There have been some very befuddled looks on the faces of the people to whom I have explained that I am a copywriter. None of them seem to know what copywriting is. So I decided to conduct an informal Facebook poll to find out exactly what people think “copywriting” is. These are some of the responses I got:
“Rights to the copy!! It’s ownership of a design or idea.”
Cold.
“Copywriting sounds like the action of copying a writing of some sort, be it your own or somebody else’s.”
Colder.
“If you are referring to intellectual property rights, I would feel the need to have a week long seminar on the abuse of the system by the evil corporate world.”
The angry intellectual property rights activist is cold.
“Well, if you mean “copyrighting” I offer you the definition as given in the ” Britannica World Language Edition Of Funk & Wagnall’s New Practical Standard Dictionary”: “Cop’-y-right” (noun) “The exclusive legal right of authors, composers, playwrights, and artists to publish and dispose of their works for a limited time.”
Please play again.
“Writing a commercial.”
Getting warmer.
So what is copywriting?
“Copywriting”, in its most basic form, is writing with the intent to sell. Copywriting gains the attention of potential buyers by appealing directly to their wants and needs. All this is accomplished through very strategically-communicated words and concepts.
Copywriting is everywhere. You see copywriting on print ads, posters, internet banner ads, brochures, flyers, sales letters, press releases, product descriptions, business tag lines, radio ad scripts, commercial scripts, newsletters, direct mail advertisements delivered to your door…the list is virtually endless.
What copywriting is not
Copywriting is not coming up with a funny or clever idea…unless of course that idea will sell your product or service. Copywriting is not bragging about the features of your business. People won’t care about your business until they see clearly that it will be a benefit to them.
Copywriting is, essentially, professional advertising.
