Q&A with a Copywriter
Word nerds rejoice. By Courtney Richardson
Copywriting is perhaps one of the most misunderstood agency careers. Common questions from family members often include:
Do copywriters write books? Copyright law? Is it like Mad Men?
Sure, we fancy ourselves a Peggy Olson or Don Draper, but most of the time, digital copywriting is about connecting imagery and creative with voice and tone to tell a unique brand story. It’s a lot less brainstorms and quippy ad slogans and a lot more research, writing, and editing.
Even now as I set up to interview my colleague Nicolle Spagnoli, we’re in a fit of laughter as she’s just forced a Starbucks barista to fix a misplaced apostrophe on a sandwich board. So what’s life like as a word nerd? We’ll let VERB’s own Senior Creative Copywriter Nicolle Spagnoli tell you what’s what. After all, when your agency is named VERB, you need a Nicolle to help tow the grammatical line.
Q: What drew you to copywriting?
I’ve always loved writing but I kind of fell into copywriting. At university, I majored in English and went on to a number of jobs that didn’t specifically involve writing — but inevitably, I was given more and more writing tasks within the job, even when it didn’t fall under my title. For instance, I used to work as an account executive for the Atlantic Film Festival and ended up writing a lot of promotional materials for them.
So, at one point I started freelancing, writing everything from marketing campaigns and grant proposals to copy editing a national magazine. During this time, I reconnected with Andy (Andy MacLellan, the owner and President of VERB Interactive) at a Halloween party. He remembered me from a previous freelance gig and asked if I was interested in joining VERB as a copywriter. That was seven years ago and I haven’t looked back since.
Q: Have you always worked at an agency?
No! I once gave a commencement speech to the graduating class of my former high school, and talked about all the gigs that had led me up to this point. The audience was literally laughing out loud, because I’d run the gamut from working at Canadian Tire in my teens to writing, editing, and doing sales for newspapers and magazines. Manager of a co-production conference for the film and television industry, and Corporate Partner Relations Manager for the Commonwealth Games bid. I’ve been a restaurant manager, an English teacher in Japan for two years, and a fitness instructor. Still am actually. And also did freelance work for some agencies — think I’m still missing a few jobs here! — before finally settling down at VERB.
Q: How do you hone your own writing style while also writing in the voice and tone of client brands?
At VERB we’re very fortunate in that we write for some of the world’s top brands in the tourism and hospitality industry. Obviously, for the majority of those brands, there’s a certain voice and tone that accompanies luxury resorts — you’re not going to do one-off puns or jokes and take the reader away from the fantasy. We also represent brands where we have more room to play in terms of both the writing style and the actual copy itself. And sometimes we can really stretch our creative muscles, especially when it comes to campaigns and social media.
It all depends on the client. Some clients come to us with brand guidelines that we follow to the letter and then other brands lean on us to create brand guides for them and help develop their voice and tone. It’s really about seeing what sticks, engages audiences, and reveals the best results.
Q: What do you enjoy most about writing for travel and tourism brands?
Other than when you get to go on a trip to a destination or client property to write from an experiential point of view? I love being able to write scintillating copy — hopefully — that attracts readers, gets them interested in an experience or a destination, and makes them say, “We need to do that.” Working as a copywriter at VERB marries my two passions in life: writing and travelling. For me to be in this space, it’s really a dream job.
Q: How do you overcome writer’s block?
Well, I subscribe to the Washington Post and New York Times, so I’m probably more invested right now in world events than I should be! But for me, if I’m struggling with writing, I like to switch gears by taking a break to look at what’s happening in the world.
I work from home primarily, so what’s great is being able to make a cup of tea, turn on the essential oil diffuser, flick on the salt lamp, and put on some music. For me, music is key to overcoming writer’s block because certain tunes or sounds drown out the mental chitter-chatter, and help get the creative juices flowing again. The Beatles are my favourite — their music just makes me happy and centres me. Classical music is excellent. Occasionally, I’ll thrown on some rocking tunes to change the vibe. Then, the fitness instructor side takes over and it turns into a dance break. Which is probably another good reason to work from home.
Q: Where do you find inspiration?
Reading everything from travel industry publications to world news. I take courses online, like every Tuesday I do a writing tutorial with Copy Hackers. I’m also involved in a few social channels geared towards copywriters — and that’s always interesting to see the copywriters’ role from an international perspective. And this fall, I’m taking a Master Class, but can’t decide between Neil Gaiman or Malcolm Gladwell as an instructor.
But I find inspiration everywhere, especially in books. I read A LOT. I cannot tell you a day in my life when I have not read…I mean, I usually average 2–3 books a week. It’s just something that relaxes me. And if something really stands out, I’ll explore more works by that author or jot down notes to help inform my own personal writing.
I’m also fortunate enough to travel quite frequently, so inspiration comes from the places I visit. Many times, I have to write for a client destination and I’ve already been there. So in my career, I’m lucky enough to write from personal experience and lucky enough to write from anywhere in the world. Over the past couple of years, I’ve worked out of Spain, Edinburgh, New York, Munich, and Seattle.
Q: What do you do in your downtime?
Read, write, exercise, travel — plan the next trip. Right now Washington, D.C. is on the list, and I’m also looking at a tour of Namibia, which is just too good to pass up.
Q: Any tips for fledgling writers?
Write! And practice, practice, practice. The amount depends on what your goal is. Are you a writer for your own edification? Do you want to become a copywriter? Do you want to write a book? But the only way you’re going to get better, no matter your goal, is to write.
You know that old cliché “practice makes perfect”? I think new writers need to realize that practice might never make their writing perfect, but it’ll make them better writers. I’ve noticed a huge difference in my own writing between the time I started at VERB and now, because I write constantly. I’m definitely a better writer now.
I would also recommend reaching out to friends who are writers for feedback on your work, since that’s crucial. And I have to say, not everyone is cut out to be a writer. They may think it’s easy and that they’re already a writer, but they’re not. And that’s okay. It’s not for everyone!
Q: What would you say to anyone looking to start a career in copywriting?
You’ve got to let go of your ego, which is hard in any profession, but especially true with us creative types since we’re maybe a little more sensitive. You’re putting something out there in the public eye, and even if it’s for someone else, it’s still your baby. To share something you think is great, and then get criticized, well, it can be crushing. It’s tough, but you need to let it go. You need to get a tougher skin about it.
I would recommend speaking to other copywriters and writers. Because you may think you want a career in copywriting, but some days you’re writing up to seven hours a day and it’s challenging. Personally speaking, it’s the longest career I’ve ever enjoyed and it does make me happy. But you need to talk to people in the business to get a sense of the pace, which can vary from agency to agency. You need to try your hand at it and write some samples to get that constructive feedback.
Because you know, clients can be very particular. They will be checking your work. They might not subscribe to the same style you do, agree on things like the use of the Oxford comma, or they might even catch mistakes that you didn’t catch yourself. And when all of the above happens, you need to be okay with those brief feelings of embarrassment or indignation and write it again. Because at the end of the day, that’s your job.
And admittedly, it’s a pretty damn good job to have.
Courtney is a Content Strategist and Creative Copywriter with VERB Interactive a leader in digital marketing, specializing in solutions for the travel and hospitality industry. Find out more at www.verbinteractive.com.
