An insider’s guide to: copywriting

In a series of three articles, Claudine, a French freelancer in Translation, Transcreation and Copywriting, highlights the key features any freelancer should focus on to succeed in these areas. As representing the most creative side of these 3 activities, this last article is based on copywriting tips.

Here you can find an insider guide to copywriting

COPYWRITING is also a fantastic part of any freelancers who enjoy writing:

Generally (and most recommended!), you would receive a brief from the client, explaining the needs of the project, target, type of tone expected and so on.

Also, depending on the project scope, whether a long or short copy is required, you should receive some elements to build your texts upon, and some key information for you to conduct some research about the topic you will write about.

For example, one of my projects involved writing web pages for a website dedicated to a French culinary product, made in a specific region of France. I wrote pages explaining the fabrication of the cheese, but also fancy recipes, as well as nutritive facts or specifics and highlights about this region. The product depicted in its web site was dedicated to consumers and the tone of the speech was close to feminine press, which made all the content dynamic and active. As a result, it was a perfect combination of web writing and web design, all in the same line – perfect teamwork. This is also to remind that web design, as much as any other images, are also part of the brief.

Copywriting projects may also include SEO copywriting (Search Engine Optimization) as this is very popular among clients. Usually, the client goes through an agency who work with a freelancer who will produce texts aimed to optimize their web ranking on Google and other search engines. This exercise is creative in the sense that you would usually have the freedom to follow the direction of your choice, but this is also very demanding as you need to comply with specific rules. If the project is well managed, you should receive training and very specific guidelines for these types of projects.

A few tips to conclude, for all Translation, Transcreation or Copywriting projects:

• Whenever something is not clear, whether it is in the brief, source text or anything, ask your client before starting the job.
• References (visuals) are of course essential for transcreation and copywriting projects but also very useful for translation.
• Make a list while you are working, of any comments you may have: when delivering your work, it may always be good to share your thoughts and feedback with your client. If any issues are pending, don’t wait for the delivery to ask your questions, as it would be late.

The last but not least of my copywriting tips:

• Enjoy what you are writing so people who read it will enjoy it as well. Probably this is like smiling on the phone, one says people can actually ‘hear’ your smile. I bet this is also true with writing.

About the author:

Claudine is a freelance translator/copywriter who joined the Collective in 2004. She graduated in Communications and firstly worked for Accenture and Aquadia as a Marketing and Communications Specialist. She is now working for clients and agencies for the automotive industry (Volvo, Peugeot), food & drinks industry (Exki, Sopexa), IT & home electronics (Philips, LG), the fashion industry (Net-a-porter, Mr Porter, WGSN) and many more. She offers Translation, Transcreation and Copywriting services, as well as Language Lead support, Project Management and Software Testing.

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