What is copywriting?

Goddamnit Anderson! I need that copy on my desk by 5pm or you’re out!

You’d suspect the previous line to come out of some kind of newspaper editor in a cheesy B-movie while sitting behind a giant desk full of paper. But seriously, what the hell is copy? Maybe copywriting is that thing where you own the material? No, no no–that’s copyrighting. We’re talking about writing copy.

Copy is like text. Except it sells something. But you must remember that selling isn’t a concrete term. While many times copy is used to sell things like liquid dish detergent, it can also sell things like opinions. Selling someone on the idea that God exists, for example. So, copywriting is writing words that sell.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 20th, 2006 and is filed under General Copywriting and has no comments. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.

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