Copywriting FAQs

By: Dina Giolitto, Wordfeeder.com

One of the biggest challenges a copywriter faces is to make
future clients feel confident in his or her ability. You know
you can deliver, but your clients don''t know that... yet! In my
own experiences as a freelancer, I''ve noticed that the most
hesitant potential clients often ask the same questions.
Following are answers to help allay their fears.

Copywriting FAQ''s:

1. How do I know your writing style is the right one for my
company?

I understand where this question comes from, because I ask it
myself when I need to solicit the help of another writer. A good
copywriter would never inject her own personality or opinion
into the work she does for other people. Rather, she adopts the
appropriate tone for their particular industry.

When it comes to writing, I consider myself something of a
chameleon. If you take a look at the varied samples on my
website, Wordfeeder.com, you''ll see that I can change my colors
to suit a purpose. Am I Cybil? No, I''m just good at imitating
the way that people talk.

Professional copywriters will agree: language is a handy tool
for manipulating emotions. If you choose your words carefully,
you can make people respond in a certain way. If you know how
your target audience thinks and speaks, you can communicate with
them in a way that brings a favorable reaction. It''s sort of
like being emotionally multilingual!

How is a copywriter able to write a whimsical children''s story
one day and a hard-hitting marketing brochure the next? Acute
awareness of the audience, and the ability to switch the "voice"
that comes out through the words. You do this all the time
without even thinking about it!

Let''s say you''re a lawyer by day, and a family man by night.
Imagine yourself having a phone conversation with a client. What
words do you choose to convey your message? What tone do you
take? Later on, after you''ve hung up, you''re tucking your little
boy in for the night. He asks for a bedtime story. Do you speak
to him in the same manner you used earlier on the phone? Of
course not! You instinctively change your tone, from cool and
professional to tender and fatherly. This is the same strategy
that copywriters use to make their living. It''s our job to
represent YOUR company, by mastering the language that your
audience understands.

2. We just became acquainted. How can you write for someone
you barely know?

Once you sign a writing contract with me, I make it my business
to know who you are and what you stand for. If you''re a
corporation, then I take the time to familiarize myself with
your company philosophy. If you''re an individual, I learn your
goals and personal style. It''s incredibly important for a
copywriter to know what makes his clients tick... so that he can
embody this in his writing and effectively drawn in a responsive
audience. The process happens in steps.

1. We''ll have an initial phone conversation or email
correspondence.

2. I''ll send you a questionnaire that you can either fill out in
detail, or we can discuss over the phone.

3. I research your company, industry, and target audience.

Every so often I use an icebreaker to get things flowing between
me and my entrepreneur clients. This is great fun for me, and my
clients really seem to enjoy it, too. I send them what I call
Twenty Questions; an informal quiz that will help me get a
flavor for who they are. Two sample question from the quiz:

- What''s the thing that drives you get out of bed every morning,
ready to face a new day?

- If you were a superhero, what would your special power be?

Sounds a bit off the wall when placed in this context, but let
me stress that I only use the quiz on select clients (never for
corporations). It works every time! Remember: my goal is to
capture the essence of who you are and what you represent. We''re
going to keep on trying until we hit the nail on the head.

3. What do you know about branding?

People ask me this all the time. Branding is nothing more than a
concept, but an unbelievably important one that should be the
basis for all of your advertising messages. Branding is the
gradual process by which you burn your name into the mind of the
consumer. Some classic examples of branding at its finest?
General Electric. McDonalds. Microsoft. You get an instant and
distinct impression when you hear these names. That''s some
killer branding all right!

How did these brands come to be the households name that they
are? Consistency. If you want to build a solid reputation for
your company, you must stand firm in your philosophy. You must
develop an actual physical image that people recognize (think of
the Golden Arches). And above all, you must always speak to the
same people in the same way. When people know that they can
count on you for predictable behavior, they''ll begin to trust
you. Customers who trust in your brand always come back.

As a copywriter, I''m your Branding Watchdog. I''ll make sure you
never fall off the branding wagon and start talking like
somebody you''re not. You should never have to tell your writer,
"Let''s work on branding," because it''s something that gets
factored in automatically. Branding is part of the package, and
you won''t be a smashing success until the backbone of your brand
is firmly in place.

4. What if I don''t care for what you''ve written?

Clients with a tight budget usually ask me this question. The
answer that always pops into my mind is this: "Do you walk into
a restaurant and ask, ''What if I don''t like the food?''" Of
course not, because you understand that there''s always a small
amount of risk. "Let the Buyer Beware!" is the famous cliche
that still rings true. Even so: if I want to keep you as a
customer, I''m going to do the best job possible to ensure your
satisfaction.

I''m like the guy who runs a restaurant. He makes sure your food
is prepared just the right way, so you''ll enjoy it and return
again. Likewise, I prepare your copy just the right way, in the
hope that you''ll absolutely love it and want to return to my
website for some repeat business.

My sole purpose is to create writing materials that reflect your
brand intelligently and professionally. You pay me to represent
you, so I make your needs priority one. That means I provide
rewrites until you''re happy with the end result. Copywriters
with a true passion for their work will welcome this challenge,
and they won''t stop until you''re completely thrilled by what
they''ve created for you. I truly feel this way, and I promise
that once we work together, you''ll "catch the creative fever,"
too.

5. How long will this project take to complete?

I''ll be perfectly honest: to provide you with the most accurate
assessment, I need your feedback. Give your copywriter a helping
hand, and volunteer as much information as possible. How many
words/pages? Will this be a kit that contains multiple elements,
or a quick 500-word article? Will this project require in-depth
research? All of this affects the time it will take to do a
quality job. And while quantity is important, quality is more
important. I refuse to hand in sloppy work because you wanted
the job done yesterday.

Additionally: the less certain you are of what you want, the
longer I''ll spend doing "test drafts" that you''ll read and give
feedback on. This is quite all right by me, but I will warn you
that it may lengthen the time it takes to finish the project. On
the other hand, if you know exactly what you want and can
express it in a detailed way, your website copy could take less
than a week to create!

I hope I''ve been able to address your concerns as a potential
copywriting client, as well as shed some light on the
copywriting process itself. I truly love what I do, and nothing
gives me greater pleasure than putting my creative skill to work
helping you build an empire of wealth and success.

If you''re thinking of starting your own business, now''s a great
time. I wish you all the luck in the world! And if you ever need
a copywriter... you know who to call. ;)

Copyright 2005 Dina Giolitto. All rights reserved.

Dina Giolitto, Wordfeeder.com:
Dina Giolitto is a New-Jersey based Copywriting Consultant with
ten years of industry experience. Her current focus is web
content and web marketing for a multitude of products and
services although the bulk of her experience lies in retail for
big-name companies like Toys"R"Us. Visit
http://www.wordfeeder.com for rates and samples.