Copywriters and art directors alike have to face all kinds of challenges in their creative work – stubborn clients, tight deadlines, and sometimes even their own minds. If you’re looking to become a copywriter, here’s the top 10 skills you’ll need to survive.

  1. Perseverance
    • As difficult as writer’s block is to deal with, the best writers never stop fighting against it. To discover the best ideas, sometimes you have to struggle (either with yourself or with the client). However, if you give up before you get there, you won’t find that nugget of gold at the end of the rainbow.
  2. Patience
    • Along with fighting against writer’s block, at times there’s nothing to do but wait it out. The incubation stage is a vital part of the creative process, and forced ideas can turn out far worse than ones that come naturally.
  3. Adaptability
    • In order to reach out to a variety of audiences, copywriters need to understand and persuade all kinds of people. By having the ability to shape and form their ideas, rather than setting them in stone, copywriters are capable of adapting to all different types of work.
  4. Playfulness
    • Going hand-in-hand with creativity, playfulness is essential to understanding the human condition. Though some campaigns are more serious, it’s always a good idea to keep fun in mind.
  5. (Im)perfectionism
    • As much as you may want to edit and re-edit a sentence so it sounds just right, it’s more important to have something to submit to a client than it is to have a perfect sentence-in-progress. As Oscar Wilde said, “The smallest act is greater than the grandest intention.”
  6. Cooperation
    • While there is an “i” in copywriter, keep in mind that creative teams have to work together to create a successful campaign. Even more so, creative teams work together with the client to make ads that accomplish their goals.
  7. Creativity
    • One of the more obvious qualities, creativity is of the utmost importance to a copywriter. However, it’s also a skill that can be improved with practice, so the more problems a copywriter solves, the easier it is for them to face those challenges in the future.
  8. Curiosity
    • Along with creativity, curiosity is also essential to a copywriter’s toolbox because it allows them to discover ideas around them that they can then use in their work. Curiosity also drives people to study others’ writing, which can then inspire amazing campaigns.
  9. Open-mindedness
    • As dead-set as you may be in your writing, you still need to be able to come up with other ideas in case the client wants something new. Those who are too stubborn to change get left behind.
  10. Ambition
    • Finally, copywriters have to have the talent and ambition to write for any audience, no matter how challenging the brief may be. Those who aspire to change the world have a much better chance of doing it than those who do not.
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Tabitha Butler

There is unbelievable power in your words, so use your powers wisely. If you need a little help, you can reach me at tabithabutler27@gmail.com.

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