Everyone likes music. For some it has to be pop; others love classical. Then there are those who couldn’t survive without their speed metal. Every kid learns how to clap or tap out simple rhythms. More complex works require deeper knowledge and ability. This is similar to copywriting. While many of us are able at a young age to write short sentences and little stories, copywriting requires an established pool of knowledge, detailed planning and a healthy dose of multitasking.
Mozart certainly didn’t have to be reminded to pay attention to the perfect balance of rhythm, harmony and melody when he sat down to compose a new piece. In the same way, copywriters have to keep target market, graphics, humor, structure, originality and much more in the back of their heads while writing. After all, they fill quite the niche in the writing world. The word copywriting comes from the advertising world. In the early days, the job of a copywriter at traditional ad agencies was to create the texts for print advertisements, product packaging, TV and radio spots, etc. Through digitalization and a boom in content marketing strategy, the job has shifted more toward online marketing. As a result, copywriters have started taking on jobs generating website content like blogs and social media. This has led to an overlap in the disciplines of copywriting and content writing.
How does a copywriter work?
When a company decides to freshen up their website with new content or to launch a new product, they typically turn to a copywriter. The writer starts off by getting to know the company and digging into its corporate identity as well as going over the project plan and preparing for the briefing session with the customer. During the briefing, the copywriter asks targeted questions to gather relevant information about the target group, tonality and USP. The USP, or unique selling proposition, is what makes a product stand out and is at the heart of any advertising campaign.
But if it is not exciting enough to stand on its own, then it is the job of a copywriter to scrounge up some other benefits. For example, if a chocolate company advertises that they have especially delicious chocolate, that isn’t really enough to set them apart from their competition. A good copywriter would then develop other reasons for buying that brand: Perhaps this particular chocolate is ideal for giving as a gift or to snack on during a certain time of day. When all of the briefing questions have been answered, the copywriter creates a concept that, following customer sign-off, is implemented. The result is then sent back to the company and reworked as needed – a certain level of back-and-forth tweaks are considered totally normal in these kinds of projects. The resulting text should be interesting, captivating and above all connect with the reader.
After all, the ultimate goal of copywriting is to elicit a reaction.
This is key difference between copywriters and content writers. While journalists, ghostwriters and editors are first and foremost a source of information, copywriters seek to grab attention and spark interest in order to ultimately inspire a purchase. This principle is known as Attention, Interest, Desire, Action (AIDA). When readers are triggered to click further or to purchase a product, that’s the writer’s equivalent of the success Mozart must have felt debuting “The Marriage of Figaro” to a packed house.
The Leinhäuser copywriting team: Creativity and quality in unison
Copywriters at Leinhäuser also create content, primarily for websites and social media channels. A deep understanding of the target market and culture is especially important to ensure quality writing. That’s just one of the reasons we’re proud that our internal copywriters are trained and qualified linguists with German or English as their native language. When it comes to certain specialized topics and other languages, we can also turn to our diverse network of international copywriters. Product texts, social media posts (including ghostwriting for public personalities) and PR articles are the most popular services that our in-house writers churn out on a regular basis. Especially exotic texts go to our specialists. Together, they form a harmonious ensemble that can create the perfect piece of writing for a broad range of purposes and media.
Our copywriting team helps you to always strike the right chord. If this is music to your ears, drop us a line here.
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