The Client requested an informative article about the definition of copywriting. They requested that the article include the keywords “arctic vessel mechanics”, “IRS down payments”, “emo music enthusiast”, “great dental hygiene”, and “SEO.”

 

What is Copywriting?

If you were a teen during the years 2004-2010, chances are you were an emo music enthusiast. When I say “I miss you,” is the first thing that comes to mind Blink-182’s hit song “I Miss You?” I’m betting it is, and it’s Google’s as well. 

The music video for this emo classic is the first link that appears when searching for the aforementioned term.  This isn’t a random coincidence,  so what makes this happen? The answer lies within SEO (search engine optimization). 

SEO is an important aspect of copywriting, but so is research, creativity, formatting, and great dental hygiene. Okay, I’m (mostly) kidding about the great dental hygiene; let’s take a stage dive into what good copywriting is. 

Copywriting: What Does it Do?

When you hear that first piano chord of “The Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance, what happens? Whether you’re driving with your windows down or making your IRS down payments, the song immediately evokes a sense of nostalgia and other strong emotions. That’s what copywriting does; it appeals to consumers’ needs and emotions in hopes of getting them to take action, such as buying a product. 

Copywriting can take many forms such as:

  • Social media and print ads

  • TV and radio scripts

  • Company slogans 

  • Billboards

  • Jingles

  • Blogs

If you’re reading or listening to something that makes you want to act, such as buy an item, a copywriter more than likely wrote the media you are experiencing. 

Research, Research, Research 

Research is the first step to writing good, accurate, and interesting copy.                        

If your teen years were anything like mine, you’ll remember how cool it felt to know every single thing about your favorite musical artists. You knew that their favorite cereal was Golden Grahams and that their great uncles were arctic vessel mechanics. You made sure to have all of the details right before messaging your friends on Myspace to share everything you learned.

Copywriting research isn’t far off from that. It’s important to share information with your readers that is correct and easy to digest. Finding reliable sources and placing the material you are using into your work seamlessly makes for a credible and easy-to-read piece of copy. 

Don’t forget to use your own words, unless it is a cited quotation! Plagiarism isn’t cool. 

So, What’s SEO?

Think of it like this—two songs are competing at the top of the charts, but one is getting more radio time. Which song will end up doing better? My money would be on the one with more air time. 

Your article will compete with similar articles on the internet for views. The goal is to get as many eyes on your piece as possible; that’s where SEO comes in.

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, increases the chances that a reader will find your work while using Google and other search engines. 

You can improve your SEO by:

  • Writing quality content

  • Using various keywords 

  • Placing those keywords strategically 

  • Making use of bold and italics

Format: Making Words Readable

Verse, chorus, verse, chorus. How many ear-worm songs can you think of that use this classic format? They’re easy to remember and get stuck in your head for days.

The goal is to write in a way that is easy to read as a song is easy to remember. When a reader sees paragraphs upon paragraphs of jargon when they were expecting a concise article, they’re not going to stick around very long.

There are many different ways to make your copy easy to read, including:

  • Utilizing bullet point lists

  • Keeping paragraphs short 

  • Create sections within your pieces

  • Use a font that is easy to read

Creating a Hit: the Art of Creativity 

If every song a band made sounded the same, that band wouldn’t do too hot. If a band purposefully tried to sound like every other hit band out there, they wouldn’t be too popular. Making sure that each of your pieces has its own unique personality and that you’re using your own voice instead of imitating another successful writer is equally important.

Here are ideas on how you can make your writing more creative

  •  Ask your reader questions

  •  Write interesting titles and headlines

  •  Don’t be afraid of emotion

  •  Write conversationally

Remember, these are just suggestions! Creativity looks different for everyone.

Copy that!

Copywriting isn’t as complicated as one might think, but it still involves skill, creativity, and attention to detail. SEO, proper formatting, and research may be intimidating at first, but with practice you’ll be writing hits in no time. 

An emo music enthusiast, folks with great dental hygiene, arctic vessel mechanics, you name it… anyone can become a copywriter! Grab your laptop, do your research, and go get writing!

 

Sources:

Southern New Hampshire University. How to Become a Copywriter. https://www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/liberal-arts/how-to-become-a-copywriter 


Michigan Tech. What is SEO? https://www.mtu.edu/umc/services/websites/seo/what-is/