Know-How Exchange : Copywriting

Carmilla - 'Copywriting' has various levels.

1. Writing simple business content for websites usually needs journalistic skills, so I would look where your newspapers and other publications train their writers, especially B2B publications.

2. The top level of copywriting is sales / marketing copy. There a number of two or three day courses, and these are expensive. I would contact publishing or advertising associations for advice.

Marketing / sales copywriting is 'selling in print' and is a highly specialist task with copywriters earning thousands of dollars a day. It is not easy to teach it!

Hope that helps,

Peter

From my perspective, content writing (or "copywriting") starts by understanding the target audience, it's needs, values, beliefs, attitudes, habits and practices. And most especially the words they use when they discuss the topic informally. If there were a way to know what they are THINKING, and the words passing through their brains, that would be even better.

And, of course, you need a very clear and specific definition of the target audience. Who are they really? What makes them tick?

Finally, a good copywriter will understand the objective of the copy and the website. What is success? How will it be measured? What is the call to action?

The actual mechanics of copywriting are important, but not nearly as important as understanding the target audience and the marketing objective at a deep level.

Peter Hobay is very right; I just did a quick search and uncovered numerous ''seminars,'' courses, classes, most of which are very pricey. Copywriting is like any other profession in that a gifted, well-honed professional can make copy flow seem very easy.

Olgivy on Advertising and the words of wisdom from MarketProf''s Quote of the Day professionals about writing copy are worth heeding.

If you are intent on writing your own copy, sign up with local college(s) the courses that "speak" to you and might lead you to what you want to accomplish.

Best of luck!

As a freelance website content writer, I am daily faced with small businesses who want to create their own copy due to budget constraints, but want a little help.

First (and I say this gently) Even though I own a pair of scissors doesn't mean I can cut my own hair.

Or put another way...

Being able to type a perfectly structured sentence, won't mean the end results will accomplish what you hoped for. Bad results take much longer to overcome than growing out a bad haircut.


Having said that, you may get the best results by bringing on a staff writer who is already trained in the field (writing specifically for the web plus sales experience) if you don't want to outsource.

If you want to train someone in-house, think of this as a new hire. Does this person fit the criteria for the position. If so, training should be routine, and ongoing in order to stay current on marketing changes.

I also have to agree with the input from mgoodman and marketbase.

Hope this helps!

Classes and seminars are good but there have been some great books published on the subject as well as some great webinars. As a start I would suggest Ann Handley's book on Content Rules. Another book would be the "The Idea Writers: Writing in a New Media and Marketing Era" by Terresa Iezzi. There are also hundreds of online webinars on the subject of Web Content within the Marketing Profs resources.

To me you need to first learn mail order copywriting techniques. Since web marketing is mail order, that's the first place to start. Books by John Caples, Max Sackhiem, Hershell Gordon Lewis, Denny Hatch, Ogilvy, Bob Stone, Bob Bly are a few I learned from. Here is a link to many Bob Bly books. https://www.bobblymarketingbooks.com/

Hi, Carmilla-

LOTS of good thoughts and advice above.

As another free-lance marketer and Web writer, I'd like to add a couple of additional key points. MOST important is that a good sales writer or general copywriter is not necessarily a good Web writer. Peter's call for journalistic skills is right on target: readers on the Web are task-oriented and do not have the patience to wade through detailed sales copy. A Web site is not simply an online brochure, but a vehicle for accomplishing tasks and gathering information.

Can a good writer become a good Web writer? Absolutely. With some reading and practice under a good coach, it can happen. The question for you is whether you have the time and resources to undertake this development. You may be better off hiring someone to help you with your immediate needs and then bringing someone internal along as an apprentice.

Also, add to the list of must-reads Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox enewsletter and Gerry McGovern's books and New Thinking enewsletters.

Good luck!