Mastering the art of copywriting can take years of experience.
It’s important to enjoy writing, if you’re going to make this your trade.
Copywriting can be an amazing career, especially today. In today’s digitally focused world of marketing, where great online content can generate serious income, top-notch writing skills are critical to attracting and converting customers.
For those who need to polish and perfect their writing skills, we have a list of 25 best copywriting books and resources that will bring your writing abilities to current standards.
Ready?
Learn and get started with techniques taught by the greats right away, and watch your own copywriting skills come to life!
Enhance Your Copywriting Skills With These 25 Awesome Books for Copywriters
Robert Bly’s copywriting handbook helps you turn bland copy into persuasive and meaningful content. He also offers advice on web marketing, e-mail marketing, and multimedia presentations. The book includes 15 techniques to ensure that your e-mails are opened, and 11 ways to make your copy more readable. The Copywriter’s Handbook serves as a valuable book of reference for common copy writing needs.
2. Everybody Writes: The Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content — By Ann Handley
The power of superior content writing is at the turn of every page in Ann Handley’s book. She offers practical advise for publishing content that makes an impact, along with the secrets behind content that helps bring businesses to authority status. For a copywriting guide that packs a punch, Everybody Writes just might be the right choice for you.
3. The Adweek Copywriting Handbook: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Powerful Advertising and Marketing Copy from One of America’s Top Copywriters — By Joseph Sugarman
Looking to learn how to motivate your buyers? The Adweek Copywriting Handbook by Joseph Sugarman is yet another solid reference source for writing top-notch copy. Joseph demonstrates how to write effective copy that sells product, but he doesn’t skimp on the creativity. This book is easy to follow and serves as the perfect guide for writing snappy and creative ad copy.
Yet another hit by Robert Bly, The Online Copywriter’s Handbook is an all-in-one demonstration guide to writing copy that turns into conversions. Catering to multiple online media platforms, Robert focuses in on the best copywriting techniques for websites, landing pages, e-mail marketing, and more. Don’t miss out on this handbook if you are looking for an all-inclusive guide to online copywriting.
5. Creating Fat Content: Boost Website Traffic with Visitor-Grabbing, Google-Loving Web Content — By Dr. Andy Williams
Dr. Williams’ book on web content emphasizes the power behind content that feeds the search engines. In order to get the most mileage out of your online copy writing, you should aim for a balance between pleasing both your audience and the search engines. He gives clear examples for content that converts and content that falls flat. Creating Fat Content explains exactly how to write great content all while boosting traffic.
Content creators come in all forms these days. This author breaks down includes 22 errors to avoid when writing content, along with 9 tips for empowering your writing skills. The author takes this book a step further and includes 28 honest questions for discovering your own writing voice. As a content creator, you are the voice of your brand. This book will help you find that voice and empower your writing skills.
Everyone loves a step-by-step guide, especially when it comes to copywriting that will sell your products and services. This kickass copywriting book helps small business owners understand the methods behind powerful writing. Susan offers clear concept on how to effectively market small businesses with content, and she also uses real-world examples with emotional triggers. This book is a must-buy for small business owners who are new to content writing.
8. 2k to 10k: Writing Faster, Writing Better, and Writing More of What You Love — By Rachel Aaron
Nearly everyone wants to write better, but what about writing faster? With content essentially flooding the market, serious writers need to keep pace with the endless stream of demand. 2k to 10k demonstrates exactly how writers can take their ho-hum daily word count to beyond what they have imagined capable. Rachel shows her readers how to double their word counts while still maintaining the quality of their writing. For busy bloggers to newbies, 2k to 10k can help you write better and faster.
9. Breakthrough Copywriting: How To Generate Quick Cash With The Written Word — By David Garfinkel
Looking for a few inside secrets in the copywriting industry? Breakthrough Copywriting gives business owners the know-how to writing copy that generates a profit. The book outlines exactly how to craft world class copy that sells your products almost every time. Breakthrough Copywriting helps you zone into your target audience by establishing emotional connections and tap into their subconscious.
This book is short, sweet, and gives great guidance for helping yourself write stellar copy. At only 56 pages long, this book is highly reviewed for its conversational tone and straightforward approach to copywriting. This book emphasizes the importance of the human touch in copywriting, while steering readers away from writing like robots. It will help inspire new bloggers and startups while giving specific examples of quality content writing.
11. The Idea Writers: Copywriting in a New Media and Marketing Era — By Teressa Iezzi
The Idea Writers offers copywriting tips from a unique angle. Teressa dives deep into the new rules of copywriting in the form of the digital age. She emphasizes that customers consume information on multi-channel levels, with not only written content, but video and beyond. She describes how the advertising copywriter has evolved over the last 50 years, and how we must change our style of copywriting to reach a more modern customer base.
Are you tripped up over what to write on your home page? What about your about us page? How to Write Seductive Web Copy gives new writers an edge on how to write copy for your own website like a pro. This how-to is dubbed as a practical guide that tells you how to write, as well as what to write about. It also offers multiple techniques on updating your existing web copy into something that’s unforgettable.
13. High Conversion E-Mail Copywriting: 50 E-Mail Marketing Copywriting Tips to Increase Your Rates by 30% or More — By Scott Frothingham
E-mail marketing remains as a top marketing technique in 2015, but getting your copy just right can be a challenge. In High Conversion E-mail Copywriting, Scott offers pro advice and tricks on getting customers to open your e-mails, turning them into sales. Better yet, Scott offers a 50-point checklist that every copywriter should keep on hand when starting a new e-mail campaign.
14. Phrases That Sell: The Ultimate Phrase Finder to Help You Promote Your Products, Services, and Ideas — By Edward Werz
Have you ever been stuck with wondering what to say? With Phrases That Sell, the thought on the tip of your tongue will flow seamlessly into your copywriting. Edward showcases thousands of words, phrases, and slogans that can be applied to almost any kind of marketing. Not only does the author spell out the best phrases to say, he also helps his readers generate their own ideas on the spot.
15. How to Write Magnetic Headlines: The Fundamental Guide to the Most Important Copywriting Skill on the Planet — By Copyblogger Media
One of the most well respected content marketing agencies in the industry crafted the perfect guide to writing headlines in this eBook. When it comes to writing compelling headlines, it’s sink or swim. With 80 percent of customers reading your headline and only 20 percent clicking through, you only have one chance to grab your customer’s attention. This book gives you the inside scoop on writing headlines that click with your customer.
16. Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business — By Ann Handley and C.C. Chapman
Copywriting is all about customer engagement, and you can’t go wrong with the tips contained in Content Rules. Whether you are looking to perfect your copy for your blog, eBook, or video, these tips for copywriting and marketing will help make your sale soar. This book offers a comprehensive and how-to angle on creating the best content possible.
While some of us may be attempting to dominate national (and international) search terms, there are others who are focusing on a much smaller scale. Choice of Words for Local Marketers helps small businesses understand the power of local content marketing and the impact it can have on their business. The book also helps small business owners understand the varieties of content marketing and how to reach more customers with copywriting.
18. Web Copy That Sells: The Revolutionary Formula for Creating Killer Copy That Grabs Their Attention and Compels Them to Buy —By Maria Veloso
The title may be a mouthful, but this book is a practical guide for crafting web copywriting that sells. The author helps writers perfect their skills for copywriting on multiple mediums, including online video scripting, tips for Facebook ads, and even test copy to help maximize your response rate.
We already have a book on phrases that sell, but what about a solid selection of power words? In Words That Sell, Revised and Expanded Edition, there are over 6,000 words that help copywriters promote their products and services. Even if you’re not looking to completely overhaul your copy, this book can help with tweaks that can yield surprising results.
20. Copywriting 101: The Fundamental Guide to Writing Compelling Copy That Sells Your Product, Service, or Idea — By Copyblogger Media
This is the third Copyblogger book on our list, and with good reason. This eBook covers the art and science of copywriting that captivates and moves product. It offers the basic fundamentals of great copywriting, all in one convenient and affordable eBook.
21. Writing for the Web: Creating Compelling Web Content Using Words, Pictures, and Sound — By Lynda Felder
The mysteries of writing for the web are unraveled in this book, as author Lynda Felder breaks down the basics of creating compelling web content. She uses visuals and straightforward instructions for web-focused writing techniques. This book is great for beginners and it’s noted as very easy to follow and understand.
Letting Go of the Words helps you create copy that not only enhances user experience, but also boosts search engine traffic. Janice ties in the value of content creation along with SEO in this popular second edition of Letting Go of the Words.
23. Clout: The Art and Science of Influential Web Content (Voices That Matter) — By Colleen Jones
Clout is the copywriters’ guide to creating the best content possible for a variety of websites. Even if you aren’t experienced in copywriting and content creation, Clout helps readers easily understand the value of quality content and how to
24. Copywriting: Successful Writing for Design, Advertising and marketing — By Mark Shaw
Those that don’t write copy may see the craft as a talent only existing among the few. However, that mindset will change when you dive into Copywriting by Mark Shaw. He demonstrates the steps for what it takes to become a successful copywriter in the world of marketing, and how you can put yourself on the path to success with the written word.
With the mindset of you can write copy, too, Copywriting For The Rest of Us includes easy steps to becoming the best copywriter possible. The ability to write motivational copy is essential if you are looking to promote your brand and generate cash online, and Copywriting For The Rest of Us will help you put your words into action.
Conclusion: Read These Books & Learn Copywriting from the Greats
These copywriting books and resources should help you know what steps to take next in your marketing and writing journey.
While you might not become a pro overnight, following the steps, formulas and advice in these books will enhance your skills and help boost sales.
Here’s to your content writing and copywriting chops! ?
As someone who likes to travel, I love to pick up fun tourist shirts and souvenirs. One especially humorous shirt said, “No, we don’t have kangaroos in Austria.” It’s funny how just a few letters can make a world of difference in meaning.
The terms copywriting and copyrighting often receive the same mix-ups. Though, no one has made a shirt about it yet, at least that I have found.
As a copyWRITING business, this copywrite vs. copyright mix-up is a little more personal, as we are not prepared to take on copyRIGHTING jobs. So we wanted to remove any confusion between the two.
The Difference Between Copywrite vs. Copyright
While they sound very similar, the two terms have entirely unrelated meanings.
Let’s break those meanings down for you:
Copywrite: Copywriting is creating marketing, advertising, and other business-related text.
Copyright: Copyrighting is acquiring the legal rights to intellectual property.
Here’s an easy way to differentiate copywriting vs. copyrighting.
CopyWRITErs are people who WRITE content, usually for businesses. They are very knowledgeable about business, marketing, and the proper use of the Oxford comma. Meanwhile, a copyRIGHTer is a legal expert who helps people obtain the RIGHTS to their intellectual property.
Even the term copy has different meanings. For copywriters, copy refers to materials or content that they write. However, copyrighters deal with people who want to duplicate another’s property, so copy in that sense refers to the legal right to duplication.
Now that you know the basic difference between copywrite and a copyright, let’s go a little deeper into who a copywriter is and why they might just be the person you didn’t know you needed most.
What Is Copywriting?
Are you confused yet? Hopefully not, because we will break this down even further for you. Copywriting does not fit neatly into a box and often overlaps with its many content cousins. Here’s a look at some of the other terms you might have heard before:
Copywriting: Writing with the intent to persuade, sell, or move the reader toward an action.
Content writing: Writing with the intent to entertain and educate the reader.
Technical writing: Writing industry-specific content that requires a knowledge on a deeper level than a Wikipedia article.
Can a copywriter be a technical writer? Yes! Can a copywriter be a content writer? Yes! Can someone be all three? Absolutely! The name might change, but the person doesn’t have to. The category that content falls into depends on the content you are creating.
For example, manuals and guides would fall into the technical writing category. However, you would hire a content writer if you wanted an eBook.
Marketers want to work with copywriters because they are people who understand the subtle nuances of content marketing.
Here’s another interesting fact: all copywriters are content writers, but not all content writers are copywriters. In other words, all copywriters should know how to entertain, engage, and educate the reader since those are pillars of content marketing. However, not all content writers understand how to transform educational content into content that converts.
Copywriters can create any type of persuasive content. If there are words, and those words have a persuasive goal, a copywriter most likely wrote them.
An eBook on marketing? Yes.
A blog post on exercising equipment? Yes.
A billboard? Yes.
The ingredients on your soup can? Probably not. However, a copywriter most likely helped create the label content so it’s appealing and marketable.
Here are some of the most common projects our clients order:
While these are the projects we receive the most, we have also had fun creating slogans for clients, developing branding content, and even creating food label text. There really is no limit to what content you can have a copywriter help you create.
What Is a Copywriter?
What does a copywriter do?
Based on the VERY brief definition we gave at the start, you might picture a copywriter as a keyboard warrior who likes writing up overly verbose emails or spending fifteen minutes throwing together a blog post.
Let’s scrap that image and start fresh.
While a copywriter’s primary function is writing copy, the job involves much more. A copywriter is also a:
Researcher
Data analyst
Editor
Avid coffee drinker
While the last one is optional, it does help copywriters handle the sheer volume of work that comes with even a single blog post. A quality blog post is not simple at all. 2020, the average blog post took 3 hours and 55 minutes to create. What’s even more surprising is that the time it takes to craft a blog post has grown. But so has the writer’s job description.
Here is another way to think about it. If you live in a small town with only one restaurant, and that restaurant serves mediocre food, what’s the chance you’d still go there? Probably pretty high because if you need a meal and don’t have the food or energy to cook, that’s your only option.
But what if a dozen other restaurants had much better quality food? You would probably go somewhere else.
As the internet has grown, so has the digital content available. There are about 1.13 billion websites online. Creating mediocre content just won’t cut it.
Not only is there more competition, but audience expectations are rising. People expect more personal experiences, niche content, and engaging interactions. Copywriters aren’t just putting words on paper. They’re helping businesses stand out from the crowd, building relationships through those words, and crafting experiences that will keep those readers engaged, ultimately converting them into customers.
Here’s a breakdown of some of a copywriter’s specific tasks:
Researcher
Before a copywriter adds a single word to their document, they research. The purpose is to understand the business, audience, and content fully. They also want to understand the content’s purpose.
Creating content just to throw words into the void is not an effective use of anyone’s budget. Instead, copywriters who know what they’re doing focus on the content’s purpose. Remember, they are master persuaders. And that starts with knowing what action the reader should take. That action is the content’s goal.
The copywriter also wants to understand the audience so they know just how to motivate the audience to take that action. Is there a problem the audience needs solved or a solution that would improve the reader’s life? Knowing that gives the copywriter a unique angle from which to write.
Understanding the business helps the writer know the style, tone, products, and unique selling points of the company so they can sound just like the business and create a consistent experience for visitors.
Data Analyst
Many well-trained copywriters double as an SEO expert. However, you can also work with a separate SEO strategist and copywriter.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is creating digital content for search engines. Since 68% of online experiences begin in search engines like Google and Bing (with Google dominating that market), your search appearance plays a massive role in your business’s success.
An overwhelming 92.26% of website traffic comes from Google searches, Images, and maps. People search for information, and your digital content appears on search pages to provide the answers.
However, creating content is not enough to gain the traffic. Most people don’t sift through pages of search results. Rather, they are content with what appears on the first page. That’s where SEO comes in. You want to optimize your content to raise your chances of appearing on that first page. You also want to optimize your headline and description to engage the reader so they want to click your link.
When SEO copywriters create content, they keep those searches in mind. They can pull relevant and trending keywords to boost your website traffic using their data analytic training.
Writer
Writing is where the copywriter shines brightest. They are word artists, crafting beautiful images and evoking powerful emotions with a few words on a document.
But, writing is not always as exciting as a Hallmark movie where the journalist writes from a Sunkissed balcony. Instead, most copywriters stare at blank pages, crafting outlines, returning to their research, hunting down information, and eventually carefully forming sentences that persuade, convince, engage, and convert readers.
While the process may not look glamorous, the results speak for themselves. According to 89% of marketers, quality content has a higher ROI than traditional marketing.
Editor
Writing doesn’t end at the last sentence. The next step is editing. Even the most experienced copywriter edits their work.
The first draft a writer creates is called the rough draft because it’s just that. Rough. The writer is just trying to move all the thoughts from their head onto paper. Once those thoughts are on the paper, the editing begins.
Copywriters look for grammatical, structural, and punctuation errors. They also are looking for readability.
Even writers who have a personal editor will first edit the copy themselves. Then, they’ll use the editor to double-check the copy.
Why You Need a Copywriter in Your Life
You need content if you want to succeed as a business. Without content, you cannot communicate and connect with your customers. The extent of your content creation is up to you and your goals.
It might be a simple website, a few product listings, and a handful of ads, or you may go all in with emails, newsletters, social media, and regular blog posts.
Most businesses recognize the merits of content marketing, especially digital marketing, which is why 65% have a designated budget specifically for digital marketing. Can you guess where most of that budget goes? That’s right, to copywriting.
What benefits can quality copywriting provide? About 72% of marketers say they saw increased engagement, 88% saw improved search engine ranking, and 51% saw greater brand loyalty.
Let’s look at just how a copywriter might transform your business.
1. More Website Traffic and Leads
A quality copywriter, their experience, and their prior research will be able to craft a customized reading experience that brings in traffic and captures leads.
Google is more likely to penalize mass-produced, low-quality content. However, a copywriter knows how to write content that Google is more likely to rank high in search results, bringing in more traffic to your business.
2. More Time and Less Cost
A designated copywriter will save your business time. Content takes HOURS! If you don’t have someone with that time set aside, you will pull crucial employees away from their tasks.
In addition, when someone isn’t trained as a copywriter, they may take even more time writing and editing the copy.
A copywriter knows how to maximize their time and resources to produce the highest quality content within your marketing budget.
3. Improved Brand Image
Your content is your brand’s voice. Having a copywriter improves that brand’s voice and image. The copywriter can transform information into inspirational ideas and engaging solutions.
You will become a brand people connect with, trust, and want to work with.
4. Higher Conversion Rates
Only a highly trained copywriter can write content that consistently converts.
Conversion copy leads readers through a story of problems followed by solutions and ends with an action the reader will want to take.
Do You Have a Copywriter Supporting Your Growth?
No matter what project you’re working on or the team you’re working with, you will need educational materials, marketing campaigns, emails, and effective communication.
It all comes back to copywriting.
There is no need to stress over where you’ll find these communication superheroes. We have them right here.
At Express Writers, we trained a team of subject matter experts in persuasive copywriting, engaging content writing, and complex technical writing. We also taught our writers how to optimize for search engines, perform in-depth research, and craft content that converts.
Our writers offer all you need in a quality copywriter in one convenient service package.
Contact us to discuss the best service package for you and start seeing the benefits of having a personal copywriter.
A craveable, delicious, delightful blog post isn’t much different from a pastry.
As long as you follow the recipe, steps included, you will create a post your readers are hungry to devour – and might even return for more.
The good news is you won’t make a special trip to the grocery store to get started on the perfect blog post. Everything you need is in your virtual pantry – you just didn’t realize it.
Writing a blog post, especially in today’s competitive market, is intimidating. Once you break it down and understand the ingredients, however, you can whip up these readable bits on the fly and stay up with the trends for the future of blogging in 2023.
So, What Do You Need to Craft the Perfect Blog Post in 2023?
The future of blogging has certainly changed. What worked last year doesn’t necessarily apply today. Therefore, staying up on the latest blogging and SEO trends is essential so that you know what Google expects – and, more importantly, what today’s reader wants.
The Perfect Blog Recipe
Before you start to type, you want to make sure you have the following essentials ready to add to the mixing bowl:
1 click-worthy title
1 attention-keeping introduction
A pinch of creativity
A few cups of informative, scannable subheaders
A splash of succinct body copy
A handful of authoritative research and your expertise
1 part formatting
1 delectable conclusion
A dusting of enthusiasm for the topic
A garnish of passion for your niche
Putting it Altogether – How the Future of Blogging will Change How You Use These Ingredients
As you can see, the ingredients haven’t changed, but how and when you use them has.
We will break down each portion of this recipe so that you know how to mix it all in and get your readers to come back for more.
Creating Your Title
By far one of the most essential ingredients!
Your title sets the stage for what the reader can expect, even determining if they ever get past the SERPs to read your blog.
Spend time on this stage of your recipe. In fact, whatever you title it as your “working” title, be prepared to come back and rework it until it is just right later.
Don’t hastily toss forth the first title you have in mind. Instead, let it sit and rest, and the flavors meld together. Think of title creation as a slow, steady simmer rather than a rapid boil.
A good title mixes intrigue and information and is not too long.
Yes, Google says there is no limit, and the length of your title will not influence your search engine results. Instead, it affects whether or not someone will click on it. The first 60 characters matter the most – so make those count even if you have a 100-character title.
Whatever you do, don’t over-sprinkle in the keywords for your title – not only will it kill your readability factor and turn off any enthusiastic taster, but it will turn away Google too.
Roll Out Your Introduction
Your introduction supports your title. So perhaps you may not create it until you have solidified your intro – and that’s okay.
An introduction requires time and patience. While you will mix up something short, sweet, and enticing, you will also want it to rest a few hours before you revisit and rework it again. While adding a keyword to the introduction is essential, ensure it is not the highlighting flavor.
An introduction gives readers just a taste of what else is to come, but the full flavor doesn’t explode until the end. Of course, if your introduction isn’t tasty enough to keep reading, the end doesn’t matter much.
So, take your time, rework it after the entire blog is done, and ask yourself, would I eat this up?
Never Forget the Power of Creativity
Too many recipes lack creativity.
Think of those five-star restaurants – are they working with “vanilla” recipes used over and over again?
Of course not.
They are hashing out something unique that stays with their branding but still tantalizes the tastebuds.
Never leave out a pinch of creativity in your content – all of your content. Creativity should be tossed in from the start; if you can’t taste it, add more.
Start Rolling Out Subheaders
Subheaders help your reader scan and understand what they are about to digest. They should go in an even flow, make sense, and inform.
Ideally, subheaders are introduced every 300-500 words max (there’s nothing wrong with adding them in fewer words as long as the words in between pack a powerful punch). Subheaders are a great place for optimizing with secondary keywords but don’t overdo it.
Time to Mix in Your Body’s Copy
You have a working title, and you’ve rolled out the subheaders. Now comes the time to mix together your blog’s body.
But before you add anything, do your research. You may be an expert in your niche, but that doesn’t mean you won’t need resources to back up what you say. Today, using authoritative, high-quality links is still a must-have for any recipe. Search Engine Journal states that every site needs credible, authoritative, and trustworthy content – and a reader can’t take you at your word without some citations.
As you mix up that copy, make sure to spice it up enthusiastically. Nothing turns a reader away more than negativity. So, likewise, be as passionate about your niche as you want your reader to be as you create your blog – if you are not excited about it, why should they be?
A few other things to keep in mind while you mix up your body’s copy:
Optimize Gently. Optimizing your content is like working gluten. Too much, and it’s gotten too chewy, stiff, and undesirable. Yes, keywords matter in 2023, but how and where you use them has changed.
Focus on Your Brand’s Authority. What Google praises more than keywords are brand authority and trustworthiness. Ever heard of E-E-A-T? Nowhere in that acronym is keywords. What is, however, is expertise, experience, authority, and trustworthiness.
Be Unique. Today, readers are overwhelmed with choices. You won’t stand out in the crowd if you are the garden variety. Personalization is important.
Focus on the Reader and Not on Google. Yes, Google matters, but the person you are talking to in your blog post is not a search engine but a reader. Center your content’s quality, information, and focus around the reader; you’ll win them every time. Focus on keywords and search engines, and your recipe falls flat each time.
Arrange Your Formatting
No matter where the future of blogging goes, one thing is sure: the wall of text is never coming back.
Today’s reader doesn’t have the patience. Today’s reader prefers the amuse-bouche rather than traditional hors d’oeuvres. They want all of the flavors in a quick little nibble rather than having to enjoy it in a few more bites.
UX planet estimates that readers only take in about 20-28% of the body.
To increase the amount read, make it pretty – after all, we all eat with our eyes and not our stomachs.
Ensure you have an excellent mixture of:
H1, H2s, and H3s to break up the chunks of the body
Sprinkle in bulleted or numbered lists to get to the point
Add images to keep the reader’s attention on the page
Top it Off with a Conclusion
Your conclusion is where you drive action. The reader has stuck with you until the end, so this is an essential piece of content to deliver. Just as with your introduction, keep the conclusion short and sweet. Nothing over-the-top, nothing out of character. Just end the blog on a tasty note with a solid CTA that tells your reader where to go for their next meal.
Let it Rest before You Do the Rest
If you are self-editing your blog posts, you’ve mixed, mashed, sprinkled and dashed, but now it is time to let it rest. A good four to six hours is all your blog post needs before it is picked up again.
Come back refreshed and ready to cut out the fluff, trim the fat, remove unnecessary ingredients in your copy, and add a few more splashes of your brand’s unique voice where it seems suitable.
You’ve Followed the Recipe – Now What?
You’ve followed the recipe, but it is not quite time to plate it.
Before you plate your dish and send it out, you want to make sure you have social media posts and your email newsletter ready to fire off the second your blog goes public. Share across your favorite social media platforms with the same enthusiasm as you did in your piece!
Crafting great content is a lot like creating a great recipe. Not all of us are natural-born chefs, but we don’t have to be. While the future of blogging continually changes, one thing that will never change is the power of hiring talented people to craft your delicious content.
While AI can share the workspace with a traditional writer and editor for content marketing, there is one thing it cannot do – SME content creation.
The only genuine SME (subject matter expert) out there in your niche is, well, you – and the talented freelance writers out there that know your field just as well as you.
More importantly, Google knows it and expects to see that in your content.
What is AI Content Generation?
It seems like almost daily another AI content generation tool is launching.
Some are free, others are paid, but are any of these tools able to truly replace a genuine expert? TechTarget lists 36 AI generation tools in their 2023 guide, and while there are loads of tools to choose from, they are all based on the GPT-3 model.
AI content generation is content that is created by a platform utilizing the GPT-3 model. The content is generated and while marketed to be “new,” it really is not. Think about how AI generators work.
Generative AI tools take keywords, themes, and even voice/tone preferences, and it works to generate a blog, web page, or even a social media post, but it is not creating them out of thin air or using any expertise in the field to offer unique opinions and insights.
Instead, AI generates your content by pulling information from the internet. It searches and scours the thousands of web pages and blogs already out there to piece together information and generate copy.
But, AI Doesn’t Understand What it is Creating….
While it is fascinating to watch AI work, AI has no clue what it is writing. It is solely based on an algorithm pulling data based on your input.
Only a Genuine Industry Expert Knows the Content for their Industry
AI is incredibly fast and can write a blog post quicker than any writer, but because of its limitations in terms of understanding and having any expertise in the niche, it is not a specialist.
Here is where you may hit a speed bump or two, if you are using AI generation for your content marketing:
Let’s Talk about E-E-A-T and How AI Falls Short for Industry Professionals Seeking SME Content Creation
In Google’s February release, they mention guidelines for using AI generation in your content, and make it clear that they reward high quality regardless of how it is produced (whether human-made or AI-generated).
Many took that as a green light to go ahead with AI, but that is not what Google conveyed.
Let’s go back to the double update released in December 2022 when the extra “E” was added to the E-A-T standard, making it now E-E-A-T.
Image Source: Google Update, December 2022, Page 26
What was that extra “E” for?
Experience…
Trust is crucial with Google. Some websites may fall short of the bar, no matter how experienced, professional, or even authoritative they are if they don’t have the reader’s trust, and one example given from Google within their update reveals the most consequential sentence that websites need to pay attention to:
“…the content creator lacks adequate experience” means they will have a low E-E-A-T score.
For example, if the content creator reviews a restaurant, but never ate at the restaurant, they are not experienced or trustworthy, which means they have a low E-E-A-T to Google.
Let’s break it down further by looking at each component of E-E-A-T.
Experience
Experience, in Google’s eyes, offers another level of dimension they can use when evaluating content. Content must demonstrate it was assembled with a degree of experience – after all, a reader will value a person’s content more if they have life experiences on the topic and they are not basing it exclusively on research.
AI has no experience with your topic. Let’s take a look at divorce law, for example.
You want to write a blog for your law firm on the latest guideline changes for calculating child support, but you will find a few speed bumps along the way using AI to do so:
AI typically doesn’t access the latest data – so it may not even know or find the latest guidelines for calculating child support. Worse, it could create a blog on outdated guidelines that it notes as “updated.”
AI has no actual understanding of handling child support cases. AI hasn’t had to calculate what a child support payment would be based on your state, the local laws, or the parent’s income. It has definitely never filled out the child support worksheets – but you have.
If you go off the premise of why “experience” was added by Google, you can see why AI might not meet the mark. AI is not an attorney or a financial expert, and therefore, there is no SME content creation happening when you use AI to draft your blogs.
Expertise
SME content creation comes down to one important factor: credibility. A person without qualifications should not be writing a topic out of their realm of expertise. Period.
Why?
Google is unlikely to rank a website with content not written by a credible source over a website they know has content written by a believable source.
In areas where a subject matter expert is required, such as healthcare, Google has a higher level of scrutiny than things based more on personal opinion and less on facts.
Authoritativeness
Authority means you have proven you belong in the niche your website represents.
Sure, backlinks to relevant and authoritative sources will help build that authority, but only so far. If you only have quality backlinks, but don’t meet the other areas of E-E-A-T – well, you don’t have much to go on.
There’s not much more to say there. Authority is a building block, and it requires more than one block to finish your foundation.
Trustworthiness
Now, we’ve already covered where AI falls short for SME content creation, but the biggest area you are going to see harmed by the use of AI is “trust.”
Readers need to trust the content they read, and the website publishing that content, and Google has made it clear what they expect.
In fact, Google has made it evident that a website should have a clear owner, and that owner is responsible for that site.
When you are in industries that require an expert, such as legal, finance, technology, etc., the reader needs to know that a genuine SME is writing that content – not AI.
In Google’s policies update (modified March 14, 2023), they made this clearer.
In Section 2, Google notes that content distributed online cannot misrepresent the provenance of where it was developed. Meaning, if your content is AI generated, but you claim it was written by an SME, you’ve violated that AI use policy.
Likewise, impersonating an individual that is respected in the industry can be equally detrimental to your rankings. Such as using AI to create fake author bylines or even entire author profiles.
One area to pay particular attention to is Section 2c, which states that any misleading claims of “expertise” in sensitive areas, such as finance, legal, healthcare, etc., is a direct violation of of the AI use policy.
No one is going to trust content that is not written by a genuine expert in these delicate fields. While it is tempting to skirt that and just create an expert to back up AI-generated content, Google has made it abundantly clear it will not be tolerated.
Bottom Line: Flaunt Your Expertise with Genuine SME Content Creation
If you don’t have the knack for the written (typed?) word, that’s okay.
Just don’t turn to AI to create it for you.
Instead, seek out content agencies that hire genuine subject matter experts in those unique industries so that you are receiving content from a person that knows what they are talking about. They have degrees, work experience, and years of expertise writing in those niches.
While AI is permitted, Google has made it abundantly clear that they expect E-E-A-T to rule over it all, and that means if even one component of it is missing, you are risking your website’s rankings.
Let’s face it – after all of this time, we all know how hard it is to bounce back once Google has lost interest in your website. So, it is best to avoid ever reaching that point.
The team at Express Writers understands the importance of genuine SME content. We have a team of subject matter experts ranging from medical to healthcare to finance to legal and more. When you have a distinct niche, you need a team of writers that can provide your website with high-quality content and meet the demands of Google. Reach out to our team today and check out our SME content creation options, or visit the shop and order your first piece of SME content.
Being a successful copywriter requires a specific set of skills. Understanding those copywriting skills is important when you’re a business trying to hire a writer. Your goal should be finding a copywriter that can go beyond the basics of strong writing, creativity, and excellent English language skills.
The Express Writers team knows what it takes to be a successful copywriter because we work with them every day. That’s why we’re sharing 12 crucial copywriting skills you should look for when hiring your next copywriter.
With these 12 abilities, a copywriter can deliver creative, high-performing writing that can improve your conversion rates and keep your customers coming back for more.
12 Copywriting Skills Businesses Need When Hiring Writers
The best copywriters work hard to turn their raw talent into incredible writing, earning money for every word they produce. A copywriter with these 12 skills will deliver the superior writing that your business needs.
1. Stellar Research Skills
Most copywriters are writing experts first and may have one or two other areas of expertise. However, with stellar research skills, a copywriter can quickly learn the information they need to knowledgeably write about a variety of subjects as they navigate between clients and industries.
To establish your business as an expert in your industry, you need a writer that knows how to find credible, reliable resources. Good copywriters can tell the difference between a high-quality, authoritative resource and an unreliable one. Plus, they know how to cite trustworthy studies and statistics to back up their claims.
So look for copywriters that know where they need to look to find the right information, whether online resources or somewhere else. If you regularly interview subject matter experts, you’ll also want dedicated copywriters willing to interview them to improve their content.
2. A Good Understanding of the Target Audience
Knowing the intended audience for a piece of writing can have a major impact on how it is written. For example, an article written for experts in your field will look very different than one written for beginners.
When choosing your copywriter, make sure they know who your intended audience is. A good copywriter should have no problems adjusting the tone and language of their writing to fit your industry and audience.
Consider the words of renowned copywriter David Ogilvy: “If you’re trying to persuade people to do something, or buy something, it seems to me you should use their language, the language they use every day, the language in which they think.”
3. Adaptable Writing Skills
Frequently, a copywriter has clients from multiple industries with vastly different content requirements. Being able to quickly adapt their writing style and voice for different clients and audiences is a crucial skill for any successful copywriter.
Writers who lack this skill will find themselves frustrated with continually changing demands and strategies. The best writers can quickly pivot to new requests without breaking a sweat.
4. Knows When to Stop
When a copywriter is unfamiliar with a topic, they can use their expert research skills to learn more. However, some writers may inadvertently research too much. They get caught up in learning every detail instead of focusing on what they need to know now.
The best copywriters understand their limits and know when they have gleaned enough information to effectively write about your products for your audience. If you have tight turnaround times for your copy, you need a writer who knows when they’ve done enough.
Knowing when to stop also applies to perfectionists. If a copywriter is solely focused on creating perfectly finished copy before submitting it to a client, they risk missing deadlines and losing a lot of sleep. You want a writer who takes pride in their work but doesn’t get lost in the minutia of creating industry-focused content.
While most professional copywriters seek to create a career-defining, perfect piece, the best copywriters understand that the pursuit of perfection is fruitless.
5. Knowledge of Modern Marketing Principles
Copywriting, unlike creative writing, is solely meant for selling or promoting something else. Some copywriters, especially when they are first starting out, may make the mistake of trying to add their own personality and unique style to their copywriting. They may try to add extravagant language or unnecessary creativity to their copy to make it seem more literary. This kind of writing distracts from the purpose of copywriting.
On the other hand, copywriters have a firm grasp of modern content marketing best practices. They understand the short attention spans of readers, have a handle on SEO concepts, and realize their writing targets specific audiences who need a product. This allows them to save their creative efforts for projects outside of work.
6. Can Take Criticism Well
To write is to create. When the times come to edit your creation, many writers struggle with the idea of “killing your darlings.” Doing this eliminates potentially self-serving language with the goal of improving the overall message.
In the copywriting field, copywriters need thick skin to accept feedback from editors and clients. If a writer continually rejects criticism, their productivity will likely suffer and they won’t get repeat clients.
The best copywriters understand that everyone thinks about ideas differently and know it’s important to work with your client to create a piece that matches their vision. Plus, keeping an open mind means leaving space to improve your own writing. Sometimes critiques can sting, but it’s part of being a successful team player and brand copywriter.
Express Writers, for example, believes that feedback from our clients is the only way to improve and align writing style and brand vision. We don’t think it’s a negative and train our writers to be open when someone else has a different idea.
7. Is Confident but Not Driven by Ego
While copywriters should be open to accepting criticism, you want them to know when their ideas are worth sticking up for. There are times when your writer will have a different way of thinking than you do, and it might end up better for your marketing content.
Of course, you want them to take their time and have the ability to clearly and calmly explain why a specific word choice or change in direction or tone is important. But if you do that, you could find yourself agreeing with their direction.
If you hire a knowledgeable copywriter, be sure you take the time to listen to their ideas as they may have some inspiration that will change your vision but help your content be even stronger.
8. Find Ways to Improve
Copywriting can be a lonely profession. While you can collaborate on ideas and work with others to edit and improve the copy, the actual writing can only be done by one person. This can cause some copywriters to become stagnant.
Instead, excellent copywriters are always on the lookout for ways to improve their writing skills. They may seek mentors, editors, former professors, or colleagues to help guide them throughout their careers.
Copywriters can also look for classes, workshops, and seminars that offer more hands-on skill-building.
Another educational option is reading. While reading anything can help someone maintain or improve their mastery of the English language, the best copywriters want to stay on top of any industry changes.
They may enjoy reading popular marketing blogs to catch up on the latest marketing trends. There are also numerous highly-rated books written by writing and marketing experts that include some time-tested strategies.
If you are interested in hiring a copywriter, you can ask them how they improve their skills and stay on top of the latest marketing best practices.
9. Self-Motivated
Many copywriters are freelancers or work remotely through agencies. With this mostly solitary work environment, copywriters should be self-motivated to succeed. They likely don’t have a supervisor or other coworkers encouraging them to keep working.
Good copywriters have the willpower to keep writing even when distractions pop up. The best copywriters have likely also figured out what they need to keep themselves motivated and on-task.
Without this self-sustaining motivation, a copywriter may find themselves falling behind, missing deadlines, and feeling overwhelmed.
When interviewing potential copywriters, ask them what they do to keep themselves motivated.
10. The Ability to Create Something New
While the rules of content marketing change regularly, one thing that will never change is needing your copywriter to create new content.
One of the biggest challenges writers have today is coming up with these new ideas. Take almost any idea, and it has most likely been done and rehashed 500 times already. Trying to break out and do something unexpected can create serious writer’s block.
However, successful copywriters understand conquering unfamiliar topics and know how to create something unique from pre-existing ideas. They can take your requests, add a big dose of research, and create something fresh and exciting.
If they do get stuck, they know what to do to get unstuck, like interviewing a subject matter expert in your industry or exploring trending topics that pair well with your chosen topic.
11. Puts the Needs of the Reader First
When a copywriter writes a piece, they shouldn’t be writing it to make themselves, or even you, happy. The end goal of any copywriting should be to please your target audience and meet their needs.
You will likely find some copywriters so thoroughly entrenched in the SEO principles they first learned that they practically forget that a person exists on the other end of the internet. When this happens, the writing comes out optimized for a search engine instead of a real person.
The most effective copywriters are up to date on the continual evolution of SEO, which means prioritizing the needs and intent of your readers and customers. These copywriters know how to naturally use keywords while delivering a user-friendly piece of copy that is exactly what your customers need to answer their questions.
12. Writes with Empathy
To write something that sells, you need to touch a reader on an emotional level. You explore their feelings of happiness, sadness, and failure. Sometimes, you’re even touching on their beliefs.
Excellent copywriters use the power of empathy to prime the reader for the sales pitch without being pushy. This increases the likelihood that they will follow through with the call to action at the end.
According to Peter Noel Murry, Ph.D. at Psychology Today, empathy can enhance the effectiveness of copy threefold.
To add empathy to their writing, copywriters must view their writing from the reader’s perspective. They could consider:
Any objections the reader might raise
An important motivation for the reader
The benefits a product has for the reader
How the competition has lost the trust of their customers
Explore new approaches to the content (storytelling vs. salesy language)
When looking for a copywriter for your business, you can ask them how they would write about a topic they don’t necessarily agree with.
Being able to predict how readers will respond to the copy is a crucial skill for any copywriter to have. It requires them to separate themselves from their own thoughts, desires, and preconceptions and focus solely on the needs of the reader, even if they don’t agree with them.
Centering your readers and customers this way prioritizes their needs over simply making a sale. By humanizing your content this way, a trained copywriter establishes you as a solution to a pain point, not just a product you sell.
Choose the Expertise of Express Writers for your Copywriting Needs
At Express Writers, we fully vet our writers before hiring them, so you don’t have to. We ensure they have these crucial skills to give our clients the best possible content.
By choosing Express Writers, you don’t have to worry about the quality of writing you’ll get because we manage it internally. We constantly motivate our writers to be their best with ongoing skill-building training and resources.
Our copywriters have the essential skills and personal talents to create the high-performing content you need. We work hard to match each client’s content needs with the skills and expertise of our writers.
Ready to see your results firsthand? Explore our Content Shop to get started.
