Food For Thought
- Copywriters are content creators
- Copywriters make ideas real
- Copywriters write in every kind of media
While most people think of magazine, poster or newspaper ads when they think of copywriting, Copywriters must write in every kind of media, for every kind of person, everywhere. And they must keep up with whatever new technology or platform comes along so they can vary their writing to fit what the new technology or platform does uniquely.
In this course, the first assignment I give students is usually a print ad. As it happens, print ads are a great copywriting teaching tool because in a print ad, you either have an idea or you don’t. You don’t have music, lighting, actors, or a director to help bring the idea to life. You don’t have a famous influencer or a filter. You don’t have a fascinating podcast guest. Or fun music to add to your TikTok.
Whether the print ad is a poster in the subway, a billboard by the side of the road, or a magazine or newspaper ad, all you have to get your idea across is an image, headline, tagline, and a little bit of body copy. So print, also called 2D (as in 2 dimensional) while unforgiving, is an excellent training ground for the newbie copywriter.
But as any seasoned copywriter knows, print ads are just the start of the media we write for these days. Copywriters are the original Content Creators, before Content Creators were a thing. So what other types of assignments does a copywriter get? Glad you asked. Below are some samples of work a copywriter might be asked to do in a never ending variety of media.
Print ads
Political and Social Justice
TV commercials/Video/ PSAs (Public Service Announcements) add The Look
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoKlBOc54hE&ab_channel=ADdictive
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aC7lbdD1hq0
Experiential/alternative media
Pop ups/Experiential
Social & Memes
Influencer marketing
Vlogs / Blogs
Quizzes
App interface
Websites
https://gamertweak.com/most-played-popular-games/
Signage
Packaging
Chatbots
And more…
Podcasts, texts, hashtags, speeches, mission statements, manifestos, job postings, menus, billboards, direct mail, newsletters, surveys, polls, gifs, swag, songs, captions, companies, products, projects, streets, teams, events…
Key Takeaways
- Copywriters have to know how to write a story in every kind of media
- Copywriters have to be able to tell that story in two words, eight seconds, 30 minutes, or over time
- Copywriters must be versatile; they must be able to adapt to every new kind of storytelling media and technology that comes along
