Have you ever considered a career where you might work in law one week, animal health another and fashion the next? In Dubai, elite copywriters and content specialists are busy delivering engaging, creative pieces to a huge range of local and international clients.
Are you thinking about becoming one of them? There’s strong demand for talented writers who can turn their talents to content marketing in the UAE.
To get you thinking, here are a few copywriting statistics that might surprise you.
- This is a growing industry. In the decade to 2026, copywriter roles are expected to increase by over 7%.
- In the US, just over half of copywriters are female and the average is 41 years old.
- 82% of copywriters have a bachelor’s degree.
- The retail world employs 17% of copywriters which is more than any other industry.
Not quite what you expected? This article is going to turn a few more preconceptions on their head. There’s a lot about being a copywriter that is surprising. Here, we outline a few details about life as a Dubai copywriter so that you get a truer picture.
Why copywriters are needed in Dubai
Copywriter services in Dubai serve the region’s businesses with a variety of written pieces. In the digital age, this is often online content like blogs, web pages and social media. There’s still a demand for print-only or hybrid content, however, in the form of brochures, company newsletters and reports, and print adverts. There’s a need for video scripting services, too.
Copywriters don’t just aim to increase sales for clients or the company they work for. Today’s copywriters are also helping to position brands as leaders within their industry, define company cultures and unite workforces, and to generate questions and start conversations. It’s a very rewarding role.
A day in the life of a copywriter
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to work as a copywriter? What’s it all about? Is it just a case of sitting at a keyboard and hammering out several hundreds of words a day?
Many of the day-to-day details are affected by whether you are a freelancer or in-house copywriter. A freelancer needs to spend a proportion of time both prospecting for new clients, dealing with inquiries and following up with previous clients.
While fairly time-consuming, it ensures that there is always a steady flow of work coming in. Most freelance writers will dedicate some time to capturing new projects each and every day. After all, there’s no sense in waiting until one project is finished before finding another.
In-house writers can allocate their working hours differently. Here’s how they divide up their day.
- Writing time, research, reading and putting words together.
- Creative and brainstorming meetings.
- Strategy meetings to review campaign goals.
- Presentations of their work.
- Creative reviews and feedback meetings.
- The usual email and administrative tasks.
The digital era means that copywriting work is more varied and interesting than ever before. And that means a few surprises. Here’s what you probably didn’t know about copywriting.
Copywriting surprises
- There’s less writing than you might think
If you think a copywriter is sitting at a laptop all day, then think again. There are lots of regular tasks that take writers away from their keyboards.
Research is probably the number one task for writers. To write with authority and conviction, writers often have to become experts in various subjects almost overnight. A freelancer or agency writer might need to specialize in the retail industry one week and in government the next.
This doesn’t phase a good copywriter, however. They have lots of experience in being a newcomer to a subject and they are incredibly fast learners. There’s also an advantage to not being an expert on a subject. Copywriters can see things from the perspectives of clients and customers rather than industry experts. This aids their writing, helping make it clear and concise for all readers.
Aside from research, copywriters will also spend lots of time collaborating with others, which is crucial for creativity. This is a fun and more sociable aspect of the job. However, a large proportion of the working week is spent on the art of the written word.
- Fewer words are harder work than more
Many jobs measure productivity with the volume of work produced. This is not true of copywriting. In fact, a writer might need to work harder to produce 200 words than 2,000.
Getting a message across in just a few sentences is much more difficult than waxing lyrical.
Headline creation is one of the most difficult aspects of writing. Just a few words are available to grab the reader’s attention. Most copywriters are also acutely aware of the 80/20 rule. It says that 80% of people will read a headline but rarely will more than 20% read more. This means that a headline is the make-or-break element of every piece. Copywriters take their time over these few all-important words more than any others.
- Copywriters love grammar
Most people are irritated by what they perceive as the tedious and often seemingly illogical rules of written language. Copywriters, on the other hand, love grammar despite having to deal with it all day and everyday.
Did you know that poor grammar on a webpage reduces the time a visitor spends on a webpage by an average of 8%? Grammar and spelling mistakes are also the cause of a much higher bounce rate. Know that 85% more people bounce straight off a webpage if they spot a mistake. With this in mind, copywriters are sticklers for correct grammar.
Proofreading and self-editing are everyday tasks for good copywriters, making sure their work is word-perfect before it is sent for online publishing.
Life as a copywriter is more varied than most people realize. It’s creative, interesting, and a career that is evolving fast. If you love to write in a variety of styles and on a range of subjects, then copywriting can be a very fulfilling career. You’ll meet interesting people from a range of industries and professions and will be paid to do something you love.