Start & Run a Copywriting Business. Steve Slaunwhite
his nephew, a patent and trademarks lawyer. “He works with copyrights all the time,” he told me. “Perhaps you know him?” I tried, of course, to explain that I don’t copyright anything. I am a copywriter. But to no avail.
So, no, copywriting does not involve trademarks, patents, and copyright. Copywriting is a creative process of organizing information and writing words (and sometimes suggesting concepts, structure, and visuals) used in creating effective sales and marketing documents. These include print ads, Internet banner ads, brochures, case studies, direct mail, sales letters, sale sheets, flyers, case studies, and new product announcements — in fact, the list is endless.
Copywriters seek to inform, persuade, and sell. The process sometimes goes by other names — marketing writing, sales writing, persuasive writing, ad writing, and public relations writing are just a few. Sales letter guru Herschell Gordon Lewis likes to call it “force communication.” Mal Warwick, an authority on fundraising letters, refers to the process simply as “writing for results.”
My definition? When my wife comes home from work and asks me what I did that day, I often reply, “I wrote about segregated life insurance” or “I wrote about industrial imaging sensors.” So for me, copywriting is writing persuasively about products and services and the benefits they bring to the lives of customers. Tom Stoyan, author and sales coach, teaches that selling is “influencing the thinking of others to get them emotionally involved in an idea to help them make a buying decision.” Copywriting is very similar. And it’s not a bad way to spend the day.
Copywriting versus Other Types of Writing
“But wait a minute,” you say. “Isn’t copywriting just good business writing?”
Well, yes and no.
Materials
Copywriting does have everything to do with good, clear business writing. In fact, “copy” can refer to the written text of any type of document. But the term “copywriting” is more commonly used in reference to sales, advertising, and marketing materials; effectively and persuasively writing these requires finding a unique approach to a specific, often skeptical audience.
Copywriting is a subset of business writing, which is a catch-all term encompassing a wide range of business documents and audiences. The thousands of documents written and produced by a major corporation, for example, might include any of the following:
• html help menus from the technical service department
• Press releases from the public relations department
• Countless e-mails, letters, memos, and reports written by executives and support staff
• Employee newsletters published by the employee communications office
• Invitations to shareholder meetings produced by investor relations
Audience
The above list of materials can be targeted at audiences as diverse as managers, ceos, customers, employees, vendors, the media, and colleagues.
Where does copywriting fit in? You’ll usually find this type of writing in the marketing department, or plied at an advertising agency or design firm. While business writing is broad, copywriting has a more specialized focus. At its most basic level, copywriting seeks to gain the attention of buyers and communicate successfully with them. Buyers may be current customers, past customers, new customers, or potential customers. Of course, the skills of persuasive writing — so deliberately applied by copywriters — can be used to great effect in many other documents (a proposal to upper management is one such example). But a copywriter’s ultimate concern is how to craft headlines, sentences, and paragraphs that will tweak a buyer’s interest and nudge him or her closer to making a decision to buy.
Writing that sells
Many copywriters call copywriting “writing that sells,” but sometimes the direct sales message within a marketing document isn’t obvious.
Direct mail certainly packs a deliberate sales punch. A direct mail package is designed to get you to make an immediate buying decision, and the success of a mailing is measured by how many people from a given list respond. But marketing documents such as case studies, success stories, and features take more of a “soft sell” approach. They contain no direct “buy now” message. Still, copywriters tasked with writing any form of marketing document, whether it be hard sell or soft sell, will use all the persuasive tools at their command in a deliberate attempt to win the hearts and minds of buyers.
Style and structure
Copywriting can also differ from general business writing in style and structure. Here’s an example.
On the one hand, a technical writer trying to explain the safety procedures of a welding torch might write this:
It is important to turn on the acetylene before turning on the oxygen. If the oxygen valve is turned on first, an explosion may occur.
On the other hand, a copywriter might write the same thing this way:
“A” before “O” — or up you’ll go!
By the way, copywriting does not always involve catchy phrases and clever wordplays. In fact, the best copy I read gains attention simply, and then talks persuasively about the benefits of the product or service in a clear, interesting way.
Grammar
Copywriting can also differ from business writing in its use of grammar. It’s been called the rebel son of business writing — and traditional English composition in general. Copywriters will unabashedly use colloquialisms, clichés, contractions, repetition, underlining, and italics to get their point across. Ads and brochures may be riddled with sentences starting with And, But, or Or. Sentence fragments are also common. Like this one.
Copywriters have always strived to make their writing conversational. Why? Because one-to-one conversations are the most persuasive form of communication. It’s no accident that sales letters are so popular in direct mail and other marketing communications. They are direct and personal (even if they are mailed to thousands of people from the same list of names).
Visuals
Copywriting can also be a bit like screenwriting. A screenwriter will often “see” the movie playing in his or her head while writing the scenes. A copywriter does something similar. He or she will often “see” the ad or brochure while writing — visualizing how the artwork, headlines, and body copy work together to tell a persuasive story.
Ideas for artwork, visuals, and other graphical elements often pop into my head as I write. When this happens, I sketch out the idea and send it to my client or the designer (I can’t draw, but I’m famous for my stickpeople). I may create a mocked-up version of the collateral I’m writing — folding and cutting paper, roughing in the headlines and images with a pencil — to help me better visualize what I’m writing.
The Demand for Good Copywriters
What does the future hold for copywriters? A lot of work! Most established, self-employed copywriters regularly turn down work. In fact, on the day I’m writing this, I had to turn down an assignment from a potential client because I was just too busy. I hate doing this because every business thrives on new clients (and turning them down makes me feel pretentious). But my current clients always come first.
Of course, I’m not immune to slow times and dips in business activity. No self-employed copywriter is. But you can rest assured there is a high demand for writers who can craft persuasive words, sentences, and paragraphs for effective advertising and marketing materials. If you’re dedicated to learning