Different people write copy differently. Many of them get the gist of the copy from their clients and then lock them up in their offices to create the copy. That's a good approach.
What has been working the best for me is that my whole writing process is highly interactive with my clients' key people. I facilitate the event and provide the guidelines, but the whole group is creating. Although it's a bit slower than writing it all myself, this is why I like this approach.
My clients' internal people know more about their businesses than I can ever learn. Having been there for a while, they also understand the intricacies I would never be able to learn without working there. As a result of this co-creation, we can include all these little details. Yes, I provide the overall structure of the pieces, but we fill in the blanks together.
And it works better than the creation of one single brain.
We also save a lot of time because we don't have to re-write the pieces so many times.
But that's the writing itself. Before the writing I go through and extensive process of preparing for the writing. First I have to bring myself up to speed with the company and the specific industry. So, I start with a...
It's also called field research. This is the process to unearth unknown data and information. This information is related to causes that have created the effects which you want to eliminate with my copy.
In this process take a deep look into your...
The initial questionnaire will make you dig deep and search for pieces of information you may have never bumped into. So, it's fair to say that it will take you several hours to complete the initial questionnaire, but this is where everything stands or falls. We have to build a solid case like a lawyer does before the court hearing. The better information I receive from you, the better copy we can create. I can't write copy FOR you. We have to work together. I know writing and you know your business more than anyone else. If you put your stuff on the table and I put mine, then we can mix the two piles of stuff into something really neat.
It's also called desk research. It is the process of summarising and synthesising existing research results which usually comes from clients on an "as is" basis.
Then I immerse myself in the market you want to sell to. I check many websites, professional associations, educational and credentialing bodies, forums, publications and everything that's related to this market. I also check buying patterns and organisational structure in terms of who and how makes buying decisions.
Then I start a MS Word file and in that file I start collecting all my information and URL references, so I can easily add to it and modify bits and bobs.
This is vital because otherwise we end up working on a symptom while leaving the real cause unaddressed. It may also become necessary to cover the previous steps again just in case we missed something.
At this point it's also important to let all the materials rest a little bit because we get so close that we tend to overlook some vital stuff. After a day or two we return with a fresh pair of eyes and make some important corrections.
One big problem is that most clients are wildly in love with their stuff and have their arses to their markets. So I have to pull them off their stuff and help them to better connect with the market.
This is also the point when I start interviewing people from different departments, since they see the sales process from different perspectives. And we need all those perspectives. I try to record as much as possible and then listen to the recordings and digest all that stuff.
At this point I pull together all the pieces for the big idea behind the offer and the story upon which the promotion is built.
Different people write in different styles. Coming from engineering and engineering management, I have a good understanding of what kind of people are involved in buying high-ticket, complex technology solutions and how they think. Their thinking is drastically different from that of the average consumer buyer. And not knowing this can cost a small fortune for technology service providers.
There is still no copywriting involved. It's still just preparation. And by this point many clients lose patience and want to see results... yesterday. But as Emerson wrote in his essays...
"The height of the pinnacle is determined by the breadth of the base."
Or as architects say, the wider the foundation the stronger and safer the structure built on it.
But there is a problem out there. We're living in a world where quick, easy and cheap sell. It's like losing 20 lbs in one week. No exercise and eat whatever you want as much as you want. And the world is full of idiots who are willing to pay for this promise because it sounds quick, easy, and cheap. Well, a $9.95 e-book from a self-appointed fitness guru and no effort is required.
The last part of this step is sequencing the ingredients and creating the outline for the copy. Then I follow this outline and expand on it as I'm writing the copy. Also, in this section I outline the double readership path, so both readers and scanners can follow the message. I mark up which section is for the left brain (logic), right brain (creativity) and the heart (emotions) and then connect them, so the whole piece is as smooth as a baby's arse.
Personally I hate using scare-mongering in my copy, but it's important to use the right amount of reality and positive motivation to take action.
And, at long last, here I start writing the actual copy. Now after having the "grunt work" of collecting all the ingredients, it's time to blend them into something new.
I usually start with the headline, the subheads and the bullet points, but knowing that they can change down the road.
After the main structure, I can write the copy body, including the following ingredients...
Although I used "I", it's really "we". Whenever it's possible, I ask clients to let us, their key people and me, to co-create the copy. At the end of the day, it sounds a lot better, and the clients' people learn the basics of copywriting, which makes them more independent of me.
In this section I start with a read test and monitor how it feels reading the copy. I'm assessing the overall experience of absorbing the content of the copy. IS the message understandable? Is it compelling? Is the overall tone grounded in reality yet passionate about helping beyond the basic transition?
At this point I also double check that the message follows the tried and tested AIDA formula, that is, it ...
Before any further editing, I let the copy rest for a few days, so I can tune myself out of it, and then I can read it again with fresh eyes; the eyes of the layperson.
I read it out loud and record it, so I can listen to it again and again and check it for flow. If I can, I also ask the client or some people from the client's company to make me some read versions on MP3. If we can, we ask some of the client's clients to read the stuff and give us feedback. If something doesn't add up when I listen to it, I re-write that part.
Also, in this section I tighten the copy and chop off some excessive bits and bobs. No, not that! You have a dirty mind. I'm not going to chop that off. Copywriting at this stage is more like sculpture and less like building. It's more like chipping off the excess stuff than adding on more stuff.
Then I polish the aesthetics and formatting making sure that type faces, tabs and margins are congruent with the message.
And as the last step, I hand the copy to clients for revision. My clients can have two revisions at no extra charge.
This is the revision stage and it's totally optional. Some clients accept copy on an as is basis, but some want me to be available for market testing and improving. And some revision happens before the final version and some after the first test on the market.
Some clients hire me to write the copy and that's it, but most of them want to keep me on board, so we can test the first copy, the control, and then we can improve the copy in an attempt to beat the control.
There is one consideration here. And this is why most clients buy copywriting that includes market testing and revising. No one can predict the performance of any copy. Whatever result the copy produces, improvement is always possible. Some clients accept the first result, and some keep me to help to improve the copy.
When a copy fails, it usually happens because the market is not properly targeted or my client fails to put the right offer to the market. The former problem can be avoided by growing an in-house mailing list, and the latter can be cured by tuning in to what problems your target market struggles with.
So, these are my steps. Simple but not simplistic. Nevertheless, the process works.
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