March 13, 2023
Kim Krause Schwalm is an A-list copywriter who has written highly-successful promotions for some of the top direct response companies in the world. She's also launched and run multi-million-dollar businesses and held positions as a publisher, marketing director, and brand manager. Kim currently offers training and mentoring programs on copywriting as well as a popular e-letter called ‘Copy Insiders’.
Robin Waite · #75 - Climbing the Copywriting Ladder - Kim Schwalm
Episode 75 of the Fearless Business podcast focuses on all things copywriting. What exactly is the deal when it comes to copywriting? Is it more than just blog writing? Should you outsource it? What are the ingredients that make your copy stand out? A-list copywriter Kim Schwalm joins the latest episode. Here are the key points that you need to know.
Copywriting is not just adding a quick piece of text to your website. It’s a form of salesmanship represented in print, or in the modern world, online a lot of the time. You are acting like a door-to-door salesperson with the aims of building a relationship with your audience and using persuasion techniques to help them get what they want, and why your product or service, in particular, is the right way to get there.
When you write copy to create a direct movement and to generate sales, you are persuading someone to do something. Persuasion, especially when it comes to sales and advertising, has garnered some negative connotations over the years.
How, therefore, do you create a persuasive copy without your audience feeling like it is all about getting them to buy your product or service?
It comes back to knowing your target market. You need to truly understand your ideal audience and their greatest problems, fears, hopes, and dreams. You want to recognise their pain points and show how you understand what they’re going through, and how you provide a solution as if you were speaking to everyone on an individual basis. Often people will have objections or questions before investing in your offering, so you also want to counteract these objections too through persuasive copy.
The most important thing is that your copywriting has substance and hits those deep-rooted feelings within your audience.
You may spend a lot of your time doing marketing activity and working in your business, whether that is scheduling tweets or writing LinkedIn posts. Remember to take a step back though and get to know your audience more. Talk to them, maybe interview some previous clients, start to get an idea of who you are talking to. This then feeds back into your copywriting and you create content that truly resonates with your target market.
If you are looking for a copywriter, how do you spot a good copywriter from a bad copywriter? What traits should you be aware of?
Being curious is a huge aspect of copywriting. You want someone who will ask questions and research to really hone down their knowledge of what it is they are writing about and who they are writing for.
A good copywriter also needs to empathise well with others. Copywriters won’t always be writing to an audience that they relate to, so it’s all about respecting the target clients and understanding their pain points.
Even if you think your copywriting skills are up there at the top, if it is for your own business, it can still be beneficial to outsource to a copywriter. When it is your own business, you often have a strong emotional attachment to your offerings, so it can be hard to take an objective view. Bringing in another copywriter here could really transform your business because they have an external view of everything and come up with new ways to approach your copy. Getting that outside perspective from copywriters who have also worked with other people in your niche brings in some fresh thinking.
The benefits of bringing in external support and perspectives can also benefit you long-term in your business. So often there is a focus of getting that first sale, but without thinking what the next step is. This could be losing you money and the overall value of your business. Rather than focusing on the launch and the first sale, get the whole picture mapped out and plan how you are going to follow-up after the first sale and how you can continue to grow.
In the podcast, Kim also discussed whether it is important for copywriters to have a niche or not.
If you are just starting your copywriting journey, then it could be useful to keep the doors open. You want to get experience and if an opportunity comes along, don’t restrict yourself. Plus, having that wide range of experiences early on helps you to develop your skills more and be more versatile. You’ll understand how to recognise a target market and what makes an offering stand out.
Over time though, it could make more sense to niche down and be the copywriting expert that people come to for a particular sector. You never know, you may find yourself gravitating towards certain industries as you build up your experience.
There’s so much copywriting goodness in this episode. Have a listen to the full episode to find out even more.
Free e-letter ‘Copy Insiders’, along with an A-List copy checklist, and a free 7-day mini-course on writing successful promotions at www.kimschwalm.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kim-krause-schwalm-74197/
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/Kim-Krause-Schwalm-copywriting-106810239381136/
Website Address(es): www.kimschwalm.com
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