Copywriting for Startup Projects

Hello and welcome to another post!

This time around I am going to be delving into the specific demands a Copywriter may encounter when working for new start-up tech/service companies.

Start-up has become one of those modern-phenomenon buzz words. Technically all the word refers to are start-up businesses, but the word is most often associated with new, mainly IT or service related businesses that do things differently.

Start-ups all have this air of revolution at pace about them. They tend to emphasise being new and exciting with extraordinary potential for growth. IT is a gold rush wild west.

Archaic Shudders

The last thing such new businesses want is a Copywriting style that doesn’t reflect their modernity, flair, and difference. They don’t want to have ever heard one word of the copy they are going to use. Everything has to be fresh and original and sing just and only ‘them.’ This can add extra challenge for the Copywriter.

They don’t like guile and neither do their audience, likewise, clichés or cheese. To rhyme is a crime. Authenticity is key. Nothing superfluous.

These are generalisations, of course, but time and experience have proven them to be true – in general!

As a result, it is in a Copywriter’s best interests to be aware of such requirements and to start thinking outside the box – or better yet – burning the box all together.

Rules? What rules?!

It is almost like starting afresh in the profession. Rules? There are no rules. There are few precedents. Few templates and guidelines. There are not really any similar products and often very few competitors or existing customers or existing performance data!

Put all that together and it is like the Copywriter is in chains and taped up before they have a chance to grab a pen.

So, if you were to be hired by such a start-up, or a similar one, as a Copywriter, how should you go about your work to satisfy your Clients requirements and their audience?

It isn’t easy.

Authenticity is king and key

The key word is authenticity. Keep the talk straight and focused. Be like Hemingway and aspire to write that one true sentence. Its about treating every member of the audience like a switched-on, completely sales-aware professional. Know in advance that they know all the sales tricks in the book and that they can feel them a mile off. Talk to them like you know that they know – and that you know that they know that you know (?!) In vulgar terms – you have to SERIOUSLY cut out any and all bullshit or their eyes will be somersaulting, and you’ll not be hired again.

• What is it?

• Why is it better than anything that already exists?

• What pain will it soothe in my life?

• What solutions does it offer me?

• How will it benefit me?

• How much will I gain and is there any risk I may lose?

• What proof do you have that it is so good?

• How does the price represent good value?

Answer those questions in a voice that harmonises with the culture of the start-up. Find out as much as you can about the founders of the company. Read and listen to interviews with them. Sound like them. Answer the questions as though you have a million times – as they probably have done when applying for funding and partners etc. Make your tone sound exceptionally capable. Perfectly sure. Absolutely convinced with the obvious brilliance of the product/service. Project their unwavering mountain-like conviction in what they are selling.

Challenging and stimulating

If you as a Copywriter approach such a project with those things in mind – and you stay grounded on those tracks – as you ruthlessly prune your writing – you will find openings to insert flashes of inspired creativity which then shine even brighter given the relative ‘straightness’ of the rest of the surrounding copy.

I would say writing for such start-ups is for more advanced Copywriters. I believe such projects are for writers who know the old rules inside out. These start-ups want to be seen to be breaking the rules – so the Copywriter ought to know how to emphasise the rules are being broken – and that is only possible if they know the old rules very well.

Start-up projects are great for experienced Copywriters as they are challenging and stimulating. They offer the opportunity to be completely original and to rebel against following the rules. Creativity can be let loose and it can feel as your input is more personal and important. As a result, start-up projects can feel more rewarding.

To summarise...

In summary, while these new ways of working in the world of start-ups may take some acclimatising to – it is worth the effort for a seasoned Copywriter. As well as working on exciting projects, the offshoot can also be that the Copywriter improves their craft in general. They are also refreshing and may well add fresh impetus to a stalling or stale career situation.

Start-up projects can be inspiring and rejuvenating!

So, I hope you found this introduction to Copywriting helpful in some way. If you have any questions or require further information, just let me know.

See you next time!

Steven Cook

www.contentdesignsolutions.co.uk