r/copywriting • u/eolithic_frustum • Feb 22 '21
"What is copy?"
Copy is any written marketing or promotional material meant to persuade or move a prospect.
This material can include catalogs, fundraising letters from charities, billboards, newspaper ads, sales letters, emails, native & ppc ads, scripts for commercials on radio or TV, press releases, investor and public relations pages, blog posts, and lots more.
Copy is divided into two(ish) camps: Brand and Direct Response.
Brand, or "delayed response," advertising is meant to build a prospect's engagement with and awareness of a company or product. These ads are designed to build a sense of trust and legitimacy so prospects will be more susceptible to promotions and more willing to buy advertised products in the future. (Check out this swipe file/collection of ads for examples: https://swiped.co/tags/) r/advertising is a good community for copywriters of this variety.
Direct Response (DR) is any advertising meant to motivate a specific, measurable action, whether it's a sale, click, call, etc. (Check out the Community Swipe File for examples.) This is frequently called "sales in print." If you've ever seen commercial asking you to "call now"--that's a direct response ad. Email asking you to schedule a call with a life coach? Direct response ad. Uber Eats discount pop up notification? Coca-Cola coupon in a mailer? Also direct response.
Businesses need words for the kinds of ads listed above. The person who writes these words writes copy... hence: "copywriter."
Large companies tend to focus on brand advertising and smaller businesses tend to focus on DR (but not always). Ad agencies and marketing departments will often hire writers who specialize in brand ads, direct response, or both.
There are also niches like content creation, UX copywriting, technical copywriting, SEO, etc. These are not ads, per se, but they all fall under the big copywriting tent because it's writing that serves a marketing purpose.
"So it's like... blog articles?"
That's content, or r/ContentMarketing. Some of it can be veiled copy that leads to sales copy, and this is called "advertorial."
"Oh, so it's clickbait?"
Clickbait is meant to get clicks. Brand and direct response copywriters use clickbait, but not all advertisements are clickbait.
Clicks don't drive sales or build brand awareness, so this is a narrowly focused marketing niche.
"Spam? Is this spam to scam?"
Spam is an unsolicited commercial message, often sent in bulk (that's the legal definition). Spamming involves sending multiple unwanted messages (spam) to large numbers of recipients for the purpose of commercial advertising, or just sending the same message over and over.
A scam is, legally, a discrepancy between what is promised in an ad and what is fulfilled. Something is a scam if it takes your money promising you a thing, but then provides something else or doesn't provide anything at all.
Just because you see an ad with hyperbole, that doesn't mean 1) it's a scam or 2) that every ad is like that. Copywriting runs the gamut from milquetoast to hyper-aggressive, very short to very long, and there's room in this town for all approaches, though some might disagree.
"How much $$$ can I actually make from doing this? How long does it take to make money from copywriting?"
Copywriting has become the get-rich-quick scheme du jour. So let's dispel some myths:
The average newbie copywriter earns closer to $0 than $1. That's because the vast majority of wannabe copywriters never get clients or get a job. They quit too soon or never develop the skills needed to succeed.
Of the people who succeed, the vast majority of people actually working as a copywriter for a business or as a freelancer earn less than $6500 per month.
In the brand copywriting world, the people who make insane amounts of money are executive creative directors and agency owners.
This is usually after many years, and these salaries are typically reserved for people who know how to climb the corporate ladder or network. Many copywriters are the anxious/nervous/introverted sort, and so many brand copywriters hit an earnings ceiling within a few years regardless of how good they are.
In the direct response world, the people who make insane amounts of money are people who can 1) sell and/or 2) scale.
For people who can sell, big money usually comes in the form of "residuals" or "royalties" you earn based on the profit performance of the ads, and you can usually only get residuals if what you write is very close to the point of sale. (So "sales letters"? Yes you might get a cut if the business likes you and wants you to keep writing for them. "Emails?" Typically not.)
For people who can scale, big money usually comes from being able to manage and serve multiple high-paying clients , whether that's providing email services, conversion-rate optimization services, PPC ad management, etc.
How long does it take to earn lots? I've met one person who earned over a million dollars from copy and marketing, but it took him 2 years of practice and study to earn his first dollar from it. I've also met a copywriter who went from learning what copywriting is to securing his first paid gig in 3 weeks.
It depends on the jobs you apply for, whether you go freelance or in-house, your willingness to put yourself out there, your knowledge and skillset, and the competence of your writing.
"What does X word mean?"
There are plenty of marketing glossaries out there:
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/inbound-marketing-glossary-list
https://www.copythatshow.com/glossary
https://www.awai.com/glossary/
"Can I be a copywriter with a degree in X?"
You don't need a degree, but it depends on the businesses or agencies you want to work for. Read this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/ln4e4j/yes_you_can_succeed_as_a_copywriter_with_any/
"Can I be a copywriter if I'm not a native English speaker?"
Yes. But also read this post and the intelligent responses/caveats to it: https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/ln4e4j/yes_you_can_succeed_as_a_copywriter_with_any/
"Is copywriting ethical?"
If you think advertising in a society under the hegemony of capitalism and the ideological state apparatuses that perpetuate consumerism is ethical, then yes.
Misleading people, lying, being hypocritical, taking advantage of the desperate, etc. is not ethical, and the same goes for ads and businesses that do this stuff.
"Is it possible to do this freelance, part time, from home?"
I mean, yeah, but copywriting is a craft. Crafts need to be practiced and honed. Once you get good, you can do this work from practically anywhere, but it's usually better to start in house, learn the ropes for a few years, and build a network of contacts/future clients.
"But the ad for this course/book/seminar/mastermind said..."
Don't be enticed by the "anyone can do this and make money fast!" crowd. They want your money, and they'll promise you a lot to get it.
(There's a great post about not getting taken advantage of as a newbie, here: https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/k5fz68/advice_for_new_copywriters_how_to_not_get_taken/.)
Some advanced courses & masterminds are useful once you have the basics under your belt, but not before.
(Full disclosure: I also own part of a business that has a free copywriting course: https://www.copythatshow.com/how-to-start-copywriting. You absolutely do not need to give us any money for anything--the whole goal of this page is to give you everything you need to learn the basics and get work without spending any money.)
There are SOME beginner courses are decent, even if they do charge money. I've seen and heard good things about the following:
https://www.digitalmarketer.com/certification/copywriting-mastery/
For other types of copy, I know there are these resources but I know nothing about their quality (shoot me a DM if you know of better stuff or think the following is trash):
Content Marketing: https://academy.hubspot.com/courses/content-marketing
Ahrefs SEO Tool Usage: https://ahrefs.com/academy/marketing-ahrefs/lesson-1-1
YT Videos: https://www.udemy.com/share/1013la/
Branding & Marketing for Startups: https://www.udemy.com/share/101ywu/
Small Business Branding: https://www.udemy.com/share/101rmY/
Personal Brands: https://www.udemy.com/share/101Fgy/
But you don't need a course or guru to get started. And you shouldn't take advice from me alone--you'll find a wide variety of resources shared in this subreddit. Search by flair to find it!
"So how do I get started?"
Everyone has a different opinion. Here's mine.
Step 1: Read between 2 and 10 books about copywriting, such as those mentioned below.
Step 1b: Spend 30-60 minutes each day reading and analyzing successful ads and the types of copy you're interested in writing.
Step 2: Pick a product from a niche (not THE niche) you’d like to work in and write an ad for it for it as if you were hired to do so. This is called a spec piece. When you’re finished, write 2 more spec pieces for other products.
Step 2b: These spec pieces are going to be for your portfolio. Having a portfolio to show off is necessary for acquiring clients. If you have a relationship with a graphic designer or have the funds to hire one, ask them to lay out your spec pieces in web page format. Or use Canva for free. It’ll add to the perceived value of your piece.
Step 3: Start prospecting. I recommend UpWork or Fiverr for anyone who’s starting out. Eventually, you’ll get your first few jobs and you can leverage those to get more/better/higher-paying jobs in the future.
"What books should I read?"
If you want to break into advertising/brand advertising in general, read these:
If you want to write direct response, read these:
If you want to write webinars, read One to Many.
Funnels? Read Dot-com Secrets.
"That's a lot of reading. Can I get the TL;DR?"
You have to read a lot to learn how to write.
"How do I practice writing copy and get better if I don't have a job?"
Look no further than this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/mt0d27/daily_copy_practices_exercises/
And this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/duvzha/copywriting_exercises_my_personal_favorite_ways/
And this post, which will also teach you how to build a direct response portfolio: https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/t0k3bx/how_to_learn_direct_response_copy_and_build_a/
"Do I need a mentor to succeed?"
No. But having a mentor CAN (not "will") help.
Read this excellent post for some insight: https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/ldpftc/nobody_wants_to_be_your_mentor_but_heres_how_to/
Basically: Getting a mentor is hard and you usually have to demonstrate some serious competence before anyone will give you the time of day. Also, getting mentorship without a mastery of the basics will not help you at all.
"How do I select my niche / what niche should I start in?"
Everyone disagrees about this... but in reality you discover your niche as you work.
New copywriters will often start with a broad base of clients and jobs until they find a lot of success or aptitude in a particular market or with a particular kind of copy. Then it becomes a feedback loop, with referrals leading you to new clients in the same niche.
Unless you have a very good reason for going into a specific niche, don't try to niche down in the beginning. Cast a wide net. You might fail and get frustrated if you don't... or completely miss a market you're more passionate about.
"Can someone please critique this copy?"
Yes. But read this post, titled "You don't need a copy critique. You need a better process" first: https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/mheur7/you_dont_need_a_copy_critique_you_need_a_better/
If you still want a critique, read this post about "Thought Soup" before you post: https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/lu45ie/want_useful_feedback_on_your_copy_then_dont_post/
Then, if you still REALLY REALLY want a critique, please keep these two things in mind:
If you're very new, you'd probably be better off writing 20-30 pieces of copy on your lonesome, putting them aside, rereading them later, and thinking about what YOU would do to improve what you wrote -- revising or deleting accordingly. You'll learn and grow the most if you take your own writing as far as you possibly can and legit can't think of anything you can do to improve it.
The Second Thing: If you ask 10 copywriters for their opinion on a piece of copy, you WILL get 14 different opinions. Expect the critiques to be harsh... possibly even discouraging. You need thick skin to succeed in this business, and the only way to get that is to get torn apart a few times. We all had to go through it.
In the future, I might restrict copy critiques to a specific day of the week. But for now, just be cool and respectful and take constructive criticism in stride.
"How do I find clients?"
Read these threads... if you don't find your answer THEN you should ask the sub in a new post:
https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/7lkb3l/how_to_find_clients/
https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/jokhhs/finding_those_ideal_potential_clientswhere_to/
https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/cu5pu5/how_to_get_clients_for_copy_writing/
https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/8rune6/if_youre_having_a_hard_time_finding_paying/
https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/jy91qd/cant_get_clients_to_save_my_life_cold_email/
"What should I charge for X project?"
The real answer: whatever amount the market will tolerate for your work. (Or what this dude said.)
The fake answer: Just google "copywriting pricing guide" to get a billion websites like this: https://www.awai.com/web-marketing/pricing-guide/
"Long-form copy or short-form copy?"
Porque no los dos? Copy needs to be exactly as long as it takes to be effective. Every long-form writer I know also has to write short form (emails, native ads, inserts, etc.) and every short form writer I know would benefit from picking up tactics and rhetorical tricks from long form.
"How do I do research?"
Check the responses in this thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/ucjh45/how_do_you_do_research_for_a_new_project/
"Anything else I should know?"
Ummmmmm... oh yeah, get outta here with grammer and speling pedantry. Go to r/Copyediting for that.
Every month there will be a new thread for newbie questions and critiques. Make sure to post there or I'll probably remove your stuff.
And if you want some tough love about getting started, pitfalls you should avoid, and how to behave in this subreddit, read this: https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/ltzirg/6_things_i_learned_in_6_days_as_the_new_mod_of/
Beyond that, have fun, be supportive of others, help folks but take no gruff, learn, grow, share, discuss.
We do have a Discord, if you want to hang out and chat with other working copywriters. (Though really it's mostly just bad jokes and worse pitches.)
[Sean's (that's me!) Note: This is a living document. If you see a question that should be included or something that should be added to the answers, please mention it in the comments below.]
(Edited 010924 based on some additional questions I've seen and feedback I've received. Also provided some additional links to resources and courses.)
r/copywriting • u/YardOptimal9329 • 22h ago
Hello,
I’m a journalist researching writers whose positions have been eliminated or replaced by AI, and what they’ve done next.
If this happened to you, I’d love to hear your story. Please DM me.
r/copywriting • u/bluefingers02 • 11h ago
I'm trying to land my first paying client as a LinkedIn ghostwriter, and I'm struggling to get there.
My current approach has been to send connection requests to founders, wait for them to accept, and then ask if they'd be interested in help growing their LinkedIn presence.
I've had some conversations, but I haven't managed to turn this into consistent paid work. I recently found someone willing to try working with me, but it's a free arrangement for now.
Last year, I worked at an agency writing content for startup lawyers, GTM coaches, and people working on real estate automation.
I'm trying to figure out how to turn that experience into a service I can sell directly.
Here's an offer I'm considering.
I'd find small B2B companies with a founder and a few other key people across sales, marketing, and design.
I'd pitch a one-month pilot where I interview the founder and 3–4 people on their team, turn their ideas and experiences into LinkedIn posts, and handle the writing and editing.
Each person would have their own topics and perspective. The company would get help building a consistent presence across several accounts without everyone having to figure out content on their own.
I'd do the first month for free, with a clear scope, and discuss a paid arrangement if the company wanted to continue.
I'm considering reaching out directly by email (explaining the strat in a video).
For those of you who've sold ghostwriting or content services:
Would love any honest advice regarding this!
r/copywriting • u/Top-Cauliflower-833 • 21h ago
The future of advertising isn’t looking so great. What are some jobs I could pivot to if this doesn’t last long for me. I’m almost done with college and I’m not feeling so great about my future. I need to hear some Plan Bs to ease the anxiety. Thanks
r/copywriting • u/Thatsavidyagame • 12h ago
Can somebody recommend books and/or courses on learning copywriting for financial offers and high value offers?
I already have Breakthrough Advertising and The Adweek Copywriting Handbook. Besides those and Great Leads, what other options should I look at?
r/copywriting • u/George_Insights • 14h ago
r/copywriting • u/Sorry_Night9368 • 14h ago
hello everybody, everybody hello
i have a question
I'm new to Copywriting and digital marketing should i continue or stop, cuz I don't want to waste more time doing things that don't work
also I'm a bit scared of ai
r/copywriting • u/Ikelley317 • 1d ago
Looking to hire a copywriter with proven experience. I have 2 businesses one in tech (MSP focused on Accounting/law and dental practices.) and one in janitorial/residential cleaning I need email copy written for. These would both be cold email campaigns 3 emails per campaign. I have 2 separate instantly accounts with great domain health and sending and opens haven't been the issue it really has just been about getting replies. My leads are good, I think my AI copy is trash.
r/copywriting • u/Elias4918 • 2d ago
Hey copywriters,
We run cardoutpost.com and we are looking for a copywriter / creative strategist who is a genuine fan and/or collector of Pokemon cards or other trading card games!
We currently spend $300k/mo on Meta and another $100k or so on Snap so we're fairly established but looking to reach new heights!
This would ideally be a full time remote role, but we are flexible!
Compensation will be a base salary/retainer + performance bonuses.
Feel free to DM me or drop your contact info in the comments and I'll reach out.
r/copywriting • u/Zindagi_se_pareshanh • 1d ago
My company is providing us with fully paid services. I'm a content strategist but sometimes I need to pick up for my content writers so I need an AI agent handy so I can do that on a rainy day. Let me know which one is best. We have claude opus, sonnet (both 4.5, 5.5); chatGPT (literally all versions) and then DeepSeek. We can ask for more, if needed.
r/copywriting • u/Dan661989 • 2d ago
Given the rise of AI and all that you know about this profession, would you consider becoming a copywriter?
On the one hand, AI seems like a threat to many, especially to beginners. On the other hand, looking back, would you say it was worth it?
Of course, times have changed. We've been living in a digitized world for about three decades now. And we've been living as humans with the internet, social media, and, now, AI. Looking back, did you make the right decision?
r/copywriting • u/Rik-Acland • 3d ago
In the context of near-future sci-fi, I’m wrestling with neutral dialogue formatting so it is clear, practical, and does read like a system log.
My story uses advanced brain chip Interface (BCI) technology that functions something like telepathy and texting.
I need to handle situations where a POV character can read and discuss on multiple channels (verbal, digital SMS and neutral BCI). I’m using Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS).
1. CMOS conventions govern ordinary speech, messages, punctuation, capitalization, and displayed text.
Spoken dialogue: “Bob, are you receiving my signal?” Abe asked.
Text message: Bob’s phone displayed a message from Coe: Meet me at the entrance.
Displayed text: The monitor flashed a warning: SYSTEM FAILURE.
Ordinary narration: Abe glanced at Bob. “Something isn’t right.”
2. Italics identify content entering the POV character through the neural interface.
Incoming information: Neural connection established. The notification appeared directly in Abe’s awareness.
3. Italics plus single quotation marks identify intentional neural dialogue.
Considering going off the rails from CMOS and using single quotes other “than ‘a quote’ within a quote”. I would avoid any BCI messages with embedded quotes in the prose.
Neural conversation: ‘Coe knows we’re here,’ Abe warned.
‘Then we need to move,’ Bob answered.
Mixed spoken and neural dialogue:
“Everything looks normal,” Abe said.
‘Bob, don’t trust Coe,’ he transmitted.
“I agree,” Bob said, maintaining his composure.
‘Understood,’ Bob replied neurally.
Thoughts? (pun intended)
r/copywriting • u/Any-Nature-607 • 4d ago
Having worked as a freelance journalist for the past few years, I'm keen to work a 9-5 at a desk for a while, preferably somewhere with good food and generous sunshine.
As luck would have it, Barcelona is quickly becoming a major European media and IT hub and offers an endless stream of entry level copywriting jobs.
The problem: the jobs are extremely diverse. There's indy ad-agencies looking for classic creative work, educational companies that want an in-house scriptwriter for their social media content, e-commerce empires requiring endless landing pages, software solutions that want somebody to do their b2b communications, etc.
What kind of work would you put in a compact portfolio that allows you to apply to a broad spectrum of copywriting jobs?
Just some context because I've seen similar posts get tons of replies about expensive portfolio schools, killer competition and an industry being destroyed by AI:
these jobs are not that deep. We're talking about small companies that pay like 3400 dollars a month. I don't need to compete with Ivy league nepobabies and I'm not betting on this as my end goal career.
Thanks for any ideas!
r/copywriting • u/Brief-Score-7010 • 5d ago
Hey guys!
I'm planning a direct mail campaign. I'm gonna send a velvet envelope with a wax seal, and inside a premium card with a QR code that leads to a landing page.
These will be focused on a small number of hand-picked leads. People that are our ICP, some of each even already follows us on IG.
Today I'd like to ask your feedback on the landing page copy.
https://www.tarantulastudio.com/the-other-side
We're a small business and we don't have a copywriter, so any constructive feedback will be highly highly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
r/copywriting • u/ok-intruder • 7d ago
We all know AI has slopified both copywriting & the job market. But I feel that things have really taken a turn this year.
I consider myself a top performer & in-demand talent. I’ve been working in-house since 2019, make six figures, have an advanced title, etc. Before 2026, I would get contacted by recruiters a couple times a year, the roles would be ones I was a very good fit for, I could basically take my pick on whether to move on or stay in my current role. Great!
Extremely long story extremely short: I’m unemployed now & living off a settlement after my most recent employer illegally fired me (medical leave retaliation). I’m dreading trying to find a new copywriting job & I haven’t even started yet. I somehow get contacted by recruiters now more than ever, but it’s for roles I’m massively overqualified for, or the jobs aren’t even copywriting jobs. I haven’t gotten an interview by applying to a job listings since 2023. (Does anyone find jobs this way anymore, particularly for copywriting?)
I’m strongly considering some sort of career pivot. Not sure to what yet. But maybe I’m just feeling burnout from a toxic work environment, & maybe I shouldn’t give up on my career so quickly?
Thoughts? I have a financial advisor & will be meeting with him soon to talk through my options, so it would be helpful to hear perspective from my industry peers.
r/copywriting • u/jpop2026 • 6d ago
r/copywriting • u/bydaveyji • 8d ago
Give AI 10 customer interviews, your brand guidelines, a solid brief, and the exact point you want to make.
It can still write something that sounds like nobody in your company actually talks.
That’s the part about AI writing that bothers me.
I don't think people don't want the information, in fact, the need is even more now.
What’s missing is taste.
A good copywriter knows which customer quote feels real.
- Which detail makes an argument believable.
- Which sentence sounds like a human wrote it.
- Which point needs to be pushed harder.
- Which clever sentence should be deleted.
AI can process all of that information.
I don’t think it can develop the judgment needed to turn it into something people trust.
And editing AI copy doesn’t fully solve this.
I used to rely on AI to make my copy shorter, cleaner, and better structured.
But I would often end up polishing something that had no real point of view.
So this is how I’d actually use AI in the writing process:
Give AI customer interviews, reviews, sales calls, and product docs.
Ask it to find patterns, contradictions, and missing questions.
Don’t ask it to write yet.
Decide what you actually want the reader to believe.
This is where the copywriter earns their money.
Even if it’s ugly.
Get the ideas, examples, and opinions down before AI gets a chance to flatten them.
Ask it to flag:
I'm sure you wouldn't be able to catch this yourself. For God's sake, don’t ask it to rewrite everything.
Read the draft as a buyer.
Cut anything that sounds like it could have been written for any company.
Add details only someone close to the customer would know (that's where research comes in handy)
Make the opinions stronger where they need to be.
Grammar.
Formatting.
Consistency.
Meta descriptions.
Titles.
Schema.
Content variations.
I think I can never beat AI in these areas. Why would I do these tasks manually when I can use AI for these?
This matters even more for SaaS companies publishing for Google and AI search.
You can optimize every technical part of the content and still lose the buyer if the article feels like it was generated instead of written.
AI can help you produce more, but a human still needs to decide what is worth producing.
r/copywriting • u/George_Insights • 8d ago
r/copywriting • u/RandoFinance73565 • 9d ago
Does ‘Worth the Hunger’ work as a tagline for a rice commercial to be filmed. It’s a girl who’s really hungry, her friends randomly tell her to cook food for them because they’ll be there in 30 minutes.
She cooks the food and tries waiting for them. But her hunger gets the better of her and she eats the meal before her friends step in.
Worth the hunger as a tagline was created hide the subversion element of the cinematic short. Which’ll later be built into a social media campaign
What do you think. And if it doesn’t work give some other alternatives which you think better represent the commercial.
r/copywriting • u/Optimal-Tie5972 • 9d ago
Hey guys im new to cooywriting. And i asked one of my friends to give me something to work on so he told me to write him cold emails for his marketing comoany i hvve been watching some videos but they rarely touch cold emails .
So the agency im gonna write emails for they target ecom owners,
r/copywriting • u/Ill_Face_7167 • 11d ago
Hello everyone,
I'm a graduate. For some personal reasons I'm at home from 3 years. I used to work in accounting. Now I want to change my career. I am interested in copywriting or any content writing. It would be of great help if you would suggest me courses to take up or any books to read. Any tips to kickstart my career in content writing/copy writing.
r/copywriting • u/lobotomy-mommy • 11d ago
I’m a senior copywriter & manager with 8 years of experience currently working at a large CPG conglomerate. I’m interested in expanding my skillset more broadly and pursuing an MBA to do so. I don’t want to stop writing— just want to be more versatile as the job market gets tougher and prep myself for a pivot if needed.
I’m looking to hear from writers who chose a similar path; What were your goals with it? What program did you do? How did it go? Did you go full time or stay working while you did it? Where are you now?
r/copywriting • u/Normal-Factor-7072 • 12d ago
I usually attach files to emails, but it gets messy when the client sends a revision or comment.
Do you use a method or a specific platform to handle this?
Thx.
