Entry-level copywriters have a fairly decent pay structure laid out as follows. If you are relatively new and fresh out of college you can expect to make around 30 or 35k per year, but if you are lucky you can get up to around $40,000 for entry-level positions. 100k a year is the benchmark for most professional copywriters working in the marketing field, but that number can go as high as 200k if you are a copywriter working for the largest ad agencies.
If you are hired on as a staff copywriter you’ll hold the same hours that any other job requires, which is usually around 40 hours per week. However, if you freelance you can work your own hours, but you won’t get any overtime if you go over, unless you charge extra. Staff copywriters are generally the most busy during holiday seasons, as that’s when the advertising cranks up to start selling things to the masses in front of holidays.
Staff copywriters have the typical bonuses associated with working for a company, ranging from dental and health insurance to paid vacations and sick days as well as matching 401k plans if you are lucky. However, the most benefits usually come from being a freelance copywriter since you can set your own hours and don’t have to worry about sick days or vacation time because you can take it as you want.
Staff copywriters have a variety of responsibilities above and beyond simply writing promotional copy for services and products. The modern copywriter also has to worry about coming up with the ideas if they are the staff worker type, or adhering to a structure if you are a freelance working from someone else’s guidelines. In both cases you also have to know how to work with graphics and design, since copywriting is more than just the words these days.
The typical staff copywriting position requires you to have a basic BA degree in either communications, sales, marketing or management, and if you want more than just an entry-level salary you will be expected to have three to five years of work experience. There are also numerous graduate courses available in the marketing and management field which can help you earn a higher salary in the copywriting industry, with some courses such as business management and sales ideally suited to joining with copywriting services.
The power of the best copywriting lies in the ability of the copywriter to create inspiring words. This is the basic of true professional copywriting; the ability of the writer to create a maze of words that readers cannot find their way out of until they click or make a purchase.
