7 Copywriting Skills Every Marketer Needs

If you are a marketer, you know that copywriting is a crucial skill to develop as it is one of the most critical elements in all forms of marketing. When done right, good copywriting increases conversion rates and catches your audience’s attention.

While anyone can open a Word document and write 500 words on a given topic, only the best copywriters can make copy that is simple, readable, engaging, grammatically correct, factually sound, and converting. In today’s post, we explain the unique copywriting skills needed for true mastery of words.

Here are the basic skills every marketer consider mastering if you want your copy to produce better results and if you want to build a decent copywriting portfolio.

1. Good grammar + conversational writing skills

First on the list of essential copywriting skills is proper grammar. Without it, each piece of copy will sound strange to the reader and won’t produce any results. A writer must be able to craft articles, blogs, and guides that are simple and engaging yet grammatically correct. Spelling mistakes, excessive use of passive voice, and improper sentence structure are common mistakes that are easy to spot and fix.

Another beneficial skill for a copywriter is the ability to write conversationally or writing in the same way we speak. Being conversational in your copy creates easily accessible emotion for your reader that can eventually win over their hearts.

2. Simplicity

Imagine you are reviewing a blog post on the topic “how to become a social media manager.” You like what you see, and the text fully describes what a social media manager should do. However, as a good marketer and avid reader, you note there are ways to simplify the language and content. Strive to:

• Shorten lengthy chunks of text.
• Remove repetitive information.
• Add structure to streamline your thoughts (use bullet points).
• Add engaging images/videos.
• Employ subheadings to break up long paragraphs.

Successful copy must be simple – visually, stylistically, and conceptually.

Copy, especially on blogs, can almost always be conveyed more efficiently. Believe it or not, most visitors spend less than 15 seconds on a given page on your website, so you have around 10 seconds to communicate your value proposition.

3. Versatility

Versatility, next on our list, applies to different content formats (landing page, blog, etc.) and also different needs. For instance, one potential copywriting skill for marketers is learning how to write a strong content brief, a document that outlines all the information a content creator needs in order to produce a piece of content.

A good content brief covers the following:

• Suggested titles and headings
• SEO recommendations (main keyword, related keywords, etc.)
• Questions the content should answer
• Goals of the content
• A rough outline of the content
• Recommended word count
• Deadlines and milestones
• Recommendations for internal/external links
• Links to specific resources (if any) and specific anchor texts for each
• Notes on the style, format, and tone of content
• Details on the target persona or audience
• Guidance on the use of illustrations and graphics

Marketers need to know how to prepare this brief and communicate its goal to writers – all in order to scale content while maintaining quality.

4. User experience

Closely related to design, user experience is a concept marketers need to be able to grasp when creating or delegating content. Online content needs to be accessible, usable, and responsive. You might wonder how this relates to copywriting skills; copywriters need to adapt their output to web pages or elements, layouts, windows, and CTA buttons. These aspects of content creation are all part of creating a seamless experience.

5. Empathy

Marketers need to be empathetic in order to master copywriting. After all, the idea of marketing as a whole is to connect with people in order to produce sales. Empathy should always be at the forefront of marketer’s considerations when writing copy.

Writing with empathy means understanding what the reader wants to get out of the content, how to help them solve their problems, and, most importantly, how to communicate that through copy. Marketers must put themselves in the shoes of their readers and try to see their wants, needs, and pain points.

6. Attention to detail

Being attentive to details means doing more than ensuring proper grammar, structure, and spelling. An effective copywriter pays attention to a host of specific details, such as tone of voice and formatting, in order to make the reader’s experience smooth.

Consistent formatting is crucial, especially when writing in the same format or for the same client. Great copywriters should also choose words that reflect the piece’s tone of voice, avoid repetitive words or phrases, and focus on one tense instead of switching throughout the content.

7. Learning/testing new concepts

Content is fluid, and new types emerge daily. Marketers must keep up with new trends and align their writing accordingly. A great example of marketers adapting to trends is a relatively new technique called interview-based blogging, which uses dialogue between the marketing team and the client.

In this technique, the marketer asks their clients a series of blog interview questions about topics that are chosen to make the biggest impact on their business. It is all part of planning a content strategy and ensuring authenticity with every post.

Continue Reading: The steps I took to become a great marketer in my field

So, What Can Any Marketer Take From This?

Whether you are a social media expert, an email outreach manager, or a demand generation specialist, you are, at your core, a marketer. As such, your role is to raise brand awareness and discover ways to generate more traffic and leads. Copywriting is an essential skill that every marketer can develop to become more effective in their field. Start with the above-mentioned skills as you work to master your marketing speciality.