What Is Digital Copywriting?​

These days, buyers go through many steps before deciding to make a purchase. In fact, for any significant purchase, most people will go through 12 steps or more to reach a buying decision.

They research their options, read reviews, look at product pages, check out the company’s blog. They might join in on a webinar, follow a company on social media, or subscribe to a company’s email list.

All along the way, they’re encountering a variety of messages. Some of these messages answer questions… some teach the reader how to do something… some tell the reader more about the company or product… some offer social proof… some make a case for the reader to become a buyer…

And that’s not an exhaustive list.

Businesses need digital copywriting to win their customers. And that means they need digital copywriters to help them do it.

How Digital Copywriting Supports the Buyer’s Journey

Different types of digital copywriting support the different phases of the buyer’s journey.

Businesses need their potential customers to find them online. They need to build awareness and generate trust and credibility with their audience. Without awareness and trust, a visitor will never get to the point of becoming a customer.

To attract online traffic to a website and to build brand awareness, businesses use things like:

• Blog posts
• Articles
• Press releases
• White papers
• Case studies
• Social media
• Ebooks
• Newsletters

And more…

These types of content help answer questions for readers, teach them how to do something (giving away value), show them how to solve a problem (demonstrating the company’s expertise), and generally nurture relationships with the audience.

Once a potential customer knows a bit more about a company, they might begin exploring the specific products and services offered by the company.

At this stage, they may be looking at things like:

• Comparison articles
• Product reviews
• Product how-to guides
• Case studies
• Email tutorials

And they may be more likely to click on things like:

• Links in promotional emails
• Social media ads
• Calls to action within articles and newsletters
• Social media posts containing an offer

They’ve gone from being aware of the company to being interested in the company’s product. From this stage, they are more likely to make their way onto a page where they can purchase.

Digital copywriters write those pages, too.

• Landing pages
• Online sales ads
• Product pages
• Online sales letters
• Emails that sell directly
• Native ads

Even after an interested visitor becomes a buyer, the need for digital copywriting continues. Companies that provide support and nurturing content to their customers are more likely to enjoy repeat sales, referrals, and subscribers who stay with them longer.

In this case, they need digital copywriters to create things like:

• FAQs
• Member-only content
• How-to content
• Nurturing emails
• Special offers for existing customers

The list of digital copywriting needs goes on and on… and a number of different specialties come into play.

Specialty Skills for Digital Copywriters

All of this is good news for digital copywriters.

First it means there’s a huge demand for your services.

It also means that you can focus on the types of companies you want to work with… the ones that have products you find fascinating and a mission you believe it.

And it means you can quickly add value to your services by mastering a specialty skill (or two or three). There’s really no limit on what you can do… or on the income you can earn!

To help you start exploring some of the most lucrative specialties available to you, we’ve created comprehensive guides that introduce you to a specialty, show you how companies use it, give you the essential skills you need to know, and even provide pointers on how to start landing projects.