18 Reasons You Might Need a Copywriter – Don’t Worry, I’ve Got You!

Whether you are reading this post because you can’t get enough of the wisdom I share, or because the great gods of Google have answered your question with my insight, you’re probably wondering if a copywriter could help you.

Sometimes it’s obvious, but other times – not so much. If any of these scenarios make you shudder with recognition, or giggle nervously, you can be reassured – you’re not alone.

When words are failing you… what will you do?

1. You’ve got a new website

Sometimes it’s clear you need help – you’re updating your website, it needs words and you have a million and one better things to do. A copywriter could help with that.

2. You’re ashamed of your LinkedIn profile

(Or any other profile for that matter!)

Maybe you’ve just met someone great at a networking group, they seem really interested in what you do and say “I’ll find you on LinkedIn and connect”…

…

… If something inside you makes you want to scream or tell them you don’t use LinkedIn, you have a problem. Instead, you might chuckle and say “Yeah great,” but then follow up with “just don’t look too closely… I haven’t updated it in years!” Oops

3. Your emails don’t get any reaction

You know how important regular communication is, so you do it. But whenever an email goes out there’s that awful silence which follows. The strange thing is, when you talk to people in person about these things they’re interested – so, why is no-one following up?

4. Your ideal clients are going somewhere else for your services

You’ve got a great network and a clear picture who you want to work with, but you know that some of the people you feel are ideal for you have gone somewhere else instead.

Obviously, they may have a relationship with this other provider – we don’t always know the details. But, could it be your ideal client didn’t realise you provided those services? Could it be they haven’t understood how perfect you are for each other? Or (god forbid) maybe they haven’t seen you for a while and have forgotten you exist.

Building your business needs clear communication which reaches the right people – and does it often!

5. The people who are calling you are… the wrong people

For some reason the people who do get in touch aren’t willing to pay your prices, they’re asking for services you don’t provide, or they’re in the wrong niche. While you might not want to turn people away, wouldn’t it be better if your contacts were from the ‘right’ people? Your message clearly isn’t working as you want it to!

6. You can’t remember the last time you updated your website

Well, we’ve all got lots of other things to do haven’t we, and at least you’ve got one… right?

7. … Or sent out your “regular” email

You were really pleased when you set up your mailing list, you’ve got a few names on it and – at first – you even got some replies. But it’s been a while since you sent anything.

You tell yourself that people understand how hard it is to email when you’re busy, and their inboxes will be so full anyway – you don’t want anyone feeling swamped.

Remember though, there was a reason you set up that email list and a reason why those people signed up.

It can be hard to do all the jobs – but you don’t have to do them all yourself.

8. You’ve got writing to do but it just isn’t happening

Whether it’s articles, newsletters, websites or emails, there are lots of reasons you might want to get words onto a page – but it never seems to happen.

There’s client work to do, social media posts to write, emails to respond to, dinners to make… everything else is more important than those words (because you really don’t want to write them). Procrastination – it’s what happens when I have cleaning to do.

9. You’ve done the writing… but it isn’t right! 

You have something to say, you sit at your desk and get the words down, but when you read it back it’s not right.

Something is missing – maybe it feels a little muddled, you might have forgotten things you wanted to say, or maybe it’s just not reflecting what you saw in your head. Your instinct is to delete it, screw it up, scribble all over it (hopefully not on the screen).

Honestly, you might not need a copywriter – even a copywriter will need more than one draft and sometimes has to start again from scratch. It may just be that you need to plan things out first.

If you enjoy writing but this is happening every time you sit down to write, it could be you need some help getting your thoughts straight. Copywriters can make good sounding boards, helping you think slightly differently about your communication and giving you ideas how to plan your writing better – maybe, give it a try.

10. You read what you’ve written and it feels icky

This is slightly different to our previous point and I think it’s more likely to happen when we’re writing something which we see as ‘sales-y’. Let me assure you, your audience would prefer not to read something which feels icky either – but they are interested in what you’re selling! Take a moment to think about that.

Think about why they’re interested in you, and what you can do for them.

If you put your focus on helping rather than selling, it can take the ‘ickiness’ away. And if it doesn’t, somebody else might be able to help.

11. You’ve got better things to do with your life

Let’s face it, most people have got better things to do than stare at a screen while very little happens – it feels like we’re going back to number 8 here doesn’t it, but this is slightly different.

When we procrastinate it’s because in our hearts we don’t want to do something, but here we’re recognising that our time could be better spent elsewhere! The list may be the same – client work, social media, emails or dinner – but this time you’ve made a conscious decision that you can achieve something more beneficial to you/ your business/ your state of mind, by not trying to do this writing yourself.

Take a step back, let someone else do it, and you can get back on to client calls (or your yoga mat).

12. You’re worried about your spelling and grammar

Honestly, I would suggest you try not to let that worry you – don’t be put off and go for it anyway. I’m not really a grammar nerd (prizes for anyone who can list 12 grammar fails/rule-breaks in this post, I’m sure they’re there).

But (yes, I do see that’s one there), I do understand that for some people it’s not that easy.

If you’ve been told enough times that you can’t write, it can be difficult to get over that. My message to you is, there are tools which can help you which will also build your confidence, but – if you just can’t bring yourself to do it – copywriters can help too.

13. You don’t know what to write about

Maybe you feel that your business is boring – why would anyone be interested in what an accountant has to say? Or maybe, that what you do is so obvious everyone must already know it.

I can assure you, that’s not true! Whatever your business, there are people who are interested in what you do and how you do it.

• Window cleaners: What are the best products? How do you remove smears? How should I protect my frames?
• Photographers: What are the best photoshoot locations? What should I wear when I have my picture taken? Which is the best camera to get this Christmas?
• Accountants: When do I need to start paying tax? What are the best software options for my accounts? Do I need a bookkeeper?

I could keep going you know…

14. You’ve written three paragraphs and included the word “great” five times

It’s frustrating, I know it is. But honestly, you probably don’t need a copywriter just a thesaurus.

15. People don’t seem to get what you’re doing or what’s special about you

Whether it’s emails, proposals, your website or social media posts… people seem to connect with you but are always unclear about how you can help them. They might glaze over slightly when you’re talking to them, their reactions on social media aren’t what you were hoping for, if they engage with your content they’re asking the wrong questions.

For some reason, you’re not creating a clear picture of how you can help – a copywriter might be able to help with that.

16. Sitting in front of a blank sheet makes you want to cry

Yes, this is probably the next stage on from number 8.

It feels, honestly, as if you just don’t like this whole writing thing and it makes you unhappy to have to do it. You’ve put if off as long as you can and now it’s just a massive stress. Get some help.

And do it before it gets to this point, maybe.

17. When you start writing, you sometimes feel you’re falling down a rabbit hole

You might recognise that this is a little like number 9 again – but different.

Again, you know what you want to say – but this time, there’s so much of it!

You started off well, you may even have written a plan, but each of your sub-headings has at least four bullet points and that’s before you’ve told your reader why they’re interested in your news.

When we’re writing about our business it’s very easy to get bogged down in the details which mean so much to us, forgetting that we’re not writing for us – we’re writing for someone else. We need to change our focus – and that’s not always easy.

18. Your writing doesn’t sound like you

This one feels a little odd doesn’t it. We’ve written something, so it must sound like us mustn’t it – but we’re often much more stilted in our writing than we’d like to be. It just doesn’t reflect how we want to sound.

This can be a particular problem if our business, or brand, is not just one person – and can seem more obvious when more than one person is doing the writing for the business. How can we make sure that every time we write we have the same tone, or sound?

A copywriter might be able to help you define a tone of voice which works for your business, create guidelines which simplify the writing process and provide some clarity on the language which is appropriate. If this is what your business writing needs, there are people who can help.

Not everyone needs a copywriter, but if you recognise you need some help – be reassured there are people who can help you.

If you would like to talk, get in touch, or book a 30-minute consultancy session for October 2021 you won’t have to pay.

Don’t forget to leave a comment if you spot all the grammatical errors – I’m not telling what the prize is!