Copywriting. There is a widespread thought that writing isn’t difficult. I mean, If you did English at school, how hard can it be, right? You write every day. Your emails, your shopping list. It’s not that hard, is it?
So it means you are thinking when it comes to copywriting, “well, I can easily whizz out my website or my brochure or sales page.” There isn’t really any difference. Is there?
WRONG. Let me just say that again. WRONG.
How do I know this? Well, one of the main reasons (and it’s not just because I do copywriting) is I worked full time as a journalist for over 20 years.
And I, in my divine wisdom with a substantial chip on my shoulder, thought it wouldn’t be hard for me to do copywriting. Because as someone who wrote ALL the time for work, it wouldn’t be that much different.
Oh, how wrong I was! It’s like learning a different language. Because writing like a journalist is NOT like writing like a copywriter. Yes, there are a lot of similar aspects. Yes, storytelling plays a huge part in both.
But the money generated from copywriting, the big bucks for your biz, is in the nuances. And that’s the difference. And that’s the hard bit. And THAT’S what I had to learn. (Which I did, and it took a while!)
Here’s the other thing. Unlike dashing out your shopping list, copywriting requires preparation, research, and planning. And that’s before you even START to write. Do you know that the MAIN part of the copywriting process is the process? When I work with a client for a sales page, I will do hours and hours of questionnaires, data mining, and interviews.
MYTH 1: What is Copywriting? It’s easy for me to do because I did English at school, right?
So if I want to do copywriting it’s dead easy right? I can just bash something out. Oh, if only that were true. It actually takes a great deal of know-how. There are a tonne of technical aspects and unique formulas you need to use.
You can’t just dash off some copy if you want to push your customer’s buttons. You need to craft and develop and hone and then revisit and tweak. So the language moves your client towards making a decision.
Yes, sometimes, I will sit down at my computer, and it all just happens. And that’s great! But other days, most days, I am referring to notes, researching words, thinking, and re-thinking the right phrases and words. Checking my technique and making sure I am hitting every benefit and pain point necessary to move the reader to a yes.
So it isn’t something that can be done quickly.
So here are some big misconceptions people have when it comes to copywriting.
MYTH 2: Copywriting Is Fast
How long do you think it would take to type out a page of copy? Reckon it would be quite fast? And if you are doing copywriting, it won’t be too slow either. You can just bash it out can’t you?
NOPE.
Copywriting is a time-consuming process because you have to take a lot of steps. For example, when you write a sales page, to get your conversion rate right up there, you have to take 15 – 17 steps.
If you are writing a sales page for a product that is $1000USD plus, that’s AT LEAST 5000 words. And every single word has to convince, persuade, and move your reader towards purchasing from you.
It’s a finely tuned piece of writing.
As a copywriter, I spend a large portion of my time putting myself into the shoes of the business I am writing for. And I also have to be in the mind of the customer as well. Then I have to connect the two. Otherwise, your copy just won’t work.
Then you edit, and edit, and edit again. To fine-tune it even more. If your copy is rushed, it’s boring, bland most definitely won’t sell anything.
MYTH 2: You don’t need to give your copywriter detail for them to get it right
I know, I know. If I had a penny for every client I’ve worked with who said: “Oh, I don’t think I need to fill out your questionnaire,” or “I don’t think it’s necessary to do an interview about the business,” or “I don’t see why I need to give you that information,” I would be a very rich lady.
Obviously, I take it as a huge compliment you think I can just imagine up the right words for your copywriting needs. And you trust I have so much creativity I can fill in those holes for you.
NOT CORRECT.
If I don’t know what makes your biz tick and how you are different from your competitors, I cannot write a copy that will work for you.
I ask a lot of questions about your business values and how you work. I also ask about what inspired you to do what you do and what your passions are.
Then I need to discover the benefits of your product or service to your consumer. And I need to understand what their pain points are.
These are just some of the essential ingredients that all go into the recipe of excellent copy.
Without a detailed brief, a copywriter simply cannot write authentic copy that differentiates their client’s business.
I have a 67 question process that leaves no stones unturned. And if that’s making you wince, by the end of it, I know the inside leg measurement of your business. I am under its skin and know everything there is to know.
And THAT means your copy is spot on.
Gaps in the brief mean that you, the copywriter, don’t have all the information. If you don’t have all the information, you can’t zero in on the details that win customers.
MYTH 3: Writing shorter copy is easier and quicker than longer copy.
Oh, if only this were true!
Of course, it seems to make perfect sense that writing something shorter is quicker and easier.
WRONG.
Did you know that writing for a newspaper that has shorter stories is a lot harder? Because you have less room to work with to get all the necessary facts in.
Look at it another way. To carve out the detail and intricacies of something small is often a lot harder. And it takes a lot more time to do all those fiddly bits.
This is a big one because it’s logical that fewer words would take less time to write.
WRONG.
So wrong. Imagine every piece of copywriting is a block of marble, and the copywriter has to chip away at that marble until that shape is revealed in all its glorious detail.
Now imagine that regardless of how big or small the copywriting project is, a copywriter begins with the same-sized block of marble.
If you have a smaller shape to reveal, you have to take more time sculpting.
And then you have to edit, edit, edit to get everything right and fitting in precisely the right way.
So those Facebook Ad headlines? Sometimes, they are the WORST to do as you have such a small amount of words to get your point over.
MYTH 4: Editing something that is already written is much faster than if you did it from scratch
Many of my clients come to me and say, ‘I think this will be a lot easier because I have already written it. I just need some help.”
I wish I could help you, and it was a lot easier to do copyediting on something that had already been written.
NOT TRUE
Sadly that just isn’t the case.
Trying to ‘finesse’ copy, which isn’t doing it’s job properly, is like unpicking a garment that has been stitched together the wrong way and has to be sewn back together again. So double the work.
It’s not so easy to just add a bit of sparkle and pizazz. The bedrock (the research part) is usually missing, and to write the copy the right way, that needs to be included.
So the more time spend on the brief, the better the chance of getting the copy doing the heavy lifting for you.
If you liked reading this blog post, then check out my blog post on ways your blog can increase your sales.
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