Copywriters: Crafting Words That Move People
Behind every great brand, campaign, or communication is a skilled Copywriter. Copywriters create powerful messaging that engages audiences, builds trust, and inspires action — whether it's through an ad, a government program, or a technical product guide.
Here’s what you need to know about the different types of Copywriters and what they bring to the table.
What Does a Copywriter Do?
A Copywriter produces written content designed to persuade, inform, or drive specific actions. They tailor messaging to suit different platforms, audiences, and business goals.
Depending on their specialisation, Copywriters may focus on short-form advertising, longer corporate and government writing, or technical writing for complex industries.
Specialist Copywriters: Who Does What?
Advertising Copywriters
Craft short, compelling copy for advertising campaigns across TV, radio, print, digital, and outdoor media.
Create attention-grabbing headlines, slogans, and taglines that drive engagement.
Commonly work in advertising agencies, branding studios, and marketing teams.
Typical outputs: Billboards, TV and radio ads, social media campaigns, email marketing copy.
Corporate and Government Copywriters
Produce long-form, accessible content for corporates, government agencies, NGOs, and educational institutions.
Focus on clarity, plain English, brand voice alignment, and compliance with accessibility standards (WCAG).
Translate complex information into easy-to-understand messaging.
Typical outputs: Public information websites, annual reports, brochures, grant templates, internal communications.
Technical Copywriters
Specialise in writing for complex or technical industries such as technology, finance, healthcare, and engineering.
Simplify technical jargon into clear, usable content for both specialist and non-specialist audiences.
Work closely with subject matter experts, product teams, and marketers.
Typical outputs: Software manuals, product documentation, whitepapers, technical articles, knowledge bases.
Qualifications Needed for a Copywriter
Most Copywriters hold a degree in:
Communications
Journalism
Marketing
Advertising
Creative Writing
or a field related to their area of specialisation (e.g., Engineering for technical copywriters).
Additional certifications in copywriting, plain English writing, digital marketing, or technical communication are highly regarded.
Key Responsibilities
Writing persuasive, engaging, and brand-aligned content.
Adapting tone and style to suit different platforms and audiences.
Collaborating with marketing, creative, policy, or technical teams.
Editing and proofreading for quality, consistency, and compliance.
Researching topics to ensure factual accuracy.
Meeting project deadlines and managing multiple assignments.
Tools and Technology Copywriters Use
Depending on their role, Copywriters are often skilled in:
Writing and editing tools: Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Grammarly.
Content Management Systems (CMS): WordPress, Drupal, Sitecore, HubSpot.
SEO tools: Yoast SEO, SEMrush, Ahrefs.
Collaboration tools: Slack, Trello, Asana, Jira.
Analytics tools: Google Analytics (for digital performance tracking).
Advertising platforms: Facebook Ads Manager, Google Ads (for ad copywriters).
Technical documentation platforms: MadCap Flare, Confluence (for technical copywriters).
Knowledge of plain language principles, WCAG accessibility standards, and UX best practices can be highly advantageous depending on the specialisation.