If you’ve never experienced working with a copywriter before, it can be challenging to know where to start. Especially as you’ve probably enlisted the support of a professional to make your life easier, the last thing you want to do is inadvertently make it more difficult.
With this in mind, we’ve put together a list of top tips to make working with your chosen copywriter as simple and as effective as possible.
Sharing is Caring
The best copywriting is authentic and detailed, giving a clear indication that the writer knows what they’re talking about.
Unfortunately, when you begin working with a copywriter, they don’t absorb every detail about your business via osmosis (we wish we did!), which means you may have to step in to show them the ropes. Sharing as much information as you can about your business will help your copywriter to produce content that sounds real and authentic to your business.
You’ll need to let them know about:
- Your business in general – what do you do? What do you sell?
- Your target audience – who are your ideal customers? Who do you want to target with this copy?
- Your business ethos and message – what does your business stand for? Is there an important message that you would like to shine through each piece of content?
By sharing this information with your copywriter, you’ll ensure they’re given the opportunity to know your business off by heart. This means that instead of sounding like an external party writing from an outside perspective, they’ll sound as if they’ve been an integral part of your business for years.
What’s the Point?
When working with a copywriter, it’s essential they’re given a clear direction when they write for your business. Instead of just telling them what to write, it’s always an idea to let them know what the point of the piece is.
You should determine:
- Where the copy will be used (social media, website, newsletter etc)
- Why you wanted it written in the first place and what you hope it will achieve
- What you’d like a reader to do as a result of reading the piece (sign up to your newsletter, buy something, follow you on social media etc)
By sharing this with your copywriter, you’ll ensure that they’re able to write with clear intentions in mind. Based on the information you’ve given them, they’ll be able to tailor their writing to ensure it achieves the goals you have in mind, not only making the content more valuable to the readers but to your business too.
Anything but Ordinary
You want your copy to stand out. That’s probably why you opted to start working with a copywriter in the first place – you want them to write something that will set your business apart from the rest.
While this is absolutely possible and is precisely what good copy should do, it’s important to give your copywriter something to work with. Consider what makes your business unique. Is it that your business is family-run? Is there something unique about your business journey? Have you scaled from a one-man-band to a full-blown limited company? Is there something unique about the products or services you’re offering?
Determining your unique selling points and sharing these with your copywriter will allow them to utilise these aspects in the copy they produce for you. It’ll highlight to your readers that your company is anything but ordinary, intriguing them and encouraging them to delve deeper into what you have to offer. The more unique your company (and your copy) is, the more interested potential customers will be.
Get Connecting
There’s only so much connecting you can do via email. Without meeting face to face, it can be difficult to gauge someone’s personality or energy, which is vital when it comes to creating authentic copy.
Here at The Edwards Company, we love having a quick phone or zoom call with new clients. This gives us an opportunity to really get a feel for their business and also opens up conversations that we probably wouldn’t have had over email! We can then take this information and permeate their copy with it, giving it the personality and the human touch it needs to ensure it resonates with their target audience.
If you’re working with a copywriter for the first time, consider giving them a call for a chat!
Back in Time
One incredibly helpful thing you can do to ensure your copywriter knows your business as well as possible is to share your past marketing materials with them.
Doing so will give them an idea of what you’ve been sharing with your target audience previously. They’ll be able to determine the typical language, tone and style you use in your content and will either be able to replicate this for you or make some changes depending on your requirements.
Sharing marketing materials that both have and have not worked in the past will tell your copywriter what to aim for and what to avoid at all costs. Not only will this make the process easier for your copywriter but will also reduce the number of edits required and thus shorten the turnaround period.
Keep an Open Mind
Looking at your business from an outside perspective sometimes gives copywriters fresh ideas about what could work for you. When these ideas are something you’ve not been used to, it can feel a bit daunting to make a change.
While you don’t need to say yes to everything your copywriter suggests, it is important to keep an open mind and be open to their suggestions. As specialists in their field, it is always the main aim of your copywriter to produce content that will help your business, rather than hinder it. Hear out their ideas and try to be open to change, no matter how small – it could make a huge difference!
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
Working with a copywriter works best when you work as a team. Sharing as much information as possible with them, being open to ideas and suggestions and discussing the purpose of your copy are all great starting points.
However, this should continue throughout the process. Often, the copy your copywriter produces won’t be perfect the first time around. You may have thought of something else you want to add or something you want to remove, or you may decide that the tone you selected isn’t working the way you thought it would. This is absolutely fine! All copy begins as a work in progress, but it’s important that you communicate your edit suggestions with your copywriter.
This will give them the opportunity to draft and redraft, incorporating your suggestions and thus producing content that really works for your business. Keep the conversations flowing – it’s the best way to get copy that converts!
Working with a Copywriter at The Edwards Company
Working with a copywriter is exciting. It opens up a multitude of opportunities for you to really hone your marketing methods and could mean big things for your business if your new copy really hits the mark. Ensuing it does hit the mark is all about keeping open communication with your copywriter. The more you share about your business, ideas, and preferences, the better the final product will be.
If you’re in the market for a copywriter, please do not hesitate to get in touch. Here at The Edwards Company, our content creation team love nothing more than getting to know our clients and their businesses so they can produce compelling copy that converts.
We’re looking forward to writing with you!