SPECIALIZED COPYWRITING
By Stu Leventhal
Copywriters and creative writers of all kinds who specialize in writing about one industry can obviously command higher fees. Practice makes perfect, in copywriting as with developing most important, learned skills. Therefore, it stands to reason, the more a writer works on similar gigs concerning the same topic the better he or she will write about that subject matter. Researching becomes easier, quicker and more efficient as you learn where to look for info about your specialty and compile lists of quality reference works to fall back on. The specialized author naturally becomes more confident and comfortable writing in the same genre. The writer can study the best of one’s contemporaries past and present and keep abreast of what other copywriters are doing in one’s chosen field. Slowly and surely you will begin to figure out how to write copy that stands out among your peers and really interests your readers.
As you begin to get a name for being an expert at your topic, clients will seek you out and you can spend less time on marketing and more time writing which will even make you better at writing in your niche. Smart business clients keep current on their competitor’s marketing copy. When they see engaging copy that moves customers, they will seek you out! Word will quickly spread around your industry that you are the copywriter who can capture the readers’ attention in your chosen writing specialty.
Every writing arena has its quirks and challenges. The key to specialized writing is finding the emotional buttons that make your specialized reader tick. Once you know the words and themes that move a particular audience your text becomes much more persuasive and captivating and thus more valuable to clients. The goal is to become a very effective writer as well as an entertaining writer. Through trial and error, research and study you will hone your craft. Soon you will find yourself with your finger on the pulse of your special community of readers. That is when you become one with them. Then you will know what they really want to read about! Only then will people begin to say you are a writer who is in command of his audience!
For an example of why specialist copywriters can command a higher fee than the ‘jack of all trades’ copy writer, let’s look at the very particular specialized copywriting field of writing for the food and beverage industry. Good copywriters all over the world are in high demand in the restaurant, bar, club and catering fields because those industries are very competitive. Naturally having the best copywriter on your side can be the game changer in a field that relies so much on advertising, marketing and promotions to lure customers.
It may at first seem easy to write for restaurants, catering companies, bars and night clubs but as with writing copy for most industries there are underlining issues that need to be understood, standards that must be adhered to and particulars that must first be learned and mastered.
To write copy for restaurants, drinking and dining establishments and caterers is an acquired skill. A writer must know the ins and outs of the food, drink and entertainment industries to write effectively. Copy for restaurants, bars and catering establishments, parties and events is much more than making dishes like vegetarian lasagna and trendy new martini beverages sound appealing! For instance, there are people who have food allergies so you need to communicate exactly what is in the dishes on a menu you write the text for or you may be putting not only peoples health at risk but the whole restaurant at risk for a devastating law suit if someone gets sick.
Restaurant dishes and drinks must be explained thoroughly, and made to sound delicious! You have to mention all the key tasting ingredients in an appetizing way, tell how the items are prepared, cooked and presented without telling the whole boring recipe! Price must be mentioned. Deceptions must be avoided so you do not confuse the diner. It is all important that the customer gets exactly what they ordered. Pouched items cannot be delivered to the table steamed. Charcoal broiled cannot be just broiled!
Menus are far from simple lists of what foods and beverages are being offered at an establishment. The copywriter is expected to steer the customer to the highest priced dishes first and to be able to entice diners to purchase extra side dishes and desserts plus the high priced drinks. The food and beverage industry is also very diverse. A food and drink copywriter must be able to promote a quaint ‘bed and breakfast’ establishment, write about a ‘Cuban all you can eat buffet’, discuss fine wines that pair well with tonight’s Monk fish special and promote a Hawaiian Luau!...And we have not even touched on the technicalities of writing text about nutritional claims.
Those are a lot of subjects for a restaurant, bar and catering copywriting specialist to learn and know all about. Plus you must have the gift of writing words that make the taste buds water and the heart rate speed. Can you see how a copywriter can spend his or her entire career writing for such a complex, captivating and always evolving industry as the Food and Beverage Writing Industry and still not know everything there is to know? Is it any wonder why a copywriter specializing in writing entertaining food and beverage copy can command such high prices!
Becoming an expert at one form of writing will always raise the price you can ask for your work. Being an expert at one field of copy makes it easier for you to attract clients. Remember knowledge often elevates a copywriter’s quality of work much more than creativity. Copywriting is ultimately valued by its performance. Catchy slogans can only take a copywriter so far. Becoming an expert copywriter requires commitment, study and determination to learn everything there is to know about the one field you are passionate about writing about. You have to love what you are writing about to connect to your audience! A copywriter comes across as more genuine when they specialize. That is why expert copywriters get paid the big bucks!
RESOURCES:
PHILADELPHIA RESTAURANT CONSULTANTS:
http://www.philadelphiarestaurantconsultant.wordpress.com
Food cost tips, sales tips, menu design, operational streamlining, crew retention, kitchen safety, food safety are all discussed on this Philadelphia Restaurant Management Blog. Stay current on all kinds of Philly hospitality industry news, restaurant, bar and entertainment management tips, copywriting, marketing and promotional advice that is cutting edge for the Philadelphia hospitality arena! If you need restaurant management promotional or copywriting advice contact Philadelphia Restaurant Consultant: [email protected]
CATERING SALES TIPS:
http://www.cateringsalestips.wordpress.com
The web place for caterers to discuss, marketing, promoting and copywriting! Catering Sales Tips has all the ideas you need to start a catering company or add catering divisions to your restaurant, bar or club! Learn the ins and outs of winning the loyal business of catering clients who order over and over again! This site is about gaining catering sales! Want to learn more about promoting and running a catering company, E-mail: [email protected]
By Stu Leventhal
Copywriters and creative writers of all kinds who specialize in writing about one industry can obviously command higher fees. Practice makes perfect, in copywriting as with developing most important, learned skills. Therefore, it stands to reason, the more a writer works on similar gigs concerning the same topic the better he or she will write about that subject matter. Researching becomes easier, quicker and more efficient as you learn where to look for info about your specialty and compile lists of quality reference works to fall back on. The specialized author naturally becomes more confident and comfortable writing in the same genre. The writer can study the best of one’s contemporaries past and present and keep abreast of what other copywriters are doing in one’s chosen field. Slowly and surely you will begin to figure out how to write copy that stands out among your peers and really interests your readers.
As you begin to get a name for being an expert at your topic, clients will seek you out and you can spend less time on marketing and more time writing which will even make you better at writing in your niche. Smart business clients keep current on their competitor’s marketing copy. When they see engaging copy that moves customers, they will seek you out! Word will quickly spread around your industry that you are the copywriter who can capture the readers’ attention in your chosen writing specialty.
Every writing arena has its quirks and challenges. The key to specialized writing is finding the emotional buttons that make your specialized reader tick. Once you know the words and themes that move a particular audience your text becomes much more persuasive and captivating and thus more valuable to clients. The goal is to become a very effective writer as well as an entertaining writer. Through trial and error, research and study you will hone your craft. Soon you will find yourself with your finger on the pulse of your special community of readers. That is when you become one with them. Then you will know what they really want to read about! Only then will people begin to say you are a writer who is in command of his audience!
For an example of why specialist copywriters can command a higher fee than the ‘jack of all trades’ copy writer, let’s look at the very particular specialized copywriting field of writing for the food and beverage industry. Good copywriters all over the world are in high demand in the restaurant, bar, club and catering fields because those industries are very competitive. Naturally having the best copywriter on your side can be the game changer in a field that relies so much on advertising, marketing and promotions to lure customers.
It may at first seem easy to write for restaurants, catering companies, bars and night clubs but as with writing copy for most industries there are underlining issues that need to be understood, standards that must be adhered to and particulars that must first be learned and mastered.
To write copy for restaurants, drinking and dining establishments and caterers is an acquired skill. A writer must know the ins and outs of the food, drink and entertainment industries to write effectively. Copy for restaurants, bars and catering establishments, parties and events is much more than making dishes like vegetarian lasagna and trendy new martini beverages sound appealing! For instance, there are people who have food allergies so you need to communicate exactly what is in the dishes on a menu you write the text for or you may be putting not only peoples health at risk but the whole restaurant at risk for a devastating law suit if someone gets sick.
Restaurant dishes and drinks must be explained thoroughly, and made to sound delicious! You have to mention all the key tasting ingredients in an appetizing way, tell how the items are prepared, cooked and presented without telling the whole boring recipe! Price must be mentioned. Deceptions must be avoided so you do not confuse the diner. It is all important that the customer gets exactly what they ordered. Pouched items cannot be delivered to the table steamed. Charcoal broiled cannot be just broiled!
Menus are far from simple lists of what foods and beverages are being offered at an establishment. The copywriter is expected to steer the customer to the highest priced dishes first and to be able to entice diners to purchase extra side dishes and desserts plus the high priced drinks. The food and beverage industry is also very diverse. A food and drink copywriter must be able to promote a quaint ‘bed and breakfast’ establishment, write about a ‘Cuban all you can eat buffet’, discuss fine wines that pair well with tonight’s Monk fish special and promote a Hawaiian Luau!...And we have not even touched on the technicalities of writing text about nutritional claims.
Those are a lot of subjects for a restaurant, bar and catering copywriting specialist to learn and know all about. Plus you must have the gift of writing words that make the taste buds water and the heart rate speed. Can you see how a copywriter can spend his or her entire career writing for such a complex, captivating and always evolving industry as the Food and Beverage Writing Industry and still not know everything there is to know? Is it any wonder why a copywriter specializing in writing entertaining food and beverage copy can command such high prices!
Becoming an expert at one form of writing will always raise the price you can ask for your work. Being an expert at one field of copy makes it easier for you to attract clients. Remember knowledge often elevates a copywriter’s quality of work much more than creativity. Copywriting is ultimately valued by its performance. Catchy slogans can only take a copywriter so far. Becoming an expert copywriter requires commitment, study and determination to learn everything there is to know about the one field you are passionate about writing about. You have to love what you are writing about to connect to your audience! A copywriter comes across as more genuine when they specialize. That is why expert copywriters get paid the big bucks!
RESOURCES:
PHILADELPHIA RESTAURANT CONSULTANTS:
http://www.philadelphiarestaurantconsultant.wordpress.com
Food cost tips, sales tips, menu design, operational streamlining, crew retention, kitchen safety, food safety are all discussed on this Philadelphia Restaurant Management Blog. Stay current on all kinds of Philly hospitality industry news, restaurant, bar and entertainment management tips, copywriting, marketing and promotional advice that is cutting edge for the Philadelphia hospitality arena! If you need restaurant management promotional or copywriting advice contact Philadelphia Restaurant Consultant: [email protected]
CATERING SALES TIPS:
http://www.cateringsalestips.wordpress.com
The web place for caterers to discuss, marketing, promoting and copywriting! Catering Sales Tips has all the ideas you need to start a catering company or add catering divisions to your restaurant, bar or club! Learn the ins and outs of winning the loyal business of catering clients who order over and over again! This site is about gaining catering sales! Want to learn more about promoting and running a catering company, E-mail: [email protected]