A Day in the Life of a Copywriter
Hi, I’m Cat – formerly pink-haired Flourish Copywriter👩🏼💻. So, what actually is copywriting? Here’s a snapshot of what I do in a day to give you an idea.
Morning
I log on and check today’s briefs – PDSA in the morning, and SEO copy for ev.energy in the afternoon. I read through my first brief and highlight the key points, areas to research and any queries.
Ahead of firing up my word doc, I spend 15 minutes poking about online to research the PDSA service I’ll be writing about, scribbling down ideas as I go. I love writing for charity clients – it feels good to lean into the warm and fuzzy writing style that works so well for a pet charity.
Next: writing. I start by bashing out a bunch of ideas, most of which will end up in what I call the slush pile. I then pick one or two ideas to refine and build a narrative. I refer to the all-important brand guidelines to make sure content matches the PDSA tone of voice. Then, after a final spellcheck and proofread, I’ll send the copy over to the account handler.
Whilst I’m waiting on any amends, I check the brief for this afternoon. SEO copy tends to need more research since it’s long-form and topic-specific. I spend a little time reading through resources the account handler has shared and checking out web links to bring myself up to speed on what’s going on in the world of EVs.
At around mid-day, I break for lunch. When working from home, this could be an elaborately constructed salad or it could be a spicy cup noodle from the corner shop.
Afternoon
By the afternoon, a couple of small PDSA amendments have come through from the account handler. A break from the copy has the benefit of opening up space for new ideas to flow in, and I quickly make the adjustments and send back the copy.
Then, I move on to this afternoon’s brief: SEO copy. SEO means Search Engine Optimisation, which is essentially about making copy appealing to the omnipotent Google algorithm. If you want your content to be on page one of a google search, it had better be SEO optimised. The account handlers have kindly shared a list of keywords to incorporate. I paste these onto a sticky for maximum satisfaction when ticking them off.
By now it’s time for headphones to go in and it’s solid writing, researching and writing. Then, after a final proofread and spellcheck, I’ll share my work with the account handler. Before signing off for the day, I check what’s on the agenda tomorrow: Crisis in the morning, Drax in the afternoon. One of my favourite things about being a copywriter is how varied it is, and how much interesting info I get to absorb every single day. Whether it’s useful at a pub quiz is remains unconfirmed, but time will tell.