Some people argue that copywriting has been around since ancient times—back when people were writing compelling copy for “Wanted” posters.
I’m not here to enter into that debate, because what matters to you and me is copywriting in the 21st century.
But, if anything, that argument proves the staying power of effective copywriting—and the need for trained copywriters.
Think about it: the 21st century alone has already brought so many opportunities for copywriters:
- The Internet—all of the Internet!!!—was largely just becoming mainstream at the start of the century. (For context, Amazon was started in 1995.)
- Meta, still known as Facebook, didn’t even get founded until 2004.
- TikTok started in 2016.
(Side note: I do NOT miss dial up!)
All of this brought new mediums where copywriters are needed. Online product descriptions, banner ads, email … not to mentioned there’s still a ton of print, out of home, radio, and other mediums that need copywriters.
So, as I write this in 2025, I couldn’t be more excited for all the opportunities yet to come!
Kate and I finally recorded an update to answer the “what is copywriting” question for 2025, including how AI is fast becoming another tool in the copywriter’s toolkit.
At a fundamental level, what copywriting is has not changed: Copywriting is marketing or advertising writing. It’s writing that is designed to sell or to persuade. It is not sales-y or pushy. (It’s also not copyrighting, which is a legal term for protecting intellectual property.)
But being persuasive doesn’t mean being underhanded. In fact, copy (the words that make up copywriting) that doesn’t provide a solution to the audience’s need is likely to backfire.
In this episode, we dive into why copywriting fundamentals are just as important now as they were at the start of copywriting (whether that’s ancient times or the Mad Men era to you!).
Plus, we’re sharing where you can keep an eye out for copy, who can write copy, and the career possibilities you have as a copywriter.
TUNE IN: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Stitcher
Looking for closed captioning or a transcript? Check out the episode on YouTube!
A Sneak Peek at the Episode
[2:37] Copywriting is writing that sales or persuades. It’s the writing in emails, it’s the writing on a company’s website, it’s billboards, it’s banner ads. And it’s designed to get people to take action. Maybe to literally make a purchase or persuade people to sign up for email, or it could even be to get people to think differently about a company.
[04:19] One of the great things about copywriting is you always have certain parameters. You know what the objective is of the project, you know the audience you’re trying to reach out to, and what you’re trying to get them to do. Because of that, you’re never staring at a blank page. It’s this fun mix of creativity and strategy.
[09:02] Every company needs messaging because every organization has something—usually multiple things—they want people to do.
[25:55] The vast majority of writers don’t make much money. Copywriting is a field in which we get paid very well. That is because companies can directly draw a correlation between the work we do and the revenue that comes in.
[27:16] Like any other career, there is a full training involved. Copywriting is a totally different type of writing, and even a different type of writing than content writing.
[34:55] You can do copywriting as a side-hustle, part-time, full-time—you can make it fit your lifestyle. You can be freelance and travel the world. You can work in an ad agency or work part-time freelance. And you can start freelance and go on staff or vice versa. You have flexibility to fit your copywriting career to your lifestyle and goals.
[41:00] There really aren’t any colleges that you can major in copywriting. Like any other career, you need to get training. And you need a system for finding clients. The good news: no one is born writing copy. You just need a willingness to take action.
Must-Hear Takeaways
As with every episode, we highly encourage you to listen to the entire conversation! But here are a few of the highlights:
“I think the beauty of copywriting is you get to decide who you work for. You do not have to work for any company that you feel like is doing icky tactics.” – Kate
“You can have a great product and service that you need but if you’re not messaging it the right way, people don’t know about it or people don’t know why it would benefit them.” – Kate
“One of the marks of a really good copywriter is to get their clients or their bosses to be thinking about their messaging in a way that they never have before. A professional copywriter is a partner, is a strategist, in addition to just creating the copy.” – Nicki
“When you are first getting started as a copywriter, you could not possibly know. What niche you want to write for. You never, never want to artificially limit your opportunities. That’s just not a good idea in any profession, but certainly not in copywriting.” – Nicki
“Copywriting is a very different type of writing than any other kind of writing, so you need to get trained in how to do it.” – Nicki
“You get the ability to craft a career that looks exactly the way that you want to, and you also get to change it, which makes it a lot of fun and a lot more.” – Nicki
“Among many very cool things, about copywriting is that it is an entirely merit based career.” – Nicki
“You need to have systems for how to work with the clients once you’ve got them and how to keep working with those clients and how to build your business as you start to get more and more clients.” – Nicki
Mentioned in the Episode
- Ep. 5: Why Choosing a Copywriting Niche is Terrible Advice
- Ep. 25: How Much Can a Copywriter Earn?
- Ep. 96: Artificial Intelligence Copywriting: Do You Need to Worry?
- Ep. 7: Freelance Job Sites Are Bad News
- Ep. 3: What’s the Difference Between Copy and Content?
Related Links
- What is Copywriting?
- What’s a Copywriter and Why Should I Become One?
- What Does a Copywriter Actually Do?
- BONUS Laser Coaching: Why Copywriting is a Recession-Proof Job
- Why People Tell You “Copywriting Is Hard to Get Into”
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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 20+ 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.
Last Updated on February 19, 2025
