The Copywriter’s Job
Have you ever wondered what a Copywriter does? It’s not a secret. If a copywriter persuades you to take a desired action, he or she has done their job.
The copywriter we speak of here might be you (the business owner), a staff copywriter, or a freelancer that you have hired.
The specific action could be to purchase your product, or in some way invest in your service. It could also be to sign up for a free report or software in return for their name and email address. In any case, the copywriter always presents the reader with options and asks them to make a choice.
What exactly is this process? You could say it’s simply persuasion; and it is. But you should know that any good copywriter is careful to ‘persuade’ people in a manner fitting of his claim: that the choice he urges his readers to make is in their best interests, and that if they knew all the facts they would make it anyway.
What sorts of choices do we generally want our readers to make?
The most basic action, one that requires the least amount of skill, is to simply to persuade another to take some action indicating their interest in a subject. That action might be as innocuous as reading an article. Or it may be downloading a free report or software program.
Next in difficulty would be convincing that same person to provide their email address in order to get the freebie. Web surfers today are hesitant to give strangers their email address online. The good news, if you can get people to do this, it usually tells you three different things. First, it shows you did a good job in targeting the right audience for your freebie. Second, it tells you that you are speaking in their language. Third, it finally indicates that you are offering an item that they deem valuable.
You might assume that to persuade that same person to spend money is another level of difficulty completely. You assumed correctly. Ultimately, though, we are in business to make sales. When crafting a sales letter the copywriter is only presenting a type of sales presentation.
The basic process is this: describe the offered product and the benefits of said service or product, give answers to the common objections prospective buyers have, and tell how to buy. Through the entirety of this, the writer should always use terminology familiar to the prospect and also remove any obstacles (unnecessary or poor-worded phrases which will cause the reader to disbelieve what you are saying or even stop reading).
Smart marketers know that the persuasion does not end when the decision to buy is made. Not at all. The prospective buyer now needs to give their credit card information and then to OK the order. Afterwords, customers commonly experience what is known as “buyers remorse” and so experienced marketers employ ethical tactics to show that the customer did indeed make the right decision.
The copywriter’s job is one that is essential today. As a business owner, you may decide to write the copy yourself, or you may choose to hire a writer who specializes in writing copy for clients.
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