Copy is everywhere your customers look. Your website, your adverts, your emails, your slogan, and even your internal comms.

You often hear of business owners trying to save on professional copywriting by taking on the load themselves. But they could be setting themselves up for failure. Not because they’re bad writers, but because there’s way more to copy than simply writing it. Let me explain.

You may be a perfectly capable writer, but do you have the time and focus to build a truly compelling copy that connects and builds relationships with target audiences?

Professional copywriting is the art of persuading, encouraging and ultimately marketing your product/service through the written word.

There’s a lot more to professional copywriting than good grammar and vocabulary. A good copywriter will have the skills to hone your company’s tone of voice, brand values and personality to connect with the right audience. They’ll be able to sell your product or service without actually selling. They’ll tell the right people what they need to know in as few words as possible.

In this post, we’ll lay out some of the main benefits of investing in a professional copywriter. 

They can focus solely on copywriting

Like we said, you may choose to write copy yourself, or offload it to another team member – perhaps an account manager or managing partner. But do they have the focus and calendar flexibility to block out dedicated time? 

Without focus and time, effective copywriting becomes impossible. Writing when distracted is never a good idea. Plus, with multiple other tasks to tend to, it gets easy to leave your writing and come back to it another time only to have lost your rhythm and flow. Copywriting demands closed pockets of focused work. A professional will be solely focused on research, writing and editing, ensuring you receive high-quality, compelling and consistent content every time.

They’re ruthless editors

One of the major components of a copywriting job is editing, and great copywriters have learnt to be ruthless editors. There is so much noise out there already. Audiences are busy, and online readers in particular want their information delivered as concisely and succinctly as possible.

It’s easy to become attached to jargon and unnecessary turns of phrases that bloat prose and compromise cadence and voice. A copywriter will be a master at cutting, polishing and honing their work. 

They can bring a fresh perspective 

When you’re leading and running a business, you are, quite rightly, budding with enthusiasm and energy.

All of the amazing features, add-ons, benefits etc. You want to talk about them all! 

But this can cause you to lose sight of the main objective.

A professional copywriter will bring an external perspective, and their experience will help them determine what works and what doesn’t. Great copy focuses on benefits rather than features. It focuses on building relationships and connecting, rather than selling. Just look at this landing page from Basecamp entitled “How it works”. Basecamp can perform hundreds of functions, but this page delivers only the information that’s needed. 

Now, imagine you asked the person who developed the tool – how does it work…? That’s going to be an entirely different conversation.

They will maintain tone and voice

Tone of voice is a huge determiner of how you connect with your audience through copy. 

If a target audience can connect and relate with the tone and language used in your copy, they’re more likely to be impacted by it. 

A professional copywriter will most likely request a copy of your brand guidelines, and they’ll probe you for as much information as possible about your target audiences. This helps them to establish a tone and voice that will truly connect. This is a key element of compelling copy because just like your logo, you want your audiences to be able to recognise you. A great copywriter will craft a voice that is consistent and recognisable. 

They will contribute to the user experience

A talented copywriter will be able to work with other promotional devices such as your website UX, video content or graphic design and build an experience for the reader. Copywriters aren’t self-indulgent. They know they’re not hired to show off their writing skills, but to engage and persuade your readers by providing a compelling experience. 

Copywriters know how to work with other team members and design elements to give the best user experience, whether that’s online or offline.

They know their platform

Well-trained copywriters will understand the nuances of various platforms. Cadence, language and voice will all need to be adapted depending on whether you’re writing an online product page, a blog or a screen advert. 

In addition, most professional copywriters today are aware of SEO best practices and will write strategically online to boost search engine rankings and speak to algorithms.

There are many other hacks copywriters will be privy to that can really make your copy shine and perform at its best. Active voice, metaphors, research interviews, benefits over features – these are just some of the best-known hacks to enrich your copy. 

Copy is a huge part of the selling process, don’t be tempted to scrimp on it.