1: Defining objectives

OK, so you’ve decided to have a go at writing your own copy. Good for you!
But before you put pen to paper, you need to do a bit of thinking: what are you hoping to achieve?

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2: Target audience

OK, so now that you know what you’re trying to achieve, you need to be sure who you’re speaking to. (Forgotten what you’re trying to achieve? Go back and read Part 1: Objectives again!)

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3: Finding your voice

Now you know who you’re targeting, all you have to do is talk to them! (Not sure who you’re targeting? Go back and read Part 2: Target audience)

You can set the register – informally known as ‘tone of voice’ – by imagining the conversation in your head. If you’re aiming your copy at people of retirement age, no matter how forward thinking they are, you’re unlikely to start your letter with, “Yo! Wassup?!” It’s all a question of appropriacy.

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4: Typical mistakes

OK, so by now you’ve decided on the objectives of your piece, you’ve considered tone of voice and you’ve identified your target market. Now all you need to do is avoid the most common pitfall of all: grammatical mistakes.

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5: Structure

Just when you thought you’d finished all the hard work of writing and editing, here comes another consideration: structure, or how you’re going to place your text on the page.

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6: Publishing your work

So you’ve written your sparkling copy, you’ve used the tone of voice appropriate to your target audience and you’ve proofread it thoroughly. Super! You’re ready to go to print!

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How to… choose a copywriter

Choosing a copywriter is a delicate business. You’re trusting this person to represent you – to translate your initial ideas into sparkling prose, with more than a pinch of marketing savvy.

So, how do you know if a copywriter is the one for you? Well, initially, you probably don’t. But you can look about for some clues…

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Writing for SEO

I’m often asked whether I can write for SEO. SEO, or Search Engine Optimisation to give it its full title, is the latest trend. Everyone will tell you that you won’t get your site found without it, and people spend hundreds — if not thousands — of pounds to ensure that they come within the first page of a search engine’s results.

But while it’s true that your website should be structured in a way that makes it easy for both spiders and humans to gather information — pages properly labelled, title tags and alt tags in place — I’m going to stick my neck out and say that copywriting for SEO is a bit of a fuss over nothing.

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How to… brief a copywriter

If you’ve never briefed a copywriter before, don’t panic! It’s nothing to worry about: your brief is just the instructions and information your copywriter needs to understand who they are speaking to and what needs to be achieved.

Your copywriter may have little or no experience of your industry… but this can be an advantage! It means that your copy will be jargon-free and accessible to anyone – particularly new clients, who may not be familiar with your industry’s lingo.

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