Yes, I know, let’s not state the obvious. Clearly a copywriter writes copy. But it’s not just as simple as sitting down and letting the words flow. Good copy takes time develop.
Similar creative skills
One of the most common queries copywriters receive is “why does it take so long”?
Well think about an artist who takes time to come up with their creative ideas before they start sketching or painting. Or consider how a songwriter composes their work, often in stages with several iterations, they rarely just sit down and suddenly sing a song!
And the same is true of a copywriter. While we do have a head full of words and are always absorbing the writing that surrounds us every day, when it comes to drafting a newsletter or writing a script, it’s a process to even reach that first draft.
Brief, research, think…then start writing
The client brief
The first thing that happens is I receive a brief from a client. Sometimes this is face-to-face, sometimes over the phone and sometimes just by email. A good brief should be thorough, contain information about what the actual job is, as well as background information about the subject matter, the company, the target audience and the desired impact the job should have, eg educate, inform, drive sales or click throughs.
Usually I will have some follow-up questions about the brief, to clarify requirements or information supplied, so this may involve a few email exchanges or time on the phone.
Getting to know your subject
After the brief, it’s time to get more familiar with the subject I’m going to be writing about. A good copywriter isn’t afraid of taking on a new area that they haven’t written about before. Over the years, while I’ve specialised in finance, legal services and real estate, I’ve also written about recruitment, construction workwear, drone technology and artificial intelligence to name a few things…
Even if the topic is an industry I’ve worked in previously, I still take time to fully research the relevant subject for this particular job, reading through any supplementary information provided by the client and familiarising myself with any specific keywords or phrases that are important.
Words need a supportive structure
Filled with all this new information, the next step is to think about how to structure the piece I’m writing. Everything has a beginning, middle and end but it might surprise you to know that you don’t always write it in that order. For longer pieces, it’s often easier to write the main body of the copy first, and then come back to the introduction and the conclusion.
If the job is for a website or other online medium, then the use of sub headings is really important as long blocks of text just don’t work here. Readers scan through content quickly, so headings are a useful visual cue to help someone make up their mind whether the page or article is something they’re interested in and will take time to go back and read in full.
Whereas for a newsletter or longer article, it might be important to think about breaking up the content into sections and really build a story. Suggesting to the client where to integrate images or callout boxes to highlight key messages is also helpful.
And as for headlines, well they can just pop into your head at any time, so I usually have a notepad with me to scribble things down in at the most random times…either that or making notes in my phone is another favourite!
Putting words on paper
Finally, it’s time to start filling that blank sheet of paper with some beautifully crafted words. And after much rapid key tapping, delete, more key tapping, more delete…a break for a cup of tea…and more key tapping, a first draft eventually emerges.
It’s at this stage that I usually walk away from the laptop. I find it’s very unproductive to continually read over that draft, as I’ve been so immersed in the words while writing, and I can start to read what I think is there and not what’s actually there. By taking a short break and coming back to it with fresh eyes and a clear head, I have a far more objective perspective and can then refine as needed.
Are we all done now?
After a few more read throughs, tweaking, checking against the original client brief and of course spell checking (!) it’s time to send the first draft to the client.
So that only took an hour right..? And we haven’t even factored in time for the back and forth with any amends yet.
Do you have a similar experience with clients not understanding the process of drafting copy?