Q. What is Copywriting?

A. Literally, copywriting is writing words (or copy) for promotional material. In practice it’s a lot more.

When you’re considering engaging a professional copywriter one of the things you’ll definitely want to know is the cost. Often the bottom line appears an exaggerated version of what you were hoping to pay. So how does a copywriter quote a project? Copywriters structure their fees on the time it takes them to complete a project. These fees will include any administrative and business overheads. Yet what exactly does a copywriter do with the time they’re charging you for?

Gain a thorough understanding of your business and target market

Firstly, your copywriter will want a thorough knowledge of your business and its target market. So they’ll spend some time talking with you, reading your existing promotional material and even looking at some of your competitor websites and brochures.

Discuss your objectives and ideas

The promotion is for your business, so your copywriter will want to hear your ideas. This isn’t you doing their job; it’s you providing direction. Sure, they could go away and do what they consider best, yet that might differ wildly from your expectations. For the best results, you’ll want to partner with your copywriter.

Take note of the vital information

Before they even start writing, a copywriter will review their notes and research and highlight the ‘must haves’ and collate those into a logical order and format.

Write a headline

Believe it or not, writing a great headline can be the most time consuming part of the writing process. When you give them the time, a good copywriter can try between ten and twenty headlines. Why so many? The headline is the most important part of the copy. It grabs the reader’s attention and gives them an incentive to read on. So it’s got to be right. This exercise alone can take at least an hour, probably two.

Spend time crafting the copy

Crafting copy means building rapport with readers, identifying the problem and providing your solution. It means finding the best words, phrases, analogies and descriptions that evoke the desired emotion in your target market.

Remember too, that the best writing comes with re-writing; you should never get the copywriter’s first draft, or even their second or third. What you consider should only take half an hour to write, may actually take three hours. Additionally, those three hours may be spread over a week. This gives the copywriter time to ‘sleep on’ their work, reassess it and make any necessary changes. And it gives you a better end result.

Review the ‘must haves’

Once the copywriter is satisfied that the copy is the best it can be, they’ll review it against the list of ‘must haves’. This ensures the copy contains exactly what you’ve asked for. When time and budget permits, they’ll again ‘sleep on’ the changes and review the copy once more before sending it to you.

Proof read the copy

The person that wrote something is generally not the best proof reader of their work. Despite this, your copywriter will ‘proof’ the copy as best they can. Proofreading involves checking punctuation, spelling and grammar. They’ll also ensure the work is formatted to a professional presentation standard.

Discuss any required changes with you

Once you’ve reviewed the copy, your copywriter will take the time to discuss any changes that you require. It is very rare that you’ll want no changes at all and your copywriter understands this. They’ll then make the necessary changes and send the copy back to you.

Tip for Reviewers: Set yourself some time to sit down and really read what’s been written, note any immediate comments, then put it aside until the next day. Reread the copy and your comments and make any further notes. This helps you clarify what’s working, what’s not and why.

Send you the completed copy

When all the changes have been made, your copywriter will send you the final draft.

Liaise with your graphic designer

If you are working with a graphic designer, you might also ask that your copywriter liaise with them. While this is a chargeable service, you’re basically buying yourself some time. Good copywriters have a basic understanding of design and regularly work with designers. That means they should be able to understand some of the design jargon and also articulate the ultimate vision for the piece.

Suggest other promotional ideas

Copywriters are creative; that means they’re full of interesting ideas. They know that getting people’s attention is what marketing is all about, so they watch for unique concepts that spark their attention. When they’re working with you on your project, they may suggest other promotional ideas for you to consider.

A good copywriter is not simply a writer; they’re a marketer, a visionary, a point of liaison, a great listener, an organiser, an editor, a proof reader and a business person. Their aim is to make the process of creating your promotional material mutually beneficial and enjoyable. And if you have any questions regarding their fees or processes, ask them; there are no silly questions, only unanswered ones.

Swimming against convention

My partner, Pete and I have embarked on an interesting experience. We’re dieting. It’s interesting for us because neither of us has ever dieted before. And quite frankly, we’re not exactly contenders for Biggest Loser. We have however, neglected to eat healthily; now the chocolate bars, pizzas and football hotdogs have banded together in most inappropriate areas. So we decided to exercise and eat more healthily and in the last four weeks, we’ve seen amazing results. Our clothes are no longer taut; we have far more energy, are entirely more productive and have the beginnings of dare I confess – muscles definition.

What is most interesting to me is other people’s response when I tell them I’m choosing not to have a glass of wine or a muffin. When I explain that we’re following a healthy diet and exercise routine they look at me and say, “Oh it’s too late now to get a six-pack stomach.” Or “Everyone puts on a bit of weight as they get older.” And my favourite, “Oh of course, you’re getting married. Everyone diets before their wedding.”

Why do people feel the need to ascribe a reason other than becoming healthier to our dietary exercise? Perhaps because they are reminded of their own waning fitness levels and need to excuse themselves from taking action. Since they’re not getting married, it’s okay that they’ve put on a few kilos. After all, everyone gets a middle-age spread, right? And really, it is too late now to turn the clock back, isn’t it?

Sure, if you want to believe that then it’s true. None of those things are true for Pete and me. We have chosen how we want to look and feel and are eschewing the naysayers to reach our goals. Why? Because it feels right to us. And if we don’t do what’s right for us, if we don’t honour and validate our values with our daily actions, then we lose the essence of who we are.

It’s the same in business. Too often we’re told a list of things we ‘should’ do for our business. Everyone’s got a theory and everyone’s sure their theory is right. A potential client told of an interesting experience. One business associate told him his website was awful and needed updating; yet another said it was great and shouldn’t be changed. His assessment? “It’s all really only a personal opinion.”

Your own experience will probably tell you that his observation is true. For every five copywriters proclaiming ‘long copy sells’, you can find another five equally as passionate that ‘short and sweet is better’.

So how do we know what to do? We think for ourselves. Scary thought, I know; particularly when the world is overflowing with ‘gurus’ on everything from fasion to marketing; from home renovation to brushing your teeth.

If we can silence the ‘gurus’ and listen to our own thoughts and ideas, we can begin to understand what is truly best for our businesses. That’s not to say we can’t take advice; though it is to say that we should choose the advice we act on very carefully.

It can be unnerving to swim against the current of convention; though if you’re mingling with the lemmings yet aren’t found of plummeting over cliffs, that’s exactly what you’ll need to do. And who knows your ideas might just be the next big thing.

Saying to Soar by

Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple, learn how to look after them, & pretty soon you have a dozen.

John Steinbeck

Email: mandy@talkingturkey.com.au
Web: www.talkingturkey.com.au

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