Inspired by a question we get often about what copywriters actually do, Nicki and Kate are talking in this episode about what copywriters do NOT do. They walk through the other roles that you might encounter when you start out in the marketing world that you might feel like overlap with your role as a copywriter–but they actually don’t.
Some clients might expect that you have all these other skills on top of your copywriting expertise. But, savvy clients know that if they want a copy expert, they shouldn’t expect you to be handling more than just the copy. The key is to stay focused on becoming the best copywriter you can be and keep taking steps towards your goals!
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A Sneak Peek at the Episode
[2:16] Do you need to learn graphic design as a copywriter? Nicki kicks off the conversation discussing why graphic design is a totally separate career to copywriting.
[3:52] Kate adds a reminder that the other careers that are being discussed in this episode are totally separate careers that need training. If you are spreading yourself thinner by trying to learn too many things at once, your copywriting training and career success could slow down.
[7:50] If some of these other career paths are exciting to you and you decide you want to add these as a service, Nicki points out that you need to take the time to properly learn the skill. If you aren’t providing expert advice to your clients, not only is it doing them a disservice, it’s putting your reputation at risk.
[9:05] The next role that Nicki and Kate discuss is ads manager. This can be Meta/Facebook, Google, TikTok, Pinterest … we could go on. Each one is totally different and it’s important to know what you are talking about if you are going to offer managing the ads in addition to writing the copy for your clients.
[12:18] Sometimes people also confuse ads management and social media management with copywriting. Writing is a portion of what goes into this profession but there is a lot more that goes into managing a brand’s social media strategy and content. Not to mention content strategy as a whole – this is also something that does not fall under the responsibility of a copywriter.
[16:38] As you evolve in your career as a copywriter, you should learn more about these other roles and ask others about them but don’t feel the need to take them on yourself right away.
[17:10] Proofreading and copyediting are totally different to copywriters as well. You will always be checking your work and putting your best foot forward but it’s very hard to proof-read your own work. They use totally different parts of your brain and the pay is different than copywriting, so they are no interchangeable.
[21:36] Nicki and Kate have discussed SEO copywriting in another podcast but they are reiterating here how it’s, again, a different career than copywriter. From the coding, to the website speed, there are so many factors that impact SEO other than the words on the page.
[24:03] Web development and building email funnels are other careers that are separate from copywriting. This involves coding, building their websites and building within various software systems. There are so many different elements and things to learn if this is a path you want to take separate to copywriting.
[27:53] Nicki explains why you might see job postings out in the world with a laundry list of capabilities that they are asking of a copywriter. Just because you see it, doesn’t mean it’s the rule of thumb for all copywriters. This might even be a red flag if a company is asking a copywriter to handle responsibilities outside of the norm.
[30:15] A final reminder that there is always more to learn but stay focused on copywriting and you will achieve your goals.
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About the Build Your Business Podcast
Ready to turn your love of writing into a successful copywriting career?
Join professional copywriters Nicki Krawczyk and Kate Sitarz to get the tips, tools, and training to help you become a copywriter and build a thriving business of your own. Nicki and Kate have 15+ and 10+ years of experience, respectively, writing copy for multi-billion-dollar companies, solopreneurs, and every size business in between.
Whether you want to land an on-staff job, freelance full-time and work from wherever you want, or make extra money with a side hustle, the best place to start learning is right here.
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Last Updated on December 22, 2022
