This is the first of a two part blog about copywriting. Here we will look at what copywriting is and why good copy is important. The second part looks at reasons for hiring a copywriter to write your content and can be found here.

Copywriting is essentially writing content, known as copy, to sell an idea, product or service. Copy is everywhere, from adverts, billboards and websites to brochures and catalogues. Copywriting can be misunderstood and is often mistaken for copyright which is an entirely different thing altogether!

So what does good copywriting look like? Ultimately good copy gets results, whether that’s selling a product or service or growing the number of subscribers to your newsletter. To get results you need to:

• Inform your reader, in clear language, what it is you are selling.
• Engage your reader. For a reader to care about what you tell them they must be drawn in.
• Inspire your reader to take the desired action.

Here are some advantages to having good copy:

Brand image

Probably the most important reason for ensuring the quality of your copy is that you want to look your best when it comes to the image of your brand. This may be the first (or only) impression of you a potential client will get and bad spelling and grammar doesn’t look good. It shows a lack of attention to detail and therefore a potential client may wonder if you’ll also make mistakes in your work.

Credibility and authority

Well written copy that is engaging and without errors looks professional and builds upon your credibility. Furthermore, producing regular and relevant quality content in your field instils confidence and places you as an industry expert.

Add value

Readers like good quality content and they are more likely to take the desired action after reading relevant content that resonates with them. Good copywriting turns boring words into engaging narratives that draw the reader in.

SEO

A vast amount of content is published on the web every day and you need to make sure that your readers can find you. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is about making your content visible in search engine results.  Being visible relies on having keywords within your content that clients will be searching for.  For your content to rank higher than your competitors it needs to be high quality and authoritative.

Results

Finally, the whole point is to get results. Making sure that your marketing campaign, website, or brochure is well written will engage more readers, making them more likely to take that all important action and thereby improving your results.

Does this all sound rather time consuming? Getting copy just right is a big undertaking which some people feel they may not have the time or skills for. To find out how a copywriter could help you, see Part 2 or if you have a specific project you would like some help with, feel free to email me at info@anitacopysmith.co.uk