Mastering the art of copywriting

There will ALWAYS be a need for copywriting. The mediums may change or alter in their nature but words are the part of a communication that will resonate with people.

I don't blame you for asking though. In recent years all of the progression in marketing and advertising has been on the visual and web development side.

Advancements in technology mean that visuals are more striking and have unlimited potential, websites are prettier, more engaging and better functioning and apps are so strong that people happlily spend hours of their day playing with little black boxes of only a few square inches.

So it does seem that all other aspects of advertising, marketing and general communications are leaving copywriting behind.

Times have moved on from the Mad Men days where consumers took the time to read a few paragraphs of copy in each advertisement and the visual was usually a rudimentary accompaniment to the work of the geniuses of literary capitalism that were copywriters in those days.

Those days are gone, and it's obvious to anyone looking at the industry that copywriting has not enjoyed the same progression and evolution that web and app design and art direction have enjoyed.

But copywriting will NEVER be left behind, and it will never be obsolete. No matter how far the visuals or interactive parts of an advertisement will progress. It is the copywriting that will strike a cord with the audience and make the message relate-able.

Think of any piece of advertising; websites, print ad's or apps for example as people. Looking good is all well and good, and our designers and developers can take care of that. But whether we develop a rapport with someone, and decide to trust them depends on their words, what they say and how they say it.

So they key part of marketing and advertising, developing a a rapport with the audience and gaining their trust is all down to the copywriting.

With this in mind, can you ever see copywriting becoming irrelevant?

The means and manner in which we communicate with the audience will always change and evolve but the way we connect with them will always be through words.

Regarding future prospects, I don't think the situation will change in ten or twenty years. If you look back twenty/thirty years ago, to the time where copy was apparently king. It was quite limited in its applications. It was only used in the traditional advertising formats such as print ad's, tv and radio ads and brochures.

Now copywriting is still used in all of these mediums, AND on websites, apps, email marketing campaigns, and whatever else you're having these days.

So the future is bright for copywriting. No matter how the advertising and marketing industries innovate and change, there will always be a need for words. Always.

I hope this helps clear your mind on the subject.

Cheers.

Business comes to a screeching halt without sales. Copywriting IS selling.

Also, will Internet attacks be stopped? Does your business stop if your website goes down, for a week?

As was pointed out, copywriting is needed in all media. When you do get REALLY GOOD at it, you'll look back and find your question to be spurious.

Also, too many young people believe the Internet will be here forever, and have all their eggs in this electronic basket. Diversify, which writing copy allows you to do.

GordonJ

There always has been a need for copywriting and there always will be. While there are so many things in the world that are being automated, this will not be one of them.

It is an art and it does need personality, research and a human mind to do it effectively, it's not something that can be churned out and easily created by just anyone.

If you're worried about having a job that lasts forever that is a fair call, and I understand your concern however you should realise that every industry evolves and you will need to evolve with it.

Copywriting has moved to the digital realm and there have been many changes over the past decade or so that's for sure however the guts of the industry as remained the same.

My advice is to do something you truly love, you will always benefit and get the most rewards from doing this and you will never regret it. Don't worry about whether the work will always be there, if you're good at whatever you do and you enjoy it the work will come.

Even if video takes over, and no one reads, people will still need their video scripts to be written.

There will be plenty for the copywriters behind the scenes.

Robots will take over many industries. Probably the last one we need to be worried about is the creative industries. It might be possible, but by then, AIs won't be much different from real humans so we'll have bigger problems to deal with

Writing well is a skill. Many people can write, but can they write well? No.

It's the difference between being able to ride a bicycle and being a BMX pro. It's obvious to everyone when one person knows how to do it well and the other doesn't.

Guess all the younger guys here focused on the power of words. I am worried more about you said about the age related disadvantage or advantage. Have a friend with a law degree. It seems pretty much confident about his profession. There's no expiration date attached to it. The same principle should apply for copywriters, writers, or call them what you want. All people that play with words to make a living. This idea of not being retired as long as you want to is actually quite an appealing one. Let's see what happens twenty years from now, lol.

Copywriting is sales on paper. Sales-skills is the foundation you need as a copywriter. Otherwise its just words on paper. All words used in marketing need to move people. So the skill you gain as a copywriter, easily transfer into marketing. Once you have that skill down, its easy to sell or market a service or product you take interest in.

Your mindset is based on depending on other people for work in the future. The truth is, they depend on marketing to pull in their clients.

A greater mindset is to think 10 or 20 years into the future. And how is it you are going to support yourself.

Stay with the times. Stay updated and how you can bring value to the table. Or start your own business.

Nah! In 20 years, men will no longer want sex, women either. Worse, they will not care about how they look. And, if that's not enough, the Earth will be constantly at 78 degrees Farenheit and there will be no rain or snow and food will be plentiful so nobody will want or need anything, therefore, there will be nobody offering anything for sale, therefore, there will be no need for people who can persuade others to buy something over something else.

Copywriting is still a need. Especially for people who believe in that "dark art" of writing to persuade and convert.

Look for example at Len Smith. He is old. Experienced. And still working - being one of the greatest copywriter and teachers on White Papers.

But, I must say that it depends on your type of copy. Master one type of it. Become better and leverage our high-quality client database

I agree, copywriting will never die, is one of those areas that will just keep evolving and adapting to new technologies and environments, even if video takes over, who do you think will write the scripts and design the ads?