How To Become A Senior Copywriter: What It Is and Career Path

What is a senior copywriter and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Thomas Reynolds

A senior copywriter is an individual who creates written content for advertising and promotional materials. Senior copywriters oversee the work of other copywriters and collaborate with designers and marketing teams to ensure consistency in brand messaging. They conduct research to understand consumer behavior and market trends, and use this information to inform their writing. Senior copywriters need to be able to work under tight deadlines. They work in a variety of industries, including advertising agencies, marketing departments, or as freelancers.

What general advice would you give to a senior copywriter?

Thomas Reynolds

Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies, University of Minnesota

I think there will be a lasting impact of this pandemic on graduates. The nature of the field is that others in the industry (scientists, engineers, for ex.) often take on tech writing and communication tasks in tight economic conditions, or even just as a matter of a particular culture in a particular business. However, the field of technical communication has been predicted to have a strong future (see Bureau of Labor Statistics, which predicts growth in jobs in this field).

Technical writing and communication require that students are comfortable with technology and communication and that they adapt to changing situations. I think there are also opportunities for savvy graduates who can offer certain skills and experiences that are unique to the changing situation. This field has a long history of resilience for its graduates seeking jobs in tough circumstances.

ScoreSenior CopywriterUS Average

Salary

6.0

Avg. Salary $76,238

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.2

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.36%

Asian 4.99%

Black or African American 6.04%

Hispanic or Latino 7.76%

Unknown 5.56%

White 75.30%

Gender

female 45.45%

male 54.55%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress level

6.2

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.6

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.5

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a senior copywriter?

Pros

Opportunity to work on high-profile projects and campaigns
Good salary and benefits package
Chance to work with talented and creative colleagues
Ability to use your writing skills to make a difference for clients and brands
Flexible schedules and work arrangements

Cons

High pressure to meet deadlines and produce quality work
Long hours, including evenings and weekends when necessary
Constant need to keep up with changing industry trends and best practices
Frequent feedback and revisions can be draining and demotivating
Collaborating with difficult clients or team members can be challenging

Key steps to become a senior copywriter

Explore senior copywriter education requirements

Most common senior copywriter degrees

Bachelor's

84.2 %

Master's

11.3 %

Associate

2.4 %

Start to develop specific senior copywriter skills

Skills	Percentages
Copywriting	23.89%
Digital Marketing	8.17%
Healthcare	5.12%
SEO	4.07%
Proofreading	3.68%

Complete relevant senior copywriter training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior copywriters learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a senior copywriter based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior copywriter resumes.

Research senior copywriter duties and responsibilities

Manage publication review process, including technical and editorial review by in-house and outside reviewers.
Maintain all sports teams' twitter and blog accounts.
Conceptualize and craft blog and Facebook posts to drive traffic to client websites.
Complete assignments covering diverse genres, including autobiographical, fiction, and financial planning.

Get senior copywriter experience

Generally, it takes 1-2 years to become a senior copywriter. The most common roles before becoming a senior copywriter include freelance copywriter, editor team lead and writer and editor.

Prepare your senior copywriter resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior copywriter resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a senior copywriter resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable senior copywriter resume templates

Build a professional senior copywriter resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your senior copywriter resume.

Apply for senior copywriter jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a senior copywriter job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first senior copywriter job

Jhon Jaimes

Senior Copywriter

Where It All Began
I always looked forward to my dad finishing reading the newspaper for the cartoons. But as time went by, I finish reading the whole thing out of curiosity. To describe, first you have to read a lot.
What I Studied
I went to a University to receive my degree as a Professional in Advertising. They teach you everything, but you don't really learn much about what interests you the most. There, I discovered my passion for creativity and writing to express ideas.
Where I Really Learned
I had several career mentors, but the ones who taught me the most were David Ogilvy and Tony Segarra, an American and a Spaniard. In two different books, Ogilvy on Advertising and the First 10 Years of S.C.P.F., I found all the material I needed to start my career in a strong way.
How to Keep Improving...
Writing is like going to the gym. At first, you don't know what to do, then you get into a rhythm, but you always end up sore and in the end you get creative muscle. The truth is that you only get better day by day. There are no more tricks, you have to read a lot and write more to get better.
How Finally I Become a Senior Copywriter
There's a time when your ideas have to defend themselves. My main weapon to advance was storytelling. The Hero method, the FAB method, the SCOP... An arsenal of formulas applied to formats, campaigns and videos that finally led me to climb to a new position. And or course, to be constant; that's the other half of the magic.

How do senior copywriters rate their job?

3/5

Based on 1 ratings

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Senior copywriter reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020

Pros

Research on Future computers , countries , foods , culture , doctors and singers.

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2020

Pros

It offers a less stressful environment to work with and it broadens the knowledge.

Cons

It gets boring when you are doing it long enough.

3.0

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019

Pros

Creative freedom (in the right company) to conceptualise ideas and craft clever word pairings.

Cons

Clients tend to bin the greatest ideas and go with something generic Clients think they are copywriters Colleagues think copywriters only deal with words. Not concepts. The advertising landscape is becoming more visual and interactive so words are playing a smaller role.

What is a senior copywriter and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a senior copywriter?

What are the pros and cons of being a senior copywriter?

Senior copywriter career paths

Key steps to become a senior copywriter

Explore senior copywriter education requirements

Most common senior copywriter degrees

Start to develop specific senior copywriter skills

Complete relevant senior copywriter training and internships

Research senior copywriter duties and responsibilities

Get senior copywriter experience

Prepare your senior copywriter resume

Choose from 10+ customizable senior copywriter resume templates

Apply for senior copywriter jobs

How did you land your first senior copywriter job

Average senior copywriter salary

How do senior copywriters rate their job?

Senior copywriter reviews

Senior copywriter jobs by state