Articles
What a freelance copywriter can do
By Carsten Bjerregaard, Marketingcapacity.dk (Feel free to link to this article. Copying/publishing without agreement is not allowed)
A copywriter's primary function is to write texts that sell products and services. Naturally, the texts must be written correctly and flawlessly, as the written word reflects the quality of the company as well as what it offers. When you hire a freelance copywriter, he or she will find the angles that make your company, product or offer attractive to your target audience. A good copywriter is able to see and articulate your benefits in a way that creates clarity, awareness and demand. In this way, a great copywriter's work supports your KPIs, which could be sales, awareness or lead generation.
A good image can make people stop and pay attention, but only text can convince them to do business with you. That's why a copywriter is an important marketing and sales professional in any business. The copywriter must be able to understand and communicate your offer in a way that makes it relevant, credible and attractive. There are different types of copywriters, but a good copywriter is worth their weight in gold.
Read more below:
- What is a copywriter?
- What does a copywriter do?
- What else is a copywriter called?
- How does a copywriter create value?
- What types of copywriters are there?
- What does a copywriter need to know?
- Examples of good copywriting
- Why hire/employ a freelance copywriter?
- How do you find a good freelancer?
What is a copywriter?
A copywriter is essentially someone who writes messages in a way that is relevant, attractive and credible. Technically, 'copywriter' is an unprotected title. This means that anyone has the right to call themselves a copywriter. That's why it's important to be careful when choosing a copywriter. At Marketingcapacity.dk, we choose copywriters carefully based on our customers' needs. Because there is a big difference between what different copywriters have to offer.
What does a copywriter provide?
The copywriter's output will usually be: Website texts, social media posts, email texts, customer cases, banner ads, advertisements, commercial scripts, product names, slogans, etc. In short, all the types of elements where a company wants to convey a message.
For the best results, the copywriter will usually go through this process:
- The copywriter is briefed on the product and problem - and given the opportunity to ask questions
- The task and the expected output and time consumption are defined by the parties
- The copywriter presents their text proposal
- The company (client) comments on the proposal and makes any corrections
- The fixes will be implemented
And the ingredients can be:
- Strategy
- Concept (formulating an overall idea that can tie different activities together)
- Headline, body text, statements, captions etc.
What else is a copywriter called?
There are many different names for copywriters. And copywriters can also be called writers, journalists, authors, authors, concept developers, depending on their normal field of work. It's also common for copywriters to be referred to as copywriters. However, it's worth mentioning that 'journalist', unlike 'copywriter', is a protected title. You need to be a trained journalist to adorn yourself with this title. The others are free to use.
How does copywriting create value?
For example, a copywriter's job is to help a company sell as many products as possible for the marketing investment - by
- Make the offer relevant to the recipient
- Make the offer easy to read and understand
- Make the offer interesting
- Make the offer attractive
An example of an offer could be: "Buy this Bodum coffee flask for 100 kr.". It's an offer in its pure form and not made more attractive than the brand, product and price.
A good copywriter can simply be the difference between negative and positive Return on Investment. A historical example is the soft drink '7-UP', which wasn't a huge success. Until a brilliant copywriter decided to launch it as 'The Un-cola' - the ALTERNATIVE to Coca-Cola. And then suddenly it broke through the sound barrier. Such a simple text meant the difference between a me-too product and a product you could use to show something about yourself.
It's a classic and familiar example. A strategic example. From the top shelf of creative, laudatory texts, take the example of a watch ad: "What do a singer, a conductor and an artistic director have in common? A Rolex". That's how effectively you can position a watch.
In Denmark, copywriter Claus Walther once wrote an ad for a Volkswagen where the image showed a crumpled map and the headline read: "A VW Toureg owner's dream of a different Køge". You couldn't help but read the body text, where he told an adventure about what it was like to drive the Volkswagen's 4-wheel drive over hills, through ravines and 'gloriously greasy marl pits'.
In the '50s, the renowned Erik Dibbern wrote one TV commercial classic after another. Including the famous beer slogan "I'd rather have a star". Later, Peter Wibroe wrote about Tuborg: "What makes life a little greener?" and encouraged people to answer 'Tuborg' when they saw his ads and posters. A high-calibre copywriter can uncover and dramatize the magic that's hidden somewhere in your product or business.
What types of copywriters are there?
As mentioned, there are different types of copywriters. If they're good, they all have some basic craft skills. But after that, they can be passionate about (and therefore particularly good at):
- Different industries (they know the rhetoric and concepts)
- Different media (they understand the media's target audience and lingo)
- Different platforms (they understand the concept and functionality of the platform)
- Different task types:
- Feature stories
- Product descriptions (technical writers)
- Different languages
- Customer cases
There will usually be very, very different types of people writing ads for perfume and for tractors. But there are also more subtle differences. Some copywriters are good at formulating a concept or an overall idea. Others may not be so good at it, but they love to tinker with a body copy so that it's razor-sharp and impossible to resist.
No one can do everything. So it's important to find someone who can do exactly what you need. Copywriting expertise can vary in different areas, such as:
- SEO
- Content
- Advertising
- Journalistic
- Engineering and IT
- English copywriter (or other languages)
- Different industries or product areas
What does a copywriter need to know?
Need to have: Of course, a copywriter must be able to write flawlessly in the language that the recipients read. But that's just the green fee or hygiene factor, if you will. There's much more a good copywriter can bring to the table. The best ones can:
- Understand a commercial issue
- Understand - and suggest - what it takes to solve it (strategy)
- Develop a concept (an overall text idea, preferably formulated in a few words or a sentence)
- Write interesting and easy to read
- Understand people (needs, dreams, habits, attitudes, behaviors, etc.) and they can relate this insight to a product, brand and company
- Write with professional gravitas and insight (possibly after training)
- Understand - and write for - different media on the medium's terms
- Come up with alternative suggestions
- Communicate why they do what they do (a skilled professional can articulate their skills - this also applies to copywriters)
- Make it easy for companies to work with them through an open and welcoming attitude
- Collaboration with other professionals, typically ADs, graphic designers, project managers, SEO optimization experts, UX designers, as well as non-communication employees
Examples of good copywriting
An American agency has compiled an overview of 70 great books on advertising if you want to delve a little deeper into the subject: https://klintmarketing.com/best-digital-marketing-books/
From the UK, we can point to David Ogilvy, who gave his name to a global agency, as well as Charles Saatchi or the American Bill Bernbach, who wrote legendary VW ads half a century ago.
If you're thinking that they're probably too old to learn anything from them, think again. Because what makes a good text hasn't changed much over time. A good text is clear, it has a direction (or basic idea), it illuminates this basic idea from several angles - and supports the point, it's easy to read, and it has an ending that makes you think for a moment. And even though it's audience-specific, a good text has the characteristic of being easy to read. For everyone. In fact, you read good copy without even thinking about it. Because it invites you to read it so much that you can't resist.
Why hire/employ a freelance copywriter?
In the past, most people might have thought of freelancers for one-off projects. However, many companies have now realized the benefits of working with freelancers on a long-term basis:
- You can cover needs that don't justify a permanent position
- In periods when you don't need it, you don't pay for the skill
- In a long-term relationship, the freelancer gets to know the company almost as well as a permanent employee
- Compared to buying the desired skill set from an agency - such as an advertising agency - working with freelancers is usually much cheaper
- You have the flexibility to rethink the overall competency profile of the person responsible for an area
- More and more really talented people prefer to work freelance
- A freelancer can still look at your business 'from the outside' - which is a valuable thing in many areas
- Freelancers can bring fresh, outside inspiration to your business
How do you find a good freelance copywriter?
Finding the right freelancer can be difficult. And above all, it can take a long time. Because there are many freelancers within the same field, and even if they boast the same skills, there can be a big difference when it comes to the way they work and the work they deliver. When you ask Marketingcapacity.dk to help you find a freelancer to work with, the process is simple:
- You describe your needs to us (either in writing or verbally - we'll confirm in an email)
- We screen the thousands of profiles on Marketingcapacity.dk and, if necessary, the market through our channels
- We nominate a list of candidates and talk to them according to your needs
- You will be presented with 3 candidates that seem to meet your needs
- During the 3 meetings (at your location or digitally) you can ask questions and see examples of their work
- You choose the freelancer you would like to start working with
- We set it up in our systems with time tracking etc. so you have an overview and full control
In other words: After describing your needs, simply set aside 2 hours to meet with 3 hand-picked and screened candidates. That's your guarantee of a good result with reasonable effort.
Concluding comment
There are clear financial benefits to hiring a freelance copywriter with years of experience. Here's a selection of some of the most important ones.
- You get a copywriter with business acumen
- Experienced copywriters work quickly and purposefully because copywriting is a craft, like so many others, where routine matters
- Avoid hiring expensive but necessary expertise on a permanent basis
Do you have any questions? Write to me at carsten@marketingcapacity.com.
