dummies

In the middle of the 1800s, the world of advertising began to take shape. As time went on, businesses were beginning to pop up around the globe and a number of advertising-based professions emerged. There was the advertising agent, the researcher, the commercial illustrator, the account executive, the creative director, and many more. (If you’ve ever seen Mad Men, you’ve gotten a taste of many of these occupations in action.) But out of all of the professions that arose from the early days of the advertising industry, it was the copywriter who would become the most highly regarded. As advertising icon Julian Sivulka put it in her book, Soap, Sex, and Cigarettes: “It was obvious that the copywriter was the most prominent member of the advertising team, since illustrations and photography seem almost interchangeable.” Following these early days, the copywriting profession began to take off. Copywriters like David Ogilvy and Leo Burnett became legends by helping generate hundreds of millions of dollars for major corporations like McDonald’s, Pepsi, and Rolls-Royce. And yet, even as these luminaries paved the way for the future of copywriting, it’s still one of the most misunderstood professions in the world. That’s why we’re here, with today’s website copywriting for dummies guide. What the Heck Is a Copywriter? If you Googled that question, you’d get an answer that looks like this… That’s an awfully bland answer. But the better way to answer this is to first ask the question, “What is copywriting?” Copyblogger provides a much more intriguing answer for this: So, in its simplest form: a copywriter is someone who uses the art and science of strategically delivering words in order to get people to take action. [bctt tweet=”To put it simply based on @Copyblogger’s definition of copywriting: A copywriter is someone who uses the art and science of strategically delivering words in order to get people to take action. ✍️ @JuliaEMcCoy explains more.” username=”ExpWriters”] What Type of Work Does a Copywriter Do? Copywriting is such a broad profession that there are literally hundreds of things that a copywriter could work on or specialize in. So, for the purpose of not being too broad, we’re going to focus solely on web copywriting. As far as a web copywriter goes, you’ll find them working on things like: But, while all of these tasks eventually require putting the fingers to the keyboard, writing is far from the only work that a copywriter engages in. What Types of Skills Does a Copywriter Need to be Successful? Unless you’re a part of a large copywriting agency with tons of resources, today’s copywriters need to be a jack-of-all-trades. They research. They edit. They proofread. They track and report data. They manage projects and campaigns. They do everything necessary to get to the point where they’re able to compile words that get people to take action. Some of the skills that they need to be well-rehearsed in include: And that’s not even the half of it. 5 Steps to Becoming a Copywriting Superstar While it will take some time, anybody can become a top-notch copywriter. Even if you’re not a solid writer, following through with the steps listed below can help you work your way towards eventual greatness in the field. 1. Focus on Research Research is the foundation of great copywriting. While authors and generalist writers talk frequently about their challenges with writer’s block, a copywriter is never unprepared to the point where they don’t know what to say. As David Ogilvy famously said, Image Source Ogilvy understood the necessity of research before ever even thinking about the actual writing process. He spent many of the early years of his career working for Gallup Polling, a market research agency. From that experience, Ogilvy understood the power that extensive research gave him when it came to crafting compelling copy that could get people to take action. How to Research Effectively Researching effectively comes down to two things: Gaining a deep understanding of your product or service Gaining an even deeper understanding of your audience In the Definitive Guide to Copywriting, which Neil Patel co-authored with Joe Putnam, they talk about the importance of understanding the product or service first. In order to do this, Patel and Putnam advise that you ask yourself five main questions: How would you describe the product? What’s unique/special about this product? What big benefit does it provide? What pain does it alleviate? What features are included and what are the benefits of each? Defining and Understanding Your Audience Not every project that a copywriter engages in is going to be aimed at getting the reader to immediately purchase a product or service. But there’s little doubt that every project WILL involve the need to speak directly to a specific audience in a way that can get them to take action. Maybe you want to educate or entertain them so they become followers of your blog. Or maybe you want them to join an email list. Whatever the goal, defining and understanding your audience is crucial to achieving it. Forbes contributor Jayson DeMers says that, in order to decode your target audience, you should ask six questions. They include: Who are they? What’s their most pressing issue, problem, or desire? Where do they get their info? What benefit of your product solves their problem? What sets off their BS detector? Who do they trust? By answering these questions thoroughly, you’ll have the foundation you need to craft compelling copy. [bctt tweet=”The foundation of good copywriting? Research. How do you do it? By understanding your product or service and your audience. @JuliaEMcCoy shares the questions you should ask to build your content foundation.” username=”ExpWriters”] 2. Shut Up and Listen One of the greatest quotes you’ll ever hear about copywriting is by the iconic Eugene Schwartz. He said, And he couldn’t be more right. If you research properly, you’ll never have to worry about writer’s block. But research doesn’t just mean typing a bunch of words into Google and … Read more