As a young digital marketing agency that specialises in social media marketing, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that our team is primarily composed of individuals ranging from the age of twenty-two to thirty. The social media game is ruled by the youth so it only makes sense that in order to leverage these platforms for our brands, we enlist the ones who know them inside out. Very often we hire freshers right out of college who arrive with little to no experience and we find that while they have great ideas to offer, they don’t know how to make use of it. Ever so often we find freshers who have a clear understanding of what is required of them but the majority have only a vague understanding of what copywriting entails.

College prepares you for most jobs in theory but when it actually comes down to acquiring the job, especially in creative fields such as this, it feels to them like shooting in the dark. While many might have what it takes to make it in the field, getting their foot in through the door is the challenge that they struggle with. We’re not here to explain to you what the role of a copywriter is because a simple Google search would pull over all the information you need. Instead, we’re going to give you some insight into the copywriting process so that, as a fresher, you have at least a surface-level understanding of how to tackle a copywriting test. If you’re reading this blog because you’re looking for tips on how to be a better writer, we apologise because that’s something you’re going to have to figure out on your own. But, what we can help you with is explaining to you how exactly to go about it. The rest relies on your skill and abilities. 

The contents of copywriting tests vary from one company to another but that doesn’t really matter. It doesn’t matter whether the test asks you to create a topical post, write a blog or envision a campaign because the way you approach any of them remains the same. First things first, make note of your deadline because if there’s one way to make a bad impression in a fast-paced career like this, it’s to miss your first-ever deadline. Time management and quick turnaround are extremely important, especially in a field where you’re fighting for the attention of people who have a four-second attention span. It’s not college, no one is going to tell you to put your pen down when the bell rings but any delay will be noted. Similarly to any test, you might have written before, reading time is extremely important. The brief that you receive is like your recipe but while you have all the ingredients, if you don’t follow it, you’re going to end up with a completely different dish. So, make sure to spend a good amount of time reading it over a few times. 

The brief would contain all the information you require you to get started like- a blurb about the brand, its website, social media handles and finally the ask. Begin by acquainting yourself with the brand. The document would have a limited amount of information so make sure to deep dive into the website. Try to understand how the brand has positioned itself, what its tone of voice is, what its key features are, what its primary communication is and what the target audience is. Apart from maybe, its key features and target audience none of this information is going to have a neon arrow pointed at it. It’s something you’re going to have to figure out by reading between the lines. Here’s a hack to figuring out these aspects.

Brand positioning:

What does it feel like the brand is trying to brag about? The brand positioning is what it’s trying to sell itself as so it’s bound to blow its own trumpet somewhere on the page. 

Tone of voice:

Think of it as the brand’s personality. If the brand were a person what would your first impression of them be? Fun? Professional? Elegant?

Primary communication:

Look out for repeated adjectives. Most brands try getting their consumers to associate certain words with them to create brand recall. Though an age-old trick, it’s still quite popular. 

Sometimes these details are mentioned in the brief but if not make sure to look for it. The next step would be to comb through its social media handles and apply the same tactics. An additional factor you will have to take into account is its approach to social media. Does the page have large chunks of informative content or is it minimal? Does it use raw imagery or is it design-heavy? If you’re an over-achiever you could do additional research but be careful because the internet is a rabbit hole and you’re on a deadline.

To be continued…