Advertising Copywriter Portfolio: What Employers Are Looking for

You love to write, and you want to get paid to do it. If this is the case, one path you may want to consider is that of an Advertising Copywriter. While this job is relatively more attainable than planning on becoming a best-selling novelist, attracting the attention of an employer can still be a challenge. You need to design your portfolio to attract employers. Here is some advice that will help you develop a copywriting portfolio that will impress employers at advertising agencies.

Go for Quality Over Quantity When Selecting Portfolio Pieces

It’s really tempting to cram every last piece of work you have ever done into your portfolio when you are starting out. However, there’s the problem with that. Many employers will reject a portfolio at a glance. If your book is fat but your work is weak, you’ll get rejected quickly. If you hand pick the work you want the employer to see, you can be confident that you are putting your best foot forward. You can also be sure that employers are looking at the material you believe relates best to what they do.

While including quality, do not forget to also include a little variety. Whether that is a variety of clients or products related to their industry, they will be impressed with a range of work to see how you adapt to different client briefs.

Fill Your Portfolio with the Type of Work You Want to Do

Different agencies serve different types of clients. Every agency has its own voice. Some serve clients who like to keep their written copy reserved and buttoned down. Other clients like copy that is sarcastic, brassy and bold. You have to know yourself and decide what type of work you want to do. Choose examples of your writing that match the overall tone of the agencies where you want to work. It’s smart to have one piece that pushes things just a little too far because many people shifting through portfolios are bored.

Besides the tone, remember the content as well. You can love Old Spice’s witty jokes, but how much do you want to write about shaving products? Start with the industry you would be content to research and write about for hours, then seek out different companies creating products for that industry. The easiest way to find the tone you specialize in is to then investigate the target audience of these companies. If you are skilled at appealing to this demographic then it will come through in your examples.

Proofread the Whole Thing and Add Some Design

This crucial step to developing a strong portfolio frequently gets overlooked. However, it does give employers a tremendous amount of information about your writing levels and attention to detail. Take the extra time to really clean up your materials. Have a friend look at your resume and cover letter, not to mention your portfolio. If the copy is clean, employers will know you are someone who takes pride in their work.

It also does not hurt to try to add elements of graphic design to your portfolio. Often times advertising copy appears alongside a graphic, an image, or a graph of some sort. Including this in your portfolio helps make the leap between them seeing you as a candidate and seeing you as their next copywriter that much smaller! If you are not a graphic designer, try some free templates online or ask a friend with the design-eye. This is not a misrepresentation of your abilities as you are not applying to be a graphic designer. It simply takes that step towards attention to detail yet again.

Learn More About Building A Great Copywriter’s Portfolio From FIU Partnered with MAS

Copywriting is a great career path if you love writing, and believe you can express yourself well through that particular medium. Advertising is a way to tell the story of someone else’s business or brand. There is no upper limit to how inventive and creative you are allowed to be when you work in this field. Not only that, but you also get a chance to earn a steady paycheck and work in a fun, engaging industry where novelty is the name of the game.

The Global Strategic Communications Creative Track is a 39-credit program that culminates in a Master of Science in Mass Communications degree awarded by Florida International University and graduation from world-renowned Miami Ad School’s portfolio program. The interdisciplinary program combines graduate-level academic courses with the creative skills-building curriculum taught by the leading portfolio school in the world.

In fact, at Cannes, France, Miami Ad School Worldwide was selected as the 2019 International Creative Festival of Advertising and Design School of the Year.

If you want to learn more about how the partnership between Florida International University and Miami Ad School can set you up for success with a master’s degree, email Grizelle De Los Reyes at gdelosre@fiu.edu or contact us online.