Copywriting is the creation of text for use within marketing materials, most commonly advertising. The role can be undertaken in house i.e. someone is employed within the business, or outsources i.e. an external business or consultant will take on the role. 

Copywriters are:

• Knowledge about consumers 
• Adaptable
• Aware of latest trends 
• Good researchers
• Creative 
• Observant

Do you think you have these skills? Then copywriting may just be the next career move for you!

This course has been designed for lots of different people including:

• Marketing executives
• Those working in advertising 
• Business owners 
• Consultants wanting to diversify their offer
• Anyone studying marketing, or that has an interest in marketing

The art of copywriting is used in countless industries, meaning you are developing a transferable skill which could become one of your most valuable assets. Enrol now and see where a role in copywriting can take you!

Lesson Structure

There are 10 lessons in this course:

1. Scope and Nature of Copywriting
   • What is copywriting?
   • Types of copy and copywriting
   • Difference between advertising and marketing
   • Elements of an advert
   • Buyer psychology
   • Buyer profiles
2. Mastering Conciseness
   • Preparation
   • Lateral thinking
   • Creative problem solving (CPS)
   • In conclusion
   • Using a dictionary
   • Researching specific product information
   • Improving conciseness
   • Enhancing clarity
3. Creating Engaging Copy
   • Creating targeted marketing materials
   • Who is the market?
   • What motivates a buyer?
   • Narrowing the target/niche promotions
   • Customer segmentation models
   • Creating compelling reasons to buy
   • Products as solutions
   • Know the competitive landscape
   • Nurturing inspiration
   • Power of communication
   • Making use of feedback
   • Connecting copy with the buyer’s emotions
   • Descriptive writing and engagement
4. Clarity, Structure and Headings
   • Ogilvy – The father of advertising
   • The Hero/Heroine
   • Writing advertising materials
   • Structure of copy
   • How to make a statement more engaging
   • Headlines
   • Using subheadings
   • Enhancing credibility
   • Different approaches to copywriting structure
   • Direct approach
   • Indirect approach
   • Techniques to enhance structure
   • Bold, italics, callouts, and other emphasis
   • Altering or disregarding convention
   • Accessibility
   • Different focuses = Different copy outcomes
5. Writing for Print Advertising
   • Points to consider
   • Size matters
   • The elements of print media advertising
   • Components explained
   • White space/ negative space
   • Advertorials
6. Writing for Direct Mail and Email
   • Why is direct mail useful?
   • Challenges for writing direct mail content
   • Evaluating the impact of direct mail
7. Writing Media Releases
   • Why media releases Are important
   • Structure of a media release
   • Writing a media release
   • Selecting the right publications and journalists
   • Press release structure
   • Introduction
   • Quotes and statistics
   • Challenges with writing press releases
8. Writing for Broadcast Media
   • Designing an ad
   • Writing radio ads
   • Writing online ads
   • Writing verbal ads
   • Writing a script
   • What to be aware of in writing, publishing and photography
9. Writing for the Internet
   • Unpaid advertising
   • Paid advertising
   • Influencers
   • Influencer content
   • Using smartphone reading habits to create engaging copy
   • Creating online content
   • Website copy
   • Social media content
10. Reviewing, Editing and Improving Advertising Copy
    • Reviewing your work
    • Focus on Headlines
    • Editing your work
    • Evaluating the success of advertising copy
    • Plagiarism and self-plagiarism
    • Intellectual property and ethics
    • Market Success
    • Conduct your research and analysis
    • Evaluation and adjustment of a marketing campaign

How can you become a better Copywriter?

Copywriting comes easier to some people than others. It all starts with appreciating how to make an impact with words, followed by learning and retaining an awareness of techniques and procedures. Building broader writing skills through practice and feedback from a tutor (initially) and sales results (later) will help you grow. Every piece of copy you write though, can always be improved by leaving your work for a while then revisiting it with fresh eyes.

Copywriting is like any other form of writing. It must be as perfect as possible.  An advert with an obvious spelling mistake can lose customers quickly. So before submitting any work to your customer or posting online, proofread it –

• Check for typos – such as spelling mistakes
  
• Check for other errors, such as missing words, unnecessary spaces, grammatical errors
  
• If you are writing for a particular advertiser, they may have a particular style or presentation, so make sure you have stuck to their “rules.” 
  
• For example, they may use Americanised spelling, so all spelling should be in that format.
  

Do not assume an edited document is free of mistakes. Some errors may be missed during the editing process and others tend to inadvertently creep in during the revisions.
You should pay special attention to the 

• headline/subject line 
  
• subheadings
  
• body of the text
  
• captions of any images
  
• call to action 
  
• do links work?
  

Focus on Headlines
Headlines are vitally important. They must be succinct and have high impact. They must be relevant to the main text and use appropriate language which can be readily understood by readers. Because they are set in large type, the editor should double check they are spelled correctly.
Consider the following as an example article heading:

• There is now a man on the moon.
  
• A MAN LANDS ON THE MOON.
  
• MAN ON THE MOON
  
• MOON LANDING
  

The first two headlines are overlong. The first one does not really grab the eye at all. The second one is a bit more attention grabbing, but the third and fourth headings attract more attention.  They tell us in only 2 - 4 words what the article is about.  

Where possible, review your headlines. You can often tell what the important news is from a few words.

Good headlines are important, not just in news.  We may call them titles or subtitles, but they are still the headline to our article or chapter or webpage, so good headlines are important.  
It is the copywriter’s work will be scrutinised by a subeditor who works to ensure all of the above. Good skills in writing punchy, attention-grabbing headlines are well regarded, so anyone considering working as a copywriter should simply practise writing and editing headlines and subheadings.

Some points to consider:

• The most important articles have the biggest headlines. 
  
• The biggest headlines should be placed towards the top of the page/webpage to avoid an unbalanced, bottom-heavy layout.
  
• Avoid hyphens in headlines and subheadings by using short words. So rather than – "Dog-Snatcher Kidnaps Pedigree Pooch"; a more engaging headline might be: "Pedigree Pooch Kidnapped"
  The second headline tells the same story but does so in three words rather than five words and avoids using hyphens.