Digital copywriter

Digital copywriters understand their audience and engage them through persuasive and accurate writing

As a digital copywriter (or digital content writer), you'll produce the written content for webpages, either working in an employed position or as a freelancer.

Your job will be to engage the reader and motivate them to do something, such as buy a product or service. You may also produce copy designed to convey valuable information about a brand, industry or issue, writing across a range of formats.

Responsibilities

As a digital copywriter, you'll need to:

• understand your target audiences
• identify key messages and be able to condense complex information
• liaise with clients regularly, either by phone, email or face-to-face
• carry out project scoping and create a clear brief to ensure you understand what the client wants
• tailor the content and style of individual writing assignments to either persuade or inform
• collaborate with creative teams to ensure that the visual elements of the webpage complement the text
• identify fresh and interesting angles for your articles and build a compelling narrative
• produce texts across a range of mediums, such as webpages, publicity material, product descriptions, blogs, email marketing, social media, e-books, slogans, and video scripts
• edit your own and others' writing
• provide other digital content, such as images and video, if required
• input your content to the client's content management software (CMS), if required
• collaborate with your team to review the impact of your work
• assist with business pitches to win new clients or projects.

Salary

• Starting salaries for junior copywriters are between £22,000 and £30,000 per year.
• Midweight copywriters with three or more years' experience can expect to earn £25,000 to £40,000 per year.
• For senior copywriters and heads of copy, the salary figure is between £45,000 and £80,000.

If you're a freelancer, you'll need to decide how you want to charge for your services. You can opt to charge a project fee, or either an hourly or day rate. Hourly rates can range between £30 and £100 per hour and an average day rate is generally around £440, with more experienced writers charging £500 or above. Alternatively, you can charge by the number of words or by commission.

Some agencies and employers will offer bonuses and other benefits packages. There can be considerable variation depending on location and type of employer.

Income figures are intended as a guide only.

Working hours

Most copywriters work Monday to Friday, but projects with tight deadlines might demand some weekend and evening work. Depending on the industry and employer, client meetings could take place outside of typical working hours, and if you're working with overseas clients, you may need to account for the time difference when organising meetings or setting deadlines.

What to expect

• You'll be managing several projects at once, so you'll need to be organised and able to handle pressure.
• You'll need to adapt your writing style to fit with the client's audience. You may write in a professional, corporate tone and voice for some projects, but more informally in others. In all cases you'll need to do your research to ensure that what you write is accurate and conveys the client's message as clearly as possible.
• Your writing will be subject to editing and feedback, both from clients and members of your team. You will need to be able to handle criticism and accept revisions.
• You'll mostly be office based, but face-to-face client meetings will usually take place in their offices or at a place of their choosing. You may also go to networking events, conferences and awards ceremonies.
• Most copywriting agencies are based in London, but there are opportunities for in-house roles in large cities across the country. However, increasing numbers of copywriting roles can also be carried out online, so you may not need to relocate to find a role that suits you.

Qualifications

This area of work is open to all graduates, including those with a foundation degree or an HND. Having a qualification in marketing, journalism or creative writing can be helpful, but isn't necessary. Qualifications specific to copy or content writing are not usually required as it is more important to have demonstrable skills.

An essay-based degree, such as history or English, will show that you possess strong written communication skills. However, a knowledge of other disciplines may help you break into writing for specific markets or industries. 

You can gain an introduction to digital copywriting through online courses, such as those run by established copywriters and offered by professional bodies such as the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). Try searching online for free resources such as e-books and blogs that will give you tips on getting started.

Skills

You will need to have:

• strong listening skills, so that you can understand what the client wants and effectively develop a project brief
• excellent writing ability, with the confidence to write in different styles and respond positively to other people’s input
• good research and analytical skills to gain an accurate understanding of the subject in question
• good organisational skills and self-discipline to manage multiple projects across competing deadlines
• creative flair to develop ideas for new projects and find innovative ways to express a message or brand story
• the ability to work independently and flexibly
• good attention to detail, including the ability to proofread and revise the work of colleagues as well as your own
• strong interpersonal skills as you'll be collaborating with a range of clients as well as creative and marketing team members
• an understanding of digital marketing, UX copywriting search engine optimisation (SEO) to ensure the visibility and relevance of your output
• specific IT skills, such as an understanding of HTML or WordPress, and the willingness to familiarise yourself with any new platforms and software that may be adopted by your employer

Work experience

A strong online portfolio or website will showcase your copywriting skills to prospective employers and clients. You could start contributing articles to a website you're interested in or volunteer your help to run a blog or social media channel for a charity, community project or small business. It's a good idea to directly approach employers or agencies for internships, work experience or work shadowing opportunities, as this will give you an authentic introduction to the working environment.

Ideally, you should try to gain experience writing for a range of organisations, industries and platforms, as this will show that you're capable of adapting your style for different contexts. However, focusing your attention on a particular niche or subject area can also be effective if you're seeking to write for a specific industry, such as finance or IT.

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

Employers

The three main types of employers are in-house, agency and freelance. Many large and medium-sized companies have an in-house marketing and communications department, which will include digital copy and content writers within their team.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and solopreneurs are more likely to outsource their writing to agencies or freelancers. Working at an agency will therefore give you access to a broad range of project briefs and clients.

Likewise, as a freelancer, you might work directly with a client, or you may secure freelance work via digital agencies. Being self-employed may mean a less stable income, but you can bid for and accept work from anywhere in the world. If you’re able to research and tailor your writing style to suit an overseas client, there is no limit to the number of opportunities you could find.

Look for job vacancies at:

• Campaign Jobs
• Simply Marketing Jobs
• The Drum

Some freelance job boards include:

• Free-Work - also has a freelance chat forum.
• People Per Hour

You can also subscribe to email newsletters containing freelance opportunities, such as:

• Freedom With Writing
• Peak Freelance

Professional development

If you're employed in-house or at an agency, you'll get trained on the job in the processes and tools used by the team. You'll also benefit from learning about other specialisms such as SEO, account management, social media and content writing. As you progress in your role, it's likely that your working practice will evolve so you take on more specialist or challenging work that matches your skills and interests.

Your employer will usually have a budget for additional training, whether that's in-house or through continuous personal development (CPD) opportunities such as the copywriting courses offered by the CIM. The CIM also offers membership and chartership opportunities as you advance through your career.

If you're freelancing you'll need to source and fund your own professional development opportunities. You can do this through enrolling onto training courses and joining networking groups.

There are a number of professional bodies with resources, networks and training for digital copywriters:

• The Chartered Institute for Marketing (CIM)
• Econsultancy
• ProCopywriters

It's also common for freelancers to secure work through networking, so be prepared to use platforms such as LinkedIn or X to build up contacts and put yourself forward for projects.

Career prospects

You'll start out as a junior copywriter and typically be able to access midweight jobs, either with your current employer or elsewhere, after around three years. It's an advantage if you can spend your time as a junior working on a range of projects, as this will demonstrate your ability to work with different clients, create and interpret briefs effectively and take responsibility for project management.

As you gain experience in the role you can choose your direction. Given the range of sectors that require digital copywriters, you may find that you gravitate towards a particular specialism, either technical, education or scientific, for example.

You can progress to the role of a senior-level copywriter after five to ten years. In a senior role you would usually lead on projects, being accountable for the brand, budget and a team of people. Alternatively, you may progress to the role of a digital content strategist where you'll conceive and plan the whole process of content creation and delivery across a range of platforms to achieve the best results for the client.

If you're with a smaller employer with fewer senior opportunities, you may find that you need to change location to progress. Some digital copywriters choose to freelance once they've established themselves, giving them the ability to work remotely and flexibly. As a freelancer, you'll find that you can raise your rates and take on new challenges as you develop expertise and experience.