One Year as a Copywriter

What I've learned after working as a professional writer for an entire year.

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I recently reached one year as a copywriter at the company I work for! While this is a small milestone, stepping into the world of professional writing has been an exciting and eye-opening experience. This past year has been filled with learning experiences as I've put my skills to good use beyond writing poetry and novels.

What is Copywriting?

When I mention I’m a copywriter, sometimes people get a little confused as to what that means. I’ve had some people think I work with copyright laws while others assume I write computer code. Essentially, the term "copy" refers to professional written content. As a copywriter, I write marketable web content for business websites, blog posts, and more. I work in a word document which is sent to the content team after I’ve finished writing and editing to be incorporated into the website dev.

Learning New Skills

Copywriting is a skilled profession that requires creativity, versatility, and the ability to craft compelling messages that persuade and sell. I’ve always enjoyed learning, so that is one aspect of my work that I’ve come to appreciate. Being adaptable and open to learning new things has helped me find greater success. Some of the essential copywriting skills I’ve honed include:

• Research

• Writing Skills

• Communication

• Storytelling

• Attention to Detail

• Editing

• Marketing Basics

• SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Picking Up the Pace

Working in a professional field means deadlines are important! In order to meet my page count quota each month, I learned to implement some strategies for better time management. Pacing myself and taking breaks at routine intervals helps me stay focused and work at a more consistent rate so I can meet my page count for the day. I set small goals to strive for during my work day, such as finishing a site and picking up a new one by the end of the day. These smaller goals help me reach the bigger goals.

Working as a Team

I work remote as part of a team of dedicated writers. Although working remote means I’m not interacting with my coworkers directly, our team collaborates to create stunning websites for a wide variety of clients. My work as a copywriter is only one part of an entire process of different teams that puts the product out into the world. From working with project managers to sending writing to the content team and receiving back edits, we all work together to make the magic happen. Our managers also take efforts to make us feel like a team and boost morale during our zoom meetings each week.

Balancing Work and Life

Avoiding burnout as a full-time writer is definitely a challenge. With reading and writing as my hobbies and side hustles, spending eight hours a day staring at words on a computer screen has made it difficult to keep writing on the sidelines. There are many days after work where the LAST thing I want to do is read a book much less write one. Yet because my author career is so important to me, I’ve made the time and space to write and enjoy reading every now and then.

The best way I’ve found to avoid burning out is to take time away from writing. As obvious yet counterproductive as that sounds, if I try to force myself to write creatively every day outside of my work as a full-time copywriter, I’ll quickly get tired of it. Going outdoors, spending quality time with friends, working on a soley-for-fun art project or sewing project gives me the mental space needed to get back to writing again.

Looking to the Future

Although this position is not my dream job, it has been a unique opportunity to see the other side of professional writing. Until I can get established as a writer and content creator, this job is an excellent way to support myself while continuing to stretch my writing skills. If you’ve been following my writing journey, don't fret! I am slowly but surely continuing on the path to publishing.