5 Questions You Must Ask Yourself and Your Writer

“Writers aren't people exactly. Or, if they're any good, they're a whole lot of people trying so hard to be one person.” - F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Love of the Last Tycoon

“Just a few words about product X or service Y”.

Is this how you get yourself or your writer ready? You know your stuff inside out so that’s enough. Perhaps you have an expert copywriter or an agency who already know what you want?

All of this may be true but this is the biggest mistake people make. It’s a mistake because most people don’t ask for the right type of writer for their job. At this point you’re probably thinking three things:-

1. You may already know you want a copywriter.

2. Maybe you know you want a different type of writing or some extra words for your next blog.

3. You may be worried … there aren’t that many types of writers!

For business writing there are the obvious copywriters, bloggers and content writers. But it doesn’t stop there! People may describe themselves as a wordsmith. The mean spirited might say pen pushing scribblers.

You’ll have heard of freelance writers and ghost writers. Already you can see that the style of writing is important, with a nod towards secretly writing on behalf of someone else. Let’s not forget story tellers and the important of the journey taken with the customer. This opens up the broader meaning of a writer. Journalist, author and speech writer are just a few of the words we connect to writing.

Yet this is not about target audience, writing style or purpose. The most important thing to remember is your reader is on a journey which requires one or more of 5 questions answered:-

1. Are you Reporting?

“News is something somebody doesn’t want printed: all else is advertising.” - William Randolph Hearst (attrib.)

Hold the press! Breaking news. Hot headline. Reporting is when the story is the main focus. So there’s the danger a reporting focus is seen as time limited, biased or economical with the truth.

Just remember the derisive term ‘hack’ was applied to writers, and journalists in particular, for a reason. It was first used in the 18th century for freelance writers to produce cheap periodicals for the masses. It was a shortened form of the hackney horse and carriages available for immediate hire. Of course, the skills of the journalist, reporter and correspondent are transferable. Specialist reporting by the columnist, essayist or diarist provides critical analysis and comment. The modern day blogger started as a diary-style website by unpaid individuals. Today, blogs and blogging is a broad term for article and content creation, and its sharing.

Customers are interested in new and novel choices, not just news. You may have launched a new product for your company. It may be an existing service into a new market sector. There may be a new use for your product. It may be the start of the season and you have a price promotion. It might be an extra-special situation where you have a monopoly due to an invention, distribution or licencing agreement.

People are important and you may have employed, promoted or are seeking key individuals. You may want to demonstrate success with apprenticeships, job schemes and qualifications. Equally, when things go wrong, crisis communication can make or break a company.

External recognition is hard won and newsworthy. Success and collaboration with others provides trust in your organisation. Your company may have gained accreditation within your industry. Compliance to health and safety, quality and legal standards are evidence your company means business.

Whatever the situation, regular communication with customers is key. The old school methods of newspapers, magazines and radio are being challenged. Websites, blogs and podcasts are the new tools. Easily accessible. Downloadable. Just make sure the story isn’t everything.

2. Are you Story telling?

“I think the best stories always end up being about the people rather than the event, which is to say character-driven.” - Stephen King

The importance of story telling is its way of holding and recalling an idea. You want your target audience to listen, remember and recall your message. This is the essence of communication. A storyteller can be an author, novelist or contributor. It just doesn’t require lots of words.

"For sale: baby shoes, never worn” is attributed to Ernest Hemingway. This is the classic example of abbreviated story telling (flash fiction) where six words provides a multitude of emotions and possibilities.

Before writing, people had an oral tradition to communicate important messages. Critical life skills. Core community values. History and heroes.

Religious, social or political ideas were told in an easy to understand format. Aesop’s fables are short stories often with animal characters. Grimms’ fairy tales provide longer stories with more complex plots. Epics such as Arabian Nights are stories within stories. In all of these examples you can see how an idea is wrapped in imagination and served in an immersive manner.

Story telling can be used as a Trojan horse to plant a memorable idea. Just like vegetables on a pizza, you sometimes have to secrete unpalatable things in an easy to consume format. Whether you believe there are seven types of stories or just one, they all provide a road map, route or road. This journey is the way to move a person from thinking in one way to a new one.

The story has to be credible if it’s to be trusted. This could be a familiar theme, a similar situation or relatable people. The emotions and motivation of the people you select will make it real. Each step of the journey has to be logical or the story won’t make sense. Just don’t let the story takeover from the people and the idea you want remembered.

3. Are you Performing?

“There’s no point in having sharp images when you’ve fuzzy ideas.” - Jean-Luc Godard

Performing is usually linked to movement or live action. Words may seem to play second fiddle to video and pictures. It is said “action speaks louder than words” and “a picture paints a thousand words”. Yet words well written can jump off the page and resonate.

Pictures and action alone provide a message open to interpretation. Words ensures the specific order of the journey, detail seen and nuance. A screen/script writer, dramatist and playwright bring the characters to life. A speech writer, poet or lyricist use word pictures. Words in print have to work harder.

a) Scene setting with 'Once upon a time ...' to 'In the days of old ...' or 'Quite a while back ...' can change the expectation for the reader.

b) Word play such as "The Appliance of Science" - Zanussi

c) Subtlety from cheerful, content, elated, euphoric, felicitous, glad, happy, joyful or joyous – take your pick.

d) Sound effects such as alliteration, onomatopoeia, repetition and rhythm.

… his appearance: something displeasing, something down-right detestable. I never saw a man I so disliked and yet I scarce know why. He must be deformed somewhere …” - Robert Louis Stevenson, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

“Don’t sell the steak, sell the sizzle.” - Elmer Wheeler

"Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space." - Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

“We make stuff.

Beautiful, practical, meaningful stuff.

We make what we love.

We love what we do.

But over the years, we noticed that somehow, along the way, software designed to help us be creative actually made us less creative. We believe the best ideas often emerge from the simplest tools: pencil and paper.” - FiftyThree

e) Direction

“For the sky and the sea, and the sea and the sky” - Samuel Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient mariner

Words can be made to resonate with your reader. Nursery rhymes, poems and prose have musicality. Songs, speeches and slogans are a tune you can’t forget. Creative copy can be conversational and speak directly to the reader. Just be careful not to overdo the effects; even the best CGI animation can’t replace a good script.

4. Are you ‘short’ Selling?

“The idea is to write it so that people hear it and it slides through the brain and goes straight to the heart.” - Maya Angelou

The copywriter is a used (and abused) word in advertising and marketing. It’s the first type of writer people think of for selling in print. It’s understandable as people are bombarded with advertising messages everyday. Snappy sexy slogans surround us. Clear, concise and compelling. So it’s not surprising you demand creative copy and content.

Copywriters write copy. In advertising, ‘copy’ is the written text within a publication. The words ‘web content’ or ‘content’ are often used for online text.

Ad copy is text used for influencing and selling. Body copy is text in the main part of a piece of writing. The origin may be from Morse code and radio communications, where ‘copy’ means the message is received and understood.

So copy is words. It’s that simple and not to be confused with duplicate. The other mistake is to think copywriters are experts in copyright. There is a connection but only because original copy is copyright.

Copyright is the legal protection granted to original works of authorship. This covers literature, music, computer code and any work expressed in words, numbers and other symbols. Protection is automatic when it is written on paper, electronic methods, audio recordings and any other tangible form.

For whatever historical reason copywriters usually sell their copyright as part of their business process. So compared to other creatives including photographers, authors and coders, it provide a cost effective and reusable product rather than one that is licenced or restricted in some way. Yes, that image purchased can only be used in certain places, channels or whatever has been agreed. In the same way that software you ‘bought’ is really a lifetime licence of usage. You don’t actually own it and copies are being sold to other people.

So whoever produced your words, make sure you buy the copyright and get it in writing. Just remember paying for copy does not mean copyright is formally transferred.

More about copywriting can be read at https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/5-reasons-copywriting-peter-ning/

5. Are you ‘long’ Selling?

“Content builds relationships. Relationships are built on trust. Trust drives revenue.” - Andrew Davis

The internet has made the world a smaller place. With so much choice, people no longer impulse buy. The rise of the self-educated customer can be read at https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/6-habits-self-educated-customer-peter-ning/

People are more sophisticated and make decisions based on recommendations and internet research. Content marketing is focused on influencing these decisions.

While ‘web content’ and ‘content’ is often linked to online text, this does not mean other sources are not important. Most industries have respected publications, reference guides and e-books. The focus is providing people with trusted useful information. It can provide the backbone of a selling process.

A typical marketing approach is a content strategy to drive traffic to a website or blog. This works best with a high ranking in browser search engines. This is promoted by the tactical use of SEO, inbound links and great content.

Typically short ‘content’ is up to 1000 words. So content in this case means copy of between 1000 – 3000 words. The desired word range will vary with different channels. You want readers to engage and share the content.

So content has to be interesting. Easy to understand. Easy to find. By providing a one-stop shop of useful information, your readers will find everything they need to know, will share and bring their friends and create that virtual circle of top ranking online content. The trust of self-educated customers has replaced the impulse buy with ‘my choice’ buy. Just remember the complexity of content selling takes time.

Summary

You have learnt 5 questions need to be answered for your reader:-

1. Reporting – the facts, but the story isn’t everything

2. Story telling – the journey, but the people and idea are more important

3. Performing – ringing true and resonate, but don’t overdo it

4. ‘Short’ selling – the selling and buying, but get what you pay for

5. ‘Long’ selling – the relationship, but it takes time

Your self-educated customer is on the buying journey. They know where they are … you are just guessing. It may be a good guess. Even well-educated. But it’s still a guess. So write as if they’re where they should be, but provide the whole map or at least the next step.

The reason there are so many types of writers is because each is a specialist in their area. This doesn’t mean they aren’t all writers or can’t write in another area. So don’t ask for a specific writer type. Look and ask for the ability to answer the 5 questions that your reader wants answered before buying.

Marketing, sales and psychology all feed into any writing, which means this joined-up approach is the way to deliver consistent viewing, reading and results.

Are you asking the right questions?

Have you been using the right type of writer for your job?

Copyright ? 2020 Peter Ning, All Rights reserved