WritingThoughts

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In many ways, copywriters are the unsung heroes of the marketing world. Well-written content can mean the difference between a successful marketing campaign and an utter failure.

But copywriters can’t do a good job unless they have the right information. And it’s up to the client to provide that crucial information.

As talented as many copywriters are, they can’t produce effective copy unless they have three vital pieces of information.

What exactly do copywriter need to know? Let’s find out.

What Copywriters Must Know

Surprisingly, many companies fail to understand the information that a copywriter really needs. And because they don’t understand what their copywriter needs to know, they don’t share enough information.

Here are three important pieces of information that every copywriter needs to know, regardless of the product or service they are writing about:

1. Target Audience. Who is the product or service for? A writer may be able to make a guess at the answer to this question, but they also may guess wrong. If you’re investing in copywriting services, it pays off to invest a little bit more to learn about your client demographic. As one might guess, writing for the teen demographic is very different from writing for a senior adult market. I explain the importance of targeted marketing in more detail in this post, How to Reach the Right Audience for Your Content.
2. Customer Benefits. How exactly does your product or service help your customer? When it comes to customer benefits, most companies make one of two mistakes. They confuse customer benefits with features. Or, they assume that the benefits of their product or service are obvious. Unfortunately, most companies are too close to their product or services to recognize the truth–customers actually need us to spell out the details of exactly how the product helps them. Focusing on benefits rather than features is one difference between copy that sells and copy that merely informs.
3. Market Goals. Another important piece of information that copywriters need from their clients is the purpose of the piece they are writing. Understanding the goal for a particular piece of copy allows the copywriter to craft the copy specifically to meet that goal. So, when your copywriter asks you what you plan to use the copy for, they aren’t just being nosy. They really need to know in order to do their job. Marketing goals include where the copy will be used as well as how it will be distributed.

Of course, most copywriters will ask for this information. When they do, be sure to give them what they need.

Your Turn

These three pieces of information represent some of the core information that every copywriter needs. If you’re a writer can you think of any other core pieces of information that copywriters need?

Share your answers in the comments.

If you’re a small business who needs help with their copywriting needs, I can help. Click here to get a free copywriting estimate for your project.