The Copysmith

Studies have shown that people lean forward when they read online. It’s because they are actively seeking information. And that’s good news for your brand. You’ve got people’s attention, you just need to work not to lose it.

Love your audience. Meet them where they are and give them what they need. When people read online they are busy and easily distracted. So copy needs to be solution-focussed and to-the-point to keep users reading.

And like any other medium, web copy has to be written well. There is no such thing as generic ‘web-language’. What you say needs to identify with your readers, yet still be faithful to your brand’s tone-of-voice. Engage the reader with compelling lines. Answer their questions quickly. And display your values through the power of words.

There is a perception out there that copywriting is expensive. SO expensive, in fact, that it’s preferable to use home-made wording on a swish new collateral than hiring a professional to write it, well, professionally. The irony is that your DIY copy probably costs more in the long run. Readers hate bad copy. It’s slows them down. It bores them. And it works their backspace reflex like nobody’s business.

Racking it up
You’ll find the best copywriters are always too happy to oblige. If you’re too busy to write them a brief, they’ll gladly spend time talking it through with you on the phone. If you haven’t been able to give them reference, they’ll happily while away the day doing the research. If you haven’t thought about what you want to say with your communication, or what response you’d like, they’ll sit with your for hours to thrash it out.

The trouble is, the more time they spend doing the stuff that isn’t actually writing, the more you’re going to pay before they even put pen to paper.

Racking it down
The best way to slim your budgets is to appeal to your copywriters’ inherently lazy nature. So ask, “What can I do to reduce your hours on this job?” You probably have loads of info to hand that would save hours of billable time.

Your best ally: The Brief
Very basically, just give your copywriters key info as a list of bullet points, and tell them what the piece needs to achieve. And when it comes to getting the style right, give them samples of what you love and what you hate. Then ask for a sample to approve before they go ahead. This could shave up to a day off your copywriting costs.

Writing a brief isn’t hard, but to make it even easier, click here to download our cheat-sheet. This handy little document will not only guarantee your status as ‘Favourite Client’, it will also save your writer a whole load of time – and you a whole whack of money.

Good luck with your next project.