What Is a Copywriter?

When I tell people what I do for a living, the look on their face often says, "What is a copywriter?" I suspect they think I deal with copyright law in some capacity.

I can understand why they would be confused. Everyone knows what a writer is. But what's "copy"?

Copy is simply a term we use to refer to text that has been written for advertising or marketing purposes. Thus, anyone who writes promotional materials for a living can call themselves a copywriter.

Within this field, there are several types of specialists:

Freelance copywriters. These hired guns can help out on short notice.
Advertising copywriters. Specialists in short, punchy copy.
B2B copywriters. The folks who crank out marketing collateral and web copy for companies.
Direct response copywriters. These writers are experts in having one-to-one conversations with their audience.
Fundraising copywriters. Call a fundraising copywriter when you need to attract donations.
Web content copywriters. The web keeps growing. These writers are part of the reason why.

I can also provide some information about freelance copywriter rates.

I hope this section will help you give a good answer if anyone ever asks you, "What is a copywriter?"