As a wedding professional, you wear so many hats the Queen of England would be jealous.

One of those? You’re a writer for your business. And if you’re not writing in some type of way … well I just don’t believe you.

Whether you’re coming up with an email for a new client or you’re trying to think of an original caption for your social media posts (have you run out of those yet?), you can add “writer” to your list of wedding professional credentials.

Chances are, writing is no stranger to you, but I want to talk to you about one form of it that’s incredibly important to connecting with your dream clients and actually booking them.

Copywriting.

What is copywriting?

So here’s a scenario for you — a potential client emails you about hiring your services for their wedding, and they’re so excited! They can’t wait for their big day, and they’re looking at you and a few other vendors to help make their day as perfect as possible.

You decide to sit and have coffee with them so you both can get to know each other better. And as you’re sitting there, you talk about why your service is so important for their wedding day. Why they just absolutely cannot pass up on having it for your wedding. You talk about how perfect their day will be with your service. You talk about how they’ll always have the memories of their wedding day to look back on, and your service will be something to help make those even more special.

You tap into what they feel. Not because you’re being sleazy or slimy trying to make a sale. Not because you’re eager to book another client just to have on your agenda. No, you do it because you know that it will genuinely bring those feelings that you were talking to them about.

That’s exactly what copywriting is, it just uses written words to do it.

Copywriting has everything to do with using words in a way to make your readers feel something. So much so that they want to take some kind of action.

And the action doesn’t always have to be buying a product or investing in you for a service. It can be something like hitting the “save for later” button on an Instagram post, signing up for your email newsletter, or even just clicking to the next page on your website.

No matter what, copywriting is designed and curated to have your reader take that action. And every small action they take ultimately leads to the greater action of purchasing a product or signing on for your services.

What is the difference between copywriting and content writing?

Copywriting and content writing are often used interchangeably, but they really shouldn’t be.

With these two, we’ve got a classic “a square is always a rectangle, but a rectangle isn’t always a square” case.

Copywriting can always be considered a form of content writing, but content writing isn’t always copywriting.

Writing copy means driving your reader to take action of some kind. To do that, we use proven formulas to tap into emotion and into the psychology behind consumer purchases.

But with content writing, we don’t necessarily do that. Content writing is geared towards educating, inspiring, or entertaining your reader. Not necessarily to drive them towards any particular action. We use content writing to prove our authority and expertise in our niche.

A few kinds of content writing that are not copywriting?

• Your blog posts
• eBooks or courses
• The majority of social media posts and captions
• Podcasts or Clubhouse room chats

What are the different kinds of copywriting?

If you’ve been in the wedding business for (like, literally) any amount of time, you’ll notice you’re having to do a whole lot of writing.

But just because you’re sitting at your computer and you’re typing something up doesn’t mean you’re actually producing copywriting.

Like I mentioned before, copywriting needs to move your reader in the direction of taking some kind of action.

So, a few kinds of copywriting you’ll most likely do for your wedding business:

• Website copywriting (what I currently focus on!)
• Social media ads
• Landing page copywriting – this is the page your reader will come to if they click on your Facebook or Pinterest ad
• Email copywriting – not to be confused with emails you send to your clients after they invest in your service. Email copywriting is typically written in a sequence sent to an email list over a certain period of time. The last few emails are generally encouraging your readers to take some kind of action
• Launch copywriting – if you’re launching a new website, a new course, a new service or product, any and everything you write to promote your readers to click over to it or invest in it is considered launch copywriting

What does excellent copywriting do for your wedding business?

Believe it or not, copywriting is less “winging it” and more designing and curating. It’s less creative and artistic, and more scientific and formulaic.

Copywriters who devote themselves to honing their craft and perfecting their skills spend countless hours reading, researching, and learning about the psychology behind wonderfully crafted words. They learn the formulas that are proven to convert readers into clients.

Plus, it’s worth it to touch on a common misconception — copywriting isn’t all about writing.

I’d say excellent copywriting that’s designed to convert is at least 75% research (okay this is not a real statistic, but a huge chunk of the copywriting process is research). It’s researching the market in general to find out what potential clients are looking for. It’s pouring through client reviews and testimonials to find sticky language to use. It’s learning your brand inside and out so we can write as you would.

Only after all of that research comes the writing.

Hours of research combined with proven formulas are key to designing and curating words into powerful copy.

I won’t say that copywriting is the only thing that will turn a floundering wedding business into a successful one. There are so many different moving parts to work on to manage that. But copywriting is, without a doubt, one of the foundational pillars to do so.

And excellent copywriting can absolutely help your wedding business go from just barely making it in a sea of other vendors to staying booked solid for months (if not years) on end.

How to get started writing copy for your wedding business?

It’s totally unrealistic to say you should outsource everything that isn’t directly related to your niche in the wedding industry.

AKA – outsource anything and everything if it’s not planning a wedding. Or taking photos. Or creating invitation suites.

And that’s definitely not what I’m preaching here.

So, if you’re looking to DIY your wedding business website copywriting, I want to help you out as much as I can.

My biggest tip for writing your own copy? Read up on it. If you can swing it, get some of the classic books from copywriters and even books on writing in general.

Some of my favorites:

• Everybody Writes by Ann Handley
• The Copywriter’s Handbook by Robert Bly
• On Writing Well by William Zinsser
• How to Write Copy that Sells by Ray Edwards
• Breakthrough Advertising by Eugene M. Schwartz
• Scientific Advertising by Claude C. Hopkins

As for getting to the nitty gritty, here are my top 7 tips to help you get started writing copy now:

1. Start with your brand’s “why.” What is your mission statement? Why are you in business? Why did you start your wedding business? Who are you helping and what are you helping them do? **Remember this as you write your copy — it’ll help you to stay clear and focused.

2. Pour through your testimonials and reviews. Find the sticky language — what did your clients love about you? Why did they say you did really well on their wedding day? Where do you shine to them? Make a list of all those things and keep it on hand so you can use similar language.

3. Write first, edit later. One of the biggest hangups I see wedding professionals make when writing their website copy is getting the original words on the page. In this industry, a lot of us are perfectionists. We get flustered when things aren’t perfect the first go ’round. Let go of that! Let yourself have a really crappy first draft, and then revise it to (near) perfection later.

4. Stay clear and concise. Copywriting is less about creative writing and more about using proven formulas that work over and over again. And when it comes to copy that books clients, you need words that are perfectly clear, that say exactly who you help and how. If your copy is clever, but not clear? Scratch it and start over.

5. Focus on the benefits you provide over the highlights of your product or service. Yes, you might offer 10 hours of wedding day photography coverage, but what does that do for your reader? The benefits is that you won’t miss a moment of their big day! Focus on that instead of only mentioning the 10 hours of coverage.

6. Tap into emotions in your copy. Make your readers feel what you want them to by using powerful and emotional words. By doing so, you’ll help to build a stronger connection with them!

7. Don’t forget your expertise and authority in the wedding industry. Use statistics, numbers, testimonials, reviews, and any other data you can to help you do that in your wedding business copywriting. When you do, you’ll build trust and credibility with your readers. Think of when you’re shopping on Amazon – do you buy something out right? Or do you read reviews first? Your readers want that, too, when they’re looking to invest in a wedding professional.

Try those out, and see how it helps the next time you’re writing up fresh copy for your wedding business!

via GIPHY

Now, I know that wedding copywriting is not everyone’s game. And you might be the kind of person who’s ready to let somebody else take that pressure off your shoulders.

If that’s the case, then (in the words of Ray Lamontagne) let it be me.

Or, at least shoot me an email if you’re thinking of outsourcing – I want to help you in any way I can.

I know I just threw a lot at you. Hopefully some of it stuck and you’ll use a few of the tips in your next round of copy!

Just know that, when it comes to your wedding business, the portfolio of your work will grab their attention, but it’s your words that will help you keep it.

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