The Copywriting Course
Learn to write the ideas that sell, one-to-one with an award-winning advertising creative
12 Months
Beginner-Intermediate
10
- Risk-Free for 30 days
- Rated 5/5 on Google Reviews
The Copywriting Course
Learn to write the ideas that sell, one-to-one with an award-winning advertising creative
12 Months
Beginner-Intermediate
10
- Risk-Free for 30 days
- Rated 5/5 on Google Reviews
Anyone Can Write a Sentence. Hardly Anyone Can Write the Idea Behind it
Complete ten real briefs, get ten pieces of expert feedback, and create a portfolio that proves you can do the job
Every brand in New Zealand needs someone who can look at a brief, find the core message and translate it in a way people remember.
That is not writing. That is thinking and then writing. It is the reason a good copywriter is still worth hiring in a world where text is effectively free, and it is the reason many writers say that copywriting is one of the hardest writing jobs out there.
The Copywriting Course teaches you the thinking first. Over 12 flexible months, you work through ten modules, each one ending in a practical project modelled on a real agency brief. Your work is read and assessed by a working, award-winning copywriter who has made campaigns for major agencies and brands, and who will tell you plainly where the idea is strong and where it isn’t.
By Module 10, you are not just trained. You have a portfolio, which is one of the most important things employers in the industry ask to see.
Not sure of the differences between copywriting, copyright and writing copy?
What You’ll Master on the Copywriting Course
- Turn a client brief into a single, sharp, defensible message
- Generate big ideas on demand, using a repeatable process rather than waiting for inspiration
- Write for above-the-line channels: television, radio, print and out-of-home
- Write for below-the-line, activations, direct mail, events and B2B
- Write digital and social copy that demands attention
- Write response-driven direct marketing that can be measured
- Build an integrated, through-the-line campaign from a single idea
- Write with empathy, so the reader feels understood rather than sold to
What You’ll Master on the Copywriting Course
- Turn a client brief into a single, sharp, defensible message
- Generate big ideas on demand, using a repeatable process rather than waiting for inspiration
- Write for above-the-line channels: television, radio, print and out-of-home
- Write for below-the-line, activations, direct mail, events and B2B
- Write digital and social copy that demands attention
- Write response-driven direct marketing that can be measured
- Build an integrated, through-the-line campaign from a single idea
- Write with empathy, so the reader feels understood rather than sold to
What makes studying with us different?
No automated marking
A working, award-winning copywriter reads and assesses every project. No generic feedback, ever.
A flexible schedule
Twelve months, no fixed deadlines, no live classes. Study around your job, your clients or your kids.
Real industry briefs
Ten practical projects modelled on the work agencies actually commission, not theory exercises.
Ongoing Assessment
You are assessed only by your tutor, a leader in the field. You are guided line by line, not left guessing.
A portfolio, not just a pass
Module 10 is dedicated to building the short portfolio you will use to get work.
No Peer Reviews!
There's no chance of 'the blind leading the blind' here. You only receive expert feedback.
This course is for you if:
- You want a career in copywriting and need work you can show, not just a certificate
- You are a writer in another discipline and want to add a commercially valuable skill
- You are looking for remote, freelance or work-from-home income
- You are a marketer or business owner who wants to brief, judge or write your own campaigns
- You run a small business and are tired of paying for copy that sounds like everyone else's
- You already work in advertising and want a structured refresher
- You want honest, industry-level feedback rather than peer comments or AI responses
- You need a course that bends around a full-time job
Course Curriculum
Module 1: An Introduction
- The role of the copywriter and the characteristics the job demands
- Vital tips on where to start
- Project: a fun introductory exercise to get you moving and build confidence
Module 2: Brands and Storytelling
- The rise of brands and what a brand actually is
- Storytelling as a marketing discipline
- Project: think and write strategically within a brand’s identity
Module 3: Messaging
- The core principle of the whole course, and why messaging is the cornerstone of copywriting
- Tracing the process from brief to message
- Project: create compelling messaging that can carry across channels
Module 4: Big Ideas
- Why concept is king
- A repeatable process for generating ideas, and where to find them
- Project: your first conceptual task, including the copy
Module 5: Above-the-Line Advertising
- Understanding traditional advertising and how it evolved
- Television, radio, print and out-of-home
- Project: develop an idea for an ATL campaign
Module 6: Below-the-Line Advertising
- The mediums, channels and platforms used below the line
- How traditional advertising differs from other marketing methods
- Project: choose a type of engagement or build a specific campaign
Module 7: Digital and Social Media
- Background on digital marketing and the types of online communication
- Budgets and how they shape the work
- Project: a writing project built on what you’ve learned
Module 8: Direct Marketing
- Response-driven writing and its components
- Emailers, mailshots, events, B2B, newsletters, SMS and MMS
- Project: a test of your long-form writing
Module 9: Integrated Campaigns
- The diversified role of the modern copywriter
- Through-the-line advertising
- Project: an integrated campaign assessment
Module 10: Getting Out There
- Confidence in yourself and your work
- Approvals, reviews and presenting your ideas
- Building your portfolio and working as a freelancer
- Project: build a short portfolio
Prescribed textbook
Prescribed textbook: Copywriting by Mark Shaw, 2nd Edition. Available on Amazon as an ebook (around US$10) or in print (around US$25). We recommend the Kindle version, which is instantly available. Each assessment draws on both the course notes and the recommended reading.
When you apply, you can choose your own tutor or let us match you with the perfect fit based on your preferred goals.
Award-winning creative | 8 industry awards | 20+ years copywriting and academic experience
Jana du Plessis Müller’s copywriting experience runs from award-winning through-the-line campaigns at some of the biggest agencies to a full range of copywriting solutions delivered as a remote freelancer.
Her award-winning clients include Simplr, Optimise & Grow Online, Eco Africa Digital, London Shared, FirstPour, ARTBANX, Venture Videos and Noodle, across South Africa, Australia, the UK, Switzerland and the USA.
She has worked with agencies including King James and Saatchi & Saatchi on large-scale campaigns, and was appointed Digital Creative Director at Conversion Advantage International. Education is part of her heartbeat, and she has lectured at Vega, Red & Yellow, Inscape and the IMM Graduate School of Marketing.
Award-winning creative | #1 Lecturer, 2019 Loeries Official Rankings | 15+ years industry and academic experience
Darren has worked as a copywriter at prominent agencies including DDB and Ireland-Davenport, developing above and below-the-line campaigns across television, radio, billboards, print and digital for top-tier global clients.
As a lecturer in Copywriting and Brand Strategy at Vega School, he serves as Deputy Chair of Awards and Competitions and Brand Challenge Co-ordinator. He was ranked the number one lecturer in the 2019 Loeries Official Rankings, and sits on judging panels for major industry awards including the IAB Bookmark Awards, Pendoring and Promax. That gives his students an unusually direct line into what award juries actually reward.
Why Copywriters Get Hired
Yes, AI tools can produce fluent, competent lines in seconds, and they can help you sound like every other brand out there.
What they cannot do is come up with a unique concept that aligns with your brand and core message. These tools cannot judge whether an idea is fresh or whether it has been done four times already this year.
That judgement is what agencies and brands pay copywriters to do. It is also exactly what this course trains.
COURSE FEE
$1,495.00
Price includes GST
NUMBER OF ASSIGNMENTS
10
The writing assignments vary in length.
NUMBER OF MODULES
10
COURSE DURATION
12
Work at your own pace – up to a maximum of 12 months. We add an additional month if a course runs over the Christmas break.
START DATE: ANYTIME
Working with an individual tutor means you can start the course at any time.
Estimated time commitment
A minimum of 10 hours reading, 20 hours writing, plus roughly 1 hour of research per project
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
- Basic writing skills are essential.
- Computer skills, email and Internet access required.
- No previous tertiary qualification required.
Get These Additional Benefits
Lifetime Course Access
Benefit from free lifetime access to future course updates and access to our writing resources.
An Internship Opportunity
Top students are invited to join our internship programme.
Work Opportunities
Top students are invited to join our writers and editors for hire service.
500+ bonus articles on our blog
A constantly updated resource on writing craft and the industry.
A Writers' College certificate
A recognised addition to your CV, LinkedIn profile and pitches.
Join a community of writers
Access our friendly online community and daily writing tips.
You will receive an approval email and invoice within one working day.
Should your form not submit, please let admin know at admin@nzwriterscollege.co.nz
We are so confident that you will love your course that if you’re not 100% satisfied with the quality of our training, simply ask for a refund, minus expenses, within 30 days.
What is the best online copywriting course in New Zealand?
When comparing copywriting courses, check four things: who marks your work, whether your tutor is a currently working professional, whether you finish with a portfolio and whether the schedule fits around a job. Most online copywriting courses are pre-recorded video with automated quizzes and no human assessment at all. The Copywriting Course at NZ Writers’ College gives you ten practical industry briefs assessed one-to-one by an award-winning working copywriter of your choosing, over a flexible twelve months, for $1,495 including GST, and ends with a portfolio.
How do I become a copywriter in New Zealand?
There is no licence or required degree. What agencies, brands and freelance clients ask for is a portfolio: three to six pieces of work showing you can take a brief, find an idea and execute it across channels. The fastest route is structured training with a working copywriter who briefs you, critiques the work and pushes you to a standard the industry recognises. That is precisely the shape of this course, and Module 10 is dedicated to building the portfolio itself.
Is copywriting still a viable career now that AI can write?
Yes, though the job has shifted. Routine, high-volume, low-stakes copy is increasingly automated. What is not automated is the strategic and conceptual work: interrogating the brief, finding the insight, judging whether an idea is fresh, adapting it across channels and defending it to a client. Copywriters who can do that are still in demand. This course spends its first four modules on exactly that thinking, before you write a single ad.
Can I do this course while working full time?
Yes. You have up to twelve months for ten modules, you set the pace entirely, and there are no live classes or fixed deadlines. The total commitment is roughly 10 hours of reading, 20 hours of writing and about an hour of research per project. Most students work through it in evenings and weekends.
Do I need any advertising experience to start?
No. The course starts from the role of the copywriter and builds logically from there, and the first project is deliberately a confidence-builder. You do need basic writing skills and to be comfortable in written English. If you would like to strengthen your general writing first, our Business Writing Toolkit or Basics of Creative Writing courses are good starting points.
Can I choose my own tutor?
Yes, which is unusual. You can work with Jana du Plessis Müller or Darren Meltz. Their backgrounds are set out above, so choose the one whose experience matches the work you want to make, or tell us what you’re aiming for in your application and we’ll recommend one.
What is the difference between copywriting, copyright and writing copy?
- Copywriting is writing text for advertising and marketing, intended to persuade someone to act. That is this course.
- Copyright is intellectual property law, the legal right to control reproduction of a work, and has nothing to do with this course.
- Writing copy, or body content, means articles, blogs, newsletters and non-fiction, and for that you want our journalism or web content courses.
Do I need to buy a textbook?
Yes, one. Copywriting by Mark Shaw, 2nd Edition. The Kindle version is around US$10 and is available instantly. Assessments draw on both the course notes and the recommended reading.
What are the conditions of certification?
You will receive a Writers’ College Certificate on successful completion, provided you complete all 10 projects, finish within 12 months of registration and achieve a minimum average of 50%.
Who owns the rights to the work I produce?
You do. We never claim any rights to anything you write. Copyright rests with the creator, which means your course projects are yours to put straight into your portfolio.
What should I do next if I want to start a copywriting career?
Apply online. We assess whether this is genuinely the right course for you and will suggest an alternative if another one fits better. If it’s a fit, we will send an invoice within one working day, and once payment clears, your first module and welcome email arrive straight away.