DIY or not? Copy fixes for every ability

Some jobs are an easy DIY fix. Like changing a lightbulb. Some are a bit more complicated if you don’t know what you’re doing. Rewiring a light fitting, for example. Others are definitely not a job you should be doing yourself – putting in a new fuse board would be one best left to qualified electricians.

The same could be said for a lot of copywriting work. Some pieces of writing are straightforward, some need a bit of skill, and others are complicated to get right unless you’re a pro.

So, if you’re just a casual writer, which types of content are suitable for a DIY fix? Which are best left alone? And how do you become more confident at taking on those harder writing projects??

Easy fixes for anyone familiar with the organisation include:

• Internal comms – write like you’re talking to a colleague in person and you can’t go too far wrong.
• Templated newsletters – if you have a formula that’s working, keep doing it.
• Factual updates to existing content – you don’t need to redo every piece of content if you can update it to get some more life out of it.

Confident writers with a solid grasp of English and the brand tone of voice will do a good job with:

• Engagement/keep warm emails – make them useful and interesting.
• Sales materials – focus on the benefits of your product/service and show your passion and you’ll get pretty good results.
• Product/service/course descriptions – these need to be clear and straightforward yet also persuasive and engaging, a tricky balance but doable.

Only professional writers will get the best results when it comes to:

• Tone of voice guides – a useful guide is far more than a few values and a bit of writing advice. It’s a key brand document that needs careful thought and research.
• Manifestos, strategy documents, mission/vision – many organisations know what they want to say in these documents, but not how to say it. Best to bring in an expert (you know where to find us!).
• Hero pieces of content – from case studies to course descriptions, sometimes it helps to have a few really good, professionally written pieces to get you started and set the standard for your own DIY efforts.

The big variable is how confident you are as a writer. If you know which persuasive techniques to use, when to be creative with language, and what works best for your audience, you’ll be fine with some of the more complicated jobs.

Try our 5-minute copy fix here: https://www.athousandmonkeys.co.uk/post/the-5-minute-copy-fix