When dishing out copywriter content instructions on how to complete a technical task, you must be crystal clear. There are certain writing rules which come naturally.
Others may not be as intuitive. Of course, having an introduction, body part, and conclusion is a law.
However, designing objectives and hook phrases or being subject to certain taboos must be mentioned. A writer may not be as familiar with the target audience as the business owner.
So, let’s see how you can design and delegate copywriter content as smoothly as possible.
Step 1. Gather information about the subject
The first task the writer has to do is gather the information about the topic at hand. Don’t let them rush into writing.
Reward quality information above the word count. Your copy will be as good as the research the writer has conducted.
Instruct your writer to think in depth about every step:
· Your elevator pitch. Every digital marketer knows what’s an elevator pitch. It’s a product description that can mesmerize a potential buyer in under a minute. Make sure that your writer knows how to position all the top benefits of your product quickly.
· Your goal. What’s the point of your offering? Which customer need does it fulfill?
· Pricing. Share your pricing strategy. How much does it cost and why?
· Specifics. What are the cool features the writer should focus on?
· Competition. Who can offer a similar service? Why is yours better?
· Opposition. Why would someone be against your offering?
· Guarantees. How do you show confidence in your product? Free trials and money-back guarantee are some options.
· History. Do you have an interesting business case to share?
· Expiry date. Is there a deadline to your service?
· Testimonials. Do you have happy customers? Can they support your position?
· Advantages. Why is your product better than what’s already offered out there?
· Taboos. Is there something the writer should not promise? For example, if you do not have 24/7 customer support, mentioning it would be a lie.
· Payment options. Do you support PayPal? AMEX? Bank transfer?
· Order placement. Do you accept orders via a web form? Phone? Email?
There are probably many more points which you know about your business. However, your writer may not be as familiar with them yet.
Tell them to ask questions. Don’t scare them into silence.
2. Organize and write the outline
After the information has been gathered, it’s time to make some planning. Lists and mind maps are a way to go. An outline will help the writer be more structured and detailed.
The following list includes the basic building blocks of any written copy. Feel free to add anything else you consider important when sharing with your copywriter:
- Pricing
- Offer (elevator pitch)
- Benefits
- Expiry date (if any)
- Payment options
- Order options
- Objectives
- Customer testimonials
- Guarantees
The first step includes more points than the second one because the gathered information must be consolidated.
Once the first step is complete, the copywriter should put it all together without any excess wordiness.
3. Writing the copywriter content guidelines
Establishing detailed guidelines is an essential part of providing instructions to your copywriter. Here is where you should be more detailed.
a. Article title
The main benefits and your elevator pitch will help the writer write a decent title. The headline may also include numerals which are considered quite effective. You may also instruct your copywriter to provide several titles and leave the final choice to yourself.
b. Subheads
The subheads create an outline. They should be meaningful and include keywords. Instruct your writer to pick them wisely, or provide them with your own subheads.
c. Body copy
The body part comes in between the subheads. You can decide how many keywords the copywriter should use. You should also tell them which style of writing you prefer: conversational, professional, or funny.
d. Call to action/hook
Decide on your call to action and phrase it in the form of one of the long-tail keywords. The writer should use the call to action repeatedly: in the beginning and at the end of the article. To make these transitions smooth, we may offer a few techniques.
When writing your guidelines, make sure that you cover the following as well:
- Target audience, or customer persona;
- The list and count of keywords to be used;
- Size, formatting, and structure;
- Plagiarism % which is acceptable;
- Citations or backlinks;
- Grammar requirements.
Your copywriter should be crystal clear that you will not tolerate certain issues, like bad grammar or plagiarism. However, they must also acknowledge which writing style and format you prefer.
Lastly, don’t forget to mention which editing tools they may use. For example, the Hemingway App or Grammarly are quite popular nowadays.
4. What you should never write in your instructions
When providing copy guidelines, it’s good to be as detailed as possible. However, you don’t want to spend hours just describing the task.
After all, if you had that much time, you would be able to deliver the whole copy by yourself, right?
So, for the sake of saving time, we suggest not to focus too much on the following in your copy guidelines:
· The number of times you are willing to let the writer revise their work. In the best-case scenario, the job should be delivered at the first try. A good writer will keep his image and try hard right away.
· The problems you faced with other copywriters before. Every writer is different, and you may face varying challenges. However, don’t waste your time sharing your experiences – a qualified writer already knows how to avoid the most common problems in writing.
· The time you expect the writer to spend on the writing task itself. Once again, every writer is different. But each one of them knows how much their time is worth. Simply avoid the situation where the writer spends too much time on an article, and then demands extra payment for it.
5. A sample of a good technical assignment
Of course, we cannot leave you without a decent example of a technical assignment. It’s easier said than done. So, let’s take a look at a clear and short technical task:
“The article is expected to disclose the benefits of cotton towels that we sell. They are hypoallergenic and therefore we target young moms. The price for the product is above average – $50 per 60×60 cm piece. We guarantee 3-day delivery worldwide and return the money within 30 days if the customer is not satisfied. We accept online orders. Payment can be done via PayPal or credit card. We have phone support during PST working hours. The writing style should be serious, with decent medical knowledge. You are free to choose keywords but the call to action should be “when you buy our towels, you get heavenly comfort for your child”.”
The example above is very short but straight to the point. It demonstrates right away that the writer should have medical knowledge, but he gets such benefit as writing the structure by himself.
Of course, you should also add an expected copywriter content plan with subheads – unless you have worked with this writer before and trust him completely.
6. Write the summary
The last but not the least – summary section of any copy is quite important. It summarizes the key points and usually reiterates the call to action.
Quality copy writing should be delegated only to an experienced and professional copywriter. The summary of your copy should demonstrate a certain benefit which you, as a business owner, consider important.
Conclusion
We expect that our instructions will make it easier for you to design a technical copywriter content task.
But remember that flexibility is key. So make sure to adjust your task to the goals and benefits that you expect to be disclosed.
