Copywriting Syllabus

May to August 2024

Instructor information
Instructor Email Office location & hours
Autodidact [email protected]

General information
Description
Copywriting is the art and science of crafting persuasive and compelling written content
with the specific intention of driving action or eliciting a response from the reader. It
encompasses a wide range of mediums, including advertisements, websites, emails, social
media posts, product descriptions, and more.
At its core, copywriting is about understanding the audience's needs, desires, and pain
points, and then using language strategically to connect with them on an emotional level
and motivate them to take a desired action, such as making a purchase, signing up for a
newsletter, or sharing content with others.
Effective copywriting goes beyond simply conveying information; it involves storytelling,
persuasion, and creativity to engage and captivate the reader's attention. Copywriters must
carefully consider factors such as tone, voice, messaging, and formatting to ensure their
copy resonates with the target audience and achieves its intended objectives.
Key elements of successful copywriting include:
1. Clarity: Copy should be clear, concise, and easy to understand. It should communicate
the intended message effectively without ambiguity or confusion.
2. Relevance: Copy should be relevant to the target audience's interests, needs, and
preferences. It should address their pain points and offer solutions or benefits that resonate
with them
3. Emotion: Copywriting often relies on emotional appeal to connect with readers on a
deeper level. By evoking emotions such as joy, fear, excitement, or empathy, copywriters
can create a stronger connection and motivate action.
4. Call to Action (CTA): Every piece of copy should include a clear and compelling call to
action that prompts the reader to take the desired next step, whether it's making a
purchase, subscribing to a newsletter, or contacting a company for more information.
5. SEO Optimization: In digital copywriting, it's essential to optimize content for search
engines to improve visibility and attract organic traffic. This involves strategically
incorporating relevant keywords, meta tags, and other SEO best practices into the copy.
Overall, copywriting is a versatile and dynamic skill that plays a crucial role in marketing,
advertising, and communication. It requires a blend of creativity, strategic thinking, and
empathy to create impactful content that resonates with audiences and drives results.

Page 1
Expectations and goals

Overall Goals:

1. Fundamental Understanding of Copywriting:

Grasp the basics of copywriting, including different types of copy, the role of a copywriter,
and the essential principles of persuasive writing.

2. Audience Analysis:

Learn to identify and understand target audiences, creating buyer personas to tailor copy
effectively.

3. Effective Copy Techniques:

Develop skills in writing compelling headlines, hooks, and persuasive content that captures
attention and drives action.

4. SEO and Digital Marketing Integration:

Understand the principles of SEO and how to write copy that performs well in search
engines while being engaging for readers.

5. Specialized Copywriting Skills:

Gain experience in writing for various platforms and formats, including emails, social media,
and video scripts.

6. Testing and Optimization:

Learn to test copy through A/B testing and use data to refine and improve the effectiveness
of your writing.

7. Portfolio Development:

Compile a professional portfolio showcasing your best work to attract potential clients or
employers

Monthly Goals:

Month 1: Foundations of Copywriting

- Expectations:

- Acquire a solid foundation in the basic concepts and skills of copywriting.

- Complete introductory exercises to practice writing and understanding audience needs.

- Goals:

- Understand the role and importance of copywriting.

- Be able to write basic copy that addresses a specific audience.

Page 2
 - Develop initial skills in crafting headlines and engaging content.

Month 2: Advanced Techniques and Strategies

- Expectations:

- Delve deeper into more advanced copywriting techniques, including storytelling and SEO.

- Start applying these techniques to create more effective and specialized copy.

- Goals:

- Learn to incorporate storytelling into copywriting.

- Understand and apply SEO principles to written content.

- Gain experience in writing for email and social media platforms.

Month 3: Specialization and Practice

- Expectations:

- Focus on writing for different mediums and conducting tests to improve copy
effectiveness.

- Begin building a professional portfolio with refined copywriting samples.

- Goals:

- Develop skills in writing for diverse platforms, including print, radio, and video.

- Conduct and analyze A/B tests to optimize copy.

- Create a polished portfolio showcasing a variety of copywriting samples.

End of Syllabus Milestones:

1. Comprehensive Understanding: A solid grasp of the principles and techniques of

2. Practical Skills: Ability to write effective copy for various platforms and purposes.

Page 3
3. Analytical Skills: Competence in testing and optimizing copy based on data.

4. Professional Portfolio: A well-rounded portfolio showcasing diverse copywriting skills

5. Readiness for Real-World Applications: Preparedness to take on copywriting

Required materials

1. Digital Tools:

- Word Processing Software:

- Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or any other word processing software for writing and
editing copy.

- Grammar and Readability Tools:

- Grammarly: For grammar and spelling checks.

- Hemingway Editor: For readability improvements.

- SEO Tools:

- Google Keyword Planner: For keyword research.

-Yoast SEO (if you have a WordPress site): For optimizing blog posts and web pages.

- Headline Analysis:

- CoSchedule Headline Analyzer: For testing the effectiveness of headlines.

- Email Marketing Platform:

- Mailchimp (free tier): For practicing email copywriting and setting up email sequences

- Social Media Scheduling Tools:

- Hootsuite or Buffer (free versions): For scheduling and analyzing social media posts.

Page 4
2. Reading Materials:

Books (Free Online Sources or Library Access):

- Ebooks and PDFs:

- "The Copywriter's Handbook" by Robert Bly (check local library or free online PDFs).

- "Ogilvy on Advertising" by David Ogilvy (check local library or free online PDFs).

3. Exercise and Project Materials:

- Notebooks or Digital Note-taking Tools:

- For brainstorming, drafting, and jotting down ideas and feedback.

- Access to Internet:

- For research, reading articles, accessing online tools, and participating in online
communities.

- Participation in Online Communities:

- Reddit - r/copywriting: Engage with other learners and professionals, ask for feedback,
and share your work.

- Copywriting Forum by Warrior Forum: Participate in discussions and get advice from
experienced copywriters.

- Access to Data and Analytics Tools:

-Google Analytics: For analyzing the performance of your SEO and content marketing
efforts (if you have a blog or website).

-Social Media Analytics: Provided by platforms like Facebook Insights, Twitter Analytics,
etc.

This material will support your learning process, providing both theoretical knowledge and
practical tools to enhance your copywriting skills.

Optional materials

Books:

- "Made to Stick" by Chip Heath and Dan Heath:

- Focuses on why some ideas stick and others don't, offering principles that are highly
useful for copywriters.

- "Everybody Writes" by Ann Handley:

- Provides practical advice on content creation and writing for the digital age.

Page 5
- "The Elements of Style" by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White:

- A classic guide on writing style and grammar.

Additional Tools:

- Trello or Asana:

- For organizing your study schedule and managing tasks.

- Scrivener:

- A writing software designed for long documents and projects, which can help organize
research and drafts.

- Evernote:

- For clipping articles and taking notes on the go.

Online Courses:

- HubSpot Academy:

- Offers free courses on content marketing, SEO, and social media marketing.

- Coursera/edX:

- Free and paid courses on writing, marketing, and other related subjects from top
universities.

Podcasts:

- Copyblogger FM:

- Offers insights and tips on copywriting and content marketing.

- The Copywriter Club:

- Features interviews with successful copywriters and practical advice on improving your
copywriting skills.

YouTube Channels:

Page 6
- Alex Cattoni:

- Provides valuable tips and tutorials on copywriting and freelancing.

- Copywriting Course (Kopywriting Kourse):

- Offers practical advice and real-world examples of effective copywriting.

Templates and Swipe Files:

- Swipe Files:

- Collections of effective copywriting examples that can serve as inspiration for your own
work. Sites like SwipeFile.com offer extensive resources.

- Templates:

- Email templates, sales page templates, and ad templates available online can help you
get started and understand common structures.

Software for A/B Testing:

- Optimizely or VWO:

- Advanced tools for conducting more sophisticated A/B tests on your copy.

- Crazy Egg:

- Offers heatmaps and other tools to see how users interact with your content.

Advanced Analytics Tools:

- SEMrush or Ahrefs:

- For more in-depth SEO analysis and keyword research.

- BuzzSumo:

- For content research and identifying trending topics and high-performing content in your
niche.

Graphic Design Tools:

Page 7
- Canva:

- For creating visually appealing social media posts, email headers, and other marketing
materials.

- Adobe Spark:

- Another option for designing graphics and short videos to complement your copy.

Additional Practice:

- Freelance Platforms:

- Platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, and Freelancer to find small gigs and practice real-world
copywriting.

Course schedule
Week Topic Reading Exercises
Week 1 Introduction to Copywriting  Copywriting  Write a 150-word
Basics by biography for yourself.
Copyblogger  Rewrite the biography
 The Beginner's focusing on a specific
Guide to audience (e.g., potential
Copywriting by clients).
Neil Patel
Week 2 Understanding Your  How to Identify  Create a detailed buyer
Audience Your Target persona for a
Market hypothetical product.
 Understanding  Write a sales pitch
Customer tailored to this persona.
Personas
Week 3 Headlines and Hooks  The Ultimate  Write 10 different
Guide to headlines for a single
Writing product.
Irresistible  Test these headlines with
Headlines by friends or through social
HubSpot media to see which gets
 How to Write the most engagement.
Magnetic
Headlines by
Copyblogger
Week 4 Crafting Compelling  How to Write  Write a 500-word article
Content Compelling about a product, focusing
Copy by on benefits rather than
CoSchedule features.
 The Art of  Edit the article to make it
Writing more engaging and
Persuasive persuasive.
Copy by

Page 8
Week Topic Reading Exercises
WordStream
Week 5 Storytelling in Copywriting  The Power of  Write a short story that
Storytelling in subtly promotes a
Marketing by product.
HubSpot  Rewrite the story
 How to Tell a focusing on different
Story by emotional appeals (e.g.,
Copyblogger fear, happiness,
nostalgia).
Week 6 SEO Copywriting  The Beginner's  Optimize an existing
Guide to SEO piece of content for SEO.
by Moz  Write a blog post with a
 SEO focus keyword, including
Copywriting: meta description and alt
The Ultimate tags.
Guide by Yoas
Week 7 Email Copywriting  The Ultimate  Write a welcome email
Guide to series for a new
Writing Email subscriber.
Copy that  Create a promotional
Converts by email for a product
Mailchimp launch.
 Email
Copywriting
Best Practices
by HubSpot
Week 8 Social Media Copywriting  How to Write  Create a week’s worth of
for Social Media social media posts for a
by Hootsuite brand.
 Social Media  Analyze the engagement
Copywriting and adjust the copy
Tips by Buffer accordingly.
Week 9 Writing for Different  How to Write  Write a radio ad script.
Mediums Copy for  Write a script for a short
Different video ad.
Mediums by
WordStream
 Tips for Writing
Print Ads by
The Balance
Week 10 Testing and Analyzing  The Ultimate  Conduct an A/B test on a
Copy Guide to A/B headline.
Testing by  Analyze the results and
Optimizely refine the copy based on
 How to Use data.
Data to
Improve Your

Page 9
Week Topic Reading Exercises
Copy by
Copyhackers
Week 11 Persuasion Techniques  Cialdini's 6  Write a sales page using
Principles of Cialdini’s principles.
Persuasion by  Identify and use different
Influence at persuasion techniques in
Work various copy examples.
 Using
Psychology in
Copywriting by
CoSchedule
Week 12 Portfolio Development and  How to Build a  Compile your best work
Feedback Copywriting into a portfolio.
Portfolio by  Seek feedback from
AWAI peers or online
 Showcasing communities, and refine
Your your portfolio based on
Copywriting the feedback.
Work by
ProCopywriters

Page 10