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From a Copywriter’s Diary

Posted by Avinash on Sep 09 2008 | Copywriting, From the Writer's Desk

Now before I start explaining the exact nature of my work, let me tell you that Copywriting is a serious business. Copywriters do not sit and write stories throughout the day but write a lot of relevant stuff that people read in journals, magazines, websites, brochures and other forms of media on a daily basis.

The job of a copywriter is to use words in a certain way for the promotion of an individual, an idea, a business or product. A copywriter works for all types of media and is not limited to any form. The basic purpose of copywriting is to promote something in a written manner so that the reader can be persuaded to buy a particular commodity or to subscribe to a perspective.

Copywriting can appear anywhere from web pages to online ads, from e-mails to scripts, from press releases to catalogs and from billboards to brochures. When copywriting is done for the internet, the type of writing becomes very keyword specific and these keywords are often used a lot of times to increase the awareness of a proposal. Copywriting involves playing with words all the time. A person has to be very fluent while writing to flourish as a copywriter. An extensive knowledge of the language helps in creation of phrases and sentences that are very high on impact which highlight the capabilities of good copywriting. The job of good content writing is considered to be one of the most difficult jobs as the writer needs to be aware about everything.

Content writers usually write on a diverse range of topics and have different styles of writing. Apart from the content that is to be written, a responsible content writer also needs to take care of the structure of the copy, the design and the efficiency of the language. There are a lot of parameters which need to be considered to produce a successful copy. To excel in content writing, one needs to have a flair for writing and only then is it possible that the final draft of the copy is appreciated.

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A Copywriter’s Tryst With a Health Insurance Company - Part I

Posted by Avinash on Sep 06 2008 | From the Writer's Desk

Ever thought what would happen to a copywriter when he is sent by his boss to a company which sells health insurance policies? If you have never thought of such a situation, let me tell you about my story. A couple of months ago when I was very new to work, my boss gave me an assignment to work in which I had to prepare the content for a brochure. The brochure was about a healthcare plan which was being launched by a health insurance company, which I had never heard of. Excited I was with the thought that my boss thought of me as a talented and reliable young guy who could handle such a task. But had I foreseen the misery that was about to come my way, I would have at least argued with him regarding a few things (I am not saying fighting because I had to do it anyway. I am being paid for it, remember!!!).

Much to my dismay, I was told to go and meet the client whose workplace was at Gurgaon. In the month of August, the sun god develops a very tyrannical attitude towards New Delhi as the city keeps burning throughout the afternoon in heat. My boss was generous enough to lend me his car so that I did not have a problem commuting in the sweltering heat. To be honest, his generosity took me by surprise. So here I was thrilled about my first meeting with a client. The roads of Delhi are such that even a skilled driver would start scratching his head because of frustration. Being a mediocre driver myself, I somehow managed to reach the office on time, fully prepared for a rendezvous with the assistant vice president of the company.

The problem with this lady was that whatever I wrote was rejected just like those defective mobile phones which are sent for replacement. Sometimes one is left with no choice except for enduring the misery that one never thinks of. I was in such situation. But I have always been brave, ready for challenges. I felt like a zombie put on auto-pilot who was simply supposed to follow instructions. We called it a day in the evening and I left. Petrified at her audacity, I was really taken aback when I was told that she wanted me to come back every day to finish everything as if judgment day was nearing and she would be heavily penalized for not performing her obligations properly. What initially started as content for brochure snowballed into something which I had never expected. She wanted me to write content for the website that the company was launching. I was left perplexed and felt like a wounded soldier who was left to the dogs. My gut feeling kept telling me that she had full plans to take me on a royal ride. A week had gone by and I kept going to Gurgaon for her work. That is when my boss and I decided that it was high time that we put our feet down and make our intentions clear. I would not be going there anymore. Whatever had to be done would be done from our office.

The saga is not finished. The company where she works is planning to launch another plan. I have been given the responsibility to prepare content for that. Work is still in progress so there is not much to write about as of now. But, wait. Keep watching out for more. I am not finished with this yet!!!

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