(Part 2) Top products from r/copywriting

Sorry I'm a little late to the party, but I thought I'd add my two cents.

The great thing about copywriting is that anyone can do it, no matter their background. So don't stress about having the "schooling" needed for the job. All you need is a good work ethic and clever skills.

First — Definitely read up on all the books listed in other comments.

I'd also look into [Hey Whipple Squeeze This] (http://www.amazon.com/Hey-Whipple-Squeeze-This-Creating/dp/1118101332) by Luke Sullivan, [Pick Me] (http://www.amazon.com/Pick-Me-Breaking-Advertising-Staying/dp/0471715573) by Nancy Vonk & Janet Kestin, and any and all advertising annuals you can get your hands on. Annuals are a great way to learn what works and see it in action. You can find some [recent award show annuals here] (http://www.welovead.com/en/bookshelf).


Second — Build your book.

Free time is a great asset. Use it. In order to really break in, you'll need a portfolio or spec book. This is a book of ads you've created that prove you can solve problems and write. Pick some products and make a campaign for them. The rule of thumb is 3 products with 3 ads each to show you can expand the idea beyond just one print or digital execution.

Many people go to portfolio school to build their book, but it's not necessary for everyone. I didn't do it and many copywriters I know didn't either.


Third — Network.

Although all of the above are important, they won't mean squat if you're not in the right place to talk to the right people. Try joining your local advertising club and go to their events. I'd also strongly suggest looking into [Portfolio Night] (http://www.portfolionight.com/12/). This is a global event held throughout the year that brings young creatives face-to-face with advertising professionals. Not only is it a great way to get some feedback on your book, but an outstanding way to network. You'll meet others like you and start conversations with the very people who could land you your next job.

Hope that wall of text helps. Good luck, man.

Ooh, I know this! So, first read everyone else's responses. They're probably smarter than I. I was in your shoes about 10 years ago. I was working for a small film company and taking on any job that had any element of copywriting in it. (If I got my boss coffee, I'd write a story about it and send to all my friends.) Then, I got a call from a CD I'd met at a party that I have an interview "later this week." I called all my advertising friends. This is a compilation of the advice that I think helped me land the job:

• Bring examples of your writing. 5-10 things that show you can do the work. Be prepared to discuss them, what you learned while writing them, and how you'd improve them.
  
  
• Update your resume to focus on the writing aspects of your work history.
  
  
• Research the people interviewing. Find some shared interests and the value you'll bring to the team.
  
  
• During the interview, they told me I wasn't ready for the position. I asked for the opportunity to prove that I was. I think they appreciated the pushback. I wrote a pro-bono Point-of-sale, which they paid me for so they could sell it to the client.
  
  
• The only time I ever used an AP stylebook was to win an argument with my CD. Everything is subjective in advertising.
  
  
• If you have basic competency, copywriters differentiate based on relationships, ability to execute, and life experience. Focus on these for your interview.
  
  
• Some books that changed how I see my job as a copywriter:
  
  Ogilvy on Advertising
  
  It's not how good you are...
  Selling the invisible
  
  Keep in mind, I focused on the creative side bc the agency I worked for put ZERO value on research. They (wrongly) thought it was a waste of money, and I wasn't going to convince them otherwise. They also didn't care much for conversions. They simply wanted clever writing. Your situation may be different. Research first, and focus on the important bits. Good luck, and feel free to PM me if you want to discuss.
  
  As for your lowball salary, everything is negotiable. Be honest. Tell them you realize they're taking a risk by interviewing fresh talent, and you'd like to revisit it after 6 months or so.

Overall I agree with most of this critique. Particularly the 'going back to basics'. It feels like you're trying to run a marathon or jump some hurdles before you've learnt to walk.

My advice would be to learn how to do a really good, simple print ad to start with - before getting tricky with social media posts etc. I know, I know, creative directors will ultimately want to see flexibility in what you can produce. But right now, it feels like you need to spend your time and effort really nailing a press or poster ad. Getting to the core of a concept and making it clear and original and interesting. From what I'm seeing (and to be fair I didn't go through every piece - but to be brutally honest, that's because the pieces I saw weren't engaging enough) you're coming up with an idea, then rushing straight into extending it into other media. Instead, keep working on that idea, make it tighter and more interesting. Try it from a few different angles.

Also try to figure out what will make people want to buy the product you're selling. Your Felson work has an idea in it, but it doesn't tell me why I'd buy that chalk (granted, this may be a failing of the brief - but part of the copywriter's job is to look out for those). Is the chalk cheaper, longer lasting, will it make me better at pool, has it got some kind of amazing history behind it - why would I buy it? If you hadn't had the image of the chalk before I clicked through to those ads, I'd have no idea what's going on. A customer doesn't see the brief or the intro to your folio. They just see the ad (if you're really, really lucky). It needs to say something pretty damn powerful to get them to (a) notice, (b) remember and (c) act on it.

I do like that you're a student who's ballsy enough to ask for a critique. If you have thick enough skin to not be dissuaded by these comments, and you've got the energy to keep plugging away at it all, you'll get there.


Here's a few resources that could be useful:

• Kickstart catalogue - this is a bunch of ways of approaching a brief, along with some example of ads that use the techniques. It comes from this book which has more examples of ads using each technique.
  
• The Advertising Concept Book - this explains the basics of concepting and has recreated every ad it shows as a hand-drawn sketch. So you're not getting distracted by the pretty photograph or type treatment. You're just focusing on the concept.
  
• Ad Teachings blog - Suzanne Pope posts good new work and old classics. She usually has some good commentary around them too.

And I have these in my list on amazon. Would love to get some opinions on them:

 

How to Win Friends and Influence People

by Dale Carnegie

 

Secrets of a Freelance Writer: How to Make $100,000 a Year or More

by Robert Bly

 

Words that Sell

by Richard Bayan

 

Tested Advertising Methods

by Caples and Hahn

 

Writing That Works

by Kenneth Roman and Joel Raphaelson

 

Confessions of an Advertising Man

by David Ogilvy

 

The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing

by Al Ries and Jack Trout

 

The Robert Collier Letter Book

by Robert Collier

 

Nicely Said: Writing for the Web with Style and Purpose

by Nicole Fenton and Kate Kiefer Lee

 

Letting Go of the Words

by Janice (Ginny) Redish

 

Essential English for Journalists, Editors and Writers

by Harold Evans

 

Can I Change Your Mind?: The Craft and Art of Persuasive Writing

by Lindsay Camp

 

Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer

by Roy Peter Clark

 

Read Me: 10 Lessons for Writing Great Copy

by Roger Horberry and Gyles Lingwood

 

Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This: The Classic Guide to Creating Great Ads

by Luke Sullivan

 

WRITE IN STEPS: The super simple book writing method

by Ian Stables

 

On Writing Well

by William Zinsser

 

The Wealthy Freelancer

by Steve Slaunwhite, Pete Savage and Ed Gandia

 

Write Everything Right!

by Denny Hatch

 

The Secret of Selling Anything

by Harry Browne

 

The Marketing Gurus: Lessons from the Best Marketing Books of All Time

by Chris Murray

 

On Writing

by Stephen King

 

Writing for the Web

by Lynda Felder

 

Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content

by Ann Handley

 

This book will teach you how to write better

by Neville Medhora

Read

Here are three books to get you started:

• Predatory Thinking
  
• Creative Mischief
  
• Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This
  
  Get noticed
  
  Advertising is mostly about making sure that people see your product in the mess of crap that people have to deal with. If you want to break into advertising, it's the same principle.
  
  The trick is to treat your submission like a brief. How can I grab their attention? How can I prove myself quickly?
  
  Alec Brownstein is a good example. As The Guardian says:
  >He bought Google Adwords spots next to the names of six ad executives he wanted to work with, and waited for the job offers to come in.
  
  >And they did.
  
  Build your portfolio
  
  Find your best stuff. Make some new stuff (just make sure you put that it was for your own pleasure, and wasn't used).
  
  Make your portfolio an example in itself.
  
  Make a kickass covering letter
  
  Letters of note has a great one for inspiration. It starts off:
  >I like words.
  
  Don't confuse the kinds of copywriting
  
  Not all kinds of writing are advertising. Copywriters will also do business letters. They'll help clients with their brand's tone. They'll write copy for webpages.
  
  Ad agencies might be interested in that. But they're going to be more interested in your headlines. That you can grab someone's attention and make them cry and laugh.
  
  Don't fucking give up
  
  It's going to be tough. But you can do it.

The more you can do, the more irreplaceable you become to your current employer and the more attractive you are to prospective new employers. Plus, graphic design is endlessly fascinating and worth learning for its own sake.


But, what kind of design work are they asking you to do? A good agency shouldn't be asking a complete novice to do even layout work unsupervised.


That aside, you might find these useful:

• The Non-Designer's Design Book (3rd Edition)
  by Robin Williams
  
• Design Matters podcast by Debbie Millman
  

Doesn't really matter that you're not a student. Book is all that matters to agencies, aside from cultural fit. You really need to study some award books and archives and learn what makes copy good, then make a book of spec (fake) ads. Pick 5 brands in various categories and go. I highly recommend this book to help you get started concepting.

Just published Double Your Website Traffic: A Complete Guide Using Content, SEO, PPC, and Social Media and I think it's right up your alley. Plus, it's just $.99 on Kindle today: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YF3V2J1

If you are interested in writing well with SEO in mind, there's a ton of great information about how to do the SEO research to write well-optimized, yet still human-centric copy.

This might be what you’re looking for:

https://www.amazon.com/How-Sell-Anything-Anybody-Girard/dp/0743273966/

I stopped reading it because I thought some of his stunts were unethical, but he seems to have been very successful!

Have you read Strunk & White's Elements of Style? It's a classic in writing English well. It's a short and interesting read.

Try Which Ad Pulled Best?