Do you need to hire a copywriter with industry-specific experience?
I’ve often been called a ‘wordsmith’, even by myself. But it’s a complicated title. It can give the impression that I merely string sentences together or that I have an innate knack for words.
It discounts the level of strategic thinking that goes into effective copywriting. And it’s one of the many stereotypes that can lead businesses to think they need a copywriter with industry-specific experience.
In many conversations I’ve had recently, I’ve come up against the tension between being a technical expert vs. “just a copywriter”.
Some business owners are hesitant to hire a writer without training and experience in their specific field, while others see hiring a writer outside of their industry as an advantage.
Is there a right or wrong way to go about it? Here are my two cents on the topic.
A great copywriter does a lot more than just putting pen to paper.
They are marketing strategists that can map out your businesses’ audience personas and what makes them tick.
They are brand champions who can drill into and articulate your businesses’ unique tone of voice with ease.
They are research experts with the ability to synthesise incredibly technical information and transform it into readable, everyday language.
Even this is just a glimpse at the entire copywriting process. Ultimately, those copywriters who are the best in their field will be able to immerse themselves into even the most complex of businesses and deliver stellar copy crafted for each businesses’ unique target audience.
But being an industry expert? That bit isn’t a necessity (or even a ‘nice to have’). And here’s why.
Technical experience is great, but a solid briefing process is even better.
Another skill that the best copywriters possess is this: having a clear briefing process.
I’ll be the first to admit I’m not a financial adviser, super expert or healthcare specialist (even though I’ve written extensively about all of the above).
How? Because I know how to extract the insights I need from subject matter experts.
In my briefing process, I conduct interviews, surveys and deep dive questionnaires with technical experts to gather all the information and data I need to craft valuable copy for every client I work with.
I know what questions to ask, how to read between the lines and prod a little further to get those juicy insights readers will care about.
Plus, I scout out peer-reviewed research, reliable studies and best-in-class data to support everything I write.
But if a copywriter doesn’t have a solid briefing process, it’s likely their copy will struggle to deliver the depth and value readers (and business owners) want to see.
It’s not a lack of knowledge that's the problem, it’s more likely a lack of research or a patchy briefing process at play.
Plus, being an outsider brings a fresh perspective.
In most cases, your reader isn’t going to be an industry expert. That means that no matter how technical your topic is, it needs to be communicated in everyday language.
Unlike a technical expert, I’m not going to get stuck in the weeds of processes and complex definitions. Instead, I can take a step back and really pinpoint what ideas and insights are going to be most compelling to your target audience.
By conducting thorough audience research and crafting bespoke tone of voice guidelines, I can assess what your readers want to hear about. Plus, I can find relatable ways to explain really technical ideas, without making your reader feel like they’ve stumbled into a Physics class.
Plus, writing for so many different industries (from finance to fertility health to office furniture) helps me give your copy an edge. Instead of writing in a vacuum of your own industry, I can take learnings and insights from stacks of other sectors and use them to help your copy and content cut through the noise.
When hiring a copywriter, the best thing you can do is this: find out about their process. How do they gather knowledge from your team? What is their briefing process? Do they develop tone of voice guidelines? What about mapping out audience personas?
All of this is what a stellar copywriter will bring to the table, rather than narrowing your search to only those with industry-specific credentials.
What questions do you have about the copywriting process? Drop them in the comments and I’ll tackle them in my next post.