The Process of Copywriting

Often business owners can underestimate the cost of professional service providers who charge by the time a project takes. This is true for copywriters. Any form of writing is much more than the actual sitting down to write. In fact, writing the first draft is probably the quickest part of the process. So what exactly does a copywriter do with the time they’re charging you for?

1. Understanding your objective
Your copywriter will want to understand what you want to achieve from your promotional piece. Do you want to increase sales? Gain exposure for your business? Provide information on your products and/or services?

2. Taking the brief
A brief is where a copywriter gathers the information they need to write your promotional material. This includes a thorough background to your business and the benefits of products and/or services to your target market. Your copywriter will ask for any promotional material that you already have and any relevant competitor material.

3. Consider and present the best options
Your copywriter will suggest options for your promotional copy. For example, they’ll offer advice on what website pages to consider, the structure of client proposals or the optimal amount of information for a brochure or flier.

4. Read through the information collected
Before writing, your copywriter will review their briefing notes and research, highlighting the ‘must haves’ and collating them into a logical order and format. They’ll look for any comments you’ve made that really capture the essence of what you’re trying to say.

5. Write a headline
Writing a great headline can be the most time consuming part of the writing process and where budgets permit, a copywriter will try between 10 and 20 headlines. Why so many? The headline grabs the reader’s attention and gives them an incentive to read on. So it’s got to be right.

6. 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. And copywriters are master re-writers. They’ll write, then leave that copy for as long as possible, then review it with new eyes. Sure this takes more time, yet it gives you a better end result.

7. Review the ‘must haves’
Once the copy is the best it can be, your copywriter will review it against the list of ‘must haves’. When time and budget permits, they’ll again ‘sleep on’ the changes and review the copy once more before sending it to you.

8. Proofread the copy
The person that wrote something is generally not the best proofreader of their work. Despite this, your copywriter will check punctuation, spelling and grammar.

9. Discuss any required changes with you
Once you’ve reviewed the copy, your copywriter will discuss any changes you require; it is very rare that you’ll want no changes at all. The changes are made and the copy sent back to you.

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

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 proofreader 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.

Let it snow!

The ski season is over for another year. This year, I made it to the snow — eventually. As with anything in life, there is never a good time. There are simply too many competing priorities. Sometimes though, it’s good to take in the shingle and escape, even if it’s only for a few days. The experience is nearly always educational.

5 Things skiing has taught me about life and business:

1. When you get to a crossroads, it never hurts to look at your map. It’ll keep you going in the right direction, meaning you’ll get there so much quicker and possibly also save half a tank of fuel.

2. Falling down isn’t a sign of failure; it’s a sign of progress. Especially when you absorb the lesson, get up and keep going, stronger than ever.

3. Learning anything new is an evolution of skills. Though they’re not very efficient, you have to start with the basics. As you gain confidence, you develop a technique that is more efficient and effective.

4. The better your technique, the less strain on your body, the longer you can keep going and the more enjoyment you can get.

5. It isn’t always about being the fastest or the first to the bottom. To be truly successful, you need to take the time to lift up those who have fallen.

The great split challenge

Recently we had a karate grading and I am now officially an orange belt. Next comes green and then purple. Yes, I’m working on getting the whole rainbow. The thing that I’ve noticed though, is that in the last two months my ability to do the splits has declined. In fact, my overall leg flexibility seems on the wane. And of course, as always, there’s a lesson in this.

Sometimes we enter the fray with great gusto and enthusiasm. We think we’ll travel in a straight line to our goal — a nice straight line with no bumps or diversions. Perhaps there is a bit of delusion in our original vision. No one who’s ever achieved a goal would say it was smooth sailing. Besides if everything went to plan, what would we learn along the way?

Will keep you posted on progress.

Saying to Soar By

There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly.

Buckminster Fuller

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

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