Career as a Freelance Copywriter
My daughter, a housewife, recently finished her MA in history from IGNOU. She has a flair for copywriting in English. What does she need to do to become a freelance copywriter?
----Roy
A flair for writing advertising copy is indeed a singular skill and worth developing. However, most advertising agencies prefer full-time copywriters to work with them, as much of the ideation for advertisements, both visuals and copy, is handled by a creative team and worked out after a great deal of collective inputs, pencil-chewing and gallons of coffee. It is only those copywriters who have already worked as part of the team and wish to take time off, or work from home that agencies would take on as freelancers.
I would, therefore, advise your daughter to work with an ad agency as a full-time copywriter for a couple of years. She should build credibility and experience before looking at freelance work. Alternatively, she can find other writing assignments available in plenty on websites or with the numerous publications that are always hunting for good writers. There are hundreds of job sites devoted to writers or journalists where she could pick up assignments according to her type and style of writing.
Another option for creative writers is to be a web content provider. Websites today require material to be interesting, fun and informative/ educational, and often require creative inputs.
Your daughter may start by setting up her personal website, which is an excellent marketing tool, or build her reputation by offering fresh content for websites of your friends, family or business contacts. With the recent boom in the print media and mass communication, there are increasing opportunities for all kinds of writers - a journalist, a short story writer, a novelist, a playwright, a copywriter or a scriptwriter. Your daughter may find exciting career opportunities in any of these avenues.
Author: Usha Albuquerque (HT Horizons)
Date: 18th April, 2011
For further details about related courses and colleges:
