Content & Copy
MAKE A PLAN
Whether you’re going to outsource this task or do it yourself, start with an outline or draw a mind map of all the sections required, as well as how they link together:
- About Page
- Home Page
- Every individual Product/Service Page/s
- Testimonials/Portfolio Page
- Specific sales pages
- Blog posts
- Contact
You can access your free workbook to answer the questions and keep track of all your information here.
WRITE IT YOURSELF
Now, if you’re doing it yourself, break them up into chunks and schedule them into your work week.
Create a Word/Pages document and make a new page heading for each relevant Page or Post. Keeping it all together will make it easier to hand over to your website designer/developer, rather than bits and pieces all over the place.
Start by just jotting down a few bullet points, or a sentence to describe the general feel and purpose of each page.
If you find writing difficult, try talking about your ideas for each page and recording yourself. You often TALK about your business in a really different way, once you get enthusiastic about what you do and start telling “someone” about your biz.
Then sit down and listen to the playback and jot down the gems you find. This will often give a good outline to start from. Stuck? Read on further for our resources list.
OUTSOURCE IT
If you’re going to hire a copywriter, start researching.
Questions to ask:
- Do you have availability within my ideal timeframes?
- What types of copy/content do you usually produce, e.g. sales pages, about pages, content for brochures/hard copy materials vs website copy?
- Indicative pricing
- Reference sites
- What’s your process for working together to get the best result for my project?
- How do you optimise my content for SEO purposes?
SET A BUDGET
What are you realistically prepared to spend?
Investigate your options for this price point and start making enquiries. You may find a bit of a wait for some of your favourite choices, so you’ll need to weigh up the importance of working with that particular writer against your ideal website timelines.
Another option might be to take your best stab at writing your own, then finding an editor to review it for you. This will cost less/take less time, but give you reassurance that what you’ve written makes sense to your readers. It can be hard to tell after you’ve spent so much time immersed in it yourself!
RESOURCES
To get you started, our resources page lists some scripts and templates I recommend you have a play with, it can make it so much easier to get the words out of your head and onto the page.
FINAL TIP
There’s nothing wrong with starting out with something basic and evolving it as you grow.
Unless you have a VERY clear idea of your business focus and your ideal clients, it may not be worth investing a large figure in paying for copywriting. What you’ll get is really general copy that won’t speak to anyone, if you aren’t sure of your target audience or what exactly you are selling or giving them.
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