A day in the life of a B2B agency copywriter

When you think of copywriting, you’re probably picturing me sat at a desk, smashing away at a typewriter at top speed, cigarette and coffee in hand, with the odd charming sarcastic comment thrown around, Mad Men style.

However, as much as it pains me to admit - this isn’t actually what my day looks like and my life is sadly nowhere near as cool or glamorous (at least not every day, anyway). That’s mainly because

a) I’m not a fictional character in an iconic American TV show (still shocked and upset)

And

b) The job role of copywriting has evolved; the internet has changed the way people search for things they want to buy - they’ll no longer look at a poster with a witty caption and an eye-catching image and think “sold”.

Now, we have to work harder than ever before to get their attention (thanks a lot, internet). But this makes my job a little more interesting - so interesting in fact, that I’m going to show you what a typical day in my life here at Axon Garside looks like. Aren’t you lucky?

Let’s get started.

1) Hydrate

Now, if you know me - which you don’t at this point of course, but my colleagues do - I drink a lot throughout the course of a day here: tea, coffee, water, the occasional beer on a Friday afternoon - you name it. And I don’t feel like my day has begun until I’ve had that first hot drink of the day. So the first thing I do once I arrive at the office is make myself a nice refreshing brew. Ah. Then, I’ll open my laptop and get to work.

2) Prioritise my tasks

Here at Axon Garside, we work to an allocated number of hours each week, so every morning, we’ll choose which tasks are the most important for that day and talk through them in our daily scrum. For me, my tasks range from content calls with clients to outlining briefs, to writing everything from blogs, to eBooks, to website page copy.

Typically, I’ll try and mix it up. I find my creative brain works a lot more efficiently when I can change my focus every now and again, so I’ll try and add a bit of variety to my work; that is of course unless something needs my absolute attention, in which case I stockpile drinks and snacks and get to work.

3) Stare blankly into space for a good few minutes

After we’ve had our daily scrum, and I’m back at my desk, I’ll usually open a new document ready to begin writing whatever I’ve been tasked with that day.

And I’ll stare at it. And it will stare back at me. Until one of us gives in.

Usually (although sometimes I do fall prey to that dreaded blinking cursor) I’ll get a flash of inspiration and I’ll be off, writing for a solid amount of time until this process repeats itself. It’s a daily battle that’s often over as soon as it begins. However, like most people who write for a living, the fear of writer’s block creeps in ever so often, waiting for me to drop the ball. It’s something most writers can relate to, and unfortunately something we just have to deal with.

But hey, that’s the creative process, baby!

4) Write, write, write

Once I’ve really got into the flow of things, I’m quite good at getting words on the page. If I’m writing a blog, I’ll get all my ideas down at once, forming the main body and leaving the introduction and conclusion until last (top tip - this really helps me keep focus, and ensures my introduction answers the question immediately). Then, I’ll read through it a few times, tidying up any errors as I go.

I often get someone else in the office (one of our strategists, or, our very own marketing manager if the writing piece is for our own website) to proofread and make sure I haven’t missed anything. This ensures that the best work possible is going on our website, or to our clients for approval.

5) LUNCH

By this point, usually around 1 pm, I’ll be complaining about how ravenous I am (props to me for waiting and not eating my lunch at 10.30) which means it’s time for lunch. I’m actually surprisingly organised and will bring in my own lunch from home unless we decide to go out for lunch as a team. Working directly in the city centre, it is a daily struggle to avoid the hundreds of tempting food places nearby - but I usually manage, just about. Lunch is the time where I can let my brain relax, so I tend to stay away from my computer and let my mind wander.

Then suddenly before I know it it’s 2 pm. Back to work.

6) Quick, simple tasks to see me home

Usually, after lunch, I’ll make a start on the easier to manage admin tasks, such as reading through emails or reviewing any amends clients have sent back to me on a piece I’ve written. As these are typically fairly minimal, it doesn’t take long, but it gets my brain back in gear.

I find that I write better earlier in the day, so it’s nice to leave the easier tasks to wind down towards the end. Of course, if I’m working on a particularly demanding piece of content, I’ll spend the rest of the afternoon finishing it off. My tasks can vary from week to week, but I always try to get the bulk of my writing done before lunch, and I’ll spend my afternoon doing multiple different tasks, such as writing emails, planning campaigns with our marketing manager or creating and uploading blogs. I enjoy this as it gives me a chance to be more creative, and offer my insight on our marketing efforts as a whole.

7) Home!

Once I’ve completed everything I need to do for the day, I’ll set off home and prepare myself for the next day with a big meal (yep, even more food), a Netflix binge and a good ol’ bit of shut-eye. Each day is different at Axon Garside, and even though some days aren’t great - particularly when I’ve been in a creative lull, or I have less interesting work to do (the dreaded admin) - my time here is crafting me into a better copywriter each and every day. 

Hell, can’t you tell from this blog?!

If you’re interested in working for us here at Axon Garside, see what opportunities we have here, or alternatively, get in touch - we don’t bite!