Garrett White is a gifted copywriter who has mastered the art of creating compelling content for businesses and brands of all sizes. A popular freelance writer with an established track record of producing high-quality content, his work has been featured in publications such as Forbes, Entrepreneur, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. He also holds the prestigious position of Creative Director at The Copyblogger Agency, a professional company that provides copywriting services to businesses across the world.
Since its inception, The Copyblogger Agency has grown to become one of the leading agencies in the field, providing exceptional content creation for numerous well-known brands. One of the agency’s biggest and most loyal clients is HubSpot, a marketing software company that streamsline the chaos of marketing departments and helps businesses of all sizes and shapes effectively market their products and services to reach their targeted audience.
It was originally founded by two MIT graduates named Matt MacLeman and Tom Limoncelli in 2008. The two had previously founded Blue Chip Analytics, a firm that supplied data and analysis to financial services firms and public companies, where Limoncelli served as the CEO. After MacLeman and Limoncelli saw the huge potential in content marketing, they decided to pool their creative talents and launch The Copyblogger Agency.
“In the beginning, we had a lot of trial and error, learning as we went,” Limoncelli said in a Reddit thread. “We also received some great advice from people outside the agency who understood the industry and had been through similar growth stages.
“Our aim is to help businesses of all sizes and shapes succeed in content marketing and digital PR, and to do that we provide training, one-on-one coaching, and group activities where we can,” he added.
Garrett White’s Copywriting Journey
White came from a traditional journalism background, having spent four years at the University of Missouri-Columbia working for the school’s daily newspaper, The Daily Missouri. While there, he honed his skills as a copywriter, and learned the ropes from head copywriter, Don Steinberg. Steinberg, a former advertising copywriter, taught White everything he needed to know about crafting compelling copy for print and digital media.
After college, White landed a job at a small PR firm where he continued to hone his skills. There, he worked on projects for small businesses, startups, and existing brands. To further improve his skills, White took a class on marketing analytics with Wharton Business School, where he studied the growing trends in content marketing.
While in Houston, Texas, for an affiliate marketing conference, White attended a talk by a copywriter named Joe Pulizzi. After the presentation, White approached the speaker and asked him how he went about learning copywriting. According to White, Pulizzi told him he started out by just writing and sending out his work to see what would happen. People would either choose to take him on as a writer or tell him what was wrong with what he’d written. Either way, he quickly learned where his talents lay and developed his strategy from there.
“I also found that people liked my work and would often call or email me to ask for suggestions,” White recalled. “So, in that sense, I guess you could say I continued to learn as I went along.”
Pulizzi’s strategy of just getting out there and getting inspired by what happens is one that White has followed ever since. When he is in the need of fresh ideas, he turns to his trusted list of copywriters he calls the Content Czar Team, who are some of the best in the industry.
Why Should You Read This Article?
If you’re looking for an in-depth overview of content writing, you’ve come to the right place. White provides an overview of the anatomy of a piece of content and how to approach writing a pitch for a brand or business. He also discusses the importance of having a voice as a writer, the connection between content and sales, and how to measure the success of content marketing initiatives.
Written by an expert in the field, this article will help you gain a solid foundation in the art and science of content creation. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s get started.
The Anatomy Of A Piece Of Content
At the heart of every piece of content is a story, whether it’s editorial or creative, fiction or non-fiction. This is simply because humans are wired to pay more attention to stories than they are to lists or laundry lists of facts.
The first step to creating a successful piece of content is to identify the goals of your editorial or creative campaign. It is vital that you connect the dots between your editorial and creative goals, and the resulting piece of content. When creating content for a digital audience, your primary focus should be on attracting, engaging, and retaining your audience.
The next step is to set the scene, or give the reader a glimpse into the world you will create. This could be done through the use of descriptive language, vivid details, or both. Remember that the reader is likely to be a consumer, prospect, or existing customer, so you want to paint a picture that will stick with them.
You then move on to the next step, which is to lay out the key components of your story. In the context of a piece of content, these are going to be the events, people, and things that comprise or are relevant to your narrative. As you build your story, be sure to include the major events that will bring your story to life. The more you can include, the more your reader will feel like they are an integral part of the story.
With your key components in mind, you can now flesh out the rest of the piece. The last step, and arguably the most important one, is to proofread and edit the piece, making sure that each and every sentence, phrase, and word is perfect. The easier you make it for the reader to follow your line of thought, the greater the chance that they will become engaged and stay engaged with what you are writing. In order to do this, simply read the piece out loud and make any necessary changes. In most cases, a line or two, sometimes even a few words, will suffice. Editing is a very subjective process, so be sure that you are happy with what you’ve written before you send it off to the editor.
The Importance Of Having A Voice
You may be wondering what makes a piece of content great. One of the most crucial factors is a sense of voice. When creating content for a digital audience, you are free to assume that your reader will be a person with a screen in their hands, but that is only half the story. You should also assume that your reader may be from anywhere, with any screen size and any device, and that they are going to give your content the attention it deserves regardless of whether they have a few minutes to spare or a whole day.
When a reader finds content that they feel is well written and concise, they are more likely to give it their undivided attention. The clearer you are about the type of content you are creating and the goal you are pursuing, the more effective and engaging your writing will be.
The Connection Between Content and Sales
If you’re not sure how to approach the subject of sales and marketing within your business or brand, don’t worry, you’re in good company. The same goes for the question of content and sales. In order to effectively market your products or services, you are going to need to create content that is both relevant and compelling.
According to HubSpot’s Senior Manager of Marketing Essie Acolatse, when it comes to marketing and sales, “you always have to start with the content.” She advises marketing professionals to “write an explainer that gets a point across in a compelling way.” Once you have successfully delivered the compelling content, you can move on to the next stage, which is to distribute your editorial to as many relevant publications and platforms as possible. The more you can get your content in front of as many relevant people and potential customers as possible, the greater the chance of successfully converting them into paying customers.
While creating content for marketing purposes, it’s important to keep the end user, or the person who is most likely to benefit from or encounter your content, in mind at all times. A successful digital marketer, like those at HubSpot, always seeks to understand their target audience’s needs and motivations, so that they can craft compelling content that will effectively reach that audience.
Let’s now move on to the final section of this article, where we will discuss some of the most effective ways to determine the success of your editorial or creative campaign.