When I discovered my passion for writing, becoming a marketing copy writer felt like a no brainer. I enjoyed crafting stories, the essays peers groaned at felt natural, I even dabbled with a bit of (very cringe) poetry. How could writing ads or the blurbs on websites be any different?
Well as it turns out, in a lot of ways it’s very different. And in other ways it’s… actually not that different? Honestly, it’s complicated, but there’s a lot of nuances that can be explained in just five “Ws”: Who, what, when, where, and why. So, whether you’re a new copywriter, someone interested in the profession, or just curious how that quiet guy typing away at his desk all day ticks here’s the most important bits I’ve figured out over the years.
What Are You Writing About?
Of course, the most obvious differences between these two worlds of writing is the subject matter and tone. When people think about writers, what they usually picture is novelists. In comparison to crafting in-depth worlds and complex narratives, extolling the benefits of a product or service can seem a little less glamorous. At times, it can make you feel boxed in, that you’re acting more like a salesman than a storyteller, so one of the most important things to do is ditch that mindset as soon as possible.
At its core, copy writing is still about storytelling, the stories are just a little different. It sounds corny to say out loud, but I genuinely think there is a compelling, even exciting story to tell about any product or service out there. Aside from the writing, the number one job of a copy writer is getting obsessed enough about what they’re writing about to find those stories.
Who Are You Writing to?
The audience you’re writing (and why you’re writing to them) to is another key difference. For the most part, marketing copy doesn’t exist to entertain, it’s for educating and more importantly, driving business. This means you can’t approach every campaign or landing page looking for the same things. The points that seem the most interesting to you and the ones that are the most compelling to customers aren’t always a perfect match, so you need to take the time to really understand what they’re looking for and what drives them to take the next step.
That said, the “who” can also apply just as much to the brand you’re writing as. Voice is an important part of writing something compelling no matter what it’s for, but in marketing copy you’re not writing in your voice. You’re writing in the brands. It’s easy to get tripped up by this, especially with new clients, which is part of why a robust onboarding process is so critical for any successful marketing campaign. The more you’re able to hear how the people behind the brand speak about themselves and their company, the easier it becomes to meld your voice with theirs.
Where is it Going?
A consideration that’s pretty unique to marketers is the platform or type of marketing material you’re writing will end up on, and it makes a big difference. You wouldn’t assume a website, an ad, and an email would all be written the same, right? Be it page sizes, character limits, the best ways of wording things on certain social media apps, there’s a lot that changes place to place and type to type. Even when you’re writing the same thing about the same product, the way it looks and how you word will differ a lot depending on each one’s destination.
It’s a lot to remember, so my advice is to give yourself as little chance as possible to forget. Bake character limit counters into your excel documents, outline web page manuscripts with your intended page layout in mind. I’ve even gone so far as to mockup very basic banner ads just to make sure my copy wasn’t too long on smaller ad sizes.
Why Can’t You Say That?
Don’t let that title alarm you, I’m not talking about anything too controversial (unless you’re on a MedTech legal team, then it might be). Compared to other kinds of writing, writing marketing and ad copy has its own set of rules, and not just in the colloquial sense like the last few Ws have been talking about, many of these determine whether or not your campaigns or materials can be shown in the first place.
Some work you can be a little more lax with what you’re allowed to say, but the more regulated the industry, the more scrutiny everything you write will be under. Industries like MedTech and pharmaceuticals are so strict about approved or provable claims that sometimes it can feel like you can’t even admit the product works without adding an annotation and a softening clarification. Writing in these industries is all about finding the spaces where you can speak without fear of legal trouble and putting as much life into those openings as possible. After all, restriction breeds creativity, and take it from me, in some industries you have to be very creative.
When Will You Have That Done By?
I’ll admit it, I like to take my time when I write. When I’m writing creatively in my downtime, I can take all day noodling on a piece or a section, fine-tuning it perfectly as the vision fully forms in my head. Naturally, this approach does not fly in the marketing world. When clients are promised certain things by certain times and other teams are waiting for your copy, perfectionism starts to feel a lot more like bottlenecking. But the inverse is just as true. Churning out lazy work as quickly as possible is in many ways just as bad and time-wasting as taking too long, and it’s certainly less fulfilling than making something you’re actually proud of.
I wish I could give you the magic ratio between effort and efficiency that will make all your work come out perfectly and on time, but you’ll have to find that out for yourself. Finding a balance between your process and your deadlines is something that naturally develops the longer you keep at it. Personally, I often get more things done faster when I’m trying to do less. My best ideas usually come to me a lot easier on a walk around the block or in the kitchen with a cup of coffee than when I’m buried in my monitor trying to force something out.
Wrapping Up
Hopefully this was fully enlightening on what goes (or should be going) through a copy writer’s head, but just in case, here’s an extra piece of advice that I think applies to anyone looking to make great copy.
Regardless of the differences or challenges that show up in writing the copy, the most important thing is that it’s still you at the keyboard. Trust your process, put in the time, and work with your team and your clients to be sure you have all the tools and information you need. The rest will fall into place, whether it’s a page in a book or a page on a website.
