A day in a copywriter’s life: Zigzag between words and tea

If you wait for a dynamic start of the day, forget about it! I will not talk about spilled coffee, deadlines, headlines, brainstorming sessions and so on… Ok, that’s a lie, these are normal subjects for a copywriter’s day, but let’s forget about them for now…

Have some coffee and a croissant and relax! It’s Friday, and not just any kind of Friday, but a Happy Friday. OK, you’ll think that Friday, by its nature is happy, but this only means that you never heard about pastel’s Happy Friday. It starts at 9, not a minute later, and it has some mandatory elements: games, relaxed atmosphere and many smiles. The truth is that, even if you try, it is impossible to have a sad Happy Friday.

Have you ever seen a happy deadline?

No, neither did I, but after 2 hours of Happy Friday, everything will seem happy for… at least 10 minutes!  But, hey, you can do so many things with those 10 minutes: find a concept for a new campaign, write a headline, start a PowerPoint presentation for a pitch, think of a Facebook strategy, write the first paragraph of a press release… Well, you got the idea!

Time is precious and 10 minutes, in a copywriter’s universe, value like an hour in a non-creative parallel world. Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean that we only have 10 minutes meetings. When an account entices you with a brainstorming, together with an art director, you will probably come out only after at least half an hour and some valuable lines with head (reading suggestion: headlines).

However, those minutes might be the best moments of your day. Maybe one of your headlines will be the star of a new campaign and you will see it all over, from internet to in-store, outdoor or TV. Even more, you will probably have to prepare your picture smile and walk with pride on the highest step of the podium for the Project of the Month internal program. It’s the way we recognize and award the most successful projects at pastel. Of course, client’s input is always considered.

However, there are many headlines that get lost on the approval/implementation road. Don’t worry, even if I can’t save all of them, the best ones find their peace on the “Best Rejected Headlines” board. Unfortunately, being an uncensored board, this means that only the inside people can see it.

How do you create a successful headline/concept?

I have to admit I used this question to make you curious and convince you to read another paragraph of my article. It’s not that I don’t know how to create a successful headline or concept, by I’d rather keep it a secret. Ok, I’ll tell you a part of pastel’s secret: 3E approach. This means that we Enjoy every project, we add a large dose of Excellence and we transform everything into an Experience.

I almost forgot about lunch, but don’t worry, I never forget about it when the hour comes. You don’t want to work with a hungry vegetarian copywriter! Never. After a large salad, the world becomes brighter, the people friendlier and the tasks easier.

This way, I can check all the To do’s of the day and maybe even more. I love to trick the deadlines and use the remaining time for some projects that wait silently for their turn. Of course, this is not a common situation. An urgent project will almost always come to the relaxed copywriter, calling for its attention. Don’t worry, that’s the perfect moment for the copywriter to transform into an inspired-copywriter, the creative version of super heroes.

So… Let’s recap: I’ve talked about deadlines, headlines, brainstorming sessions, Happy Fridays… but no spilled coffee. The truth is I don’t have a story about a copywriter’s spilled coffee. I only drink tea!

Material written by Ionela Toma 

About Ionela

An inspired copywriter with Pastel, Ionela has over 7 years of zigzagging with words in creative environments. Journalism was the first love, but it was easily changed with marketing and communication. A good decision, she might add. Now an inspired senior copywriter at pastel, she works for a wide range of brands, from Food & Beverages, Cosmetics or Health to Engineering or Auto. CSR campaigns are the dearest projects from her portfolio.