What is copywriting and can’t anyone do it?

Anyone can write but is a specialist skill to write well. By letting an untrained or non-specialised writer loose on your marketing content you could end up doing more harm than good, writes Kat Mitchell.

Copywriting is something that touches on most areas of the marketing mix. From sales and display advertising materials, through to press releases and blog posts, your marketing team will have used their copywriting specialist to hone the words to make sure every single one counts.

Not every marketing team includes someone with true writing skills. The result can be clumsy or insensitive communications which end up rubbing your clients and prospects up the wrong way.

So what do you do when that specialist skill isn’t available to you in house?

Choosing a writer

There are a lot of copywriters out there but it is important that you choose one who is right for your company.

Ask colleagues and friends in the same industry if they have worked with any good copywriters. The best copywriters will leave happy clients behind them happily passing on recommendations. The majority of our copywriting business at Brandon Consulting Services comes to us via referrals.

Reach out to those recommended to see what their availability is like.

Questions to ask at this point include:

• Do you charge on an hourly or per word rate? Or can you charge a fixed fee on a project basis?
• Are you currently working on any projects for our direct competitors?
• Which markets do you specialise in?
• Is your background corporate or media content? Or a combination?
• Are you insured and what kind of contracts do you provide?
• Am I talking to who would be doing the actual work?

Some agencies will pitch for the work with someone senior, but a lot of the actual work will be done by the junior staff. You want to avoid this situation if you can. Make sure who you are meeting with is who will do all the work on your account.

Beware of writers who say they have no specialism! There is a certain amount of truth to the saying ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ when it comes to copywriting. No one single person can really be an expert on every area of every single business and market in the world and you want someone who understands the market you operate in to be working on your content.

Writers who do not provide any kind of contract or assurances should also be approached with caution. You need to make sure your intellectual property is protected, and they don’t rehash your content for use elsewhere.

Once you have one or more possible writers in mind ask to see some of their previous work. They should be able to demonstrate their expertise in your market and the kind of content you are looking for.

If you like the look of their previous work, then embark on a trial project before agreeing to any big pieces of work or retainer contracts. Every writer has their own style and you should make sure that you work well together.

What is it you do?

Content is king at Brandon Consulting Services.

We specialise in distilling complex topics and information into clear, understandable, and interesting content.

We work on a wide range of content including:

• Digital and print newsletters
• Blogs and social media
• Educational content
• Thought leadership and long-form content such as white papers
• Contributed articles for professional bodies and media outlets
• Brochures and sales collateral
• Website
• Video and rich media

We also work with clients to help define their content marketing strategy and plans.

We work with clients the way they like to work. Some prefer to give us a full detailed brief, others like to give us a woollier brief and a free reign. Other clients like to do a combination of both dependent on each individual project.

Integrated marketing campaigns are our bread and butter so, where required, we love the excuse to take a piece of content and make sure you get the best bang for your buck by combining it with our PR and other marketing communications services.

Get in touch today to learn more about how we can help you.