Working as a beauty copywriter is the dream job for anyone dedicated to exploring all areas of the beauty industry. It’s also wonderful for anyone who is skilled at writing creatively and commercially. However, there is sometimes confusion about what this job entails because it isn’t as straightforward as other careers.
How do you become a beauty copywriter?
Everyone’s career path is different, but it’s pretty common for copywriters (in any field) to have worked in other roles before becoming full-time copywriters. Many copywriters come from a communications background in roles such as journalism, public relations, marketing, or content management. These roles have a fair bit of writing and creative work. But they’re not as ‘writing heavy’ as you may expect.
For example, working as a journalist requires editorial planning, liaising with publicists, attending events, meeting advertising requirements, chasing visual assets, fact-checking, and working with art and creative departments to check layouts. Writing is a surprisingly small part of the job. So if you enjoy writing more than other parts of your job, being a copywriter might be a better fit.
As for becoming a copywriter, or a beauty copywriter more specifically, you can use your writing skills to create a portfolio of work. You might start reaching out to prospective clients or agencies, or apply to in-house roles advertised by businesses. You’ll need some level of beauty industry experience if you want to become a beauty copywriter.
What do you study to become a copywriter?
There aren’t many standardised or formal courses for becoming a copywriter. Unlike other professions that require university degrees, copywriting training often comes from on-the-job experience rather than formal education.
It’s possible to sign up for a copywriting course or training program to develop your skills. However, there are a growing number of them out there and very few of them are industry-recognised. These kinds of courses are often run by individual copywriters, with varying levels of experience and success. Some are highly regarded within the industry and offer genuinely helpful resources and upskilling opportunities. Others are ‘set and forget’ eCommerce businesses, asking you to part with thousands of dollars to access PDF worksheets and pre-recorded videos. (They have a business model that’s comparable to drop-shipping.)
Be wary of courses that promise you huge profits and endless clients with little effort. The irony of these kinds of training programs is that they mostly train you to set up your own training program. So the cycle continues and suddenly there are millions of self-titled copywriting experts offering courses.
How do you write copy for beauty products?
Once you’re in a role where you are writing copy for beauty products, the ‘how’ will depend on many few factors. Each process is different, but it typically begins with a brief about the product or campaign. Using this information and their own insights, a beauty copywriter pieces it together like a puzzle. Is there anything missing? Could the words be re-arranged to make the copy flow better? What would make it sound more impactful?
After the writing process, there is usually some editing, refining, and collaboration to ensure the final copy meets everyone’s expectations. Sometimes a legal or regulatory consultant reads the copy to ensure it’s above board. Then all that’s left to do is send it to the next person in the workflow – possibly a graphic designer, web developer, marketing manager, or creative director.