“So you ‘Copyright’ things, right?!” “No, I’m a copywriter.” *cue blank face. “A what?! What even is that?”

You’re a Great Writer But…

Copywriting is a term often thrashed about in marketing like a badge of honour, but most people get it (desperately) wrong if you ask me.

At its core, copywriting is a pure, artistic, creative process of writing words for advertising and selling stuff. Generally, ‘copy’ is words that persuade the reader to take action.

Okay, Still, What Is Copywriting? (Tell Me!)

Put simply, copywriting, or writing ‘copy’ is happening when you provide or have:

Note: This is not an exhaustive list ~ it’s just giving you an idea.

Whether you want your readers to buy a product, sign up to your service, or be social/chatty with you, the words you use make all the difference. Good copywriting requires a deep understanding of the audience and what motivates them to act.

Conversion Rates? Go On

As a copywriter, I create content that persuades people to take a specific action, such as buying something. Utterly brilliant copywriting requires creativity, research, and marketing know-how. It’s about crafting a message that speaks to the reader’s needs, desires, and fears while addressing any objections.

To be a successful copywriter you must have a firm grasp of language, style, grammar, cadence, rhythm, tone and punctuation. You should also be able to write in different styles and for different audiences.

A lil’ On Copywriting History

Copywriting has a long, rich history that dates back to the early days of advertising. The first known advertisement was a flyer created by William Caxton in 1472 to promote a book!

In the 19th century, advertising became widespread, and copywriting took on a more critical role. This led to the development of the first ad agencies, which specialised in creating ad campaigns for their clients.

The 20th century saw the rise of mass media — TV, radio, and newspapers — which further increased the importance of copywriting. And now with the rise of the internet and social media, copywriters are responsible for creating most of the content for websites, blogs, and social media platforms.

Types of Copywriting

SEO Copywriting

This is one of my go-to specialties. Being an SEO copywriter means writing optimised content and copy for search engines, so it ranks on the first page of Google, ideally in position 1. This involves researching keywords and phrases that people are searching for to help a website rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs).

Technical Writing

Technical writing is a highly specialised form of writing focused on creating content for technical or scientific fields. This type of writing requires a deep understanding of the subject matter and the ability to explain complex concepts in a way that is easier for non-technical people to understand.

Creative Copywriting

Creative copywriting is equally my specialty; it’s all about using language in a way that’s engaging, entertaining, and memorable. This type of copywriting is frequently used in advertising and marketing campaigns to help brands stand out from the competition.

Sales Copywriting

Sales copywriting is focused on creating content to persuade people to take a specific action — also called ‘direct response copywriting.’ This type of copywriting is used in direct mail campaigns, email marketing, and sales pages.

Content Writing

Content writing is all about creating high-quality content designed to inform, educate, and entertain the target audience. It’s found in blog posts, articles, and social media to build brand awareness and establish authority in your industry.

copywriting - a sepia image of a flower close up

The Copywriting Process (Mine Anyhow)

My copywriting process has four key stages: research, drafting, editing, and publishing.

Research

Before I start writing, I need to thoroughly research the brand and topic I’m writing for; more importantly, the target audience. This involves understanding pain points and identifying their wants and needs. I also research the product or service I’m writing about and the competition. During this phase, I send a creative brief to my clients to fill in.

Drafting

Once done with research I begin drafting the copy. I start with a first draft which is often the best in my case, but always have time for editing. It’s essential to keep the target audience in mind when writing, as well as the goal of the copy. I usually use persuasive language and a human, chatty, conversational tone.

Editing

After writing the first draft, I edit the copy. This includes checking for grammar and spelling errors, ensuring the copy is clear and flows well and is engaging to read. I might make several rounds of edits before I’m satisfied with the final copy!

Publishing

Once the copy is finalised, it’s time to hit the publish button. This could be on a website, in an email, or a print ad. I make sure the copy is formatted correctly and looks visually attractive. I also track the performance of the copy to see how it’s resonating with the target audience and make adjustments as needed at 3 and 6 month stages.

Key Vibes of Fabulous Copywriting

Clarity

If you take one thing from this post, it’s this: Clarity is Queen (or King?!) You want your copy to be crystal clear so your audience knows exactly what you’re trying to say. This means using simple language, avoiding jargon, and being as straightforward as possible. If your audience doesn’t understand what you’re saying, they won’t take the action you want them to take.

Concise

Your copy also needs to be concise. People have short attention spans, and if your message is too long or too complicated, they will tune out. Keep your sentences short and punchy, and use bullet points or lists when you can.

Persuasive

The ultimate desire of great copywriting is to persuade the audience to take a specific action. This means using compelling and convincing language and highlighting the benefits of your product or service. Use testimonials or case studies to back up your claims.

Call-to-Benefits

Every piece of copy needs a strong call-to-action (CTA) or better, a call-to-benefit (CTB). This is the part where you tell your audience what you want them to do next. Whether it’s to buy your product, sign up for your newsletter, or contact you for more information, your CTA should be clear, concise, and compelling.

Copywriting Examples

Copywriting for Social Media

Social media platforms are an integral part of our lives whether we like it or not, and businesses are leveraging them to reach their ideal audience. Good copywriting in captions can make the difference between a sale or no sale, equally, a lead or no lead. I tell all my clients that lead gen on social media is really hard, simply because, people use social media as a distraction. They are not intentional most of the time, which is why, socials should focus more on brand awareness and the know, like and trust factor, more than anything else (aka stop pushy sales on socials!)

Copywriting for Email Marketing

Email marketing is still the best way to make sales in digital marketing — with a far higher return on investment than social media. That’s because your audience is already warm and primed because they signed up to your email list through choice.

Copywriting for Websites

In many circumstances, a website is the first point of contact between a business and customers. Understanding the importance of web copy that’s informative, engaging, and search engine optimised is critical. Headlines, subheads and bullet points make the content more scannable and user-friendly.

Improving Your Copywriting Skills

Read Sophie’s Blog Posts

There’s a lot of copywriting teachings on this blog already, on things like headlines, style, brand voice, and so much more. Dive in! Explore. And just start writing.

Writing Workshops

Writing workshops are a fab way to improve your copywriting skills. These workshops are often led by experienced copywriters who share their knowledge and expertise.

Online Courses

Online courses are another excellent way to improve your copywriting skills. Many courses cover various aspects of copywriting, from writing headlines to crafting compelling calls-to-action.

Practice, Feedback (and repeat)

Practice is essential when it comes to writing better copy. The more you write, the better you’ll become. It’s also vital to receive feedback on your work to identify areas for improvement. Consider joining writing groups or working with a mentor who can give you constructive criticism.

“Can’t I Just Use AI To Write My Copy?”

I mean, you could, but I think about it like this. As this is your business and your brand, don’t you want to invest a bit of your expertise into it?

AI and AI tools are utterly astonishing; the speed at which they’re advancing is shocking and to some, scary. To others, exciting AF.

But as consumers become more tech-savvy and over-stimulated, their behavior is changing. They expect personalised experiences, desperately in some cases, seeking out human voices, human thoughts and feelings – unique one – to – one experiences that directly addresses their needs and interests.

A good copywriter must adapt their messaging to reflect this shift.

Overall, the future of copywriting looks bright. And with AI helping us (not stealing our jobs!) it sure is set for an epic time ahead. With all these new tools and techniques emerging, skilled can and will copywriters will create more engaging and effective copy than ever before.

Just don’t forget! Sound human. Always.

(Note, this blog post was first published in 2024 on my previous website)