This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s spring editorial intern Gahnique Bell. Find her on Instagram at @s14rbur81_g4l4xy. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
As a Zillennial, we were born in what I like to call “The Golden Spot.”
Us Zillennials grew up during a time where we still caught a whiff of the relics of the 80s and 90s and witness the explosion of social media. We grew accustomed to the rapid technological advancements and online presence of the world and used it to our advantage. By understanding the online culture, increasing our communication, and our will to live as our authentic selves we have created many opportunities for ourselves that allows us to work in more flexible and fun environment. One of those opportunities has been copywriting.
Copywriting in the past use to be something that was pretty straightforward. You see an ad or a commercial and think “yea that’s cool” but since Zillennials have entered the copywriting ring they have completely changed the game on how copywriting is presented. Copywriting has become more than just sales it has become a way to tell intriguing narratives, build communities, and improve the lives of others.
Copywriting has been growing in popularity for the Zillennials and the need for copywriters are higher than ever. If you’re interested in being a copywriter or just want to know more about what the copywriting world than look no further on this article on how to become a copywriter.
But First What Even Is Copywriting Anyway?
Copywriting is essentially the art of using words to persuade people to take action. This can a customer clicking on a link, signing up for a newsletter, or simply buy a product. Copywriting is the foundation of any business to get it off the ground and keeping it running on its two feet. It’s how customers are able to find businesses and build meaningful relationships with them. With narratives that connects with the customer on a emotional level is key to writing the best copy and building a brands value in high quality.
Copywriting is nothing new to the marketing and advertising business. The earliest form of copywriting day back to 3,000 BC using short and simple phrases to get people to buy their products like a bronze plate for making posters, and then it evolved into its narrative approach and later developed into its modern model. Overtime, copywriting has proved to be a valuable skill to learn to help a business flourish and now with the rise of Zillennials copywriters the art of copywriting continues with innovative and creative perspectives.
The Skills You Need To Be A Copywriting Genius
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I would say copywriting is similar to writing a book. Sure one is more creative than the other and the other is used more in advertising and marketing but nevertheless both of ththem em uses story to propel what their product offers. And with a good narrative comes good researching.
Research is a huge part of copywriting. If you’re writing for a company like Apple for instance you would need to do a lot of research about their morals, their message, the details that goes with their reason why behind running the company. You would also need to research the type of audience that your work will cater too. Being in the customers shoes and understanding why they would want to buy the product or join a newsletter or click on a link is key to being a successful copywriter.
Obviously, the skill you need to have is writing and editing skills. If you can’t write well you won’t be a good copywriter. You can always level up this skill by writing every day or every other day and studying other work from copywriters. Using tools like Grammarly and Word Documents can help polish your work in no time. Trending topics can be found with Google Trends, Trend Hunter, and Semrush or even social media platforms like Tik Tok and Instagram. To really jump into the copywriting space you’re gonna want curiosity. Get your hands on any piece of copywriting that you ca; find and study it. Find influential copywriters that fits your vibe and what type of copy you want to write. Watch YouTube. Ideas on the fundamentals of copywriting or the thought process of how copywriters create their work. The resources are out there you just need to find and invest in them.
You Need A Portfolio
If you don’t have a portfolio then you need to get one right now. Without a portfolio to showcase your skills if will be fairly hard to land a copywriting job. Thankfully, it’s pretty easy to build up your portfolio. As mentioned before you need to study the copy that’s already around you. The texts on the cereal box. The emails you get from your favorite purse brand. The sports brand commercial that play twenty times a day. The blog posts about a makeup brand that you find interesting. All of that is copywriting. And all of that is possible for you to write as well. Take inspiration from those copy and use them as templates to make your own copy. That can be your spec work to add to your portfolio. Or form your own original pieces. The more you research different types of copy the more you will be able to add to your portfolio.
Extra Resources
If want any good resources for copywriting, I definitely have a few for you.
World Tonic is a copywriting community that is catered to Gen Z specifically. They held masterclasses with professional copywriters, give out tips and tricks on Instagram and newsletters, they even have an entire copywriting course you can buy that’s super valuable if you want to truly take copywriting seriously. It is the best place to grown and learn if you want to be surrounded with people your age who are trying to achieve the same thing.
Copy Posse is also a great resource to utilized. They also hold many classes and have many programs you can dive into to learn more about the craft of copywriting. There is a YouTube channel hosted by the creator of Copy Posse Alex Cattoni where she gives tips ticks and what goes on into the copywriting business.
Becoming a copywriter as a member of Gen Z isn’t about fitting into an old mold; it’s about forging a new one. It’s possible for anybody to be a copywriter. All you have to do is start experimenting, create projects for yourself, offer your skills, and never be afraid to learn as you go. The future of copywriting and other forms of communication is in our hands so it’s up to us as Zillennials to use our voice, our words, and unique perspectives to level up the world of copywriting.
Are you interested in being a copywriter? We hope this article helps you learn how to get started as a copywriter. Let’s us know in the comments!
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