How to keep your email copywriter happy and productive

5 tips for better marketing copy

Most articles about writing marketing emails look at calls to action, paragraph length and similar. All important of course.

But the process of developing text that moves the reader to the right action or thought is not just about the actual writing. It's also about creating the ideal environment for people to write good copy.

So how do you help those people do a better job?

(At this point, email copywriters like me will simply suggest you pay them more - just kidding).

Here a few personal tips that I've found help.

1. Provide the right framework

You wouldn't expect an architect to build you the right house with no more information than "I need a house". So it is with an email copywriter. They need a briefing that goes beyond simply stating what text elements you want written.

The more contextual information you provide about the whos, whys and whats of the email, the more likely they are to write copy that resonates with the audience and achieves your objectives.

For example...

• Who will get the email?
• How did they get on the list?
• Do recipients share any common characteristics (did they all take a particular action or do they share some demographic)?
• When will you send the email?
• How does the email fit in with all your other mails and marketing campaigns they're exposed to?
• Is there existing marketing copy they can reuse? (Don't pay them to reinvent the wheel.)
• Any guidance or preferences on style, tone and language?
• What are your objectives?
• If you have several objectives, what's the priority?
• Are there specific messages that must come across?
• Or are there specific messages that would be nice to have?
• What email design are you using?

Objectives may be an obvious thing to communicate, but make sure they are clearly defined and prioritized. What is it you actually want people to do when they get this email?

For the copywriter, there's a difference between "tell them about our new product" and "get people to visit Page Z and request a quote." The clearer and more specific the objectives, the tighter and more focused the writing process and the resultant text.

Why is the email design relevant?

Images, colors, backgrounds, positioning, column widths etc. change the readability and impact of words. So something that sounds great as a standalone text file might come across differently when placed in the actual HTML email template.

2. Be realistic

My Austrian wife often refers to the eierlegende Wollmilchsau...the egg-laying woolly dairy pig. A farm animal that does everything. And it doesn't exist, of course, despite the best efforts of agricultural geneticists.

The more objectives and key messages and calls to action and keywords and corporate values and brand names you want to squeeze into your three lines of text, the more impossible the job becomes.

That's why you need priorities. And that's why you need to communicate these priorities to the copywriter.

3. Define word limits carefully

It certainly helps the copywriter to have a physical limit on just how much they should write.

Word or character limits curb the natural tendency to write more. They encourage tight, concise, clear communication. All of which is good for the reader, good for the email, good for you.

But...

Unless a limit is set in stone (for example by a particular text box size in the email) allow for some flexibility.

It makes no sense to discard the perfect text because it comes in longer than some arbitrary limit. This is particularly so for subject lines. As my colleague Tim Watson argues:

"The length is the length needed to create the most powerful message possible that results in the desired marketing objective...the subject line length is simply the result of the best set of words. The length is the output of the words selected, not the input to selecting the words."

4. Give them enough time

An experienced writer once told me that there's no such thing as writer's block...when you're on a deadline. Like word limits, deadlines focus the mind and sharpen the pen (polish the keyboard?).

But...

Those who do not write may not be aware of how hard it can actually be. It's a creative task, not a mechanical one. Some days you can turn out top copy in a few minutes. Others you might wrestle with a single headline for hours.

Many copywriters have a writing rhythm. My best results seem to come when I finish a text in the early evening and then take a fresh look at it the next morning. So an "I need it today" deadline means it might not be my best work.

5. Take care with criticism

No, this is not a whine from some sensitive arty type who churns out breakfast cereal commercials during the day while working on the next great European novel at night.

The nature of the copywriting process is that nearly all feedback inevitably takes the form of corrections, criticism and suggestions for improvement.

(Valid) criticism and (useful) suggestions are obviously good for the eventual outcome. And they help the copywriter improve and adapt to the needs of the client and email recipient.

But...

It can come across as a constant stream of negativity.  And that can wear down even the most robust, pragmatic and optimistic spirit. So if something is good, don't forget to tell the copywriter.

A colleague once offered to resign a copywriting commission because of all the constant changes he was asked to make, believing he was doing a bad job. The client was shocked, since the opposite was the case.

Keep the copywriter in the loop on how copy tests and campaigns work out. Again, the more contextual information they have, the better job they can do.

Be aware also that making changes to copy is not always as simple as it sounds.

With word limits, the copywriter may have spent hours paring down their text to the minimum. So requesting they add in another benefit (but keep to the word limit) might mean they have to start over.

Even swapping out a single word can cause problems. It can be like dropping a rock into a stream: it changes the flow and feel of the surrounding area. Change one word and you might have to change a few others as well...

So...do you have any tips for getting the best out of copywriters?