Going
beyond the portfolio, is there anything else that reveals a copywriter’s
ability to do the job? This blog shares some hard-earned experience.
I think it was Martin Amis who said you could tell if a
writer had talent from the first paragraph. Well, the man knows about more than
just crafting unlikeable protagonists. He’s right. It’s true.
Forget the CV, what’s their email
saying?
We’re
lucky enough to rank highly when people tap ‘copywriting agency’ into Google.
This means we get a fair amount of speculative applications from writers – about
five a week. Each one reveals their hand in the way they draft their covering
email.
It’s not just their stylistic powers that become obvious.
Their choice of what they think will encourage us to take an interest also tells
us a lot about their ability to write persuasive copy. Why? Because it reveals
their ability to judge what makes a compelling message.
Exclusive: journo struggles
with copywriting
Writing ability and the talent for persuasion are not a
package deal. Take journalists, for example. We receive requests for work from many
of these fellow wordsmiths, yet many don’t have the instinct to persuade. It
simply isn’t part of their job spec.
