Your First Job as a Copywriter

Many aspiring copywriters have asked me this question: "How do I start off?" Do I just jump at the first job that comes my way or do I wait for the 'Big Agency' call to come through.


My answer is that it is not about the first job. 

It is where you see yourself 3 years from now. 5 years. 10 years. 15 years...


A career is not a question of landing the first job earlier than the next guy, especially in copywriting. It is about preparing right for a job you are probably going to do for your entire working life.


So, is grabbing the first job that comes your way the right strategy?


Yes and no. First, think where you want to be: You want to be a writer in one of the top 10 agencies. This is your goal. Never lose focus of that. Now, how do you get into a top 10 agency. It is on the strength of your demonstrated talent i.e, your portfolio.

Now, evaluate the first job offer you have got from any agency.

Ask these questions:

• What are the clients the agency has?

• What is the strength of the creative department?

• Does your immediate boss have any Big Agency experience?

• Is your immediate boss a copywriter?

• Which client or clients you are being put on?

• Does the agency have a creative focus?


The answers to these questions will help you decide whether the agency is the right place for you to start your career.

What does an advertising copywriter need to know?

To begin with, a little of everything. If you can write interestingly and with freshness and insight in a related field, you can learn to apply that writing skill in a business situation.

Where many copywriters (and art directors, etc.) are lacking is in the business aspect.

Your writing needs to speak to the real needs and emotions of the people who buy what the agency's clients are selling. That's true whether you're selling cola to the masses, or computer servers to a small number of engineers. You need to know your market, and be able to talk with them as if you were talking to them personally.