Can journalists make good copywriters?

After recently graduating in Journalism, my career prospects felt like it was the newsroom or nothing. What I didn’t know was that there is a plethora of opportunities that the copywriting world can bring to someone with a journalistic background.

Principally because a journalist has a variety of transferable skills for a copywriting role. While at surface level, the two professions are clearly different, ultimately at the core of both is the same question: how do I get my consumer to keep reading?

Good journalism comes down to clear communication and knowing and understanding what matters to your readers. And these are tools that can go beyond the newsroom.

Research and interviewing: skills that transfer straight to copy

As a journalist, my research skills are one of the most important strings in my bow. I’ve spent hours trawling through reports, social media pages and company files trying to ensure the validity of a story.

Getting to know the industry and business you are working for as a copywriter is vital, and with a keen eye, a good journalist will be able to analyse the business landscape, understand their new reader and tailor content towards them.

Of course, one of the main roles of a journalist is to interview people on any given subject. Being able to tailor unique questions to each interviewee is a surefire way to give a story depth and texture, but it additionally fosters strong relationships and develops interpersonal skills that are valuable in any scenario.

Through the lens of copywriting, these social skills remain extremely worthwhile. Liaising with clients, getting to know them and asking questions about their wants and needs allows us to zero in on exactly what they want for their business.

Using in-depth research and astute interpersonal skills means that as a copywriter you can build a comprehensive understanding of your project that will, ultimately, get the best results for you and your client.

Everyone likes to KISS!

Journalists are well-versed with the idea of Keeping it Short and Simple. In my own journalism training, I was startled at how basic the actual writing style had to be. Going from studying Communications and Media, with its 3000-word essays and academic jargon, to a writing style where each paragraph consisted of exactly one sentence was like written whiplash.

Similarly, Keep It Short and Simple is what gets taught on day 1 of marketing school. Confusing words and never-ending sentences are completely ineffective when it comes to engaging your reader. Keeping your writing concise and easy to read is essential to grabbing and holding your readers’ attention.

In copywriting terms, this means that readers are more likely to engage with your services, and the quality of your work will be improved overall.

Why AI can’t replace your spark

The rising use of Artificial Intelligence is prevalent in every industry, with people scrambling to find out whether their roles are under threat from the rise of the robot workers.

At the moment, some reports suggest that AI will primarily change jobs, rather than replace them altogether, but one thing that it can’t replace is the human spark found in quality writing. The ability to turn wordy, drawn-out briefs into an engaging story or an effective project is something that AI is unable to replicate.

Take this example: a pretty wordy press release from Museums Liverpool can get turned into a much more palatable story:

From a wordy, block to a smooth, slick, and more digestible story:

And even a video package for a TV news broadcast!

Enough shameless plugging- this skill is equally relevant in copywriting.  A journalist’s ability in selecting angles, interviewees, facts and structure is a brilliant asset to bring to a copywriting team.

Using these skills to utilise resources like social media, blog posts, press releases and more can not only help the depth of a piece of copy, but improve its SEO at the same time.

So, if you’re a journalist considering a career move, why not try copywriting? It’s easy to check out courses and networking opportunities on the Chartered Institute for Public Relations or Chartered Institute of Marketing pages.

Many of our writers at Wordsmiths have backgrounds in PR and Journalism, so we know what makes a good story and how to write it. If you need help with your next project, get in touch with us today.