An open loop in copywriting is a situation where the company has no input on the content that’s published about them.
For example, if a company has used an ad agency to develop marketing content, such as a blog post or a social media campaign, and the content was built around a set of pre-written ‘talking points’, then the agency has effectively insulated the company from any editorial feedback.
This is a useful tool in the agency’s kit. It ensures that every piece of content they create is only going to be beneficial to the company.
Why Use an Open Loop?
Using an open loop is a useful technique for copywriters who want to ensure that they are providing the best content for their clients without any editorial interference. It can also be a useful tool for agencies who want to ensure that their content is consistently high-quality and of legal-adsent.’
Using an open loop is the same as having an ‘open door’ policy towards content creators. This means that anyone in the company, from a marketing manager to a content creator, has full access to all parts of the content creation process and can offer advice, suggestions, and criticisms at any stage.
How Does It Work?
The company creates the content that will be used to promote their product or service. Once this content is complete, they pass it to the content creator who publishes it. From here, it’s out into the world and into the hands of the company’s target audience.
Now, this may sound like a lot of work, but actually, it’s just a few steps. Creating content and getting it approved is a multi-step process and there are various checks and balances in place to ensure that everything is done according to company policy. Additionally, having an open-loop allows for multiple opinions to be included, which can help improve the content created for the company.
The Whole Process
Depending on the size of the company, this process can be streamlined to a greater or lesser extent. For larger companies, there are usually just a few key people who are directly involved in the content creation process. For smaller companies, it can be a much more involved process, with each individual department having a hand in the creation of marketing content.
For even smaller companies, using an editorial management tool, such as HubSpot, can help bring everyone in the company, including non-content creators, such as salespeople and account managers, in the content creation process. This can bring invaluable marketing insight to the creative process as every department, including marketing, has a say in what content gets created and by whom. It also means that all changes and suggestions can be tracked across all stages of the process. This makes it much harder, if not impossible, for any one individual or group of individuals to game the system. It’s also a great tool for agencies who want to ensure that their content is always relevant, up-to-date, and of good quality.
As you can see, no matter what your role is in the company, using an open-loop can benefit everyone. It ensures that the company always has the most up-to-date, accurate information about their products and services and helps keep the content authentic and unique to the company.