I received an email from a high school student who’s doing a report on careers. He sent me a set of questions so that he might find out what it’s like to work in the field of ad copywriting. Here are my responses to his questionnaire:

1-What does your job entail?

Copywriters manage the written portion of advertising and marketing campaigns. We team up with graphic designers on creative projects such as branding initiatives, websites, brochures, email newsletters, ebooks, sales letters, magazine ad campaigns and much more. The designers choose and edit the images that will appear in the advertisements or marketing materials and the copywriters come up with clever wordplay to match.

2-What hours do you work?

If you work for a corporation or small business, then you work whatever hours that company dictates - typically, 9 to 5, or 8:30 to 5:30. When you work for yourself, you can set your own hours - but you do this knowing that the more hours you invest, the bigger you can grow your business and the more money you’ll make.

3-How much is the pay?

The copywriting pay scale is across the board. It really depends on things like your location and experience. New York City copywriters who work for high profile companies get paid much higher than, say, copywriters from the midwest who write ads for mom and pop shops. I’m guessing that $50 per hour is probably the median pay for a freelance copywriter in America with at least ten years of experience. But I’m really not sure - I haven’t checked the “stats” in years!

4-What kind of education do you need?

To be taken seriously in the field of advertising, you need to have a degree in either Communication or Marketing. Ideally, your course of study would include a focus on writing. My college offered courses such as Ad Copywriting and Copywriting Practicum, where students actually devised a creative ad campaign for some of the local businesses. These classes were a great way to “test the waters” and find out if copywriting would be a good career fit. An internship with a marketing or advertising firm is also hugely helpful in giving you the experience you need to get your foot in the door of an ad agency for your first job.

5-What challenges do your face at your job?

There is typically a feeling-out phase with new clients, where they’re trying to understand the creative process. Sometimes this can be a bit tricky, particularly if the client is especially hesitant to hand “creative ownership” over to someone else. Additionally, writing is in general a highly subjective thing. It’s difficult to “prove” whether the wording of an ad will sell. If a client doesn’t care for what you’ve written, they may ask you to change it to something that you don’t entirely agree with. Ideally, you want to strike a happy medium - come up with ways to phrase things that will, in your estimation, strike a chord with the target audience, but also resonate with the client.

6-What do you like about your job?

I manage my own copywriting business, so I enjoy the many freedoms that come with being your own boss. There is also a ton of hard work involved - but I love it!

7-How does one get into this field?

Traditionally, you would get a degree in Communication or Marketing - but of course, there are other ways. Some people take an entry-level position in a company where they can forsee future growth, and then work their way up. And now, with work-from-home situations being so common, more folks are doing things like graduating from smaller-scale copywriting courses. Still others are simply self-starters hanging a shingle out to see what kind of work comes in. Generally, the less experience you have, the less people are likely to pay you, but that doesn’t mean you can’t work toward becoming a professional ad copywriter. It may just take longer than the “college grad” route. In the beginning, freelance writers might offer to do a few jobs pro bono just for the sake of building their portfolios.

8-How much creativity do you get to use in your job?

Ad copywriting is a highly creative field! Every day, every single one of your clients or creative partners wants you come up with something catchy or clever that will attract people’s attention.

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