Let’s start with answering the question, what is copywriting?
It’s writing to persuade a reader to take a specific action. That could be to buy your product, sign up to your email list, start a free trial, vote, whatever. It’s writing to sell.
Copywriting vs content marketing
At Pearson Brown we separate these services for one very important reason – they’re different.
Copywriting, as we’ve said, is to create a buying action there and then. Content marketing is a long-term game to build your brand – to add value to your audience over time. To position your business as a trusted advisor, and to be front and centre of your potential client’s mind when they need a service like yours.
Your main webpages, product literature etc. need a copywriting service. Your blog and social media content needs to add value, not sell – a copywriter can provide this for you but just be aware the goal should be different.
Copywriting services: the choice
When it comes to copywriters, as in all walks of life, there’s different styles, different skill levels, and people/agencies with different levels of experience. There’s agencies with contrasting approaches. As with finding most suppliers for your business, it’s about finding a copywriter who’s a good fit for you.
So, how do you decide between competing copywriting agencies?
Here’s what to look for and how you can use this information to come to a decision.
Personal recommendations
It’s always good to ask for recommendations from your inner circle. From people you trust and who have used the same service you’re looking for.
That said, be careful. Is your business similar to the one providing the recommendation? Have they actually used the person/agency or are they just keen to pass on referrals to give them kudos within a networking group?
Personal recommendations are great, but you still need to do your due diligence and choose who’s right for you and your business.
Proof of work/portfolio
All good copywriting agencies and freelancers will be able to point you to work they’ve done for clients. This can be as simple as sharing links to content they’ve created or websites they’ve written.
Get examples.
See if their writing style is right for you. Remember though, each piece of work they share with you will have been based on a client brief and may not reflect the copywriters own style.
Ask for more than one example.
Even better, do they have a personal blog that they can point you to? That will show you what they’re about and their personal style. Good copywriters can change style and tone on demand depending on the client, but the more natural the fit the better.
Approach/niche
Some copywriting agencies will focus specifically on certain sectors. Others will work with a certain size of client. Others, like us, will work with a broad range of clients but everything centres around a specific process.
If you’re a particularly niche business it might be difficult to find a copywriter who specialises in what you do. In which case a process-driven agency might be a good fit as they will be adaptable to whatever the company and whatever the goal. Their skills and experience are broad.
If you have a more generic business in a single sector, a foodservice company for example, a copywriter who focuses on your sector may be a better fit.
There’s no hard and fast rule. Explore your options. Talk to different copywriting agencies and see how they can help you. A good agency will want you to be a good fit for them too, it should be a 2-way street.
For example, we tend to ask potential clients to complete a short fact find, as detailed in our process, before we quote to make sure we’re a good fit for your mission.
Choosing a copywriting service
As you can see there’s quite a few variables to consider. Skills, experience, specific knowledge, approach, and perhaps your budget will all play a part in your decision when it comes to hiring a copywriting agency.
If you’re on the hunt at the moment, find out more about us here. We would love to hear about your project, discuss how we can help, and discuss our process with you in more detail. It’s all about results, and we’re here to help you achieve what you’ve set out to do.
– Matthew Brown, founder & director