Hello!

Welcome to the March GOT COPY? newsletter!

If you have a topic to suggest for a future issue, I'd love to hear it! Email me at GotCopy@cox.net. I may not be able to tackle them all due to space or relevance, but I will most certainly try.

Speaking of future issues, if you don't receive GOT COPY? during the first full week of each month (ideally), email me and I'll send it to you ASAP.

Enjoy your day,
~ Stevie Ann Rinehart, Independent Copywriter

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GOT COPY? - Issue 5 - March 2002

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IN THIS ISSUE:
(1) AT ISSUE: The Copywriter's Role in a Creative Team
(2) MARKETING/WRITING TIP: Lessons Learned in Creating an E-newsletter
(3) RECOMMENDED WEB SITE: MarketingProfs.com
(4) UPCOMING ISSUE
(5) NECESSARY BLURBS

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(1) AT ISSUE: The Copywriter's Role in a Creative Team
Since Issue 1, I've written about copywriters and their craft. However, I am well aware that we wordsmiths don't create our prose in a vacuum. Sometimes we're forced to out of necessity, but we usually have the benefit of working with a creative team that comes up with the ideas and images that brand a product, resonate with the target audience, and compel a call to action.

If you aren't familiar with a creative team, the cast of characters normally consists of a copywriter, graphic and/or Web designer(s), art and creative directors, and perhaps an account manager (if an agency) or marketing manager (if corporate). You'll normally find these teams in corporate marketing departments, advertising / marketing / Web agencies, and among groups of independent creatives who work together on client projects.

Copywriters play an integral role in the brainstorming sessions from which project or campaign ideas take shape. They translate those ideas generated by the creative team into the caption or headline, the body copy, and the call to action. They set the tone of the message for the project. Their role is key, because no matter what the medium, it's all about the message. The design or art may be brilliant, but if it doesn't convey a meaning or purpose, then it becomes a pretty but ineffective commercial, collateral piece, or ad.

I've grown to envy the copywriters who work in agencies or corporate settings if only for the fact that they usually get to work with a creative group of people who understand the value a copywriter brings to the table.

I say "usually" because, unfortunately, I've seen signs that this value is diminishing. I can't tell if it's due to layoffs of creatives in an abysmal economy, or the ease with which any person or business can create their own marketing materials, thus eliminating their perceived need for a creative team in the first place.

I notice that less agencies and corporations have full- time copywriters on staff. Some businesses aren't even using freelancers anymore. Some employees - including receptionists, no lie - are being asked to do double-duty and write copy without the benefit of working with other creatives. This tells me that either there isn't enough work for a full-time copywriter or that the scope or impact of that role is under-appreciated.

I've noticed lately that I am often expected to work solo. I don't get to meet with other creatives because by that time the look-and-feel has been decided - without a writer's input for the structure and flow of the information necessary to accomplish the client's goals.

Business people have told me, "We had our technical writer do our marketing brochure copy," or "The CEO wrote our direct mail letter because he knows the business best," and so on. Many times, these people think that writing is either a luxury that they can't afford, or they think that anyone can write, so why spend the money?

I'm certainly not implying that copywriting is dead or that they no longer have a place on creative teams. I am positing that copywriting is suffering a downward trend in the marketing and advertising world. And those teams may be losing out on the unique experience of the copywriter - especially at the beginning of the process when their input is vital.

I'm curious if you sense the same thing. What do you think about the status of the copywriter's role on the creative team? I welcome your input. Email me at Copywriter role feedback.

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(2) MARKETING/WRITING TIP: Lessons Learned in Creating an E-newsletter
It's been only five months since I sat down and pounded out the first issue of Got Copy?. I've learned a lot in that time that I'd like to share with you. These are what the "how-to" articles never tell you.

~~ Don't fret over HTML v. text.

Oh, I lamented this when I started this e-newsletter. But you know what? The debate will rage on no matter what, because there will always be pros and cons for every option. I haven't received a single request for an HTML version. In my first issue I mentioned perhaps offering one in the future, but have since decided against it. People who value the content will read it in whatever format is provided.

~~ Be prepared for the opportunities and responsibilities it may bring.

Two cases in point: After the last issue, a writer from Boston, who apparently found me through this e-newsletter, interviewed me about communications practices in the wake of 9-11. A couple of days later, a college professor in New York emailed me to let me know that he enjoyed my e- newsletters and was using them in his communications classes to stimulate discussion. I was thrilled.

E-newsletters aren't a one-way communications medium - they create a basis for interaction. I now have an indirect responsibility to those college students, and an opportunity to be recognized as a communications expert in a new arena. These instances taught me to be more aware of unforeseen opportunities and responsibilities that can come from putting my name and expertise out there.

~~ Respond to people who write to you. All of them.

I was absolutely stunned when I received responses within 15 minutes of distributing the inaugural issue - some from people I didn't even know. I immediately responded to them, appreciative that they'd read my words and found them valuable. Then within two months, my subscriber base tripled and I wondered how I'd handle response time (this is coming from an email junkie). But I figure that the sooner I hit "reply," the sooner I foster a relationship with a reader - which is what I believe email is for.

~~ Use software meant for bulk email distribution.

You need something more advanced than the email program that you use to forward jokes to family and friends. I discovered this with the first issue. Thankfully, it was a small distribution.

Some companies filter out external emails that are sent to more than one person, considering them possible spam. Use email software that allows you to send your messages individually, not in bulk. This accomplishes three things: (1) it bypasses corporate email filters that don't route those "bulk" emails; (2) it lets you distribute partial lists as well as resume sending those that stop in mid- distribution; and (3) preserves the privacy of subscribers and their e-addresses. This professional alternative to regular email programs has made my life a lot easier.

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(3) RECOMMENDED WEB SITE: MarketingProfs.com
I really value this site for its vast amount of marketing- related information, including copywriting. Billing itself as "Marketing Know-How from Professors + Professionals," you can learn how to make your direct-marketing copy work harder, or how to get visitors to click through your Web site, for example. Explore the site's Tutorials and columnists' Perspectives. Peruse the Marketing FAQ section for answers to questions that people like you and I ask.

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(4) UPCOMING ISSUE: April 2002
~~ At Issue: When It's Wise to Bring in the Copywriter
~~ Marketing/Writing Tip: Starting the Copywriting Process

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(5) NECESSARY BLURBS
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