My journey to becoming a copywriter
How did I become a copywriter I hear you ask… Well, like many people, how I started my career is not what I find myself doing today. It’s been an interesting road that’s taken me from one side of the world to the other, through several industries and many different office environments. But today I find myself at my most comfortable – working for myself, loving what I do, and choosing where I want to locate myself every day.
Childhood dreams
My passion for words and language began at an early age. Usually found with my head in a book rather than watching a TV screen, I loved the escapism of reading and was fascinated by the power of words to draw you in and captivate.
Sometimes you get lucky
By the time I finished school, I’d excelled at English but had no clear idea about what I wanted to do as a career. So, I spent the next three years at University studying more about the English language, this time combining it with a new interest, Marketing. Until this point, I didn’t even know what Marketing was, but I had to choose three subjects to study in my first year, so a few of my new roommates and I decided we’d all just pick something mildly “fun” so we could go to lectures together…and Marketing it was. Turns out I was quite good at it, so I changed my degree and finished University with a BA Hons in Linguistics and Marketing.
An odd combination?
Combining Marketing with Linguistics was a stroke of genius, as I really got to grips with how language can be used to influence and inspire. I wrote my dissertation on the different use of language in male vs female magazines – taking the same advertisement with the same image, but completely different wording and analysed how different audiences respond to words. Until this point, I hadn’t realised that advertisements could differ based on gender placement, and suddenly then I was hooked…
Needless to say, this led me into a career in Marketing. Excited by the prospect of being able to use words in such a creative and interesting way. I can’t say I planned to do this in Financial Services (!), but that’s where I found myself, and I spent the next 18 years (with a brief sojourn into the legal arena too) honing my skills writing and strategising about managed funds, superannuation, financial advice and the state of the economy to name just a few things. From brochures and flyers, web content, newsletters, emails and press releases to industry articles and white papers, speeches and scripts, I wrote them all – never a dull moment as they say!
Making it on your own
But after more corporate restructures and office moves than I care to remember, it was finally time for me to wave goodbye to the corporate life and branch out on my own. I had always held a secret desire to run my own business and fully indulge my passion for writing and language, and finally I found the courage to do it.
So Square Peg Communications came to be.
Do you have a similar experience? Let me know…