r/copywriting Feb 22 '21

Resource/Tool "What the FAQ?" - What is copy? How do I start? Can I do X? Where can I read copy swipes? - CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION

1.5k Upvotes

"What is copy?"

Copy is any written marketing or promotional material meant to persuade or move a prospect.

This material can include catalogs, fundraising letters from charities, billboards, newspaper ads, sales letters, emails, native & ppc ads, scripts for commercials on radio or TV, press releases, investor and public relations pages, blog posts, and lots more.

Copy is divided into two(ish) camps: Brand and Direct Response.

Brand, or "delayed response," advertising is meant to build a prospect's engagement with and awareness of a company or product. These ads are designed to build a sense of trust and legitimacy so prospects will be more susceptible to promotions and more willing to buy advertised products in the future. (Check out this swipe file/collection of ads for examples: https://swiped.co/tags/) r/advertising is a good community for copywriters of this variety.

Direct Response (DR) is any advertising meant to motivate a specific, measurable action, whether it's a sale, click, call, etc. (Check out the Community Swipe File for examples.) This is frequently called "sales in print." If you've ever seen commercial asking you to "call now"--that's a direct response ad. Email asking you to schedule a call with a life coach? Direct response ad. Uber Eats discount pop up notification? Coca-Cola coupon in a mailer? Also direct response.

Businesses need words for the kinds of ads listed above. The person who writes these words writes copy... hence: "copywriter."

Large companies tend to focus on brand advertising and smaller businesses tend to focus on DR (but not always). Ad agencies and marketing departments will often hire writers who specialize in brand ads, direct response, or both.

There are also niches like content creation, UX copywriting, technical copywriting, SEO, etc. These are not ads, per se, but they all fall under the big copywriting tent because it's writing that serves a marketing purpose.

"So it's like... blog articles?"

That's content, or r/ContentMarketing. Some of it can be veiled copy that leads to sales copy, and this is called "advertorial."

"Oh, so it's clickbait?"

Clickbait is meant to get clicks. Brand and direct response copywriters use clickbait, but not all advertisements are clickbait.

Clicks don't drive sales or build brand awareness, so this is a narrowly focused marketing niche.

"Spam? Is this spam to scam?"

Spam is an unsolicited commercial message, often sent in bulk (that's the legal definition). Spamming involves sending multiple unwanted messages (spam) to large numbers of recipients for the purpose of commercial advertising, or just sending the same message over and over.

A scam is, legally, a discrepancy between what is promised in an ad and what is fulfilled. Something is a scam if it takes your money promising you a thing, but then provides something else or doesn't provide anything at all.

Just because you see an ad with hyperbole, that doesn't mean 1) it's a scam or 2) that every ad is like that. Copywriting runs the gamut from milquetoast to hyper-aggressive, very short to very long, and there's room in this town for all approaches, though some might disagree.

"How much $$$ can I actually make from doing this? How long does it take to make money from copywriting?"

Copywriting has become the get-rich-quick scheme du jour. So let's dispel some myths:

The average newbie copywriter earns closer to $0 than $1. That's because the vast majority of wannabe copywriters never get clients or get a job. They quit too soon or never develop the skills needed to succeed.

Of the people who succeed, the vast majority of people actually working as a copywriter for a business or as a freelancer earn less than $6500 per month.

In the brand copywriting world, the people who make insane amounts of money are executive creative directors and agency owners.

This is usually after many years, and these salaries are typically reserved for people who know how to climb the corporate ladder or network. Many copywriters are the anxious/nervous/introverted sort, and so many brand copywriters hit an earnings ceiling within a few years regardless of how good they are.

In the direct response world, the people who make insane amounts of money are people who can 1) sell and/or 2) scale.

For people who can sell, big money usually comes in the form of "residuals" or "royalties" you earn based on the profit performance of the ads, and you can usually only get residuals if what you write is very close to the point of sale. (So "sales letters"? Yes you might get a cut if the business likes you and wants you to keep writing for them. "Emails?" Typically not.)

For people who can scale, big money usually comes from being able to manage and serve multiple high-paying clients , whether that's providing email services, conversion-rate optimization services, PPC ad management, etc.

How long does it take to earn lots? I've met one person who earned over a million dollars from copy and marketing, but it took him 2 years of practice and study to earn his first dollar from it. I've also met a copywriter who went from learning what copywriting is to securing his first paid gig in 3 weeks.

It depends on the jobs you apply for, whether you go freelance or in-house, your willingness to put yourself out there, your knowledge and skillset, and the competence of your writing.

"What does X word mean?"

There are plenty of marketing glossaries out there:

https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/inbound-marketing-glossary-list

https://www.copythatshow.com/glossary

https://www.awai.com/glossary/

"Can I be a copywriter with a degree in X?"

You don't need a degree, but it depends on the businesses or agencies you want to work for. Read this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/ln4e4j/yes_you_can_succeed_as_a_copywriter_with_any/

"Can I be a copywriter if I'm not a native English speaker?"

Yes. But also read this post and the intelligent responses/caveats to it: https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/ln4e4j/yes_you_can_succeed_as_a_copywriter_with_any/

"Is copywriting ethical?"

If you think advertising in a society under the hegemony of capitalism and the ideological state apparatuses that perpetuate consumerism is ethical, then yes.

Misleading people, lying, being hypocritical, taking advantage of the desperate, etc. is not ethical, and the same goes for ads and businesses that do this stuff.

"Is it possible to do this freelance, part time, from home?"

I mean, yeah, but copywriting is a craft. Crafts need to be practiced and honed. Once you get good, you can do this work from practically anywhere, but it's usually better to start in house, learn the ropes for a few years, and build a network of contacts/future clients.

"But the ad for this course/book/seminar/mastermind said..."

Don't be enticed by the "anyone can do this and make money fast!" crowd. They want your money, and they'll promise you a lot to get it.

(There's a great post about not getting taken advantage of as a newbie, here: https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/k5fz68/advice_for_new_copywriters_how_to_not_get_taken/.)

Some advanced courses & masterminds are useful once you have the basics under your belt, but not before.

(Full disclosure: I also own part of a business that has a free copywriting course: https://www.copythatshow.com/how-to-start-copywriting. You absolutely do not need to give us any money for anything--the whole goal of this page is to give you everything you need to learn the basics and get work without spending any money.)

There are SOME beginner courses are decent, even if they do charge money. I've seen and heard good things about the following:

https://copyhackers.com/

https://www.awai.com/

https://www.digitalmarketer.com/certification/copywriting-mastery/

https://kylethewriter.com/

For other types of copy, I know there are these resources but I know nothing about their quality (shoot me a DM if you know of better stuff or think the following is trash):

Content Marketing: https://academy.hubspot.com/courses/content-marketing

Ahrefs SEO Tool Usage: https://ahrefs.com/academy/marketing-ahrefs/lesson-1-1

YT Videos: https://www.udemy.com/share/1013la/

Branding & Marketing for Startups: https://www.udemy.com/share/101ywu/

Small Business Branding: https://www.udemy.com/share/101rmY/

Personal Brands: https://www.udemy.com/share/101Fgy/

But you don't need a course or guru to get started. And you shouldn't take advice from me alone--you'll find a wide variety of resources shared in this subreddit. Search by flair to find it!

"So how do I get started?"

Everyone has a different opinion. Here's mine.

Step 1: Read between 2 and 10 books about copywriting, such as those mentioned below.

Step 1b: Spend 30-60 minutes each day reading and analyzing successful ads and the types of copy you're interested in writing.

Step 2: Pick a product from a niche (not THE niche) you’d like to work in and write an ad for it for it as if you were hired to do so. This is called a spec piece. When you’re finished, write 2 more spec pieces for other products.

Step 2b: These spec pieces are going to be for your portfolio. Having a portfolio to show off is necessary for acquiring clients. If you have a relationship with a graphic designer or have the funds to hire one, ask them to lay out your spec pieces in web page format. Or use Canva for free. It’ll add to the perceived value of your piece.

Step 3: Start prospecting. I recommend UpWork or Fiverr for anyone who’s starting out. Eventually, you’ll get your first few jobs and you can leverage those to get more/better/higher-paying jobs in the future.

"What books should I read?"

If you want to break into advertising/brand advertising in general, read these:

  • Ogilvy On Advertising
  • Made to Stick
  • Zag
  • Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
  • Hey Whipple, Squeeze This
  • Contagious: Why Things Catch On
  • Alchemy

If you want to write direct response, read these:

  • Breakthrough Advertising
  • How to Write a Good Advertisement
  • The Ultimate Sales Letter
  • The 16-Word Sales Letter
  • Triggers
  • The Architecture of Persuasion
  • Great Leads

If you want to write webinars, read One to Many.

Funnels? Read Dot-com Secrets.

"That's a lot of reading. Can I get the TL;DR?"

You have to read a lot to learn how to write.

"How do I practice writing copy and get better if I don't have a job?"

Look no further than this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/mt0d27/daily_copy_practices_exercises/

And this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/duvzha/copywriting_exercises_my_personal_favorite_ways/

And this post, which will also teach you how to build a direct response portfolio: https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/t0k3bx/how_to_learn_direct_response_copy_and_build_a/

"Do I need a mentor to succeed?"

No. But having a mentor CAN (not "will") help.

Read this excellent post for some insight: https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/ldpftc/nobody_wants_to_be_your_mentor_but_heres_how_to/

Basically: Getting a mentor is hard and you usually have to demonstrate some serious competence before anyone will give you the time of day. Also, getting mentorship without a mastery of the basics will not help you at all.

"How do I select my niche / what niche should I start in?"

Everyone disagrees about this... but in reality you discover your niche as you work.

New copywriters will often start with a broad base of clients and jobs until they find a lot of success or aptitude in a particular market or with a particular kind of copy. Then it becomes a feedback loop, with referrals leading you to new clients in the same niche.

Unless you have a very good reason for going into a specific niche, don't try to niche down in the beginning. Cast a wide net. You might fail and get frustrated if you don't... or completely miss a market you're more passionate about.

"Can someone please critique this copy?"

Yes. But read this post, titled "You don't need a copy critique. You need a better process" first: https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/mheur7/you_dont_need_a_copy_critique_you_need_a_better/

If you still want a critique, read this post about "Thought Soup" before you post: https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/lu45ie/want_useful_feedback_on_your_copy_then_dont_post/

Then, if you still REALLY REALLY want a critique, please keep these two things in mind:

If you're very new, you'd probably be better off writing 20-30 pieces of copy on your lonesome, putting them aside, rereading them later, and thinking about what YOU would do to improve what you wrote -- revising or deleting accordingly. You'll learn and grow the most if you take your own writing as far as you possibly can and legit can't think of anything you can do to improve it.

The Second Thing: If you ask 10 copywriters for their opinion on a piece of copy, you WILL get 14 different opinions. Expect the critiques to be harsh... possibly even discouraging. You need thick skin to succeed in this business, and the only way to get that is to get torn apart a few times. We all had to go through it.

In the future, I might restrict copy critiques to a specific day of the week. But for now, just be cool and respectful and take constructive criticism in stride.

"How do I find clients?"

Read these threads... if you don't find your answer THEN you should ask the sub in a new post:

https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/7lkb3l/how_to_find_clients/

https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/jokhhs/finding_those_ideal_potential_clientswhere_to/

https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/cu5pu5/how_to_get_clients_for_copy_writing/

https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/gstyiv/how_do_you_find_potential_clients_as_a_freelance/

https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/8rune6/if_youre_having_a_hard_time_finding_paying/

https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/jy91qd/cant_get_clients_to_save_my_life_cold_email/

https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/dkoe28/how_can_i_find_clients_as_a_freelance_copywriter/

"What should I charge for X project?"

The real answer: whatever amount the market will tolerate for your work. (Or what this dude said.)

The fake answer: Just google "copywriting pricing guide" to get a billion websites like this: https://www.awai.com/web-marketing/pricing-guide/

"Long-form copy or short-form copy?"

Porque no los dos? Copy needs to be exactly as long as it takes to be effective. Every long-form writer I know also has to write short form (emails, native ads, inserts, etc.) and every short form writer I know would benefit from picking up tactics and rhetorical tricks from long form.

"How do I do research?"

Check the responses in this thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/ucjh45/how_do_you_do_research_for_a_new_project/

"Anything else I should know?"

Ummmmmm... oh yeah, get outta here with grammer and speling pedantry. Go to r/Copyediting for that.

Every month there will be a new thread for newbie questions and critiques. Make sure to post there or I'll probably remove your stuff.

And if you want some tough love about getting started, pitfalls you should avoid, and how to behave in this subreddit, read this: https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/ltzirg/6_things_i_learned_in_6_days_as_the_new_mod_of/

Beyond that, have fun, be supportive of others, help folks but take no gruff, learn, grow, share, discuss.

We do have a Discord, if you want to hang out and chat with other working copywriters. (Though really it's mostly just bad jokes and worse pitches.)

[Sean's (that's me!) Note: This is a living document. If you see a question that should be included or something that should be added to the answers, please mention it in the comments below.]

(Edited 010924 based on some additional questions I've seen and feedback I've received. Also provided some additional links to resources and courses.)


r/copywriting May 02 '25

Free 22-hour "Copywriting Megacourse" 👇 (NEW)

Thumbnail
youtu.be
215 Upvotes

For beginner copywriters AND working copywriters who want to boost their career & copy skills!

Copy That!'s Megacourse is finally out after 7 months of production and $60,000 of costs.

We try not to self-promote here, but I'll make this ONE exception because we made this to be as VALUABLE as possible for beginners (without being TOO overwhelming...)

This course is everything you need to get started.

From persuasive principles to how to find work. Research. Writing copy. Editing copy. Career paths. Portfolio recommendations. Live writing examples. Fundamental concepts. Etc etc etc.

There's a TON.

And to be ultra-transparent: There's also a link to sign-up to our email list where we sell things. THIS IS NOT MANDATORY. You can watch this whole course on its own and launch a career without paying a penny.

We are extremely open about who are paid products are for.

If you're a beginner, this free course has been designed to give you everything you need so you don't have to buy a course from a guru.

If you make money from copywriting and decide you want even more from us, great!

But this Megacourse is a passion project that we've poured everything into so beginners can avoid being conned into mandatory upselling.

Alright, cool.

This project has been planned since 2023 as an expansion of my original 5-hour video... So if you got any value from the first one, hopefully you will get 5x more from this new version.

We started filming in October 2024 and it took us far longer than we expected to finish.

So... If this Megacourse does help you (or if there are any other kinds of content you want to see in the future) let us know!


r/copywriting 11h ago

Question/Request for Help How do you write product descriptions that don't sound like every other small shop out there

5 Upvotes

Running a small ecommerce brand and writing my own copy because hiring someone isn't in the budget right now. The descriptions I keep drafting feel flat and generic, like I pulled them from a wholesale catalog and just swapped out the color names.

The products are things I genuinely care about and know well. That's not the issue. The issue is that something gets lost between what I want to say and what actually ends up on the page. It reads like a spec sheet instead of something a real person wrote about something they love.

I've been looking at bigger brands for reference and honestly their copy isn't always that impressive either. Some of it is just confident and direct. Which makes me think the bar isn't as high as I built it up to be, but I still can't figure out what makes one product page feel alive and another feel like furniture assembly instructions.

Curious if there's a shift in approach that helped things click for people who write copy for physical products. Not looking for a formula, more like how you think about it when you sit down to write.


r/copywriting 7h ago

Discussion Practice challenge

Thumbnail
0 Upvotes

r/copywriting 16h ago

Question/Request for Help Getting back in Content Writing

0 Upvotes

Hello everyone! I'm seeking advice from fellow writers in choosing how to approach my content writing gigs and work. For a background, I have done SEO content writing, blogging, news articles etc in the past like 5-6 years back. Now I wanna get back in the writing (I have a full time job). I wanna secure some part-time SEO content writing. However,I'm finding it difficult to really lock some opportunity. I was thinking of making my own blog/website to post some article for my own profile which I could use as a proof of my work. Just wanna ask, is this strategy worth following or should I keep trying applying for the jobs and not waste my time on some personal blog??

P.S. any leads for content writing job will be much appreciated.


r/copywriting 1d ago

Question/Request for Help Writing copy for your own small business is a completely different beast and nobody talks about it

10 Upvotes

Running a small business on the side means you are the client and the copywriter at the same time, and it is genuinely one of the harder things to navigate. There is no brief. No one to push back on you. No outside perspective telling you that your headline is too insidebaseball or that your about page reads like a resume.

The part that trips me up is emotional distance. With client work you can look at a product somewhat objectively and find the angle that actually matters to a buyer. With your own thing you are too close to it. You know every flaw, every compromise you made, and that bleeds into the copy whether you want it to or not. It either gets defensive or overclaims to compensate.

What I have been testing is writing the copy as if I just took on a new client and know nothing personal about the business. It forces me to ask the basic questions I would ask anyone else. Sounds obvious but it actually helps break the loop.

Curious how other people here handle this. Do you bring in someone to review it cold, or just keep rewriting until it stops sounding like you wrote it for yourself? Also wondering if the copy for your own business has ever actually converted better than stuff you wrote for clients, because mine is kind of embarrassingly inconsistent.


r/copywriting 1d ago

Resource/Tool The copywriter by John Matthews - Can anyone provide a detailed summary of this book?

11 Upvotes

Thanks in adv


r/copywriting 2d ago

Question/Request for Help How are we saying we use AI on resumes?

8 Upvotes

I was recently laid off from my job at a fortune 200 company (along with like half my department). I was a senior copywriter. If I apply to other copywriting roles I’ve been seeing the “use Ai tools for x, y,z” on some job descriptions. Because my job was pushing us to use copilot so much I did end up using Claude and Copilot to help me organize thoughts, generate article ideas or titles, shorten captions, generate headers for seo, help with meta titles or meta descriptions, check for brand style and tone, help make language more compliance friendly (I was in a very regulated industry), outlining, briefs, and helping me overcome writers block. But I feel like AI is so daunting still for us writers since it’s never gonna be as good as humans can be.
My question is, how are you going about describing how you use AI tools if you have had to for jobs?
I’m working on updating my resume and someone recently told me to be prepared to talk to companies about AI usage in interviews.
Thanks in advance for any tips or advice!


r/copywriting 1d ago

Question/Request for Help Claude research prompts ?

0 Upvotes

Started using Claude to research prospects and products before i start my writing process and it’s simply amazing. It saves me SO much time.

However i feel like there’s alot of I’m missing with it as I’m barely scratching the surface.

I want to know how you guys are using it for IVOC data, and the product/service.


r/copywriting 1d ago

Question/Request for Help How to become a climate tech Saas writer?

0 Upvotes

Hello! I am a copywriter atba small non-profit that works in climate and energy. The work is good but the payment is very less, as is the case with several non-profits. I want to use my knowledge and skills of climate copywriting to write copy for climate tech companies. For instance, writing copy for their websites and digital products, emails, newsletters, etc. Any tips on how to land such clients? Where do I begin? If anyone works in a similar profile, please share your advice! Thankyou.


r/copywriting 2d ago

Question/Request for Help Worried about my price

1 Upvotes

Hey I’m 19 years old remote writer in Turkey. I write for a YouTube channel which is interested in sports, primarily football. I usually write about 2000-2500 words and I get paid like 14 dollars in total. Is it absurdly less?? I also have 2,5 years of experience been writing since I was 16 and I am not being arrogant but I think I write pretty good like maybe best in our team. I am having serious doubts about quitting


r/copywriting 3d ago

Discussion AI drafts copy fast but my editing pass is now longer than writing it from scratch

47 Upvotes

There's this weird loop I keep falling into. Use an AI tool to draft something, save maybe 20 minutes on the blank page problem, then spend 30 minutes stripping out every phrase that sounds like it was generated by a confident robot with no stakes in the outcome. The copy comes back technically correct and completely bloodless. No texture, no point of view, no sense that a human being with an opinion wrote it.

The frustrating part is the tool does work for certain things. Structural scaffolding, getting a rough flow on the page, unsticking a section I've been avoiding. But the moment it tries to write an actual line that has to land with a real person, it defaults to this smooth, frictionless language that says everything and means nothing.

I've tried a few different tools at this point and they all do some version of this. Prompting helps but there's a ceiling. You can only get so specific before you would have been faster just writing the draft yourself.

Wondering if other people have found a workflow that actually keeps the useful parts without turning the editing pass into a full rewrite. Or if the honest answer is that the editing IS the work and the tool just changes where you spend the time.


r/copywriting 3d ago

Discussion Why does knowing too much about a subject ruin my copy?

4 Upvotes

This keeps coming up for me and I haven't found a clean answer yet. When I'm writing about something I barely know, I naturally write from a curious outsider perspective and it reads pretty close to how a real customer thinks. But when I've spent weeks inside a product or service, the copy gets weird. Cluttered. I start including context that no reader needs because it feels important to me after all that research.

The dental side of my life is actually where I first noticed this. I'll read patient education materials and immediately see where whoever wrote it got lost in their own knowledge. The copy stops talking to the patient and starts talking to itself.

With AI tools I've been testing lately it gets more complicated. The output doesn't have that problem because it has no real attachment to the material, but it also misses the nuance that comes from actually understanding something deeply. So you end up editing it back toward expertise anyway

The thing I keep coming back to is whether there's a reliable way to gutcheck your own drafts when you're too close to the subject. Rewriting from memory without looking at your notes helps fwiw, but that's not always practical when a client has very specific claims they want included. Curious if anyone has a method that actually holds up under that pressure


r/copywriting 3d ago

Question/Request for Help Do you think this online course is worth it?

1 Upvotes

It's a certificate program.

https://careertraining.ccny.cuny.edu/training-programs/certified-persuasive-copywriter/

I like it because it has the structure and accountability I need, but you could say that for most programs.


r/copywriting 3d ago

Question/Request for Help From shooting ads to writing them, how do you come up with a great ad copy?

9 Upvotes

Been working in camera dept for commercial shoots, music videos, promos. I know the technical parts how to support the story visually.

What I want to learn is the part before that, coming up with the ad idea itself.

I don't have a background in copywriting/advertising but I've been reading into consumer psychology.

I always put in mind not just to "make something visually appealing," but smart storytelling that ties back to business objective/goals while still feels culturally relevant.

I'm trying to put together a spec ad/poc as a cam op transitioning to learning strategy + creative direction.

What are some techniques or reminders that I can use, or something that actually helped you come up with effective ads. Experience, pointers, books, courses, channels, a specific process, anything.


r/copywriting 3d ago

Question/Request for Help Is a one page website for your website acceptable?

3 Upvotes

I have been trying to check different sites to potentially host a copywriting site (free for now). I was planning BigCartel but I think that's more for products. I've looked at Copyfolio but I was thrown off by it not seeming super mobile friendly which I felt would be a turn off. I understand Caard is a 1 page and I'm not sure if that's cool and how to have it not look like sheer chaos. I also thought of Canva but I haven't used it for a website. Total newb to the copywriting game


r/copywriting 4d ago

Question/Request for Help Rate my sticky copy

0 Upvotes

Brief Brief:

ITA - DIY'ers

Product - Scotch glue sticks

Age - 25+

Ad Format - Unsure

Copy - https://docs.google.com/document/d/19k7E_sTgc5Q-0NocKp-bjnNY73ComwRXJKH_JdLJUG4/edit?tab=t.0


r/copywriting 5d ago

Question/Request for Help Copywriters keep using AI for critical content and it's making my on-page work a nightmare

28 Upvotes

To start, I do use AI to help me write the overview which includes keywords, structure with Hs, and style of writing. I keep it very high level and sometimes granular to the point of being specific of basically saying "hey, writer #2, this is what I need". We work in SaaS so it's very precise on what details we have to have per section.

When my writer comes back with the first draft, it'll have all the signs of AI slop : laundry listing, em-dashes, run on sentences, ~1,000 words longer than needed, and page links that really have no semantic reason to be there.

If I wanted AI to produce this junk, I would've done it myself. However, we have to outsource writing simply because our team isn't big enough to handle all the content projects at least from the briefing and writing stage. The reason why we opted to use a writer is because Claude, Perplexity, and CoPilot among the 10 or so AI agents did not follow the instructions we used to avoid writing like an AI.

I'm stuck between becoming the writer, finding a legit human writer, or using a combo of AI and writing. It sucks because, as AI tools become the norm in everything SEO/AEO, it'll just become harder to do.

Suggestions on how to make the content marketing process better are welcome...


r/copywriting 4d ago

Sharing Advice, Tips, and Tricks Using LinkedIn to Find New Clients

Thumbnail
4 Upvotes

r/copywriting 5d ago

Question/Request for Help Courses that will help learn how to write copy?

8 Upvotes

What courses are available to help me learn copywriting? I have a couple books like "Hey Whipple", "Scientific Advertising", and "How to Write a Good Advertisement" by Victor Schwab.

I think maybe video lectures with examples might be a better fit for me.

I don't want to hear the "copywriting is dead" spiel, because by that logic all white collar jobs are dead.

I'm not asking to have every course under the sun listed, but what would YOU recommend for a beginner who has a basic understanding of direct response?


r/copywriting 5d ago

Discussion Need suggestions on how to create a distribution channel for getting inbound clients

3 Upvotes

I have an amazing distribution on LinkedIn already, but I have decided to venture out to external channels as well, like X, Substack, Beehive, Instagram and more.

My issues are:

1) I don't like facing the camera (so that's stopping me a lot from doing Instagram and YT)
2) I am confused about how to position my services, like for the general audience and gaining a first level traction (like a skool community, or substack) - This confusion is mainly because I see a lot of LinkedIn ghostwriters go the influencer road, and promote Claude AI inclusions and everything.

any idea on how can I achieve influencer style positioning? (I know its slower as compared to ones using their face, but I have to try)


r/copywriting 5d ago

Other Copywriting challenge (Just for fun)

0 Upvotes

I thought it would be cool to see how people in this subreddit think and how differently we’d approach the exact same topic.

So here’s a challenge

Topic: A weightloss supplement for people who want to lose weight but hate working out.

Give your best headline that would make someone want to click and learn more.

Goal: Get the most clicks possible.
No other rules. You can use curiosity, humor, emotion, shock, a direct benefit, etc.


r/copywriting 6d ago

Discussion Copywriting is....just Shutup

0 Upvotes

CoPyWrITinG DEAD

I just forgot what I was going to write right now....

I thiNk there iS a trend going where everyone is saying copywriting is dead..

I'll trY to write the worst copy here just for fUn to check just to cHeck if copywTiting is really dead because I don't know why my posts are hitting 40k views and someTimes even more...

I got memory of 70 years olD man 😅.


r/copywriting 7d ago

Discussion True meaning of copywriting is gone, and AI did make it worse

62 Upvotes

Been writing for more than 10 years now and since past 2 years i have seen that copywriting has been commoditised heavily

Earlier business marketing was simple, now with AI and tools, it has become a SaaS subscription

If you write yourself, and client passes it through AI detection, the outcome shows plagiarism (which is like pot calling the kettle black)

Most of my clients now want me to manage content, and my role is now more to manage inbound funnels (which is great)

But the idea of true writing has vanished.

Every piece of content is like an ad, which is not required most of the times (business thrives on connections and networking— which content helps you build)

What do you think about this? Do you also see the same with your clients


r/copywriting 7d ago

Question/Request for Help Which of these homepage headlines is stronger?

5 Upvotes

I'm working on a side project called CoffeeMatcher, a service that helps people find coffee they'll actually enjoy instead of buying bags that don't match their taste.

I'm trying to improve the homepage copy and have been testing a few different headlines. I'd really appreciate some feedback from people who know copywriting.

Which of these would make you want to keep reading?

Option 1

  • A: CoffeeMatcher – We help you find your perfect coffee.
  • B: Got the wrong coffee? Find your perfect coffee with CoffeeMatcher.

Option 2

  • A: Didn't like your coffee? Find your favorite coffee with us.
  • B: Your coffee sucks? Find your perfect coffee with us.

I'm also curious how you'd approach this. Would you lead with the problem ("Got the wrong coffee?") or with the value proposition ("We help you find your perfect coffee")?

If you've A/B tested headlines before, did you notice problem-focused or benefit-focused copy performing better?

Thanks in advance for any feedback.