Ask the copywriter: In the spotlight for ProCopywriters
I joined the ProCopywriters network about 18 months ago. I put up a profile and lurked. For most of this time.
Then it hit me that I could be making a lot more of the network. I joined because it was a useful source of information and a nifty way for customers to find me. But now I realise I was missing something very important – it’s also a convenient place for copywriters with a professional approach to writing to gather.
So, I decided to get more involved. Firstly, by writing a blog post and next by taking a member spotlight slot. I’ve put a snippet from the interview below, and if this leaves you eager to read more of my (ahem) wise words, you read the full post over on the ProCopywriters website.
Laura Jane Johnson
ProCopywriters Member Spotlight
Why did you choose a career in copywriting and how did you get into it?
As a teenager, I had zero idea what I wanted to be when I grew up. Secretly, I wanted to sit at a desk and write all day, but that sounded unrealistic, so I shoved those thoughts to the back of my brain.
At school, I was a good all-round academic, studious and achieved good grades, so the school career advisor ticked a few boxes and suggested I become a lawyer or an accountant.
Frankly, I was just happy someone was telling me what to do. So finance or law? I wasn’t really sure, which merrily led me to apply for a business degree to keep my options open.
I quickly realised accounting wasn’t for me (I never did get a spreadsheet to balance) and a few law modules confirmed my heart wasn’t in the legal profession. Consequently, I pursued the only creative outlet I could see within the business world and I fell into marketing.
I was successful and ambitious. I achieved lots of nice promotions and was on the speed dial of many of the local recruiters. But the more senior I got, the less I enjoyed my work.
There were too many budget meetings, high-level strategy discussions and power struggles to navigate for my liking. What I missed was being hands-on, rolling up my sleeves and coming up with ideas and creative concepts. Most of all, I missed writing.
That’s when I finally admitted what my teenage self knew all along – I wanted to be a writer.
When an opportunity to take voluntary redundancy conveniently came my way in 2009, I jumped at the chance. (My hand could literally not have shot up any quicker). That’s when I set up my freelance copywriting business.
What work are you most proud of?
I wrote a few articles for The Big Issue in my early days of freelancing covering the impact of poor sanitation on access to education for girls in Africa. It was a challenging subject matter, and way outside of my cultivated-in-the-corporate-world comfort zone.
It was the first project that made me realise I shouldn’t limit myself to ‘comfortable’ tasks. What makes writing interesting is exploring beyond ‘what you know’. I’ve embraced the most unlikely combination of writing challenges ever since.
What piece of copy do you really wish you’d written?
I read a lot. As a result, I get writer envy at least weekly. This can be anything from a tightly constructed email that neatly and flawlessly hits the spot, to a Sunday Times column filled with flouncy language and overly poetic prose. This week it’s a piece of fictional writing I’m coveting – I’m devouring Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. Read it if you haven’t already.
Also, I write a lot for software and tech companies so I’ve got a keen eye for this genre of copy. I’m shamefully predictable in my admiration for all things Apple. Short, sharp, clever content, that talks directly to its audience with lots of pace and expression. If I’m looking for inspiration, Apple is usually one of the first companies I turn to.
What do you do if you hit a bit of writer’s block?
I put on my trainers, hit play on a favourite podcast, and run. For as long as it takes.
What are your favourite and least favourite writing-related tasks?
I love research and uncovering the real grit behind a company or subject. Listening to people talk with passion about their businesses, delving into the backstory and uncovering what really defines the brand is my favourite part of the writing process. I think it satisfies the wannabe investigative journalist in me.
Polishing and finessing copy gives me immense joy too. It could be adding in little touches that ramp up the personality of a bland paragraph. Or a change in sentence structure that completely alters the pace of a web page. Sometimes it’s uncovering a neat way to introduce humour or a witty pay-off line at the end of a blog. I love it.
Continues…
For the full interview go to ProCopywriters.
