If you are engaging a copywriting company, there is a reason for it. You have an important document to produce which needs to be impactful in its communication.
Maybe you are bidding for a must-win project and need a knock-out proposal. You might be producing a crucial report for a client or need a top-level attention-grabbing sales brochure. In any case, the fact that you have chosen to engage an external copywriter shows that you are expecting the document to produce a result.
Mutual cooperation is key
Corporate communications are a very personal issue for a business. You have your own tone of voice which represents your brand. You are protective of your clients and the image you project to them. You know your business and your customers. But an external copywriting company adds huge value through its communications expertise and objectivity.
You are the experts in your industry but may often be too close to it. An objective ‘outsider’ needs to learn about your business before they can write about it and will therefore explain it in much more accessible terms for the end reader.
This is why working with an expert copywriter should be a matter of cooperation. It is with your input at the right touchpoints that the copywriting company will produce its best work.
Choosing a copywriter
It begins with choosing the right copywriting company for the job. Copywriters may often specialise. They may have a strong corporate background with a particular strength in annual or sustainability reports. Bid proposals or thought leadership papers may require a copywriter with specific technical writing skills. A marketing copywriter might be more suited for a company brochure, website or newsletter.
You can also tell a lot by the questions your copywriter asks. It is their job to ask the right questions, so they can gain the information they need to do the job. Even before you engage a copywriter, they should already be giving you confidence in their knowledge and abilities through the clarifications they ask from your initial enquiry. If there are none, that could be red flag.
Or if you are asking a copywriting provider to proofread and edit an existing document, and they don’t ask to see a sample of what they’ll be working on (after signing a confidentiality agreement if required), there’s another red flag.
Not least, your copywriter should have a portfolio of work they can show you with the nearest fit to the project brief.
Getting the right result
The three words that will help your copywriter produce the best result are – brief, brief, brief. While they should be asking the right questions, giving as full a brief as you can from the outset is crucial:
- Your target audience and objectives
- The key messages you want to convey
- Any existing materials your copywriter can refer to
- Your brand tone of voice
To avoid any possible misunderstandings, preparation time upfront is time well-spent. Once you have engaged a copywriting provider, it should produce a short section of the work to make sure you are on the same page.
Agreeing the process is also important:
- If it is a large document, will approvals be stage-wise and what will be the process?
- Will the copywriter need access to key people within your organisation to gain the information they need – and how will this work?
- Will there be meetings involved? If so, how many, or might the copywriter even need to base themselves in your office for the project duration or part of it?
- Will the copywriter need to work with a graphic designer – and if so, do they have the visual mind to interpret key points of interest as design features?
The more that is clarified in advance the better.
Talk to us
To find out more about how MA Technical Copywriting can help you with your written content and graphic design, contact us on +44 (0) 1242 230404 or hello@macopywriting.co.uk.
