Copywriter Competencies – what does a copywriter need to know?

What does it take to be a copywriter?

What knowledge should a copywriter possess?

Which skills should a copywriter offer?

These questions have been bubbling away in our brains ever since we started work on a Copywriter Code.

In an early draft of the code we mention that copywriters require specific training in order to become competent copywriters.

A few people have rightly asked what, precisely, a competent copywriter is.

If you were going to train someone to be a copywriter, what would you teach them?

Copywriter Competencies

We got to work on a list of all the things a competent copywriter needs to know or be able to offer.

We started building a list, using a few sources for guidance:

• Our professional experiences
• Training course outlines
• Job descriptions
• Online conversations

And then we grouped the competencies into categories to make the list easier to judge, and easier to work with.

Here’s a rough outline of what we think copywriters need to know:

Marketing knowledge

Copywriters need a good foundational knowledge of marketing as a function.

Including:

• What is marketing?
• Product, price, promotion, people
• Market research
• Marketing strategies

Writing skills

Copywriters must be comfortable using language.

In some copywriting roles this means using language to convey ideas or to build a brand.

In many roles, copywriters are expected to have a high level of spelling and grammar proficiency.

Copywriting techniques

Copywriters should be aware of a wide range of tested copywriting techniques.

These are the tactics that differentiate copywriting from other writing professions.

Techniques like:

• Addressing objections
• Alliteration
• Appealing to authority
• Asking questions
• Using ‘because’ as a persuasive tool
• Benefits Vs features
• FOMO
• Social proof
• Storytelling
• Conversational copywriting
• Front-loading
• Framing
• Serial position effect
• Urgency
• Selling the sizzle
• Getting to ‘yes’

Project and client management

Copywriters need to know how to contribute effectively to projects.

Including:

• Managing a copywriting project
• Contributing to a project
• Tracking and managing time
• Communicating with clients and stakeholders
• Managing expectations
• Controlling (and responding to) feedback from stakeholders
• Managing document versions and changes
• Managing document flows and sign-off processes.

Soft skills

Including:

• Curiosity about the world around them (about people, trends, culture etc)
• Empathy to understand different audiences
• Creative thinking and problem-solving skills to help tackle challenging marketing problems.

Specialist skills

A copywriting foundation can be built upon to specialise in specific domains, including:

• advertising
• PR
• digital content
• content strategy
• content design
• SEO
• user experience.

What are we missing?

What’s missing from this list?

Have we missed a detail – or perhaps an entire category?

Let us know what you think a copywriter needs to know.

Or maybe tell us what too many copywriters don’t know.

Cover photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

Written by

ProCopywriters team

News, advice and research from the team at ProCopywriters, the UK’s largest association for commercial writers.

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