Derryck Strachan is the Managing Director of Big Star Content

If you haven’t got your own pet copywriter chained to a desk producing hot content all day or you don’t enjoy the masochistic pleasure of constantly trying to find new ideas for blogs then this post is for you. You could, of course, always outsource to someone else. It’s easier and probably cheaper than doing it yourself.

01.  Throw in something controversial

Having a strong opinion is good – stimulating debate is also good. You want people to be talking about you, arguing about what you’ve said, linking to your blog posts.

While being controversial is good, being outrageous is probably not so good, although, if you know who you’re writing for then you know the people you DON’T want to offend (and those you can get away with offending).

It’s my belief, for example, that written content is the single most important factor in any Internet marketing campaign – way more important than web design. I don’t go around shouting about that because web designers NEED words for the sites they design and generally they’re really, really nice people who look kindly on copywriters – it’s an age-old partnership, and that shouldn’t be forgotten in these times of outsourcing and remote working.

I don’t have any such qualms about TV advertising – it’s a total waste of time and money.

02.  Use metaphor

Metaphor is a magic potion to a copywriter, turning him or her into an invincible warrior. Analogy is to a copywriter as Obelix is to Asterix. And simile is like a friendly druid, infusing every post with wit and wisdom. These are powerful weapons in any writer’s arsenal. Don’t get me started on neologism, the copycrats won’t like it.

03.  Respond to other people’s posts

How often have we been told that the Internet is a conversation? Blogs aren’t just a forum for spouting off about your own stuff, they’re about engaging in a dialogue. Responding to other posts in your sector not only allows you to express an opinion on a pertinent issue, thereby demonstrating your expertise (and the fact that you’re paying attention) but can also stimulate further debate. Don’t be afraid to share your opinions – if you have something interesting to say then post comments on other blogs and publicise your responses through social media.

04.  Keep something back for the next blog

When I really get into writing a blog post or article I often go off at a tangent. Rather than pursue too many points in one go, I chop off the tangent and there’s the starter for my next blog. It’s like making sour dough bread and will keep you in freshly baked blogs in perpetuity.

Maybe it’s better to think of your list article like a hydra – cut one head off and two more grow in its place. Each point on your list can generate individual blog posts, or other lists. I’ve already got at least 10 potential blog titles out of this list. For example:

• Six ways to create an unmissable article title
• Why lists ALWAYS pull in readers
• How to use your keywords to build your blog posts
• Why genuine insight always wins over opinion in article writing
• The Asterix and Obelix guide to copywriting

05.  Don’t be afraid to recycle

As I said in my last post, blogs have a cumulative effect on both readers and search engines. Success is about the consistent delivery of relevant content over time PLUS dogged promotion of that content through social media, commenting, guest blogs, email marketing and other channels.

Recycling is OK as long as what you’re recycling has value – rework ideas, repackage content – there are new readers out there who never saw your original post, there are old readers that want to be reminded of your insights. Feel free to rewrite old articles with a new spin, use new stats to rekindle old debates. It’s all grist to the mill.

06.  Don’t be afraid to over-deliver

If you have something interesting to say, get it out there. Share your knowledge but remember to deliver real value. There are too many blogs out there holding back on real insight and expertise because they are trying to protect their knowledge. As a copywriter with over 15 years experience, I’m confident that I can share any of my expertise without jeopardising my chances of winning a new customer or losing an existing one.

Those who genuinely value that expertise will recognise its worth and will employ me to improve their content. Those who wish to do it themselves are welcome to what I have to offer – experience and insight don’t come overnight and we still have training courses and products to sell.

Martin Williams is a freelance Copywriter for Big Star Content

Here’s a bit of a philosophical question for an SEO copywriting blog.

Are we always the same person?

After all, don’t we adapt to different environments, different circumstances altering our behaviour, our speech and even our thinking depending on where we are, who we’re with and what we are doing? People are inconsistent. Certainly superficially. Is the nightclub you, the football match you? Is the boardroom you the intensive care unit you? Probably not. That would be a bit weird. What do we do? We all draw on the various constituent aspects of ourselves and deploy them in ways that feel natural or comfortable.

In spite of these tactical adjustments to the immediate world around us, experts seem to be of the opinion that, fundamentally, we have core cognitive styles. The consensus seems to be that there are 4 basic personality types:

• Competitive
• Spontaneous
• Methodical
• Humanistic

Interesting, huh?

SEO copywriters understand this clearly. That when David Ogilvy taught that all good marketing requires empathy, he wasn’t just right. He was as right as right can be.

In the scramble to meet deadlines and the rush to get campaigns up and running it’s often the case that copy content is left until the ipsus lorem last minute. Sure, in-depth keyword analysis has revealed a list of relevant keywords and expressions as long as Maradonna’s left arm. Keywords that you will use as the SEO cornerstones of your online campaign.

Does this keyword research really tell your story in a way that your audience will identify with? What about the actual copy you should have already thought about? The stuff in between your keywords, the stuff that ignores your keywords or is just informed by them? The stuff that really, truly talks to your target audience in ways that they can genuinely relate to? The copy that will keep them reading, will move them and end up converting them from mere observers into customers?

As Copyblogger put so well – not all soccer moms are created equal. And neither are CEOs, students, Belgians, computer experts, pet lovers or even UK copywriters. Who then are you talking with?

How can you be confident that you stand a realistic chance of getting your messages across persuasively and ultimately profitably? And how can you be sure that your copy slams the What’s In It For Me buttons for your target audience?

It’s a question of persona.

In the second part of this four part introduction to copywriting personas we’ll define personas and take a closer look at how to craft them.

Read the other three parts: SEO Copywriting and the Power of persona part two, three and four

Steve Kellas is the Content Director of Big Star Content

As a copywriter, you are expected to find not just a voice for the copy and content you produce. You are also supposed to write the copy in a way that ‘resonates’ with your target audience, ideally in an authentic way. Often, you don’t always have an accurate picture of your audience, or even a lot of time to get to know them on any level.

When I started out as a copywriter, I learned a very quick series of techniques for getting to know my audience. Some of these techniques overlap with User Experience techniques, and tasks you may have done in marketing or journalism courses. I hope you find these techniques will save you time, and even some re-writes along the way.

1. Ask your client for more audience insight

Obvious one right? Maybe. But, if you’ve ever been under a tight deadline with not much time for research, you know how likely you are to just ‘get it done’ without first getting more insight into your audience.

Talking to your client about the target audience shows you are professional, that you care about your work and that you are doing what you’re supposed to do as a copywriter – write for your audience.

Most clients will know far more than you about their target audience, and because of this familiarity, they don’t always think to include pertinent information in their briefs to you. That’s okay – just ask.

The most useful bits of audience insight you can get from your client are things like what of magazines the audience reads, their level of education (giving you an idea of the type of language you can use), country of residence (should you use British English or US), what TV programmes they enjoy, where they shop, and what websites they frequent.

Getting these nuggets of background information is copywriter gold. By reviewing the magazines and TV programmes and websites, you’ll know what kinds of information they like to consume. Once you have the background you can move on to technique number 2.

2. Spend 15 minutes writing a detailed persona

What’s a persona? It’s essentially a story about the person you are writing for. This is the best way to figure out who it is specifically that you are targeting. By writing the story of this person’s life, you will come to an understanding of what drives them as a human being, what concerns they have, what habits, and you’ll discover what it is about the product or service you are writing about that will turn them on.

The key here isn’t to spend a long time getting this 100% accurate. You’re writing a story about a typical person in your target audience. What you want to do is quickly sketch out that picture of the person:

• What is his or her name?
• Where does he or she live?
• Is he married?
• What is his or her typical day like? What things to do they do from morning to night?
• Where does she work?
• What does he eat for lunch? Does he brown bag it?
• What websites is she visiting and when?
• Who are his friends? How often do they spend time together?
• What sports does she enjoy?

And so on. The important thing is to do this quickly, and include as much of the reasearch you previously did either on your own, or by speaking to your client. Share the finished persona with your client for a quick approval so that you know you’re on the right track. I trust you’ll nail this exercise because like all humans, you are already a student of human interaction.

3. Interview some real people

Time doesn’t always permit this one, but it is simply the best way to get to know the real audience. Maybe your client has a contact list from user-groups, or interview transcripts from past marketing research. It’s best if you can ask your own questions, but if someone has already covered this ground for you, you’ll be saving some time.

The kinds of questions to ask are the sorts of things you’d want to know from writing the persona (see #2 above). The great thing about talking to real people is that you get to hear how they speak, how a conversation with this person unfolds, and if you pay attention, you’ll be able to spot what gets them excited and motivated to share with you.

These techniques will help you craft better copy by writing to a specific target person, you’ll be able to find the motivations, influences, and conversion points that will make them leap.

Upcoming copywriting courses

Writing For The Web – 28th October

Writing For Search – 29th October