Start working at high school. While you are in high school try to obtain a job in sales. It is better if your job puts you face-to-face with customers. You may also try your hand in writing a copy for flyers and brochures. The real-world experience you get together with the classroom learning will put you miles ahead very quickly.

Get proper education.The job of an advertising copywriter (as many others in the creative copywriting industry) requires a college degree. Certainly, the talent alone might get you through; however, it cannot be compared to the knowledge you acquire at college. The knowledge of basic statistics is helpful in marketing researches, knowing classic literature and the rules of formal composition will help you defend an ad copy you write. Learning new things quickly is very important for any advertising copywriter. Additional knowledge in advertising, marketing, communications, English, journalism, psychology, liberal arts, and media studies are greeted. If you participate in some extra-curricular activities, such as your advertising club (both college and local) and AAF-sponsored events, it may be of great value to you in your future profession.

Learn to build a good copywriting portfolio. As an entry-level advertising copywriter, all you need is to show enough work to obtain a job. Nevertheless, you will add and subtract portfolio pieces as you develop experience. Together with the progress of your career of an advertising copywriter you will collect a large amount of portfolio-worthy work from which you will select your presentation.

Nonetheless, you should first start with the following:

·         Pick up copies of the ads you create, while you are a copywriting intern. If you do not turn your internship into a job, you will have to show potential employers those completed samples of agency-quality work. Get into touch with an art director or production person to obtain the files or prints.

·         Produced radio spots are presented on a copywriter's reel. It is better if you have both: tapes and CDs. Radio spots that did not become produced are presented in a script form.

·         Produced TV commercials also are presented on a copywriter's reel. Today, the majority of advertising copywriters and ad agencies use the VHS videotape format instead of the broadcast-standards' videotape.

·         On CD, you can show the fully functional websites you have written. You can also simply provide a list of websites (make sure, though, that the current websites still contain your copy).

If you feel unsure about some student work of yours, do not hesitate to toss it out. You should also remove everything that is not advertising copywriting from your portfolio.

Now, you have a job! Do your best not to neglect your career. Do not forget to review your work at least once a year in order to evaluate what you have learned and where you are. Then, define what you need and look for proper opportunities. You may need to ask for more broadcast assignments or even to look for a job at another ad agency that has more broadcast work.