We spent all of last week ironing out the details of some of the basics regarding effective copywriting to help build your brand. As a refresher of sorts, and as a way to finally clear the air for those of you that may not deal with the copywriting aspect of your brand, we thought it might be a good idea to answer a questions that sometimes gets a few different answers.

“What does a copywriter do?”

Glad you asked.

To the severely uninformed, many people get the work of a copywriter confused with the legal aspects of protecting an idea or creative property. That is not what a copywriter does.

In all honesty, the duties of a copywriter can be quite varied and hard to nail down to just a few aspects. Yes, they work with words to convey a certain message for their clients. Yes, the good ones know how to tell a story with only bland details and a sketchy outline to work with.

But the work of a copywriter is so much more than that. In today’s fast paced technological world, a copywriter must also know:

The ins and outs of web readability: What works on a brochure or flier is not going to work on the internet. A copywriter has to be able to adapt to their medium flawlessly.

Social media: many copywriters are writing the content for their client’s social media accounts.

How to work with designers: many times, copywriters may have only a small amount of space to write; it often depends on how much room a designer has left them on any given page.

To write a catchy headline or slogan: Any great slogan you’ve read was likely created by a copywriter. And those snappy headlines that make you click a link…that’s their handiwork, too.

Understand several audiences at once. A copywriter has to know what tone and voice to write in if they want to communicate with their client’s target audience. When you have 3 or 4 clients at once, this can become harder than most would imagine.

So as you can see, copywriters do more than just fill your blogs with content, make your brochures sound snappy, and make sure you clients have something interesting to read in your newsletter.

What talents do you look for when it comes to hiring a copywriter to carry your brand’s message?