The Evolution of Copywriting [BEKANTAN Tales]

Copywriting.. It sounds and feels new right? Well the interesting thing about Copywriting is.. it is in fact older than you think.

The History of Copywriting

Advertising copywriting has existed since Babylonian times and the first printed material is said to have come into the world in 1477, promoting the sale of a prayer book. The history of copywriting dates back to when the first printed papers were distributed on the street. The actual word “copywriting” means the act of writing words to sell products. The copywriter is the person who does this, often found in ad agencies or at home as a freelancer.

The Evolution of Copywriting

The job of a copywriter began by creating ads on a large poster made of paper with a feather dipped ink. These posters were fixed to walls and poles in the bigger cities of Europe. Centuries ago there were no printing processes to make duplicates, so each page was painstakingly handcrafted.

Eventually, they evolved to printed pamphlets and brochures and became much smaller in size as printing in its new evolution was a complicated and lengthy process, so the smaller the item, the faster it was.

Today’s modern copywriter does more than simply write copy for newspaper or magazine ads. a copywriter now has to be proficient in writing for the web with a sound knowledge of SEO best practices. Copywriters may also write copy for book jackets, food and product packaging, name floral bouquets, write about technology trends in health, carewrite meta data descriptions for sunglasses, write media releases about musicians and authors, and the list goes on.

Some digital copywriters may think that copywriting is a young industry, but the truth is, it’s been around for hundreds of years. Even a Wild West ‘wanted’ poster shows some level of copywriting in a primitive form. What is changing is the platform, and the way we ‘sell’ to online consumers. Storytelling is going nowhere. But perhaps the more outdated customs will become relics of copywriters past.

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Contributor: Benaya Stephen

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