Imagine this scenario: a business owner is meeting with a copywriter to kick off a new project. The copywriter goes through a long list of questions about the project. The business owner is starting to feel impatient – after all, time is short. The copywriter wraps up by asking: ‘Who should I contact to answer any other questions that come up?’
The business owner’s expression says it all: More questions? How can you possibly have more questions?
Here’s how. A copywriter’s job is to persuade your target audience to do something. To write effective copy, they need to deeply understand your business, your product or services, your customers, and your brand. How do they do that? By asking questions.
If the copywriter you’re working with asks a lot of questions, it’s cause for celebration.
Why the right questions matter
Getting answers to the right questions saves time. If everyone on the project agrees on how to work together, then the workflow will be smoother and the deadlines easier to meet.
Asking the right questions about content means fewer revisions will be needed, also saving time and resources. A copywriter may have experience in your industry and outstanding research skills, but that can only take them so far. The rest – the nuance – they need from you.
You are the subject matter expert. You know your business better than anyone. You know your content and your customers better than anyone. A smart copywriter who cares about your project will have questions – loads of them.
What are the right questions?
A copywriter should ask questions that cover at least five areas, starting with the basics about the project. Let’s look at each area, along with the kinds of questions to expect when working with a copywriter.
Project specifics
These questions cover the basics – the project goals and how the copywriter works with your team. Here are some examples:
- What type of content is needed? This should include the format, word count, platform, etc.
- What’s the goal of the copy? After reading it, what do you want your customers to do or to learn? If there’s more than one goal, what’s the most important one?
- What’s the timeline for the project, including copywriting deadlines? How many rounds of revisions do you want?
- How should the copywriter access existing marketing assets?
- Who’s the contact person when the copywriter has more questions?
- What are the preferences for file format, file naming, and document delivery?
- How do you prefer to communicate with the copywriter?
- Who reviews and approves the copywriter’s work?
- How will you measure success? Are you going to use metrics like conversion rate, click-through rate, or SEO performance?
You and your business
A copywriter needs to understand your business inside and out, and the best way to do that is by talking to you. The questions they may ask about your business include:
- Why did you start your business?
- Describe the history of your business and any milestones.
- What about your competitors? What makes them better? What makes them worse?
- Are there businesses you want to be like?
- What are your core values?
- How do you share them with your customers?
What are you selling?
Next, the copywriter needs to dig deeply into what you’re selling. This content drives what they’ll write. Common questions about products and services include:
- What are you selling? Describe the product or service.
- What does the product or service do?
- How does that benefit your customers?
- What makes your product or service different or better than what your competitors offer?
- How do you know that? Are there case studies, raw data, statistics, testimonials, reviews, etc. to draw on?
Who are your customers?
Understanding the target audience drives how they’ll write about what you’re selling, The copywriter will shape the content to best appeal to your customers. Here are the kinds of questions to expect about your target audience:
- Tell me about your customers. Who are they? What are they like?
- If there’s more than one segment in this audience, describe each one in terms of demographics or personas.
- What pain points or challenges do your customers experience?
- Why do you think they come to you to solve them?
- How familiar are they with your product or service? Do they already know what you’re selling?
- Are there any questions or concerns to address about the product or service?
- Are there cultural or regional considerations?
- Do you have data from focus groups, interviews, or surveys?
- Can I talk to customers?
Brand identity
Whatever the copywriter creates should be consistent with your brand identity, or how customers perceive and experience your business. The copy should reflect your visual identity, tone of voice, values, and messaging. It should look and sound like your business. A copywriter will capture your brand identity by asking questions like:
- How would you describe your brand’s tone and voice?
- Describe the image you want to project to your customers.
- Is there anything you want to avoid?
- Do you have examples of brand presentations that you like? How about ones that you dislike?
- Do you have brand or style guidelines? Guidelines spell out any elements that must be included, such as logos or taglines.
- Are there any legal, compliance, or regulatory concerns that require certain language or disclaimers?
At Futuretheory, we understand the importance of asking the right questions. We work hard to understand you and your business so that everything we write delivers on your marketing goals. Check out the copywriting questionnaire that helps us get up to speed before we even meet with a new client. Want to chat about what we can do for your project? Book a call today.
