I do copywriting, not to be confused with "copyright" which deals with authors' rights and intellectual property.
Same pronunciation, but they are completely different fields of expertise!
If you want to
put content on your website that helps convert visitors into buyers;
maintain regular contact with your prospects and customers through a newsletter;
set up a sales page for your online products;
showcase your customers’ success stories on your website
then you’re in the right place! Send me a note or contact me on LinkedIn to discuss. Or book a call directly.
However, if you have written a song and you hear another song that sounds a lot like yours, and you want to know what to do… I can’t help you!
Copywriting is a form of marketing that uses persuasive writing to get a reader to take action. It is part of the sales process.
There is a misconception that the only thing that copywriters do is sell, sell, sell, but it is much more than that.
While selling is often the goal of copywriting, it's not always about the exchange of money.
The real goal is to persuade the reader take action. This action could be for the reader to:
subscribe to something;
join something;
click on a link to get more information;
provide information;
purchase something;
remain loyal toward a brand or to a service;
and more.
Since copywriting aims to persuade readers, it is the best way to increase leads and sales.
You can also use copywriting to create a relationship with a new reader or maintain and nurture an existing client relationship.
Have questions? Send me a note or contact me on LinkedIn to discuss. Or book a call directly.
Simply put, a copywriter uses persuasive writing techniques to get a reader to take action.
To write the copy, a copywriter has to understand the product or service, must do research (it can be as simple as Google searches, or can go as far as interviews or even running experiments), and identify the best way to present the copy.
Then the copywriter uses his or her persuasive writing skills to write the appropriate copy.
The main difference between copywriting and other forms of writing is the intent behind it.
Copywriting is not journalism, although some journalism techniques can apply.
Copywriting is not fiction, but you can use many storytelling techniques to make copy more persuasive.
With copywriting, you always aim for a reader to act. The copywriter accompanies the reader along the path to take that action.
Copywriting takes different forms and appears at all steps of the customer journey.
At the awareness stage, it provides information to readers who may not be aware of the company's or the product's existence. Or, they may be aware of the product but not know what it can do. At the awareness stage, copywriting helps to educate the reader.
At the consideration stage, copywriting attracts prospects interested in getting to know the product or the services better. At this stage, the customer is evaluating options to determine what to buy. Copywriting focuses why the product or service is ideal for the prospect.
At the purchase stage, copywriting persuades the client to buy a product or service.
At the retention stage, you use copywriting to keep up the interest of your clients. Businesses can also use copywriting to send the client back to the awareness stage whenever a new product or service becomes available.
There is no point in the life of a business where copywriting does not have its place. It simply takes a different form.
If you want to understand what type of content might work best for you, send me a note or contact me on LinkedIn to discuss. Or book a call directly.
There are two primary copywriting flavors: business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-consumer (B2C). They are different because, in one case, you are presenting products and services to a company using a less personal, yet just as persuasive, style.
In the B2C approach, you target a single individual. So the copy must be such that the reader has the impression that it was written only for them. The language, the approach, and the overall tone will be different from B2B.
Within these two flavors, copywriting takes multiple forms:
Search engine optimization is copy that takes advantage of search engine features so web pages rate higher in search results.
Content marketing (usually blogs or articles, but also includes case studies and white papers) where the first goal is to educate and entertain the reader. These are generally shorter forms of copy—about 1000 words—but research shows that longer pieces (more than 3,000 words) perform better if it is written appropriately.
Digital marketing is anything that appears on websites. Much of copywriting has moved from print marketing to digital marketing, even though print marketing is still very popular and successful.
Email marketing includes newsletters, press releases, and other recurring information sent weekly, monthly, or even quarterly.
E-commerce marketing concerns descriptions of products on e-commerce websites. Copywriting makes the products more attractive to the buyer.
Social media marketing, is content that is published on social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram).
Other forms such as podcasts—yes, many copywriters write out podcasts for hosts—videos such as those on YouTube, and even website audits to verify that the content on your website helps you be found more easily.
As with anything, it depends. You can get short copy for as little as $100, and massive sales letters (which can easily be 25 to 50 pages) for $5000 or more... plus royalties. It really depends on the format and on your goals.
Send me a note or contact me on LinkedIn to discuss your next project. Or book a call directly.
Storytelling is a tool in a copywriter’s arsenal. When done properly, it entertains the reader and makes them want to read more. When done improperly, it can be cringe-inducing!
Study after study shows that storytelling is one of the most effective ways to transmit information. You do it every day, without realizing it.
If you start a sentence by saying, “For example,” or “Listen to what happened to me,” or “Did you hear about,” then you are using storytelling.
The difference between a copywriter’s use of storytelling and everyday storytelling is intent: a copywriter wants to persuade someone to act.
P.S. Wow, you read until the end. So you can take the next step: send me a note or contact me on LinkedIn to discuss. Or book a call directly.