The first time I heard the job title “copywriter”, I assumed it was somebody who copyrighted things.
Now, 10 years older and (hopefully) slightly wiser, I know for sure its got nothing to do with patents or trademarks and everything to do with words.
If you’re wondering what copywriting is though and how it can help grow your surf business, you’ve come to the right place.
I learned my trade under senior copywriters for brands like Wrangler, Davidoff, Heineken and Hugo Boss.
Now, I’d like to break down what a copywriter does and how having one on speed dial can help your surf business.
What is copywriting?
Copywriting is using the power of words to persuade, inform and connect with an audience so they buy, subscribe or otherwise take action.
People will try and tell you its an art form.
It’s not.
I can say from experience that copywriting is more like a combination of science and craftsmanship.
On one hand, there’s research, surveys and data analysis involved. There’s also testing, tweaking and optimising.
On the other hand, there’s creativity, storytelling and understanding human psychology plus heaps of nose-to-the-grindstone late nights.
Personally, copywriting is much bigger than just selling products or services.
It’s about positioning you and your brand as an honest, interesting and thoughtful presence in what is becoming an increasingly noisy and overcrowded marketplace.
Can I grow my business without a copywriter?
Of course, but you’ll need at least some level of copywriting skills to succeed and stand out from the competition.
Copywriting is, after all, the linchpin that underscores all of your written marketing efforts. Without any knowledge of copywriting or its various techniques, you’ll be essentially typing into the void.
I’d go as far to say that writing for your surf business without any knowledge of copywriting is akin to surfing without knowing how to swim or baking bread without salt.
You’ll be able to fool a few people and maybe even chug along nicely. But when competition starts to move in or the market changes, you’ll be left floundering.
So, to answer the question, you can grow your business somewhat without a copywriter or copywriting skills, but you’ll be selling yourself short and leaving money on the table.
Is there a difference between copywriting and content writing?
Calling a copywriter a content writer is like calling a longboarder a shortboarder, or vice versa.
Yes, I’ll agree, there are some crossovers. But on the whole they’re different beasts.
For one, copywriters can write great content, but content writers generally fall short when it comes to selling a product or service.
A copywriter knows what makes people tick and how to use words effectively to influence their decision-making process.
They know the importance of headlines, subheadings, bullet points and calls-to-action in grabbing and maintaining the reader’s attention.
They also understand the power of persuasive language, tone and structure.
On the other hand, content writers are experts in creating informative and engaging content that provides value for readers.
They focus on researching and delivering quality information to their audience, but without the added persuasion-factor that copywriters bring to the table.
How can a copywriter support my surf business?
Having a copywriter on your team working either remotely or in-house is like having a secret weapon.
Think about it.
Imagine all the marketing tasks, like content scheduling, strategy execution, rewrites and posting you need to do in one month or even one week. Now, imagine if you could delegate that work to somebody who can not only write, but who also understands your brand and know how to sell your surf business effectively because they’re essentially your target demographic.
You’ll have more time to focus on your business, your family or your surfing. And with another person to provide fresh ideas and perspectives, you’ll be able to view your business in a more objective light.
Below I’ve listed all the ways I as a copywriter support my clients in order from most to least popular tasks.
This gives you an idea of both what I can do and what seems to work best for your fellow surf biz owners.
✉️ Newsletter ideation, curation and copywriting
The most popular request I receive from clients is to help them with their newsletters.
This could mean auditing and revitalising an established newsletter or setting up an entirely new newsletter campaign complete with platform recommendations.
Here’s what’s generally involved.
- Choosing a newsletter platform
- Curating a newsletter schedule (frequency, length, etc.)
- Agreeing upon what topics, formats and angles to include
- Researching and writing content
- Creating visuals or sourcing them from a designer
- Formatting the newsletter for easy reading, skimming and clicking
- Proofreading, testing and scheduling the newsletter
- Adding links and call-to-actions
- Reviewing metrics and making necessary changes for future newsletters
📓 Blog article strategy and execution
I love writing blogs.
It’s here you can both flex your creative writing skills, provide people with useful information and tick those ever-important SEO boxes. The problem is that researching, writing, image sourcing, competitor analysis and optimising for Google and other search engines takes an incredible amount of time.
That’s why I offer blog writing as one of my main copywriting services.
- Keyword research and analysis
- Competitor research and analysis
- Developing a content strategy and calendar
- Ideation and writing of blog articles
- Image sourcing and formatting
- Proofreading and editing
- Integrating SEO elements (titles, meta descriptions, headings, etc.)
- Publishing and promoting the article on various platforms
📫 Email marketing and drip campaigns
Second to newsletters are seasonal promotion emails, drip sequences and automated funnels.
These are usually for specific product launches, events or sales. I work with clients to create a timeline and content calendar, write the emails and monitor performance.
Here’s how it looks.
- Set up and manage email marketing platform
- Create content calendar and timelines for promotions
- Write promotional emails following best practices (limited selling, storytelling)
- Monitor performance and make adjustments
- Work with a designer to create visuals
- Create e-commerce sequence campaigns (abandoned cart, welcome series, etc.)
📊 Landing pages
Got a surf retreat coming up? Thinking about running a special offer for your members? Want to test the waters of new markets without investing in a full website?
Landing pages could be the answer.
I love working on landing pages because in many ways it’s copywriting in its purest form. You’re literally taking the reader on a journey using words alone and persuading them to take action.
Here’s what I can help you with.
- Work with a designer to create visuals
- Research and write copy using storytelling, persuasive techniques and SEO
- Create a strong call-to-action
- Use bullet points, headlines and subheadings to keep the reader engaged
- Set up email capture forms
- Test and make adjustments for maximum conversions
💻 Website copy creation and rewrites
Websites are so, so, so important when it comes to first impressions, but they’re also incredibly powerful (you might even argue they’re the most powerful) selling tool in your arsenal.
Practically all of your customers, guests, clients or subscribers will be funnelled into your website at some point and it’s therefore essential to make sure every single word works for you.
Here are the services I can provide in this area.
- Work with a designer on layout, visuals and flow
- Audit of current content and suggestions for improvements
- Research and write web content (About, Services/Products, FAQs, etc.)
- Create a strong value proposition and unique selling points
- Use SEO techniques to improve search rankings
- Help coordinate translators to make your website multilingual
- Collaborate on website design and structure to ensure optimal user experience
🤓 Marketing strategy and consulting
This is me copywriting without actually writing any words.
I’m essentially coaching and guiding you on your marketing tactics and strategy.
This could include one-off consultations or ongoing support in developing and implementing a comprehensive marketing plan. Whatever you decide.
Ultimately, I’m here to keep you on track, your messaging cohesive and your team accountable, which looks a lot like this.
- Meeting with you or your team to discuss goals, target audience and budget
- Researching your industry and competitors
- Creating detailed marketing plans with specific tactics, timelines and metrics for success
- Providing ongoing support, guidance and accountability through regular check-ins and progress reviews
- Tweaking our strategy as needed based on results and feedback
- Setting you up post-consultation with a structure and plan for future campaigns
✍🏻 Product descriptions
Product descriptions.
The bane of the time-poor retail or e-commerce business owner’s existence.
Just when you thought that writing your copy for your website, newsletter and social media was enough, now you have to write unique descriptions for every single product too?
Afraid so, buddy.
But fear not. That’s where a copywriter comes in.
I can help you with the following.
- Write clear and concise product descriptions that highlight features and benefits
- Use storytelling techniques to connect with customers emotionally
- Create compelling calls-to-action to encourage purchase
- Optimise descriptions for SEO purposes
- Use the five senses to engage readers and make the products more tangible
🤳🏼 Social media posts
I really struggle with social media because I see both its advantages and its disadvantages as cancelling each other out.
My own social media feed is about as basic as it can get.
No highlights. No reels. No weird MSN Messenger-style text in the bio section.
Just photos, captions, a few hashtags and links to my site.
That’s it.
If you want somebody to write your captions though, that’s more my jam. This is how I do just that.
- Coordinate and plan a social media schedule
- Research and write on-brand captions
- Ensure consistency in messaging and tone across all social media platforms
- Leverage copywriting formulas such as PAS and AIDA for effective social media posts
- Use relevant keywords to increase visibility and reach
Final thoughts
Provided you have the budget, adding a copywriter to your team can completely transform your surf brand.
Adding one that has 10+ years of copywriting experience plus a lifetime of surf IQ under his belt, even more so.
It’s all about making your life easier and maximising the effectiveness of both what you say and how you say it. A copywriter will do all that and be the sounding board you need to make sure all your ideas are brought to fruition.