I made a mistake when I started this business.  I marketed myself as a copywriter.  That was wrong.

 

Here’s why.

 

People often hear the term “copywriter” and think of someone who puts the print in advertising.  The fact is, I rarely, if ever, write ads.  Therefore, to commit to “copywriter” as a freelancer can be a one-way path to the pigeonhole.

 

My services involve far more than just typing on a keyboard.  Copy-based deliverables are probably the most visible of my output, but collectively they’re only one aspect of what I do, and not the most important.

 

Let me explain using an infographic from Express Writers (EW) called “What Does a Copywriter Do?”  It’s a pretty good summary considering the impossibility of exploring every detail of any field in a simple diagram.  That said, it contains some key gaps that give me an opportunity to differentiate my offer from that of the classic Ogilvy Mad Man.

 

 

The Purpose of Copy

 

According to EW, “Content is usually not sales-oriented.  Its purpose is to provide value to readers, which builds trust and loyalty over time.”

 

If that’s true, then I am not a copywriter.  It’s not true, though.

 

Content encompasses more than what’s being described in the infographic.  Limiting its purpose to providing value to build trust is no different than limiting me to creating that content.  It’s part of a larger whole.

 

To that end, content—and all copy for that matter—is very much sales-oriented.  The truth is that marketing of any kind is part of the sales process.  It’s the very first step in every single transaction.  Even if sales talks begin through word of mouth or a personal relationship, they’re still grounded in the marketing-led value prop offered by one business to the other.

 

If you’re not writing with the end game in mind (even if it’s a blog post, ahem), then what are you doing?  That doesn’t mean you need to Glengarry Glen Ross every piece of copy and ruthlessly always be closing.  But, whatever marketers put together must be ushering people toward the sale.

 

After all, you don’t know what message at what stage is going to trigger a prospect.  You have to package your value in ways that continually guide both the slow movers and the ready-to-goers toward the action you want them to take.  Which, ultimately, is signing the deal.

 

That’s what I do.

 

 

Where Copy Lives

 

EW’s infographic concentrates on digital platforms as being a copywriter’s sole domain.

 

If that’s true, then I am not a copywriter.  It’s not true, though.

 

Granted, this may very well have been built for online-focused businesses.  And again, you can’t squeeze every aspect of copywriting into an infographic to begin with.

 

However, as crucial as digital marketing is in today’s world, skilled wordsmithing is found all over the place.  If it weren’t, then billions of dollars are being wasted in offline media every year.

 

Of course, even including above-the-line channels, EW’s definition is still limiting.  Big time.

 

One of the most critical roles copy plays isn’t on the streets but in the boardroom.  The presentations you give prospects, the proposals you put together coming out of those presentations, the executive summaries you create to push things up the ladder…they all require strategic storytelling in different ways.

 

That’s because your materials are all buyers have to deliberate once you leave the room.  As I’ve said before, your sales team has shifted from people to print.  They must articulate the unique benefits you’ll bring their businesses as convincingly as you have.

 

That’s what I do.

 

 

Essential Copywriting Skills

 

EW has identified “the 7 essential skills” copywriters need.  Every one of them has to do with what goes on the page.

 

If that’s true, then I am not a copywriter.  It’s not true, though.

 

They’re missing one of the biggest, if not the biggest, capabilities a copywriter must have:  a strategic mindset.  I recognize that several of their skills involve strategy, but none of them mentions it explicitly.  Well, it’s too important not to.

 

So, I will.  A strong copywriter is a strong strategist.  Period.

 

Anybody can put words on paper.  They can even make them sound good.  To be persuasive, though, those words have to be carefully constructed in a compelling, on-brand way.  You don’t need a background like mine in partnership building, deal negotiation, or strategic brand activation.  You do need to be able to effectively package the right insights and benefits so that your client comes across not just as the ideal solution for its prospects, but the only natural solution for their needs.

 

That takes strategy.

 

That’s what I do.

 

 

In short, I help companies tell sales and marketing stories that better convey their value propositions to close more deals more quickly for more revenue.

 

Does this make me a copywriter?  Maybe.

 

But only if you expand your idea of what that really means.

 

 

I’d love to talk to you about your own value prop strategy.  Maybe I’ll even end up writing words for you.  If I do, I’ll make them sound good.