Meet Gail and find out about her life as a junior copywriter. Part of our Bitesize world of work series.
Gail McFadzean - Junior copywriter
A copywriter writes all the words that appear in adverts and branding communications. That could be anything from headlines, to body copy, to radio ads or even TV scripts.
Normally a day would start with getting a new brief. We’d have a meeting with the creative director or some of our senior designers, who will pass on information from the client about any challenge that they want us to answer. Once we’ve got that information we would head back to our desks and begin researching, coming up with as many ideas as possible, and then reconvene later on to compare our work, see what works and what doesn't and develop some more of the work before we give it back to the client.
Art was my favourite subject at school and I don't think it was made clear to us at the time that you could have a real career doing something that was creative, which is why I chose to do a more academic course at university. I’ve obviously since realised that that’s really not the case and I really wish I'd done something creative a bit sooner, but I have managed to get quite a lot of life experience in the meantime, which I think does help me in my job today.
I think it's really important to know what you want to do when you enter the industry because there are so many different areas that you can specialise in. If you can decide early on – I know it's not easy– but you can train as much in those areas and really focus what you want to do. That will help when it comes to looking for a job further down the line.
I actually got my job here completely by chance. At a networking event I ran into a woman who works here. I was with my creative partner – she’s an art director – and when we got talking to her she said that she was looking for placement students. So it’s just funny to think that if we hadn’t been there that night, we might not have made that connection and I would have never have got the job that I’ve got today. So I’m really grateful for that opportunity, but it goes to show that you need to put yourself out there first, in order to make the connections that you need.
I think one of the most important things that you can be in this industry is curious, it’s not a qualification necessarily. So following people on Twitter and LinkedIn and some of the creative blogs that agencies run is a great source of inspiration because it’s so impressive to see what other copywriters can… have the ability to do and have been allowed to do across the world. But as long as you’ve got an eye out for ideas at all times and you’re really passionate about what you do, I think that's all you need.
As long as you’ve got an eye out for ideas… and you’re really passionate about what you do, I think that's all you need.
- A copywriter writes all the words that appear in adverts and branding communications, whether that's headlines, the main body of the text, radio ads or even TV scripts
- A typical day for Gail would start with getting a new brief. That means understanding what the client wants, researching and coming up with lots of ideas and then developing those concepts further as a team
- Gail’s favourite subject at school was Art but she chose a more academic course at university. She wishes she had pursued a creative career sooner, but believes the life experience she gained in the meantime helps in her current role
- Gail says it helps if you can choose an area within the industry to specialise in early on. It is also important to be curious and follow people on social media, taking inspiration from what other copywriters can do.
Gail is a junior copywriter. A similar role to Gail's is an advertising copywriter. Advertising copywriters writes all the words that appear in adverts and branding communications for print, TV, radio and online adverts.
What to expect if you want to be an advertising copywriter
- Advertising copywriter average salary: £20,000 to £80,000 per year
- Advertising copywriter typical working hours: 37 to 39 hours per week. Occasionally, you could work in the evenings.
What qualifications do you need to be an advertising copywriter?
You could get into this role via a university course, an apprenticeship, a graduate trainee scheme or applying directly.
Sources: LMI for All, National Careers Service
This information is a guide and is constantly changing. Please check the National Careers Service website for the latest information and all the qualifications needed.
For careers advice in all parts of the UK visit: National Careers Service (England), nidirect (Northern Ireland), My World of Work (Scotland) and Careers Wales (Wales).
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