Technology Copywriter FAQs
50 Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
1: What is a copywriter?
A copywriter is someone who writes text that companies use to advertise their products, and for other forms of marketing. A copywriter’s work, or copy, is the written content used to increase brand awareness and to persuade certain groups of people and individuals to take a specific action.
Copywriters help with the creation of the content on billboards, brochures, catalogs, TV and radio commercials scripts, white papers, and other marketing channels. Most copywriters work under marketing departments, advertising agencies, or simply as freelancers. Their clients are small, medium, and large companies.
Copywriters offer their services to retail chains, book publishers, and other mega-companies that rely on frequent advertisements to make sales. It is also common to find copywriters in newspapers, magazines, and broadcasting firms, where they create unique content for specific audiences.
The main difference between a copywriter and other types of writers is that while other writers seek to inform the reader, a copywriter’s ultimate objective is to persuade. A copywriter, for instance, writes an advertisement to sell a product, while a regular writer creates a manual that explains how that product is used. This is why a wide variety of firms looking for ways to generate leads and make sales seek copywriters’ services.
2: What is a technology copywriter?
A technology copywriter is a copywriter who writes marketing and advertisement content for tech companies. Technology copywriters create unique content that their clients, who in most cases are businesses, use to sell products or services to other businesses or consumers. A skilled technology copywriter knows how to translate the practical features of tech products and services into compelling copy that highlights their benefits.
Technology copywriters generally make their money by explaining to prospects why a tech company’s products and services are superior to their competition in the market. By highlighting the benefits that the readers of the technical copy can expect, the technology copywriter draws the money out of their wallets. Tech copywriters stand out from other types of writers in the way they:
- Can write from the reader’s perspective
- Can research all products in the market and establish how your products are superior to the rest
- Can clearly show the readers how the tech products and services can solve their problems, including those they did not realize they had
- Can use simple details about a product or service to persuade and impress the customers
- Have a clear understanding of what the businesses and customers in the B2C and B2B models are looking for
3: What does a technology copywriter do?
A technology copywriter helps technology companies to develop content that captures all the selling points of their products and services. A technology company could be looking for ways to sell their platform, software, or app to certain customers. The product or service can be innovative, elegant, and effective, but potential clients may need a thorough explanation before they spend any money on it.
A technology copywriter’s main objective is to break down the elements of the technology company’s product or service to the target consumers in a manner that they will understand. The technology copywriter, therefore, has to capture the main features of the product or service and create content that explains the genius of their offering.
Most innovators of B2B, B2C, and SaaS technology products tend to think in terms of the specs of their innovation. The input of a technology copywriter is necessary since it is only through the use of their data point translation ability that the technology companies can eventually make sales.
Technology copywriters, therefore, work on proving to the end-users of a product how they will benefit from the solution that the technology company is offering. Other writers may not have the capability to capture the nuances of the technology company’s offerings the way a technology copywriter does.
4: What are some other terms for technology copywriter?
Most companies work with technology copywriters without even knowing it, due to the different job titles that the technology copywriters use. It is only through comparing the job descriptions of technology copywriters with different job titles that one can clearly tell that they are working with a technology copywriter.
Different marketing agencies and copywriting agencies also refer to technology copywriters using different names. This may lead to a business not reaching out to the marketing or copywriting agency, upon skimming through their service page and not finding the term “technology copywriter”.
The same goes for those who are hiring the services of freelance technology copywriters who advertise their services on personal websites or boards. Without the knowledge of the other terms that technology copywriters refer to themselves with, you may visit numerous platforms without getting the talent you are looking for.
You may or not get results related to the search if you type in the term “technology copywriter” in an advertising or copywriting agency’s search bar. If you do not get any results, you can try searching the following terms:
- Tech copywriter
- IT copywriter
- Technical copywriter
Any copywriter who identifies as a tech, IT, or technical copywriter is also a technology copywriter. You only need to confirm that the person you choose to work with can handle your copywriting project, regardless of their title.
5: Who hires technology copywriters?
Technology copywriters are niche-specific writers, and the companies they work for only need content that will help generate leads and sales for specific products and services. This makes it easy for tech copywriters to identify the perfect companies to work for, and the job posts to keep their eyes open for. The following companies create the most job vacancies for technology copywriters:
Technology firms that have larger operations and a sizeable budget. A technical copywriter has the potential to generate valuable leads and to help companies achieve their financial objectives in a good time. Such value makes the cost of hiring technology copywriters significantly high, in comparison to other types of writers. Small technology firms may not have the financial capacity to hire technology copywriters, but the larger ones with a sizeable budget can easily accommodate one or several tech copywriters. These firms hire the tech copywriters on a monthly, project, or full-time basis.
Marketing firms that have tech clients. These firms have many tech copywriter vacancies since they work for numerous clients concurrently. They usually hire the tech copywriters on a part-time or full-time contract, depending on the flow of work. Marketing firms have consistent cash flows from their many clients, which makes it easier for them to stay operational all through the year.
6: What does a B2C technology copywriter do?
B2C copywriters write content that helps companies sell their products to consumers. B2C technology copywriters are simply writers who create consumer-facing content that is friendly and engaging. This content makes consumers purchase products and services such as smartphones, computers, and smart home devices.
A B2C copywriter is different from other content writers in that he or she does not focus on writing overly factual or generic content. The content the B2C copywriter creates paints a vivid picture, convinces the consumers that they cannot simply live without the product or service. Businesses that manufacture or develop the products and services do not have to struggle with pushing the product. Their main task is to see to it that the quality of the products or services is not questionable.
By writing the content used to get the attention of the consumers in various ways, B2C technology copywriters usually accomplish all heavy lifting in as far as marketing is concerned. Companies that hire B2C technology copywriters can attest to the capability of these copywriters to deliver content that incites the consumers, compels them to take action, and ultimately superchargers sales. B2C technology copywriters are therefore quite instrumental in the success of technology companies.
7: What does a B2B copywriter do?
Most B2B copywriters create promotional messages that businesses can use to market products and services to potential buyers. The seller and buyer are, in this scenario, both businesses.
A B2B technology copywriter promotes technology products and services that businesses rely on, such as servers, cloud hosting, and IT managed services. By offering their services, B2Bcopywriters help sellers of products and services achieve at least one of these goals
- Build a reputable and long-lasting brand
- Create sustainable seller-buyer relationships
- Generate leads and sales.
This calls for the B2B copywriter to use all tools at their disposal, to ensure that these goals are accomplished. Some of the main tools that they B2b copywriters use include: creative ads, unique brochures, well-structured press releases, featured articles, e-books, white papers, social media marketing, email campaigns, research reports, websites, and many more.
8: What are the three main types of technical copy?
Companies that hire copywriters use the different types of copy to target their clients, whether businesses or consumers, in different ways. In the technical copywriting context, technical copy is the content or text that technical copywriters write. When a company hires a technology copywriter on a full-time or part-time basis, they expect them to create different types of technical copy for one or several products or services. The three main types of technical copy that B2C and B2B technology copywriters create include:
Copy that sells technology products: Companies that hire technical copywriters expect them to come up with content that sells their tech products, such as smartphones, computers, smartwatches, and a wide variety of gadgets. Most consumers and businesses already have tech devices or gadgets that they are relying on, thus the technical copy convinces them to consider the alternative presented to them.
Copy that sells technology software: Technical copywriters are also expected to help the companies that hire them to create content that sells technology software. Again, the technical copy helps with the selling of technology software to businesses and consumers who already have an existing solution. The quality of the technical copy determines the reception of the technology products and services, and the total number of sales made eventually.
Software that sells technology services: Businesses use technical copy to sell software that companies rely on to technology services. The technical copy highlights the efficiency of their clients’ software and seeks to convince the businesses to take up the new software to get better results.
9: What is the difference between a technical writer and a technical copywriter?
Businesses can hire both technical writers and technical copywriters to help them achieve better results. To most people, the roles of the two types of writers are not very clear. Without a clear understanding of what each type of writer does, people can perceive a company that hires both as one that is wasting its monetary resources. On the contrary, these companies have an edge over their competitors, if both writers deliver the best quality of content.
Technical writers describe how to use technology. The content that technical writers create is used to show businesses and consumers how to use certain gadgets or software in a way that is easy to understand. If the technology company decides to hire a writer who does not have the qualifications borne by a technical writer, then they risk presenting content that consumers do not understand.
Technical copywriters write content that sells their clients’ technology products and services. These writers do not focus on expounding how the products and services work, but they instead convince the consumers why they need them. The technical copywriter may as such, not use the complicated tech jargon in their technical copy. Their main objective is to make the product and service seem useful.
10: What is the difference between a technology content writer and a technology copywriter?
Different technology companies use different approaches to market their products and services. Some companies hire technology content writers while others hire technology copywriters. Technology content writers write to inform their audience. Their main objective is to ensure that the consumers of a particular product or service understand the intricate details about the product or service. A technology content writer writes content that describes the various technology company’s offerings and highlights the underlying pros and cons.
The technology content writer barely spends any time trying to convince the readers on what to buy. He or she simply reveals everything that you need to know and leaves you to decide whether you need the product or service. The technology content writer may at times insert links that direct readers to sites or platforms that they can find the products and services if they need to buy them. The content writer may also present other alternatives in the market, along with their pros and cons.
A technology copywriter, on the other hand, writes to sell. Unlike a technology content writer who exposes all the pros and cons to help you make the decision yourself, the technology copywriter writes content that paints a good picture of the product or service. The technical copy that a technology copywriter creates does not leave anything to chance. It impresses the customers and makes them opt-in or purchase technology products or services.
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11: What types of offline content does a tech copywriter write?
Tech copywriters write many types of offline content that is then distributed to potential and existing customers. This content makes these customers buy the advertised product and services. Customers usually receive offline content in the following formats:
Trade show handouts – tech copywriters create the promotional content placed on trade show handouts, to convince those attending the trade shows to visit a seller’s stand, or to reach out to them through the communication channels indicated.
Trade publication ads: A trade publication is more like a magazine or newspaper whose content aims at selling products and services to a business-related audience. This content needs to achieve its objective at all times: generating revenue for the sellers of the products and services. Tech copywriters create trade ads that target the consumers of technology products and services.
Direct mail sales letters: Technology companies also hire tech copywriters to write the content in direct mail sales letters. The content that goes to these sales letters needs to convince their recipient to purchase certain tech products whether customized or generalized. That is where the tech copywriters’ skills come in handy.
Brochures: Brochures have been an effective marketing tool throughout the years. The content that goes into the brochure, however, matters a great deal. Tech copywriters can maximize the little space on the brochure to convince consumers to purchase the tech product or services that the manufacturers or distributors need to make money from.
12: What types of online content does a tech copywriter write?
Tech copywriters write content that technology companies use to target online audiences. The companies that win in terms of generating leads and getting high revenues are those that make the desired impact on their customers, by convincing them that they need certain products and services.
Studies about consumer behavior have revealed that there are certain colors and phrases that internet users cannot resist stopping to have a look at. Technology companies have learned the importance of having tech copywriters at their disposal, in as far as creating an edge over competitors in the online marketing arena is concerned. Tech copywriters help these companies to make sales by writing content on:
Webpages: Consumers who are visiting a tech website are looking for products and services that are trustworthy and valuable. Tech copywriters write content that compels such consumers to hit the “shop” button.
Landing pages: Landing pages are a very effective marketing tool that technology companies use to market specific products and services in their product or service line. With the help of copywriters, the technology company highlights the features of the products and services offerings, which are all superior to what is already in the market, thus convincing the potential customers to purchase them.
Emails: This marketing approach has been around for quite some years now. Technology companies hire tech copywriters to write the content sent to various email lists.
Blog posts: Tapping into the potential client base that comprises of blog readers demands that the technology companies hire tech copywriters. The writing skills borne by tech copywriters are sufficient to convert the blog readers into consumers of the products offered by the tech companies.
Product pages: The presentation of content in a tech company’s product pages also determines the conversion rates. Tech copywriters write content that makes the consumer who has made their way to the product page believe that the product or service exactly what they need.
13: What people skills do good tech copywriters have?
The competence of a tech copywriter is not only determined by their writing skills but also their people skills. The people skills are essential in establishing suitable communication approaches, and for creating a conducive environment to handle the projects at hand. A tech copywriter will have an easy time with a technology company if he or she is:
Good at interviewing subject matter experts: A tech copywriter should know how to extract valuable information from tech experts. This is mainly possible if they are excellent at conducting interviews, and can ask the right questions. Upon asking the right questions, the tech copywriter can proceed to write content that the consumers of the tech products and services can easily understand. This will ultimately drive more sales; all thanks to the tech copywriter’s good interviewing skills.
Easy to work with: The level of easiness of the tech copywriter also determines to what extent he or she relates well with the technology company. Their approachableness and how easy it is to communicate with them without feeling overwhelmed largely determines this. A good tech copywriter makes it easy for the marketing department in the tech company to reach out to him or her, by listening to their issues and making the necessary adjustments to make the copywriting project a success.
Able to meet deadlines: A good tech copywriter adheres to all project timelines and submits all deliverables in time. The tech company hiring the tech copywriter relies on the content written by the tech copywriter to meet their financial objectives, and a good tech copywriter is one who understands this and meets all set deadlines.
14: What writing skills do good technology copywriters have?
The mastery of their craft determines how good a technology is. One can only talk about being a good tech copywriter if they have impressive writing skills. Technology companies which are hiring tech copywriters usually look for those whose writing skills cannot be put to question, as is seen in their:
Ability to translate complex topics into language that laypeople understand: A tech copywriter should, after collecting all the relevant facts about tech products and services, present them in a manner that is easy to understand, more so to those who do not have a tech background.
Excellent research skills: A good tech copywriter ensures that they find all the fine details about a tech product or service. Regardless of whether the consumers are tech-savvy or not, this ensures that sufficient content presented gets to them.
Ability to capture the voice of a brand: Skilled tech copywriters sell products and services while telling a story about the brand. Even the potential customers who do not purchase the products for various reasons end up knowing what the tech brand is all about and become great sources of referrals. A tech copywriter is, therefore, one who can preach about the brand, while generating leads.
15: What marketing skills do good technical copywriters have?
Marketing skills are necessary for technical copywriters in the present-day world. The quality of the marketing skills directly affects the value that a technical copywriter delivers to a tech company. In most cases, the hiring companies look for tech copywriters who can prove that they are excellent at marketing in the way they have:
A proper understanding of the primary motivators for B2C and B2B purchases. Good tech copywriters understand consumer and business behavior at all levels. They, therefore, can tell what drives businesses and consumers to look for, and purchase certain tech products and services and apply this knowledge when writing content for the tech companies.
The ability to write for every stage in the sales funnel. Tech companies only hire tech copywriters who can write content that is suitable for every stage in the sales funnel. Simply put, the tech copywriter should be in a position to write content for:
- The top of the sales funnel
- The middle of the sales funnel
- The bottom of the sales funnel
With such marketing skills, the tech copywriter can capture the maximum number of leads in a single sales campaign, which helps the tech company maximize its return on investment (ROI).
16: What characterizes outbound tech copywriting?
Outbound tech copywriting refers to copywriting aimed at creating and pushing promotional messages to where the audience is. Tech companies that want to generate leads through outbound tech copywriting use cold emails, trade shows, as well as display advertising.
Outbound tech copywriting is similar to knocking on a customers’ door, whether they expected you to do so or not. You go hunting for the customers instead of them hunting for you. There is a wide variety of ways to execute this copywriting approach, but the message in the tech copy is usually about the business and what it has to offer. Some of the main characteristics of outbound tech copywriting that you can keep your eyes open for include:
Written one to one: A business that is targeting certain clients writes this type of copy, but addresses every single one of them individually. A customer who receives a cold email from a company that markets its products and services through outbound tech copywriting perceives the message as one directly addressed to them, not an entire list of subscribers.
More personal: The outbound tech copy that the target customer receives has elements that make it quite personal. This includes referring to the potential customer by their name, to get their full attention.
Written to generate appointments: In most cases, tech companies send out outbound tech copy to generate appointments, where potential customers purpose to take a certain action. This leads to the tech company creating more opportunities to market their products and services.
17: What characterizes inbound tech copywriting?
Inbound tech copywriting is simply copywriting that is aimed at drawing attention to your brand through valuable content. This could be in the form of blog posts, social media posts, white papers, or even eBooks.
Inbound tech copywriting is about offering tech education to potential customers, as you bring them to your doorstep. It calls for you to learn your customers’ needs, and to create deep content that they can relate to. It should also engage customers at every step of the journey. Therefore, you can deduce the following main characteristics of outbound tech copywriting:
Written one to many: The tech copy written by the tech copywriter writes does not address a specific customer. There is nothing personal about the copy, and the potential customer only knows that they are using the technical copy to solve specific tech problems.
Written to inform: Outbound tech copy helps its users fix certain issues. The copy is both fun and educational. Potential customers who read a specific tech copy end up taking a specific action, such as purchasing a certain tech product, upon understanding why they need it.
Written to drive traffic: Outbound tech copywriting is useful in driving traffic to a company’s website, product pages, or landing pages.
Written to generate leads: The ultimate goal of outbound tech copy is to generate leads. The tech copywriters usually design the tech copy in such a way that it highlights the superior elements of a product or service and then persuades the reader of the copy to take action, such as to reach out to the tech company, or to hit the “buy” button.
18: What is the main difference between technical content and technical copy?
By defining the purpose of each type of writing, the main difference between technical content and atechnical copy shows itself clearly. Technical content answers one or several questions that a prospect has asked, or may have about a particular product or service. A person reading technical content is usually seeking answers to certain questions and has their general expectations about what the answer should look like.
The question can be broad or narrowly focused, but in both cases, the prospect is usually looking for answers without being distracted. Writing technical content entails presenting information and ideas that are pertinent to their needs, and not overloading them with unnecessary facts and phrases. This is a critical matter when the reader is frustrated about something, or they are using your content for the first time.
Technical copy, on the other hand, persuades its user to take a particular action. Technical copywriters write this type of content in a way that is interesting, such that the reader ends up taking the intended action without hesitating. Such is an approach that tech companies bank on to generate leads, and to market their products and services. Unlike technical content that does not directly ask the prospect to make a purchase, technical copy seeks to make the prospect to buy the product or to reach out to the tech company, right from the get-go.
19: What are the characteristics of a typical B2C purchase of technology?
The term B2C points to the process of selling products and services that happens between businesses and consumers. The consumers are the end-users of the products and services. A B2C purchase of technology is one that involves a tech company selling its tech products and services to its consumers. The main characteristics of a B2C purchase of technology include:
The purchase is made by an individual: The sales process in a B2C model involves an individual purchasing tech products or services through a physical point of sale, or an ecommerce platform.
They involve typically unsophisticated buyers: The consumer of the tech products in a B2C tech purchase is one who is usually looking for specific products and one who is easily identifiable through their government name.
A short sales cycle is involved: In a B2C technology purchase, the process involved in the acquisition of the products and services is very simple and short. A typical sales cycle involves the customer placing an order for the products or services, making the payment, the seller receiving proof of payment, the confirmation of the order by the seller, and the customer receiving the products or services.
The purchases are usually under $10,000: If a product or service costs below $10,000 then it is a B2C technology sale. $10,000 is typically the highest amount that most large individual consumers are willing to spend on tech products on services at a given instance.
20: What are the characteristics of a typical B2B purchase of technology?
B2B technology purchases differ from B2C purchases due to several characteristics. The main reason is obvious, in that businesses and not consumers do B2B purchases. To expound further on what B2B technology purchases are like, here are some other outstanding characteristics:
A buying committee makes the purchase: Technology purchases made by a buying committee comprising of several members preferably from several departments qualify to be termed as B2B purchases. These purchases are bound to affect the operations of an entire company, which is the reason a buying committee is involved.
Typically, a sophisticated buyer: The buyer in a B2B technology purchase is one who may be looking for very complex products or services, in very large numbers, and is only willing to pay for them using complex payment methods.
Long sales cycle: The sales process at times takes several months before it is fully completed. The two businesses involved exchange various important sales documents, and various decision-makers have to approve the technology purchase at every stage.
The purchase is likely to be in the hundreds of thousands (or millions) of dollars: B2B technology purchases usually involves large amounts of money, since they are in most cases meant to impact on the operations of the entire company.
21: What kinds of tech copywriting are used at the top of the marketing funnel?
The top of the marketing funnel refers to the first part of a buyer’s journey. This is the part of the marketing process in which the marketers spread brand awareness about their products and services, to generate leads that have the potential to become customers. Companies that operate at this level take it upon themselves to research and analyze the content that the audience wants, before proceeding to create content around specific interests. Digital marketing firms generate content at the top of the marketing funnel.
A tech company that creates IT managed services, for instance, produces educational content related to the efficiency of IT services, by hiring a digital marketing company to create the content. The digital marketing company’s goal at this stage is to collect email addresses and phone numbers of potential clients to nurture. They ask for the email addresses of the potential clients in exchange for a valuable e-book that they cannot find elsewhere. The digital marketers also have to come up with a call to action (CTA) that compels the readers of the content to visit a certain product or service landing page.
22: What kinds of tech copywriting are used in the middle of the marketing funnel?
The middle of the marketing funnel is where the marketing tactics and the potential sales begin to meet, and the refining of the funnel leads begins. For instance, marketing teams can agree on ways to expand lead quality. This translates to the sales teams receiving a large number of leads from the top of the funnel marketing activities so that they can then follow up with them. The marketing team could also decide to tighten leads definitions, to pass on fewer but high quality leads.
Content produced at this level of the marketing funnel works to support all sales. The marketing departments strategize on how to present content such as case studies and white papers to the leads. With this content, it becomes easier to engage with the leads and to promote the technology products and services using more refined sales approaches.
The best tech copywriting firms to handle the activities in the middle of the marketing funnel, therefore, are sales enablement companies. These companies can come up with attention-grabbing content that can be tested and optimized, to capture high-quality leads. Sales enablement companies also come up with the middle of the funnel content that further educates potential customers. This process helps to build trust with the underlying tech products and services and to nurture the leads.
23: What kinds of tech copywriting are used at the bottom of the marketing funnel?
The bottom of the funnel marketing is used to persuade the refined prospects to purchase certain products and services. The content used at this stage mainly highlights the usefulness of the technology products and services more directly, in comparison to the content used in the middle of the funnel marketing. At this stage, the marketing channels used include:
- Sales enablement
- Customer relationship management
- User communities
These marketing channels help with the delivery of content to the leads who have made it this far, with the aim to:
- Speed up the deals cycle
- Position your brand as one that is superior to its competitors.
- Inspire confidence in the purchase decision the customer is about to make.
At the bottom of the marketing funnel, the broader themes introduced in the top and middle of the funnel get framed in the context of the tech product or service, by focusing on the tech company’s unique value proposition. The content helps potential buyers to review their options, and to get the internal stakeholders to agree to the purchase decision.
Sales enablement firms are best suited to do the bottom of the marketing funnel activities. They can present content that makes the leads believe that they are making the best decision by purchasing the tech product or service.
24: What types of tech content are most effective at generating B2C leads?
The quality of the content that a tech company puts out to the potential consumers determines whether the lead generation process is effective. Tech companies seeking to generate B2C leads use the following types of content to achieve their marketing objectives:
Website content: A tech company’s website is a very powerful lead generation tool. All the content posted on other platforms should drive people to the website, where the lead generation can happen if everything goes as planned. With effective SEO strategies, comes quality traffic. You can, therefore, leverage on organic traffic to also generate more leads for your business.
Marketing emails: It is highly likely that you already had conversions from site visitors if you have an email list. You can design quality marketing emails to generate leads for other tech products or services that you are currently offering, and send them out to previous leads.
Landing pages: You can generate valuable leads by surrendering valuable information offered through landing pages. If you manage to optimize the landing pages sufficiently, you will end up with very many potential customers, whom you can then nurture and make money from.
Social media marketing content: You can use social media content to build relationships with your followers, as you gradually turn them to leads. Social media content also drives traffic to specific landing pages and blogs.
25: What types of tech content are most effective at generating B2B leads?
As a tech company that is targeting businesses that have the financial capability to purchase your products and services, you can rely on the following types of content to achieve your lead generation objectives:
Email marketing: Email is one of the very few marketing tools that have stood the test of time. It has been around for more than two decades but is still the best and most widely used B2B lead generation tool. With well-written marketing emails, you can target business leads, and close massive deals. Your objective should be to automate the lead generation process by creating automated email marketing campaigns.
Search marketing content (negative and positive keyword list content): You can capitalize on both positive and negative keyword lists, to ensure that businesses searching for various keywords find you. Most businesses tend to focus on creating content around positive keywords, which translates to lost leads. If you can create tech website content based on both negative and positive keywords, you can generate more leads.
Social marketing content: You can also generate B2B leads by creating and posting social media content. Use LinkedIn and Twitter advertising to target the leads that can spend huge amounts of money on the tech products and services that you are offering.
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26: How vital is SEO to effective tech copywriting?
It is impossible to achieve effective tech copywriting without the application of the best SEO strategies and techniques. If you plan to create useful content that ranks on Google and funnels paying clients and customers to your tech business, then you must think about the elements of Google’s Ranking Algorithm.
SEO copywriting involves writing useful, compelling as well as valuable content, which targets certain keywords, which people can gladly promote on social media. This increases the authority of your website, as it improves your ranking on Google for specific keywords.
The technology business is quite competitive and demands that you maximize the effectiveness of every tool that you have at your disposal. The tech copywriter you employ should be conversant with SEO and should be in a position to write content that ranks.
SEO is vital to effective tech copywriting in that it presents an opportunity for you to target customers and to solve their problems with unique and well-crafted content. If you have an in-house tech copywriting team, you will not incur extra costs when you rely on organic ranking. This simply translates to the generation of leads without having to go through a rigorous marketing process. Tech companies that employ SEO practices effectively save a lot of money, since they benefit from organic traffic.
27: What is a lead magnet in technology copywriting?
A lead magnet is simply an offer presented to a visitor, in exchange for their email address. This is a broad definition, but it also applies to the tech copywriting field, where visitors get valuable tech offers, in exchange for their email addresses.
The most crucial element of a lead magnet is of tangible value. The offer you give away to the visitors must have a tangible value. This is the reason why the packaging of the offer matters a great deal. Most tech customers believe that the way you display the offer is as powerful as the content in it.
Lead magnets should be irresistible. Tech copywriters achieve this irresistibility aspect by:
- Highlighting the benefits of the offer.
- Reminding you of the pain that you would rather avoid.
- Adding a call to action
- Prompting the visitor to act now
- Adding short and sweet social proof.
Anyone looking at the offer presented to them should not even think much about it, and should take it up quickly. As an experienced tech copywriter, you should see to it you keep the promise in your lead magnet. You could, for instance, deliver free products and services, or specific tools that they can use to achieve certain objectives, in exchange for their email address.
28: What are landing pages used for in technology copywriting?
A landing page is a stand-alone web page created for marketing or advertising campaigns. This is where a visitor lands right after they click on a link placed in an email, a Google ad, or a marketing link on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
Unlike the regular web pages, designed to serve multiple purposes and to encourage a visitor to explore the website, landing pages are designed with a single goal, popularly known as a call to action (or CTA). It is this focus that sets landing pages apart from other marketing approaches.
Landing pages in technology copywriting increase the conversion rates of the tech company’s marketing campaigns and lower the costs of acquiring leads. Landing pages have super sleek ads aimed at promoting a single product or service. Turning the visitors of the landing pages to customers happens to be the aim of every component of the ads.
Technology companies that want to do segmented promotional offers use landing pages to achieve their moneymaking goals. A tech service company can, for instance, use separate landing pages to promote services to customers who have signed up for a free trial, and another one for those in the top tier plan.
29: Who reads B2B tech copy?
B2B technology companies part with significant amounts of money to pay for B2B tech copy. Some companies go to the extent of hiring one or several in-house technology copywriters to write B2B copy consistently. The B2B companies believe that they can convince their clients to purchase the products and services they are offering, with their tech copy. The main consumers of the B2B tech copy happen to be:
Technical buyers: These businesses care about the integration of tech products and services, as well as their ease of use. Technical buyers purchase tech products and services (mainly hardware and software), to make the supply chain process easy to manage. B2B tech copy addresses these needs, by presenting a solution, whether tailor-made or general and to convince the technical buyers to make a purchase.
Business buyers: These are companies whose focus is the return on investment (ROI). By purchasing specific tech products or services, they are usually certain that they will optimize their returns. Technical copywriters who can identify such market gaps create B2B tech copy that convinces the business buyers that they will realize a significant increase in their revenue by purchasing certain tech products or services.
30: Who are some of the better-known technology copywriters?
The technology copywriting industry is currently flooded with many tech copywriters, who claim to deliver technical copy that generates leads and results. If you have not interacted with any of these copywriters in the past, it is hard to determine who is telling the truth, and who is simply out to make some quick bucks.
Many tech companies have ended up with poor tech copy that has cost them potential leads and revenue. The problem with trying to hunt for a tech copywriter by doing a random search is that most copywriters are excellent at making a good impression, and you may end up with the wrong person.
There are, however, well-established tech copywriters who have been in the business for decades whom you can bank on to drive results. They include:
Bob Bly: Bob is a direct response copywriter. He has 4 decades of experience in the copywriting industry and has published numerous articles. He has also worked with more than 100 clients including: Network Solutions, ITT Fluid Technology, Medical Economics, Intuit, Business &Legal Reports, Brooklyn Union Gas.
Steve Slaunwhite: Steve is a Canadian copywriter and speaker. He is also a well-known author of internationally recognized books. He is popular in the writing industry for being a co-founder of the International Freelancers Day. He has worked with more than 150 international clients, thus building himself a good reputation in the industry.
Alan Sharpe: Alan is a sales enablement copywriter who has for more than three decades, helped business to hit their quota in time. He has accumulated a lot of experience from working with companies such as: Apple, IBM, Bell, Hilton Hotels. Alan has had many achievements in his copywriting career, as can be seen in the appearance of his copywriting advice in marketing textbooks and guides, such as Canadian Marketing. 5th ed.
31: Who hires technology copywriters?
The two main groups that hire freelance technology copywriters are businesses and marketing agencies. Businesses hire technology copywriters to write a B2B copy for them. Larger businesses are more likely to create a slot for a full-time copywriter in their marketing department. Smaller businesses are on the other hand, more likely to rely on the services of freelance technology copywriters, and remunerate them on a project-by-project basis.
Marketing agencies also hire B2B technology copywriters to help them work on various projects from their clients. Again, the larger marketing agencies are highly likely to hire their technology copywriters on a full-time basis, as salaried writers. The smaller marketing agencies are highly likely to hire freelance copywriters to work on specific projects or campaigns.
Not all businesses need to hire B2B technology copywriters. Office cleaners, for instance, market themselves through referrals and sales people. The same holds for businesses like landscape contractors. Such businesses rely on several salespeople to generate leads, and may not need the services offered by B2B copywriters.
The success of some businesses is directly proportional to the number of B2B copy written for them. Businesses like software firms and IT product retailers depend on B2B copywriters, who they hire through B2B marketing agencies, or on a full-time basis in their marketing departments.
32: How do I find a freelance tech copywriter on Upwork?
Finding a freelance tech copywriter on Upwork is not a demanding task. All you have to do is to create an Upwork user account. You will gain access to a large pool of copywriters who possess various skills and charge different prices for their services. It is up to you to find out which freelance B2B copywriter you will hire, depending on several factors.
As you browse through the list of the available copywriting consultants, it will be necessary for you to shortlist the freelance B2B copywriters that you may want to interview. The main things to look for on each copywriter’s profile is:
Industry fit: You need to hire a copywriter who understands the scope of the tasks in your B2B or B2C industry, so they can offer the best help on how to generate leads in your target market.
Project experience: Screen the shortlisted candidates’ profiles for specific skills and experience.
Feedback: Going through reviews given by past flags will give you an idea of what to expect with a particular copywriter.
If you follow this shortlisting criterion, you will end up with a skilled tech copywriter who will help you achieve your copywriting objectives.
33: How do I find a freelance tech copywriter on Fiverr?
Fiverr is a popular site through which you can outsource talent for both technical and non-technical tasks. If you are looking for a freelance tech copywriter on this platform, you should simply create your user account, and then start browsing through the profiles of those offering those services.
Fiverr stands out from other platforms in that it gives you the flexibility to decide which tech copywriters you want to work with by setting your budget and delivery time. You can also choose whether you want a pro service provider to work on your task.
This platform also lets you define the type of service that you want to receive. When searching for a freelance tech copywriter, you can define the following elements:
- The document type
- The industry you want the tech copywriter to be conversant with
- The language you want the tech copy written in
- Additional elements such as references, proofreading, and editing.
You can refine your search by picking a technical copywriter based on:
- The seller level-top-rated seller, level one, level two, a new seller.
- The language the seller speaks.
- The country the seller lives in.
- The maximum or minimum amount the tech copywriter is willing to receive to work on your project.
34: How do I find a freelance tech copywriter through search?
You can find a freelance tech copywriter by simply typing any keyword related to the service that you expect to receive, in the search bar of your search engine. You will receive a wide range of search results from which you can proceed to narrow down on a particular tech copywriter.
By default, the copywriters whose profiles appear on the first page of your search results have done a great job at marketing themselves, and have most likely mastered their craft. They can help your business get the visibility you are looking for, in the same way they ranked on the first page.
With this approach, you will have to go through the tech copywriters’ websites, as you view the samples showcased on their portfolios. It will not be hard to identify an expert and a freelance tech copywriter by looking at the work they have done in the past, and the type of results that work has generated.
When you have come up with a list of freelance tech copywriters whom you can work with, based on their results, you can establish another parameter, such as pricing. If your budget can cater to the tech copywriters’ services, then you can comfortably hire him or her. If not, you can write them an email to find out whether they are open to price negotiations. You should not forget to read all the tech copywriters’ reviews before hiring them.
35: Where should I post a job for a full-time tech copywriter?
The internet is full of platforms on which you can post a job for a full-time tech copywriter. Most of these job boards allow you to define the terms of your tech copywriting project so that those who believe that they have the listed skills can apply.
Using an online job board enables you to strike a balance between finding a full-time tech copywriter, and someone who is an expert in the trade. The fact that professional recruiters use most of these hiring platforms makes it even easier for you to get the right person for the job without spending a large amount of money.
Online job boards are all about efficiency and ease of use. Despite having very large pools of talented copywriters, they make it easy for you to get those who are suitable for the job, based on their qualifications. Below are some of the places that you can a full-time tech copywriter job post:
- Indeed
- GlassDoor
- Monster
- Behance Creative Jobs
- MediaBistro
- FlexJobs
- SolidGigs
- Freelance Writers Den
- ProBlogger Job Board
- Freelance Writing Jobs (FWJ)
- Upwork
You should take your time to compare what each online job board is offering in terms of pricing, before deciding which platform you will use to hire your next tech copywriter.
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36: How much do technology copywriters charge?
Narrowing down on a specific technology copywriter may not be difficult for you as the hiring tech company. With the right parameters in place, you can easily narrow down on an expert freelance technology copywriter. At this point, the ball will be in your court as you decide how much money you are willing to part with to get your tech copywriting project done.
If you are hiring a freelance tech copywriter through a platform such as Fiverr, you have the liberty to define your budget. If you, however, are searching for well-established tech copywriters, you may have to pay the part with the money indicated on their websites. Here is what you should generally expect with the pricing:
Different rates: Every freelance technology copywriter will charge a different price for the tech copy they write. Whereas most of the rates indicated are fixed, you can come across a copywriter who is willing to give you a discount. Some tech copywriters are willing to adjust their prices whenever a unique project comes up.
Flat fees: The best copywriters charge flat fees for common projects. If your tech copywriting project easily fits into a pricing category defined by a tech copywriter, then you should expect to pay a flat fee.
37: What questions should I ask a freelance technology copywriter about how they work?
Different freelance technology copywriters use different work approaches and this can largely affect the workflow. As the person in charge of hiring a freelance technology copywriter for the tech company, you need to determine how they approach clients’ projects. In doing so, you will be in a position to determine whether the tech company can rely on the output of the technical copy at every stage of the project when it is presented.
The work approach used by the freelance tech copywriter also affects other aspects of the project such as billing. If the freelance tech copywriter works on their client’s project throughout the day, then it is highly likely that they will request for hourly remuneration.
If he or she splits the project into manageable chunks and delivers them upon completion, without necessarily having to work throughout the day, then he or she may ask for a flat fee. Thing is, the manner in which a freelance technology copywriter affects a lot of elements of the project, which is why the hiring company needs to ask questions such as:
- How do you organize and plan your work?
- How do you prioritize the tasks at hand?
- Are there any work management software programs that you use?
38: What questions should I ask a freelance technology copywriter about their experience?
The quality of work that you can expect to receive from a freelance technology copywriter depends on their experience in the industry. Asking them about their experience helps you find out whether they are well versed with the nature of copy that you want them to write.
Structure your questions so that interviewees describe the projects they have undertaken as well as describe how those projects contributed to their capability to deliver on the current and future expectations. Here are some questions that you to ask the freelance technology copywriters to find out if they are a good fit for your company:
- What experience do you have writing the kind of copy that we want you to write for this project?
- What are your strengths as a copywriter?
- What work have you done that is similar to our work?
- What experience do you have in this industry?
39: What questions should I ask a freelance technical copywriter about their results?
Freelance technical copywriters work with many clients and are after the completion of the copywriting projects not tied to their clients. If not closely monitored, the copywriters can deliver technical copy that barely helps the technology company achieve its marketing objectives.
Working with a copywriter who understands how much impact their technical copy has is better than working with one who submits the complete work, and takes off without bothering to ask whether their client achieved their objectives.
As a hiring technology company, you should not forget to question the freelance tech copywriter about the results they have delivered with their previous clients. You can find out what they have achieved so far by asking them the following question: Tell me about all the measurable results you have achieved so far for your clients with your technical copy.
As the freelance technical copywriter is responding to this question, you will begin to have an idea of the leads or revenues you can expect from their copy. The figures quoted at this stage will be quite relevant for all financial planning. They will also help you gauge which freelance tech copywriter in the team of interviewees is committed to delivering results.
40: What questions should I ask a freelance technology copywriter about my project?
When interviewing freelance technology copywriters, you should also ask whether they are aware of what your project entails. Such is a move geared towards preventing the wastage of time right from the word go.
If the freelance technology copywriter has excellent marketing, writing, and people’s skills, but does not understand what your project is all about, then he or she may end up requesting to drop that project due to its technicality. It is also through asking such questions, that you can identify a freelance technology copywriter who understands most parts of the project; just to see if you can help them understand the remaining bits of that project.
This could be quite helpful, especially when you have discovered that the freelance technology copywriter has skills that the other interviewees do not have, and you are willing to see which parts of your project he or she would need some assistance. Some of the main questions that you can ask the freelance technology copywriter about your project include:
Q. Why do you think you are the best freelance technology copywriter for this project? This is a question that will lead to the interviewee highlighting their skills and proficiencies, and proving to you how those are relevant for the project at hand.
Q. What project have you tackled that is almost similar to our project? By asking this question, you will have given the freelance technology copywriter a chance to expound on how they have handled similar, or closely related projects in the past.
41: What questions should I ask a freelance technical copywriter about my industry?
If you are hiring a freelance technical copywriter for a long-term project, then you need to establish the scope of their skills and expertise right from the get-go. A freelance technical copywriter who is well informed about your industry is more likely to be helpful than one who does not know much about it.
A well-informed freelance technical copywriter is likely to be more flexible to adjusting to any challenges that come along the way if your company needs to change the marketing strategy. He or she can also be quite resourceful by offering solutions to industry-related challenges in their line of work as soon as they come up.
With such versatility, you can be sure that the project at hand will be thoroughly tackled, and that you can get relevant explanations as to why the freelance technology copywriter decided to include specific information in their copy. The main question you can ask the freelance technical copywriter about your industry is:
What experience do you have in this industry? Most freelance technical copywriters will respond to this question by presenting evidence of their qualifications in your industry. Others will list companies in your industries that they have worked in before, and explain how the experience they gained from working with those companies is relevant to your project.
42: When should I pay a freelance technology copywriter a flat fee for the job?
Freelance technology copywriters, like all the other types of writers in the market, prefer to work with a defined remuneration schedule. It keeps them motivated to know that they can expect a certain amount of money at the end of the project, or even after hitting specified milestones.
The exchange of complete work for money is in most cases perceived as the closing phase of a project. In your capacity as the hiring tech company, it is good to see to it that you reap the maximum benefits for channeling your monetary resources into a project.
At times, it is necessary to pay the freelance technology copywriter a flat fee for the job at hand. This should only happen when the scope of work is clear. In short, you should only go with this payment scheme if you have defined what the project is all about, how much time it will take, and the deliverables that expected at the end of the fixed timelines. With such an arrangement, the freelance technology copywriter can choose to update you about their progress at certain junctures, as per the set agreement.
The most important bit of the interaction, however, is the exchange of the money for the complete work. In this case, you should remunerate the freelance technology copywriter the full amount upon verifying that the work they have presented meets your demands.
43: When should I pay a freelance tech copywriter by the word?
In some industries, service providers usually receive payment based on several units that they have completed or delivered. In the writing and copywriting industry, some companies pay writers according to the number of words written, or the number of pages presented at the end of the project.
As a technology company that is looking forward to hiring freelance technical copywriters, however, you should never pay them for the number of words completed. You should, instead, pay for the expertise and results that the freelance copywriter brings on board.
The problem with paying freelance technical copywriters according to the number of words they have completed is that they may be tempted to deliver quantity instead of quality. As a company that is looking for ways to increase your revenue by generating more leads, you cannot afford to have a technical copy that is of low quality.
Such a copy will not only fail to generate leads for your company but may also portray your company as one that is not professional. When the technical freelance copywriter knows that he or she is supposed to drive results, their attention shifts from quantity to quality and your company benefits in multiple ways when you utilize the technical copy they present.
44: When should I pay a freelance technology copywriter by the hour?
Technology companies looking for copywriters to write technical copy may come across freelance technology copywriters who prefer working with hourly rates. Most of these technology copywriters prefer this approach because it makes billing easier.
Upon the freelance technology copywriter submitting the work, all that the technology company has to do is to compute the number of hours that went into finishing the project and to multiply that by an hourly rate. While this remuneration schedule may favor some companies that are hiring freelance technology copywriters for long-term projects, it may not be the best for those that are working on a tight budget.
It is therefore crucial for companies to know when to pay freelance technology copywriters by the hour, which is when the scope of work is unclear or when the work is in progress. With this arrangement, a technology company can have a freelance technology copywriter write a wide variety of technical copy concurrently.
The technology copywriter has to, however, ensure that the hourly rate is good enough to allow them to make certain task requests without the freelance technology copywriter feeling totally overwhelmed. This payment agreement also makes it easy for the technology company to release the freelance tech copywriter easily, once they are satisfied with the amount of work that he or she has done.
45: When should I hire a freelance technology copywriter on a monthly retainer?
There are times when hiring a freelance technology copywriter only makes sense financially when done on a monthly retainer. The tech company’s objective should be to choose a remuneration schedule that minimizes its expenses while maximizing the output. The tech company can achieve this without having to pay the tech copywriter very little money. The whole payment arrangement should be set in such a way that it benefits both parties.
A technology company should only hire a freelance technology copywriter on a monthly retainer when the workflow is steady. If the tech company, for instance, intends to have weekly blog posts or even monthly email newsletters written by the freelance tech copywriter, then a monthly retainer will be a sound financial move.
This is an arrangement that calls for the definition of the scope of work. The tech company should for instance not take unfair advantage of the fact that they have the freelance copywriter on a monthly retainer, to heap piles of work at their desk. It does not also mean that the freelance tech copywriter should work at their pace since they expect to receive a certain amount of money at the end of the month. This should be an arrangement that simplifies things for both the tech company and the copywriter, more so when long term or continuous projects are involved.
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46: What should I be looking for when reviewing a freelance technology copywriter’s website?
You can decide whether a freelance technology copywriter is going to help you meet your objectives with the project at hand by simply going through their website. Once you have narrowed down your search on a particular freelance tech copywriter’s website, you should scrutinize several elements related to their work, and that shows how well equipped they are to help you generate more leads, promote your brand, and even make more sales. Here are some of the things that you should look for:
A portfolio of relevant samples: You need to see what the freelance tech copywriter has been working on, not just falling for the promise of excellent work with no proof of expertise. You can tell whether the freelance tech copywriter has excellent writing and marketing skills by skimming through several samples.
Any evidence that they generate results: Most talented freelance tech copywriters will have case studies and testimonials on their websites. It will be much easy for you to decide whether you will hire the freelance tech copywriter based on their potential to generate leads and make your company money.
A clear illustration of their ability to write persuasive copy: A technology copywriter’s ability to persuade customers is a must-have skill. When hiring your next freelance tech copywriter, you should look for evidence that they can convince a customer or business owner to purchase your tech products or services.
47: Is published content important in a tech copywriter’s portfolio?
Yes. When hiring a tech copywriter to write technical copy for you, you should look for links to their published content. You should be in a position to verify that they have the expertise to write website copy, blog posts, or even landing page copy, based on the evidence that they have presented on their website. If they do not have a webpage with the samples, they should at the very least have screenshots in their portfolio.
One of the best ways through which you can ascertain that the tech copywriter can deliver the copy you want is by having a look at what they have already published online. This is quite crucial, especially when you are hiring a technology copywriter to write valuable and strategic content for your blog.
Take your time to read all of the relevant samples or the technical copy they have written for past clients, as you decide whether their work meets your standards for a valuable copy. If you, by any means, land on a tech copywriter’s site and they do not have enough samples on their portfolio, but you have heard about their expertise, you can reach out to them and request them for links to technical copy they have published.
Most expert tech copywriters, however, know that they should have valid and easily accessible samples of their published content.
48: How relevant are print samples in a B2B technology copywriter’s portfolio?
Depending on the copywriting project that you want your B2B technology copywriter to work on, you will have to view print samples of their work. Let us say you are looking for a tech copywriter who can create print material such as brochures and other print ads, you should request to view the print samples in the tech copywriter’s portfolio. The sample will most likely come in the form of a PDF document. Some tech copywriters may also send you .jpeg images.
A major advantage of gauging a tech copywriters expertise based on the quality of their printed samples is that it more often than not represents how skilled they are. Printed marketing materials cost more to produce than online marketing materials. This implies that the tech copywriters’ clients most likely paid more money to get the printed copy.
Which then means that the printed samples that you view may be the best content that the technology copywriter can produce. With such an understanding, it is easy for you to disqualify or approve tech copywriters that you have shortlisted, based on the quality of their print samples. Upon narrowing down on a particular tech copywriter, you can request more samples, and if possible, those closely related to the copy that you want them to write.
49: Should I be looking for breadth or depth in a tech copywriter’s portfolio?
You should look for both breadth and depth in the tech copywriter’s portfolio. Breadth means that the technology copywriter has written in a wide variety of mediums. A good portfolio should have items such as webpages, blog posts, brochures, print ads, and many other types of copy.
Such types of copy show that the tech copywriter is versatile, and can handle a wide variety of copywriting tasks. This is a necessary thing to look if you are hiring a tech copywriter to work on a continuous project. The same applies to the projects with an undefined scope. Tech companies that are hiring freelance tech copywriters on a monthly retainer should also verify that the freelance technical copywriter could write many types of technical copy, to cater for sudden content creation demands that may arise during the course of the project.
Depth refers to the technical copywriters’ ability to come up with a well-researched copy. You may also have to confirm that the tech copywriter can write long-form copy, without losing track of the set objectives. Again, they should display this writing ability with a wide variety of technical copy. You will most likely decide if the tech copywriter is capable of handling your copywriting project by looking at their case study or white paper samples, which have a lot of content and require a lot of research.
50: Are samples from my industry relevant in a technology copywriter’s portfolio
Perhaps. This will depend on the copy you want the technology copywriter to write and the type of leads that you want to generate. In most cases, looking for a writers’ experience in your industry, or a closely related industry is vital. It should not be a deal-breaker if you find out that the tech copywriter does not have experience in your industry. Great tech copywriters are quick to learn about new concepts and can research any unfamiliar industry, and get up to speed within no time.
If you are a B2B company that is looking for ways to market-specific tech products and services to other technology companies in your industry, or other types of companies that would need your products, it would be a good thing to hire a technical freelance copywriter who has skills in that industry. With such a copywriter, you can have the technical information and specifications about the products and services advertised in a very efficient way.
The tech copywriter can highlight the superiority of your products and services while persuading the recipients of the copy to make the purchase. If this is the type of technical copywriter you are looking for, then asking for technical copy samples from your industry or a specific industry is inevitable.
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