There's no better way to set yourself up for success as a copywriter and content writer than by starting with the most fundamental skill - that is, to write well. A quality freelance journalism course, such as The Professional Freelance Journalism Course provided by the British College of Journalism, will help you to do just that.
Copywriting, content writing and journalism share common requirements, primarily that is the ability to write compelling and informative copy.
Copywriting is focused on creating persuasive content for marketing and advertising purposes and encourages the reader to take a specific action, such as make a purchase, sign up for a service, or fill out a form (think ad copy, product descriptions, sales pages, and other types of short-form content). Content writing generally refers to writing informative and educational content to provide value to readers (think whitepapers, eBooks, and other types of long-form content).
While both types of writing involve creating content, content writing focuses on providing information, while copywriting focuses on persuading the reader to act. The common core feature of both writing styles is that the copy must be written well.
Readers are more empowered than ever to find what they're looking for (thank you, Google gods), and the drive to research a topic further is second nature for most. This means that, as soon as a reader is aware of a discrepancy; or sees through your text as sales speak, trust is undermined, and the reader will likely look elsewhere for what they need.
Journalism is primarily focused on reporting news and events in an engaging, factual and objective manner. With online audiences being more informed than ever, engaging the reader in a factual and objective manner is the critical element required for good copy and content writing.
Copywriters and content writers with journalism skills can confidently conduct research, gather information, and write clearly and concisely. They also understand the importance of accuracy, fact-checking, and using credible sources, ensuring the quality of the text provided.
Journalism skills can also assist the writer to write in a more conversational and engaging tone, helping to capture and hold the reader's attention better than simply providing a list of facts and figures.
Journalism skills are an asset for any copywriter and content writer to ensure they write informative and engaging content for their clients. The Professional Freelance Journalism Course will help you become a better content writer and enhance your copywriting skills in several ways:
It will help to improve your writing and attention to detail, teaching you to write in a clear, concise, and engaging way. This will help you to create text that is easy to read and understand and to focus on your grammar, syntax, and vocabulary to ensure a well-written piece. Students will learn to craft concise and enticing copy for various purposes, just like what is taught in a copywriting course. This will be beneficial, especially for copywriting beginners.
It will ensure you hone your research and fact-checking skills, so you can thoroughly research your topic before writing. This will help you gather and verify information about the product or service you're writing about to provide you a strong understanding of the audience targeting, branding, and messaging. This will ensure information is accurate, credible, trustworthy, informative and, most of all, compelling for the reader.
It will provide you with the essentials of interviewing. You will be trained to ask questions that elicit informative and insightful answers, helping you to better understand your target audience and craft information that speaks directly to the reader's needs and interests.
It will teach you to come up with new and original ideas for content that will capture your audience's attention. The creativity to develop fresh and engaging ideas is a fundamental skill of all journalists, who are always on the hunt for their next story.
It will guide you in how to be flexible and adaptable. Adapting to deadlines and applying different writing styles and tones is essential for good journalism, and the same applies to copywriters and content writers. You will need to be able to write for various formats, such as blog posts, social media posts, product descriptions, and more.
Journalists need second-to-none-time management and communication skills. The structure and learning process undertaken through The Professional Freelance Journalism Course will simulate the relationship and techniques you will undertake while working as a content writer or copywriter.
In a nutshell, developing a strong set of journalism skills will help you become a more effective communicator, better understand your target audience, and create informative, engaging, and persuasive copy.
