Just because you know how to write a book, doesn’t mean you know how to sell it.
What’s an author good at? Writing books, of course.
But there’s more to writing a book these days.
You need a good website, a great marketing strategy, a solid blurb, and a blog that brings people to your site. You can’t just write a book and hope that somehow people find it. That’s where a copywriter comes in, because it’s often hard to sell your own books.
Recently I saw a copywriter looking for a copywriter to help them with their website. She was a little embarrased by it, saying that she did this for a living but that it was a lot easier to write copy for other people than it was to write it for herself. There were hundreds of comments, all from people saying they know exactly how she felt. She needed an outsider’s point of view to help her work stand out from the crowd.
So, what exactly is a copywriter?
There’s always been a bit of confusion between copywriting and content writing. These days, it’s easier to branch it all under the term copywriting. While content writing is known more for ‘content’ and copywriting is known more for ‘selling’, both are needed.
According to Wikipedia, Copywriting is the act or occupation of writing text for the purpose of advertising or other forms of marketing. The product, called copy or sales copy, is written content that aims to increase brand awareness and ultimately persuade a person or group to take a particular action.
To show the difference, a blog post might be considered content writing if you’re not actively selling a product or service through it. However, the blog’s actual purpose is to build awareness of your brand, and bring people to your website — in other words, it’s indirect selling. In my opinion, that’s the same as copywriting (regardless of whether you’re directly or indirectly selling).
Either way, it’s important.
Here are 3 reasons authors need copywriters:
#1 It’s hard to write copy yourself
As mentioned above, writing books and selling books are two different things. A copywriter will look at what you’ve done from a ‘buyer’s perspective’. They’ll determine what points are worth highlighting, and how best to show that to the world.
#2 You can use the time to focus on writing
It’s hard to do everything. As an author, you’re also expected to be a salesperson, an ad executive, a bookkeeper, etc. When YOU are your business, you tend to become stretched because your focus is on too many different things as once. By hiring someone to take over your blog, for example, you’re already adding more time to your day to focus on what you do best — writing books.
#3 Copywriters know SEO so you don’t have to
A lot has changed in the world of SEO, and this will continue to change. When it first became a thing, everyone was trying to get their copy to sound a certain way. Through keyword stuffing (more on that another day), they were writing for Google instead of for humans. That’s changed now. SEO is still hugely important, but the way it’s recognised through Google has changed. Google now focuses more on quality content, with trusted links, and well-placed keywords. It’s a choreographed dance where every move is important to the overall piece.
Good copywriting doesn’t mean success overnight. It does, however, mean success in the long-term. I’m a copywriter. I’m also an author. That’s why I offer copywriting for authors — because I know how tough the industry can be. If you’re an author I highly recommend having someone else look at your website. Or, if funds don’t allow for that, then doing enough research to do it yourself. The more you work on yourself, the better you become as a person. Just the same, the more you work on your website, the better it will be.
Happy writing everyone. Share your author website with us!