Look around and you'll probably notice something with copy on it — an ad, a brochure, an e-mail, a Web site. Now ask yourself who wrote it. Was it written by a crack copywriter working at a trendy Madison Avenue ad agency? Or a busy marketing manager at a major corporation? Or a small business owner wearing, among many, the copywriter's hat? Or a freelance writer living just down the street?

The answer could very easily be any of the above.

Agency copywriters — those who work at advertising, marketing, or public relations agencies or media or content development companies — often scribe the mass campaigns you see in glossy magazines or on television. Smaller agencies may only have one or two copywriters on staff, but the larger ones can have a whole team of copywriters headed by a copy chief or director of copywriting. At a very small agency, dual responsibilities are common. So someone could be both the resident copywriter and the account executive.

The writing can also be done by someone within the media company itself — the newspaper, radio or television station, or Web site company. Radio stations often have a copywriter/producer on staff who creates the ads for local advertisers. Newspapers, too, usually have someone who assists their small-business clients in putting together an effective ad.

And a lot of copy is written by freelancers. In fact, freelancing is one of the fastest growing segments in the marketing and public relations industry. Freelancers are independent contractors who are hired by agencies, businesses, or nonprofits to write copy for specific projects. These self-employed professionals often work out of their homes, but they can sometimes work on site at their client's location as well.

Copy can also be written by someone within the company or organization that needs it. For example, if a company requires a new product description for a Web site, someone in its own marketing department might be asked to write it to save the trouble and expense of hiring a freelancer or agency.

Finally, many independent professionals and small-business owners write copy to promote themselves or their own products and services. They may hire a graphic designer to create their Web sites and brochures but often can't afford the services of a professional copywriter. So they do the job themselves.

A Copywriter by any Other Name

Copywriters don't always have the word “copywriter” in their job titles. In fact, the vast majority of people who write copy don't have this skill reflected on their business cards at all. A copywriter might be known as: