I’ve recently made the transition from agency to client and I’m looking forward to the different challenges that client side is going to offer.

As an agency writer you are constantly writing for numerous clients, producing content for a range of demographics and multiple campaigns. As an agency copywriter you have the fortune of developing an array of writing styles, discovering you ability to develop a different voice for a different audience. Another benefit of chameleonic writing demands means your portfolio acquires a lot more names on it (which is nothing but a good thing). Agency writing also forces you to produce a large quantity of content on a regular basis as you need to be able to keep the clients happy without prioritising one over the other.

Unfortunately the downsides are equally as plentiful.

With the development of real time results and Google caffeine seemingly caching anything as soon as it is published, the nature of copywriting has now turned into a journalistic role as well as a writer, by that I mean, people will look to search engines for the latest information and news giving them the information they require when they need it. Michael Jackson’s death was a perfect example on how people used Google to find information. Copywriters can therefore produce content in 10 minutes in order to respond to industry news. As an agency writer it is simply impossible to have your finger on the pulse of every industry in which you write. It therefore favours client side writers to produce content when it matters. Client side writers have one industry to write for, one client and one voice, giving them the opportunity to immerse themselves in the industry and react when needed.

I genuinely believe that agency writers are spread too thin across a range of industries and clients, which can dilute the potential impact of their writing. From personal experience I have seen how multiple clients can be a curse rather than a gift. By stretching your copywriting skills across many industries you weaken the potent potential of the writing and reduce the effectiveness of the entire campaign.

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