Want a job in the ad industry? Or are you looking to move up from your entry level ad job? Or maybe you’re a business owner who needs to write your own ads. Then Copywriting 101 is for you.
It is ideal for aspiring copywriters in search of a career in the advertising industry. It is also a terrific way for working copywriters and business owners to up their ad game.
The instructor, Thomas McGuire, has decades of experience (with the attendant scars and awards) and will personally show you how to produce ads that will get attention, sell, and grow your bank account.
What Will You Learn in Copywriting 101?
Copywriting 101 is a course that introduces you to the key concepts involved in creating and writing advertising.
We will study the form of the Creative Brief – a roadmap that helps you find the best solution to a client’s advertising needs.
We’ll first look at the elements of a print ad, because if you’ve mastered print you will be able to produce effective ads in digital (including email marketing), broadcast, outdoor/out of home and other media.
Each week, you’ll get an ideal mix of pre-recorded and live interactions from Tom McGuire, your world-class instructor.
First, you’ll watch the pre-recorded video lesson and work on the assigned writing prior to the live Zoom session with Tom later in the week.
From week to week, the homework will vary, from headlines to full-page print to radio or television and more.
Creative Director Tom McGuire will give you kudos and critiques as if you were working in his ad agency. Your skills and portfolio will grow substantially through the course!
Tom will give you specific feedback to improve your ad.
The goal is to help you succeed in the demanding advertising business.
Who can benefit from this course?
Writers new to advertising will be immersed in this fascinating craft. If you have some experience and want to advance your career, you’ll have the opportunity to interact with a seasoned Creative Director who can help you refine your work and improve your portfolio.
Whether you are looking for your first job in advertising, or you want to elevate your skills so that you can produce professional-level work for your own company, Copywriting 101 will give you a creative leg up.
Meet Tom
Tom’s campaigns:
Tom McGuire, copywriter and Creative Director, has worked at legendary ad agencies (JWT, DDB), at regional agencies, and boutique agencies.
He’s received accolades from award shows including the One Show of New York, The San Francisco Ad Club, The Los Angeles Ad Club, The Addys and The Tellys, among others.
Some of the accounts he has written for include Ford, Oracle, Salesforce, Dole, Nestlé, Charles Schwab, Trend Micro, The San Francisco Symphony and The San Francisco Opera.
Mr. McGuire, a graduate of the University of California at Davis, has taught advertising concepts and copywriting at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and the University of San Francisco.
Student Reviews
Class Start Date: Week of January 23rd. First class video lecture released January 23rd.
Class Zoom Conference Calls: Thursdays at 6pm PST. 1/27, 2/3, 2/10, 2/17, 2/24, 3/3, 3/10 & 3/17*
*Conference call is optional but attendance is encouraged. Homework feedback provided weekly on submitted assignments.
Price: $675
Note: When you complete this course, you will get access to one of our other courses as a bonus (360 Copywriting, Mastering Direct Response Copy etc.,)
Refund Policy: Refunds offered up to one day before class starts. No refunds offered after class starts. If your schedule changes you may transfer class tuition to a future class offered by the same teacher.
Copywriting 101 Syllabus
Week #1
What is advertising? How does it differ from Public Relations?
What is copywriting? What skills does it take to be a good copywriter? What jobs are available?
Zoom Conference Call: We’ll meet via Zoom to review your homework. You’ll get kudos for great ideas and specific feedback on ways to improve your work.
Week #2
Advertising strategy.
What is a brand? It’s a promise of quality, user experience, and consistent delivery.
The Creative Brief – your guide to creative success.
Zoom Conference Call: We’ll meet via Zoom to review your homework. You’ll get kudos for great ideas and specific feedback on ways to improve your work.
Week #3
How to get weird in a useful way.
Thinking outside the box. Don’t get dragged down by clichés. Your first idea is everyone else’s first idea. Make fresh associations. In other words, BE CREATIVE.
Throw away the CB – use your Right Brain. The challenge to appeal to logic and emotion at the same time. “People buy on emotion and justify with facts.”
Contrasts make for interesting ads. Straight image. Twisted copy. And vice versa. Provoke and involve your reader.
Once you understand the facts of the consumer promise, get weird. Communicate to feelings.
Zoom Conference Call: We’ll meet via Zoom to review your homework. You’ll get kudos for great ideas and specific feedback on ways to improve your work.
Week #4
Now that we’ve looked at the classic print ad a bit, what other types of advertising might a copywriter be involved with?
Types of ads:
– Print
– Broadcast: Radio, TV
– Industrial Videos
– Digital, On-line ads, sites, landing pages, interactive
– Email
– Direct Mail
– Outdoors/Out of home
– Collateral
– Point of Sale
– Events
What are some approaches that a copywriter can take to the form of the ad?
– Demonstration/Functional
– Testimonial
– Funny/Entertaining
– Retail, Price Oriented
– Promotional – Short term sales booster
– Music Oriented
Why do established brands advertise?
Keeping buyers sold. As an example, why does Dawn still advertise? To keep top of mind. Brands that abandon advertising can easily fall by the wayside.
Zoom Conference Call: We’ll meet via Zoom to review your homework. You’ll get kudos for great ideas and specific feedback on ways to improve your work.
Week #5
Direct Marketing
DM is when the advertiser speaks directly (often not through traditional paid media) to the consumer.
DM is a message to the consumer that invokes an immediate response: Go to a landing page, Ask for a brochure, Buy Now, Get a free white paper, etc. The vehicle can be:
– Email
– Physical Direct Mail
– Print or Broadcast Ads that sell directly, i.e. not through the retail channel
– Use of QR codes
When would an advertiser use DM? How effective is it?
What tone should DM copy take in talking to the customer.
Specific DM techniques such as the “Johnson box.”
Zoom Conference Call: We’ll meet via Zoom to review your homework. You’ll get kudos for great ideas and specific feedback on ways to improve your work.
Week #6
Promotional Advertising
What is it?
Short term campaign with a specific sales goal. Boost sales for a product or service with a special price or other offer.
Zoom Conference Call: We’ll meet via Zoom to review your homework. You’ll get kudos for great ideas and specific feedback on ways to improve your work.
Week #7
– Radio
– The Theater of the Mind. Words, music and sound effects add up to effective advertising.
Zoom Conference Call: We’ll meet via Zoom to review your homework. You’ll get kudos for great ideas and specific feedback on ways to improve your work.
Week #8
Television
All the power of visuals plus audio.
You’ve seen a million television commercials, probably more. Even in the Internet and streaming environment, they have a place. And the same techniques can be used regardless whether the ultimate medium is linear TV, a stream viewed on a laptop, or a 10 second pre-roll to a YouTube video on a smartphone.
Zoom Conference Call: We’ll meet via Zoom to review your homework. You’ll get kudos for great ideas and specific feedback on ways to improve your work.
Price: $675
Note: When you complete this course, you will get access to one of our other courses as a bonus (360 Copywriting, Mastering Direct Response Copy etc.,)
Student Reviews
I saw this class advertised for several months (must have been the great copywriting) and finally decided to do it. I’m so glad I did! I learned a lot about the career, my strengths as a copywriter, and the type of work that I enjoy most.
The weekly course videos are organized and offer excellent tips that I’ll continue to reference. The assignments are well thought out and helpful for building a portfolio.
Before taking this class, I couldn’t call myself a copywriter. Now I have my portfolio done, my website launched, and the confidence to do it. Copywriting 101 is worth the investment!”
AJ – San Francisco (Copywriter)
If you want to get your foot in the door with copywriting, definitely give Advertising Copywriting 101 with Amanda Caswell a shot. After being recommended to the school by a friend, I took the course with Amanda and was very happy with what I got.
One month from signing up for the course, I was happy to land an internship that I had really wanted! Thank you for everything, SFSC!”
Carolyn Tran-Math – San Francisco
Taking the class has helped prepare me for every project I’ve had to take on whether it be working on marketing copy for a web page to writing large and complicated technical documents on behalf of my clients.”
Jose San Mateo
Price: $675
Note: When you complete this course, you will get access to one of our other courses as a bonus (360 Copywriting, Mastering Direct Response Copy etc.,)