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Copywriting Fundamentals

Gain the skills to become a successful copywriter as you learn how to write copy, develop your brand, and win customers.

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317 enrolled on this course

A young man sitting in a small café filled with green plants, using his laptop writing.

Start your career as a copywriter

Copywriting is a core marketing skill. And, as marketing becomes ever more sophisticated, we need to produce copy that’s targeted, personal, and conversational.

On this three-week course, you’ll develop the skills needed to become a successful copywriter. You’ll gain the tools, techniques, and practical advice to help you get ahead of the curve and enhance your credibility as a copywriter.

Whether you’re part of an in-house team, a freelancer, or just starting your copywriting career, you’ll discover how to combine creative flair with critical insight to deliver copy that works.

Develop essential copywriting skills

You’ll delve into different types of copywriting to explore the best practices for generating copy.

As you learn how to plan, structure, and write copy, you’ll use this knowledge to develop an effective copywriting process you can use time and time again.

Create your brand voice and connect with your audience

You’ll explore important techniques to help you create a distinctive brand voice as a copywriter. You’ll also learn how to define a value proposition to help ensure your customers know the value you can offer.

To develop your copywriting skills further, you’ll learn how to write copy that connects with audiences. Whether you’re trying to win customers for yourself or you’re writing copy for other clients, you’ll learn how to write compelling words that drive action.

Learn marketing skills from the experts at the Chartered Institute of Marketing

Throughout the course, you’ll be guided by the experts at the Chartered Institute of Marketing to help you explore the importance of copywriters within a marketing team.

By the end of the course, you’ll have the skills, knowledge, and confidence to thrive as a copywriter.

Syllabus

  • Week 1

    Thinking like a copywriter

    • Welcome to the course

      In the first activity for week 1, you will spend some time learning how to get the most out of the FutureLearn platform.

    • Your role as a copywriter

      During week 1 you will learn how to think like a copywriter and see things from a customer perspective. This will show you how to capture your reader’s attention, develop preference and shorten the pathway to purchase.

    • A brief history of copywriting

      Learn about the origins of the word ‘copy’ and explores the use of language to persuade.

    • How to generate copy

      Effective copywriting is not just about deciding what to write. It's also about assessing the way our readers will read our copy. This activity explores how we can influence our readers more effectively.

    • How to refine your copy

      To be a successful copywriter you must also become a proficient editor. In this activity we will show you how to improve the relevance and impact of your copy.

    • Congratulations

      Celebrate having successfully completed your week’s activities.

  • Week 2

    Planning your copy

    • Week outcomes

      This activity will introduce you to the week's learning outcomes.

    • Planning your copy

      Customer personas help the copywriter develop a deeper understanding of the customer. We will show you how to construct an inspirational customer persona, develop a powerful value proposition and build a distinctive brand voice.

    • Constructing a value proposition

      In this activity we will look at how to construct a value proposition; how they create a perception of value in your customer’s mind and how they help us write better copy.

    • Creating your brand voice

      In this activity we will show you how to define and develop a powerful and unique brand voice.

    • Congratulations

      Celebrate having successfully completed your week’s activities.

  • Week 3

    Structuring your copy

    • Week outcome

      This activity will introduce you to the week's learning outcomes.

    • Structuring your copy

      This activity will set out the principles that will help you choose the best structure for the copy you're writing. First, we will look at structural formulas for readers who are browsing…

    • Structural formulas for searching

      When a reader is searching, they are already focused on a problem. This activity will show you how to hold the reader's attention by expanding on, or supporting, that answer with more detail.

    • Storytelling

      In this final activity, we'll explore the mechanics of storytelling: how it works and when to use it.

    • Congratulations

      Celebrate having successfully completed your week’s activities.

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Explain the professional copywriting approach
  • Develop an effective copywriting process
  • Identify and define value propositions
  • Create a distinctive brand voice
  • Create copy that connects with audiences
  • Create copy that drives action

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for anyone who wants to gain a solid foundation in the copywriting craft and will be useful for those working in digital, brand, or marketing communications.

No previous knowledge or experience is required.

Who developed the course?

Chartered Institute of Marketing

Develop your future career opportunities by enrolling in our globally recognised marketing training courses, that will provide you with the skills and confidence to improve your performance. Covering all professional marketing disciplines taught by subject matter experts, you will finish with the tools and expertise to deliver.

What's included?

This is a premium course. These courses are designed for professionals from specific industries looking to learn with a smaller group of like-minded individuals.

  • Unlimited access to this course
  • Includes any articles, videos, peer reviews and quizzes
  • Certificate of Achievement to prove your success when you're eligible
  • Download and print your Certificate of Achievement anytime

Still want to know more? Check out our FAQs

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

Want to know more about learning on FutureLearn? Using FutureLearn

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