Copywriters: Your "Passion For Writing" Is Not A USP

How not to market and sell content and copywriting services.

I might upset a few people with this post, but it truly shocks me how many copywriters are terrible at marketing. Like it or not, you work in marketing and sales. And if you work in marketing and sales, you should understand marketing and sales.

If you claim to be a copywriter, then you should be capable of writing copy, so use that skill to your advantage and apply what you know to your own business.

A “passion for writing” is not a USP

I’ll admit, I was guilty of this myself when I started out. I love writing. I have always loved writing. And I wanted to convey that passion to potential clients. I wanted them to know how much I loved writing.

I quickly realised how irrelevant it was (and also how many other writers were doing the exact same thing).

Clients don’t care if you enjoy writing. They care about results. You’re not selling art, you are selling a service. Stop talking about your passion and start talking about what problems you solve or the results you generate.

It’s great that you love what you do, but don’t pretend that it was your childhood dream to write blog posts about cardboard boxes or pen product descriptions about storage solutions.

You write for money, so explain why people should invest in you.

Stop admitting you can’t sell stuff

Over the last few years, I’ve seen an increasing number of LinkedIn posts from copywriters and content writers who are struggling for work. Clearly, it’s tough out there for a lot of you.

But openly admitting you can’t get any work doesn’t necessarily do you any favours.

Look at it from a potential client’s perspective.

You’re telling them what a great copywriter you are, claiming you can write copy that converts. But then you’re also admitting that your copy isn’t good enough to sell your own services. Can you see why that might give them mixed messages?

I know that selling copywriting services isn’t the same as writing copy for other people. But your potential clients don’t know that. How can you expect them to trust you with their marketing and sales copy when your own marketing is failing?

By all means, get help if you’re struggling. Speak to friends and family, people in your networking groups, or other business owners that you trust. Ask your clients for referrals or recommendations, or reach out to past clients. Join forums, communities or work with a mentor.

You can admit you need help without announcing it all over social media.

Accept that AI is here to stay

AI is only going to get better, and trying to ignore it won’t make it go away. You don’t have to use it, you don’t even have to compete with it, but you do have to accept that some people have fallen in love with it.

The average person doesn’t know what great copy looks like unless they have something to compare it to. So, instead of moaning about how terrible AI-generated copy is, show them how much better your copy is.

Or, even better, stop banging your head against a brick wall and find the clients who already value human-generated content.

There will always be a market for human-generated copy and content. But, going forward, there will also always be those who are happy to use AI-generated content.

And that isn’t good or bad. It just is.

Embrace it. Adapt. Or find a way to compete.

Practice what you preach

It’s amazing how many copywriters talk about how important it is to have professionally written copy on your website, but then don’t have a website of their own.

Or content writers who bang on about all the benefits of blogging, but don’t have a blog.

How can you expect your potential clients to see the value in paying for copy or content when you’re not even creating copy or content for your own business?

Websites don’t have to be expensive. I built one for less than £150 (including domain name), and it has a blog, plus newsletter sign-up.

If you expect other people to invest in their marketing, invest in your own.

Use social media for marketing, not moaning about clients

Freelancers get ghosted. They get dropped. They are often undervalued and underpaid. Sometimes clients treat them like shit.

But if you aren’t prepared to change things (my book teaches you how), don’t moan about it on social media.

If you’re using social media to market your business, you need to think about how you are coming across to potential clients. And if all you’re doing is moaning about your crappy clients, you’re not going to come across well.

All you're going to do is get sympathy from other freelancers who have the same problems. Plus, you’ll be advertising the fact that you let people treat you badly.

I know it’s frustrating when these things happen, but find other places to vent or vent to people you can trust. You don’t want to put potential clients off contacting you by bitching about your existing clients.

Become a specialist

If you’re one of those writers who rolls their eyes every time someone mentions niching down, I get it.

You enjoy the variety. You don’t want to limit yourself. You want to be a generalist.

That’s fine.

But by not specialising, you’re making life harder for yourself.

Let’s say I’m looking for someone to write my marketing emails. I get two recommendations. One is you, a generalist copywriter who writes any type of copy for any type of business.

The other specialises in writing marketing emails. They have lots of client feedback mentioning results, open rates, click-through rates and so on. They are up to date with all the current email trends and platforms. They have a proven track record of improving conversion rates.

Who do you think I’m leaning towards?

Or maybe I’m a tradesperson looking for some website copy, and I get two recommendations. The first is you, a generalist copywriter with a wide range of examples of different types of copy for all different sectors.

The other is a copywriter who writes for construction and trades, who understands the sector and the challenges and the target audience. They create all types of content for trade businesses and have an in-depth knowledge of what works well and what doesn’t. They are familiar with the relevant trade publications.

Who do you think I am leaning towards?

I’m not saying you can’t be a generalist. I was when I was selling copywriting services.

But there are some huge advantages to specialising in a specific type of copy, platform or sector. You can become an expert in your area, which means you can deliver a better service to your clients. Plus, your marketing messages become more focused, making them more effective.

If you want to be everything to everyone, you’ll be competing with specialists. And to compete with specialists, you usually end up having to compete on price.

Be open to change (and get support)

There’s always something new to learn, and there’s always room for improvement. If your marketing is no longer getting results, it might be time to change your approach.

My Write With Lisa membership is an affordable way to get support. There’s a group chat where you can get advice and feedback from me and other writers, monthly co-working events to keep you on track, and regular lunch and learns to help you develop your skills. All this for only £20 per month or £200 per year (cancel anytime).

Or if you fancy something more hands-on, you can book one of my 90-minute sessions for only £150 and we’ll work on your marketing together.

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