They say no question is a stupid question. While that may be true, asking me to look over your work to see whether any of it is infringing on anyone’s registered trademarks might just be a little… ill-advised.
That’s because I’m not into the whole copyright law game – I’m a copywriter. And yes, that’s confusing. And yes, that mistake is a common one. I’m sorry, I don’t know how to make sure your song lyrics don’t get ripped off. I could help you perfect them, though.
A copywriter is someone who uses written content to convince a reader to take action. I usually say my daily job is around 60% writing and 40% staring into space thinking of better ways to say the sentence I just wrote. That’s because it’s my job to put across specific messages, with very specific keywords, using a very specific tone. It’s all very precise.
That’s not to say it’s lacking in creativity. I get to be creative – just within set parameters. That’s the challenge and the fun of it.
We love words
Copywriters love words. Personally, I can’t get enough of those things. That’s why on top of my day job as a freelance creative copywriter, I’m a freelance features writer, I have four separate blogs (and counting), I’m writing a book, I try out poetry every week (to varying degrees of success) and I read everything I can get my hands on.
Copywriters are known for their in-built empathy for language – not just writing it, but hearing it and understanding it. We know how a sentence will read, but we also understand that that small collection of words will feel different to a reader, depending on the order we place them, or the choice of synonyms we use.
When you hire a copywriter, you’re not just getting a typist. You’re asking a word fanatic to complete your work for you. If it’s words you want, you’ve come to the right place.
We’re good at metadata (but might not love it all that much)
But who does? A copywriter’s strengths are in writing (obviously), creativity and planning content using a range of tools such as SEO keyword research.
We’re also pretty good at sprucing up your product descriptions and inputting back-end metadata thanks to our skills in accuracy and a need to make even the dullest content shine. Like clearing out those fatbergs deep below the city, metadata’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it. Let us plug in our headphones and get on with it.
We can proofread and edit
So you think your content’s perfect do you? Dare to place a bet on that?
Copywriters have an inbuilt skill – a hidden superpower, if you will – that enables us to strike down a grammatical faux pas at 100 yards. If you’re looking for somebody to go over an 180 page document to check readability and accuracy, hire a copywriter.
We have industry skills and knowledge too
When you’re looking at hiring a freelance copywriter, ask them what industries and sectors they’re experienced in. You’ll be surprised.
Personally, I could write 50+ blog posts each on Further Education, Apprenticeships, upskilling (in engineering, digital and construction), wastewater storage and anaerobic digestion, the wedding industry, the beer industry, food and drink, diversifying within the farming industry, digital marketing, corporate travel… and that’s just the sectors I’ve been working in recently.
Copywriters are a mine of information on your competitors as well as your own industry. The good ones do their homework before they meet with you. Use that geeky knowledge to your advantage.
If you’d like to talk a bit more about what a copywriter is, or you’d like to have a chat about what I could do for your business’ copy and content, contact me and let’s set up a meeting asap.