What Does a Copywriter Actually DO All Day?!

Are you wondering “what does a copywriter do all day?” Do you think you have the “stuff” it takes to become a copywriter? Well, in this post, I’m going to give you the run-down on what being a copywriter is actually all about!

Who I Am

Hey guys! It’s me, your friendly neighborhood copywriter / copyeditor / writer / editor. My name is Rachel Powell.

I’ve been a writer for nearly 5 years now, and I honestly love it. I get to work from home with my kids (my husband works remotely, too) and it’s just a great, crazy chaos every day.

I actually get asked a lot what I actually do as a copywriter and if this job is actually as easy as some people think it is. Let’s dive in…

So What Does a Copywriter Do All Day?

Now, keep in mind that I’m also a stay-at-home mom, so let’s get all of those things right out of the way. A lot of copywriters do this as a side gig, just like I do!

The Pre-Work “Work”

So, there’s probably a subset of things that those writers do during their day, like doing laundry, washing the dishes, and cooking meals. As a mom, I do those things plus take care of my 5-year-old and 2-year-old (hello, terrible twos).

I homeschool my 5-year-old, so my mornings start out with the following:

1. Wake up around 8
2. Take out the three dog kids and feed them
3. Feed my human kids
4. Do school with my oldest (about 30-45 minutes worth)

Then, I dig in and get started on projects that are due that day for work. Here’s where the fun begins.

How I Tackle Copywriting Work

Scheduling

I work project-by-project. I always schedule my posts and edits out in advance so that I can have a plan in place for each day. Let’s take today for example. My task list looked like this:

1. Article for Client 1: 700 words. (1hr allotted)
2. Article for Client 2: 500 words. (1hr allotted)
3. Website text for Client 3: 500-700 words. (1hr allotted)

My Blog-Writing Process

When tackling any blog writing project (which is what 1. and 2. were), I use the following formula. This helps me stay on track and bang out posts in an efficient manner (without missing anything).

1. Research (no more than 15 minutes).
2. Take a look at suggested SEO keywords. (1 minute)
3. Outline the post, using SEO keywords where possible. (2 minutes)
4. Write the “outro” with a call-to-action that fits the content. (2 minutes)
5. Write the “intro” with a hook and mention all keywords. (2-4 minutes)
6. Fill in the body text with details from my research (or my personal knowledge of the topic), citing statistics and quoting other sites appropriately, of course. (10-15 minutes)
7. Insert any links where they feel appropriate. (1 minute)
8. Re-read whole post and check for flow, conciseness, and grammar. Sometimes spell-check and Grammarly will miss things — these are tools I use to streamline my process, not end-all-be-alls. (5 minutes)

As you can see, if all goes well, I can bang out a 500-700 word post in 40 minutes or less. And that’s usually how it goes (unless my kids need something). I allot a full hour just in case I get distracted or need to do something for my kiddos.

How Today Went

So, around 9:30, when my oldest was done with school, I started on task 1. This required only a few minutes of research (they graciously provided links to the content they were interested in), so I could jump right in. This post took me about 35 minutes.

My next task was a bit shorter, and I’ve worked with this client for a long time. They provide very detailed content briefs and it helps me tremendously with my process. This post took me about 25 minutes.

Next up was a website text project. This client sends plenty of information via questionnaires for their own clients so I usually have to do minimal research. This took me closer to an hour.

My Website Text-Writing Process

When tackling a website text project, I use a more meticulous eye. SEO is much more important in this concise writing format and the goal is to be as informative as possible with as little text as possible. The text also needs to jump out and wow visitors so that they want to learn more. Here’s how I handle these projects.

1. I take a look at competitors’ sites and similar industry sites.
2. I look at the client’s suggested SEO keywords and do my own research.
3. I narrow down the keywords that are best for this particular company and categorize them: EXCELLENT, GREAT, and OKAY.
4. I copy and paste into a document all of the dummy content that is on the site’s current design.
5. I go through and fill in all of the page’s headings, making sure to use as many of those EXCELLENT keywords as possible.
6. I ensure that the first heading and bit of text are meta-tag ready.
7. I fill in the rest of the content, using as many of those keywords as possible, emphasizing EXCELLENT ones, using slightly fewer GREAT ones, and even fewer OKAY ones.
8. I go back through the content and check for grammar and conciseness.
9. I go back through and count the SEO keyword tally for the client.

What Does a Copywriter Do When Not Working for Clients?

When I’m working, but not working on a project for clients, I’m either writing a blog for my website or optimizing my website for speed and SEO. This is a difficult thing to do because most of my clients found me when I was on Fiverr. Eventually, when I have more time to commit to my writing career, I’ll invest in advertising my website.

Until then, a huge thank you to all of my current clients. You rock!

So, Is it Easy?

I wouldn’t say it’s easy. It’s actually a lot more involved than people think. Especially when a topic comes up that I don’t really love, there’s a lot of drudgery involved. Mostly, though, I love the topics my clients send my way, and I actually learn new things all the freaking time. That’s definitely one of the perks of this job. I’m always learning!

In Summary,

So, that’s what a copywriter does in a day! Obviously, full-time writers will get much more than three projects done in one day, but for now, this is my bread and butter.

Like my style? Work with me! Or contact me to learn more.

Thanks for reading, guys,

Peace