You have a fresh idea. An invention, a new business model, a new social media strategy…whatever it may be, you’ve got a good one. You’re excited about it and you want to tell the world about it. But, before you can do that, you need someone to write the copy for your web page, your email campaign, your social media posts, and so on.
What is a copywriting job?
First, you’ll need to decide what copywriting is. Is it journalism—where you’re just doing keyword research and pumping out something that vaguely makes sense? Is it creative writing—where you develop ideas into compelling narratives and poems? Or is it advertising—where you’re crafting compelling pitches that compel your audience to act?
Regardless of the type of copy you’re creating, you’ll need to approach it in the same way — breaking it down into simple, actionable steps, followed by measurable results. That way, you can track your progress and determine if you’re on the right track or need to make some adjustments.
Here’s an example of a typical workflow for a copywriter:
- You’ll begin by conducting research to find your ideal customer
- Next, you’ll define the problem you’re solving
- After that, you’ll establish key goals and metrics for the project
- From there, you can map out a strategy and create content to solve the problem
- When that content is live and published, you’ll be able to track the results and determine if you need to make any adjustments
What you’ll need to have is a clear understanding of what each element of the work entails. You’ll need to be able to break down your task into simple steps, and you’ll have to ensure that each step is measurable. With that, you can track your progress and determine if you’re on the right track or need to make some adjustments. So let’s have a quick look at each part of the process.
Step one:
This is the first step in the process, and it’s an important one. Without a clear idea of who you’re writing for and how you’ll convince them to choose your product or service, it’s difficult to craft compelling content. You’ll need to conduct research to find your ideal customer. It’s important to note that as a copywriter, you don’t necessarily have to have an in-house audience. You can write for people who are already familiar with your product or service.
A good rule of thumb is to consider every person you meet (and perhaps even every person you speak with) as an ideal customer. It’s likely that they have a problem you’re able to solve, and it’s up to you to figure out how you’ll convince them to choose your product or service.
Step two:
Once you’ve identified your ideal customer, it’s time to define the problem you’re solving.
The more you know about your target audience, the more you’ll be able to tailor your content toward them. Simply put, if you know a problem you’re trying to solve, you can find the right words to describe it. You don’t have to go overboard and reams of words will likely slip through the cracks. Instead, you can choose your words wisely and precisely — and still maintain a sense of flow. Once you’ve defined the problem, it’s time to establish key goals and metrics for the project.
Step three:
Goals are vital in any project — whether it’s a marketing or sales initiative or a brand-new product development project. Without them, it’s difficult to determine if you’ve actually made a difference or if you’ve simply increased activity, temporarily boosted awareness, and then it’ll drop off again. When establishing goals, make sure that you’ve considered what will fuel your success.
For example, if you’ve defined a key metric as the number of times your target audience interacts with your content, you’ll want to establish a goal of getting that number to go up. Whether that’s increasing the amount of times an audience interacts with your content by 20% or by 50%, you’ll need to consider what will make you successful.
Step four:
Now that you have a clear idea of what you’re trying to accomplish, it’s time to map out a strategy. This is where you’ll formulate an action plan for getting from here to there. A strategy maps out the way you’re going to achieve your goals. So, for instance, if your goal is to increase the number of times people interact with your content, you might map out a strategy like this:
- Create compelling content to attract a new audience
- Interact with potential customers via social media platforms
- Measure results and track progress
As a copywriter, it’s your job to make sure that this strategy is practical and filled with measurable goals. If you can do that, then great! If not…well, it’s still good to have a strategy, but you’ll need to adjust it as you go.
Step five:
This is where you’ll actually perform the work — creating compelling content for your target audience. It’s a good idea to write down your strategy before you begin this step, so you don’t forget. As you create content, be sure to keep track of your progress — especially if you’re using a content creator tool like Buzzworthy to keep track of all your content, including blog articles, social media posts, and so on. With this tool, you can set up automated emails to send out at regular intervals — encouraging feedback, generating ideas for new content, and so on.
If you’re finding that some content is not performing as well as you think it should, then it’s time to revisit your strategy and determine if you need to make any adjustments. Sometimes, we rush into things without thinking them through. As a copywriter, it’s your job to ensure that your strategy is sound and you’re not rushing into things without thinking them through. You don’t want to waste your time creating content that does not serve a purpose.
Step six:
Once you’ve created compelling content, it’s time to promote it. If you’ve done everything else right, then this step is a breeze. You’ll simply need to promote your content and track the results. It’s an essential part of the process, and it entails performing various marketing and sales tasks to drive traffic to your content.
You’re not necessarily required to have a full-fledged marketing department to do this. You can, in fact, use other channels and platforms to promote your content. But, if you’re looking for measurable results, then you may need to get some help from an outside source.
Step seven:
At this point, you can begin to track the results of your efforts. Chances are, you’ll see an increase in traffic and web traffic after you’ve published your content. From there, you can determine if you need to make any adjustments to your strategy, and that’s what makes this process so valuable. If you follow this process correctly, you’ll likely see an increase in conversions as well. After all, content is valuable only if it leads to some kind of action — whether that’s a call to action, a website visit, or an online purchase.
It’s also important to note that this process is not set in stone. As you gain experience, you’ll begin to see things more clearly and you’ll be able to make more effective changes.
What Is a Copywriting Job Like?
Above, we talked about the important steps involved in the copywriting process. Like any other form of creative work, copywriting is not a simple job. But, with a little bit of planning and strategizing, you can structure it so that it’s easier to follow and attain your goals.
Sometimes, we rush into things without thinking them through. As copywriters, we want to ensure that we’re putting our best foot forward and that we’re not doing anything haphazard. By approaching our work with a clear strategy in mind, we can ensure that we’re doing everything we can to make sure our content performs at its best and that we’re not wasting our time creating content that does not serve a purpose.