In 2004, I was awarded the Institute of Copywriters' Copywriting diploma having successfully completed their 2 year course. Working through the course, I was able to supplement my existing writing skills with those talents specific to the copywriting industry, namely:

• Developing angles for selling concepts, products and services
• Using key words to create emotional responses
• Using copy to target specific customers
• Crafting copy for different media, including websites, brochures, leaflets, advertisements, newsletters, direct mail and even radio scripts
• An understanding of marketing and sales principles and proven techniques. 

While I already posessed many of these skills, the course did allow me to identify the specific requirments of writing copy to sell rather than to inform. In particular, it helped me to focus on using language to create positive repsonses. For example, many products come to market in response to a particular problem. The problem then becomes the focus of the marketing which is negative as it forces readers to concentrate on the problem rather than the solution. A simple reworking of the text can turn this situation into a 100% positive message that is more likely to generate a positive response.

So I have all of the skills you would normally associate with a copywriter, but I also have other writing skills thanks to my training in information design and technical writing. While most copywriters come into the profession from a sales background, I come from a writing background and so have a strong understanding of:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Communication Theory 
• Ergonomics
• Writing for different audiences
• Multimedia design and usability
• Corporate identity
• Graphic design
• Typography.

These are areas that many other copywriters know little about and yet are very much an important part of business communication. 

Of course, my background as a technical author also means I am quite comfortable with technical copy and concepts. I wouldn't class myself as overly scientific or technology-minded, but I am able to understand concepts very quickly.Although I can't deny that having some expert knowledge certainly makes it easier to write about technology and technical products, it is not a necessity. I have written successful documents about engineering software without having prior knowledge of the product - the real skill is being able to recognise what information is required and how to present that to the target audience.

 So if you need a copywriter that can deal with technical copy, I could very well be the writer you are looking for.

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