Copywriting is a sub-branch of advertising that uses words to promote a product, person, enterprise, concept or opinion.
Are you a person who is very good with words? Do you pick grammatical mistakes even while reading anything on internet or in print? Do you sing jingles while communicating? Then you are the right person to be a copywriter.
Copywriting is a sub-branch of advertising that uses words to promote a product, person, enterprise, concept or opinion. It is meant to influence the intended target audience to subscribe to a product, service or concept. It uses a variety of promotional media such as television, radio, the Internet, press releases, commercial scripts, white papers, direct mail, tag lines, catalogues, brochures and billboards.
The payoff is decent for the freshers and it rises very quickly too. A trainee in an advertising agency starts on a stipend of around Rs8,000 a month. After a probation period of six months, trainees are promoted to copywriters. Initially, a copywriter earns in the region of Rs10,000 to Rs15,000. At the middle level, the remuneration depends on yone’s track record and the amount of recognition one gets in the industry. Typically, middle-level copywriters earn Rs25,000 to Rs30,000 a month and senior copywriters earn in the region of Rs50,000 to Rs1.5 lakh a month
You need to have excellent language and communication skills, good editing and proofreading skills. You should have the ability to write concise and attention grabbing copies. You need to have a creative bend and should be able to visualize things. You should also have a basic grasp of layout, design and editing. You should also have the ability to research and analyse the subject. Understanding your target audience is also important.
You need a BA or MA degree or a diploma in journalism, mass communication, advertising, design or marketing to become a copywriter. If you can’t acquire a formal degree, look at certifications or non-degree courses offered by many colleges. Take courses that focus on writing skills, advertising concepts and graphic design. Several institutes offer both UG and PG programmes in this field.
Institutes
. Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad www.mica-india.net
. Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi www.iimc.nic.in
. Symbiosis Institute of Media & Communication, Pune www.simc.edu
. Xaviers Institute of Communication, Mumbai www.xaviercomm.org
. School of Broadcasting and Communication, Mumbai www.sbc.ac.in
