Desktop publisher to advertising copywriter
A desktop publisher already meets 40% of what the advertising copywriter role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.
57.8/ 100
1 How much of what an advertising copywriter is expected to do is already part of a desktop publisher’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the advertising copywriter role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An advertising copywriter role treats 6 of its required skills as things a desktop publisher already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply grammar and spelling rules
- copyright legislation
- develop creative ideas
- develop digital content
- follow a brief
- identify customer's needs
What stands in the way is 6 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 12 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An advertising copywriter role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a desktop publisher background worth leading with.
- already held typography arts and humanities
- already held follow a brief communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held desktop publishing information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held develop digital content working with computers
- already held apply desktop publishing techniques working with computers
- already held printing techniques arts and humanities
All 12 carried skills, including the 6 the advertising copywriter role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 23 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn create advertisements required
- still to learn brainstorm ideas required
- optional, not held create storyboards optional
- optional, not held evaluate writings in response to feedback optional
- optional, not held practice humour optional
- optional, not held draft press releases optional
- optional, not held give live presentation optional
- still to learn product comprehension required
- still to learn advertising techniques required
- optional, not held social media marketing techniques optional
- still to learn meet expectations of target audience required
- optional, not held analyse consumer buying trends optional
- optional, not held analyse cultural trends optional
- optional, not held evaluate advertising campaign optional
- optional, not held lay out digital written content optional
- optional, not held perform market research optional
- optional, not held perform media outlets research optional
- still to learn write to a deadline required
- optional, not held coordinate advertising campaigns optional
- optional, not held develop media strategy optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held types of media optional
- optional, not held conduct search engine optimisation optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an advertising copywriter role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 create advertisements practise this
- 02 product comprehension study this
- 03 write to a deadline practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 12 skills that carry over
- already held apply grammar and spelling rules skill
- already held copyright legislation knowledge
- already held develop creative ideas skill
- already held develop digital content skill
- already held follow a brief skill
- already held identify customer's needs skill
- already held apply desktop publishing techniques skill
- already held desktop publishing knowledge
- already held printing techniques knowledge
- already held proofread text skill
- already held typography knowledge
- already held use word processing software skill
17 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held create storyboards optional
- optional, not held evaluate writings in response to feedback optional
- optional, not held practice humour optional
- optional, not held analyse consumer buying trends optional
- optional, not held analyse cultural trends optional
- optional, not held conduct search engine optimisation optional
- optional, not held coordinate advertising campaigns optional
- optional, not held develop media strategy optional
- optional, not held draft press releases optional
- optional, not held evaluate advertising campaign optional
- optional, not held give live presentation optional
- optional, not held lay out digital written content optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held perform market research optional
- optional, not held perform media outlets research optional
- optional, not held social media marketing techniques optional
- optional, not held types of media optional
32 held skills the advertising copywriter role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role ICT software specifications knowledge
- not needed by the target role adapt to artists' creative demands skill
- not needed by the target role adapt to type of media skill
- not needed by the target role adobe creative suite knowledge
- not needed by the target role align content with form skill
- not needed by the target role assist customers skill
- not needed by the target role computer graphics knowledge
- not needed by the target role consult with editor skill
- not needed by the target role digital content creation skill
- not needed by the target role digital media knowledge
- not needed by the target role digitise documents skill
- not needed by the target role edit negatives skill
- not needed by the target role edit photographs skill
- not needed by the target role finish project within budget skill
- not needed by the target role follow work schedule skill
- not needed by the target role grammar knowledge
- not needed by the target role graphic design knowledge
- not needed by the target role interactive media knowledge
- not needed by the target role multimedia systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform backups skill
- not needed by the target role perform image editing skill
- not needed by the target role post-processing of photographs knowledge
- not needed by the target role prepress processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role problem-solving with digital tools skill
- not needed by the target role reprography knowledge
- not needed by the target role scan photos skill
- not needed by the target role search databases skill
- not needed by the target role spelling knowledge
- not needed by the target role translate requirements into visual design skill
- not needed by the target role use presentation software skill
- not needed by the target role use spreadsheets software skill
- not needed by the target role work closely with news teams skill
4 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn product comprehension required
- still to learn advertising techniques required
- optional, not held social media marketing techniques optional
- optional, not held types of media optional
Other moves recorded from desktop publisher
Common questions about this move
Can a desktop publisher become an advertising copywriter?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A desktop publisher already covers 40% of what an advertising copywriter is expected to do: 12 skills carry over, 6 of which the advertising copywriter role treats as required.
What skills does a desktop publisher need to become an advertising copywriter?
6 required skills are missing, plus 17 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is create advertisements.
How hard is the move from desktop publisher to advertising copywriter?
Its learning distance is 57.8 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.