What is copywriting?

What is copywriting? Seems like a simple enough question, but is it really?

Some people think it’s the art of connecting words together until they make sense to a cranky Creative Director or bamboozle a little search bot in the wonders of cyberspace.

But what is copywriting really?

And why is it so damn important?

When you’re a word weaving ninja like me (she says blowing her knuckles and rubbing them on her chest), copywriting is the be all and end all. It has to be in order to keep the tofu in the fridge and the obscure Amazon books coming.

But in a world that relies more and more on self education with customer purchases and an increasing number of people sharing their own opinions, it’s critical to have a voice that stands above the rest of the la-de-dah and that will only happen with the right copywriting.

Isn’t it all the same?

Is every kind of holiday you go on exactly the same? Do the same size and style of knickers fit every bum? Of course not and that’s why different people have different approaches depending on what uses their skills in the most appropriate way and what works for you.

How we communicate is really important and a ‘one size fits all’ approach to your copywriting is bound to sell either your marketing or your customers really, really short.  And we all know what happens when you’re holiday or knickers are too short, don’t we? Things get really irritating really quickly!

What isn’t copywriting?

Copywriting isn’t some delicate mathematical formula that is needed to be entered ‘just so’ in order for some mythical search engine robot gets his funny bone tickled the right way. It isn’t a place for buzz words to get together, get on the sauce and breed like rabbits.  It’s not a pot noodle and therefore you can’t add a cup of hot water, wait two minutes and scarp it down hoping it will do the much bigger job of satiating your customer’s hunger.

So what is copywriting?

Copywriting is:

• A conversation
• An introduction
• A map for a customer
• A story about a product
• Something that speaks your audience’s language
• A weaving of words to entice
• A source of information
• The instruction manual for an idea
• A watertight line used to describe a product
• The value of a product or proposition distilled
• Lines of dialogue you want your staff and customers to repeat
• The translation of a dream into reality
• An explanation
• A rope so someone can jump on board
• A cushion for a blow
• A creator of mystery
• An invitation to discovery
• The seeds of excitement you plant in a head
• The beginning of a loyal and fruitful relationship
• A wee bit of romance
• A cure for a headache
• A pick me up
• A meeting of minds
• A personal challenge
• A call to arms
• An education
• Just the poke you need to get you thinking
• A solution to a problem
• A thing that elicits great response
• A source of laughter and entertainment
• The means for putting out a fire
• The healing of a wound
• The first step to building friendship
• The start of a revolution
• A sales call
• Providing a diagnosis
• A means to avoid a telephone script
• Encouraging customer research
• Providing independence to your audience
• A way to promote inclusion
• A way of weeding out time wasters
• Your marketing’s best friend
• A bridge to your audience
• Something that prompts you to think long after you’ve finished reading

I’m an old salty word dog from way back who really likes getting words to be appreciated for the best of their magical talents.

Get in touch– I’d happily talk words and discuss what is copywriting with you.