished the new text, in most cases it will first be submitted to the client, after which he can give his approval or perhaps pass on some adjustments. A copywriter may also have to deal with writing newsletters.
WHY HIRE A COPYWRITER
Writing texts in a good and above all clear way is not something that everyone can just do. There are therefore many companies, institutions and organizations that outsource the writing of texts, so that they are sure that their texts are correct and catch on. Writing texts in a catchy and engaging way is not easy. A copywriter has a lot of experience with this and knows exactly how to compose a certain text to keep readers interested. For example, an advertising company can come up with a catchy advertising campaign, but will probably hire a copywriter for the texts to give the advertising campaign extra power. But also think of translating texts, which is not very easy and can take a lot of time, so that texts are translated in the right way. Also for difficult topics it can be advisable to hire a copywriter for good texts. Copywriters regularly work with difficult subjects.
WRITING FOR THE INTERNET
Nowadays, copywriters increasingly write articles that are intended for the internet. As described earlier, writing internet articles is not quite the same as writing on paper, because for writing articles on the internet, search engine optimization must also be considered. It is not the case that articles for the internet have to be written in a specific way, for example by having certain words return extra often, but the layout of an article is important. For example, working with clear headers will greatly help with the indexation of the article. In addition, it is important to include enough relevant links, because they increase the information or news value of an article. The length of an article also plays an important role when it comes to indexation. Most internet articles that are properly indexed consist of at least three hundred words. Longer informative articles are also shared earlier via social media.
WHAT DOES A COPYWRITER DO:
TRAINING TO BECOME A COPYWRITER
There are various training opportunities for the profession of copywriter through regular schools, such as the Hbo programme Media, Information and Communication (MIC) or the Hbo programme Communication. In addition, there are of course plenty of professions that have great similarities with the profession of copywriter, such as the professions of journalist, editor and communication consultant. There are also various courses that may be interesting for people who want to learn to write as a copywriter. Accounting is also important as an independently working copywriter.
COMPANIES WHERE A COPYWRITER CAN BE EMPLOYED
A copywriter can work for different companies, institutions and governments. Think, for example, of marketing agencies, large small businesses, travel agencies, media companies and manufacturers. It is usually the larger companies that employ copywriters. Depending on the type of work, other names may also apply. Consider, for example, the name editorial assistant. In addition, a copywriter can be active as an entrepreneur. Relatively speaking, there are many copywriters working as entrepreneurs.
COMPETENCES COPYWRITER
As a copywriter, it is first and foremost important that you can write flawlessly in a logical order, with the necessary creativity. In addition, you must have good written communication, because you usually have to deal with multiple clients. Motivation and inspiration are also important when we talk about the profession of copywriter. Especially sufficient inspiration should not be missing as a copywriter, because without inspiration you cannot write catchy articles. If you work as an entrepreneur, you will also have to have a commercial attitude. In that case, networking can also be important. Generally important words are performance, planning, consultation, objectives, monitoring, creativity, stress resistance and business insight.
LABOUR MARKET PERSPECTIVE AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AS A COPYWRITER
The labour market perspective for copywriters in paid employment is not very great. Most copywriters work as freelancers. There are thousands of copywriters who work as independent entrepreneurs, and thus help other companies or governments with their texts. The career opportunities of a copywriter should be seen in obtaining larger contracts or combining other services. In addition, it is conceivable that a good copywriter can eventually grow into a content manager.
TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT AND SALARY COPYWRITER
Because we assume that you work as a copywriter as an independent entrepreneur, there are no specific employment conditions for this profession. In addition, a copywriter can be employed by various types of companies or governments, with their own specific employment conditions. Giving a salary indication is also difficult for this profession, because your income will of course be highly dependent on your services and assignments as an independent entrepreneur. In many cases, a copywriter works with a fixed fee per word, but this can of course differ per copywriter or client.
The content on this page has been automatically translated from the Dutch language. For this reason, texts and videos on this page may contain small errors.
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