Kate Waddon Copywriting

Another FAQ I get is “How did you get into copywriting?” We copywriters come from a variety of backgrounds; in my case, heritage and tourism. This probably explains why my original influence is an unexpected one – a little-known figure from the Middle Ages.

The itinerant scribe. These chaps (I’ve never heard of a female one) set up their little stalls at markets and Ye Olde Fayres, and offered their scribing services. They’d write anything (I’m resisting the urge to add “dot.com” to that). Legal documents, formal letters, I like to think informal letters too, notes for loved ones… I could do that! I thought. But I could do it, like, in these days! Not in a market! Indoors! With a laptop!

When I was deciding what career route to take, freelance writing seemed the obvious choice. I’ve always written. Whatever role I was in, I always got the writing gigs. From writing other people’s essays at school in exchange for contraband (don’t judge me) to the riveting “Checkout Evening Close-Down Procedure Manual” at A Big Supermarket, I always seemed to attract the wordy jobs. And then, during my Heritage Years, I was actually let loose on interpretation panels for visitors – and I loved it. So, with thousands of words behind me and the image of the little medieval scribbler in my mind, off I went.

Several years later, I still love it. I wonder if my medieval predecessor enjoyed the variety of his work. Like him, the contemporary copywriter will compose whatever the clients require – unlike him, we have discerning, educated clients who can actually read what we’ve written. I know that copywriting is not really a direct descendant of medieval scribing – but there is something rather wonderful to think of professional jobbing writers across the ages, metaphorically setting out our stalls and writing whatever you need.

“Just think about it”, said a fellow freelance copywriter when I was an innocent young newbie. “Everything you read – instructions, the back of the wine bottle, the car manual – was written by somebody. Usually people like us, just sitting in their houses being normal and drinking coffee.”

We were working on my first package copywriting job. This was a professional Damascene moment: the world was full of gaps that needed to be filled with informative text, and I was one of the people that could do that! All that potential…

These days, I never switch off. I proofread menus. I go to a gallery and don’t even notice the paintings because I’m entranced by the language on the label. I will get halfway down a set of assembly instructions then get completely distracted by the text. Writing is everywhere, and all of it was written by somebody.

So here I sit, quietly blogging away before I continue with today’s project. Next time you read the label on some everyday item or other, there’s a chance that it’s written by a freelance copywriter, possibly in their own kitchen, probably wearing clothes they’d never go to the office in, definitely with a cuppa. I’m the anonymous voice of your biscuit pack – funny old life, really.

Like many freelancers, most of my work is carried out remotely. I occasionally have new clients expressing concern that they won’t actually meet me, and I think it’s reasonable to feel apprehensive about this. After all, how can you build rapport with someone you never see?

Based in Cornwall, I rarely get to attend actual meetings. Many of my clients are at least 100 miles away (or “upcountry” as we all call it, with a lovely geographical vagueness). At the tip of the country, West Cornwall has a rich seam of freelance creatives: here, remote working is a cultural norm.

Of course, we have some great technological assistants: Skype and FaceTime are fantastic and accessible to most people, and the good, old-fashioned telephone shouldn’t be forgotten. Sharing photographs and short films helps the writer get the sense of a place without going on site. However, copywriters have an extra advantage – we specialise in communicating with people we never meet.

Copywriters build rapport. Simple – it’s what we do. Most of our working lives are spent speaking to clients’ audiences. Our very job is to communicate remotely. We can adapt this skill to ensure that our client-contractor relationships still develop the empathy that good ongoing working partnerships have. And as many clients also specialise in customer communication in their various businesses, they too have the skills to manage remote relationships.

Of course, remote working has other tangible advantages. It can certainly save the client money – travel expenses, plus the cost of bringing people in for meetings. I will often come off the phone with a client and get straight on with the job, with no time wasted and everything fresh in my mind. It’s an effective way to work. I have regular clients that I’ve never met – although if we ever find ourselves in the same place, I’d love to go for a coffee!

So, don’t worry if you never meet your copywriter face-to-face. We can build an excellent remote working relationship and produce some great work – together.

Here are some of the reasons why I think freelance copywriters are one of life’s little essentials. OK that’s an exaggeration; however from a business perspective, hiring a writer can make a huge difference to your project…

Freelance copywriters save a lot of time

Back in the day when I was a manager, I hired a freelance copywriter to produce our web copy. I was sneakily envious but she did a great job; and much as I wanted to do it myself, I genuinely did not have the time.  I often work with clients who find the job of producing the text daunting – not because they can’t write well but simply because of the hours and headspace required for writing. It just keeps dropping to the bottom of the to-do list – a big reason why projects such as new websites don’t run to schedule. Tell your web design team that you’ve outsourced your content to a professional writer and they’ll probably cheer.

Freelance copywriters save a lot of money

This always sounds a bit cheeky as you have to pay us, but think about it. We’re efficient writers that can focus on the job (see above) so naturally our speed of writing will be greater than that of a manager or employee; and we all live by that old “time is money” mantra.  We don’t have any impact on the daily running of the business. Plus, we come with no business on-costs (see below). Bargain.

You don’t need to look after us

In these tough times, freelancers are a marvellous resource. We appear, we do the job, then we go again. We’re not lurking about during those times when business is slower. We don’t ask for (irony alert) pesky, self-absorbed things like holidays, sick leave or maternity pay. We don’t need space, equipment or regular feeding. We don’t even use your electricity.

Freelance copywriters have that essential distance

We’re all close to our own businesses – and a good thing too, as businesses need that bit of heart and soul. The downside of being passionate about your product/services/team is that is makes it hard to write about them objectively. A freelance copywriter can step in, step back and write what your customer needs to read.

We write good copy – whatever the subject

It really doesn’t matter what your business is. From Easter eggs to engineering (that was my February), for a professional copywriter, writing is writing. Provided we have the accurate information, good copywriters can add that gloss that makes text readable, whatever the subject. (And we really come into our own if you suspect that your product may be a little, well, dull…)

And what does good copy do? See below…

Good copy gets results

Good copywriting will help establish your identity, build rapport with your target audience(s) and support your brand values (there’s no point banging on about professionalism and attention-to-detail if the writing is inaccurate). We all know this; and to be honest, I have lost count of the amount of copywriting blogs with this header: however it’s not a cliché – I prefer to see it as a truism.

All I will add is that you wouldn’t use photos taken on your friend’s phone to advertise your product. The same principle of professionalism should be applied to the written word.

This list of benefits, as they say, is not exhaustive – but all good writers should know when to stop.

“You’re a writer and you don’t even blog!”

I put down my quill. “I do! Just for other people, that’s all…OK, fine, fine. I’ll do it. OK, right. Next week, coz I’ve got all this catalogue stuff to do this week and…”

“Hum”, said Husband/Small Business Advisor.

When I’d finished some low-level grumping and prepared my parchment, I gave the matter some proper thought. Yes, I’m a freelance writer and I’ve actually provided copywriting for shedloads of websites; but short of faffing about on Facebook, writing as my own fair self has hardly grazed the internet.

It was time to blog.

I began my blogging life in a low-tech way. I bought two books, then sat down with a coffee and a ballpoint.

And several espressos and scribbling on Post-Its later, here we go.

Ta-dah.

I am a blogger.