fbpx

7 attributes of great financial copywriters

A great financial copywriter

Financial copywriters are a specialist breed and you need to make sure you are hiring the right one.

Some of the attributes you’ll be looking for from your financial copywriter are obvious, some not so and may surprise you.

But all of the things in this post are important to consider if you are about to trust your brand to a writer.

Copywriting experience

Well it goes without saying right?

But really, if you are looking for a copywriter then hire a copywriter, don’t think that someone from the office can do it because ‘it’s only a few words’.

Copywriting takes skill and is harder than it looks.

You might want to find someone who understands SEO or who has experience writing for an insurance company or someone who is really good at making techincal subjects accessible.

But whatever you want you’ll need a copywriter

Financial experience

This is always helpful.

OK so some financial copywriters are amazing even though they have never worked in financial services but not many.

Frankly if you want someone to write about your accountancy software or your B2C loans or your whizzy new fintech app then it’s going to be a lot easier if the person understands a chart of accounts and APR calculations.

It saves you a lot of time explaining things too!


Financial copywriter at his desk
5 ways a financial copywriter can help your business

Something to add

What’s the difference between a good financial copywriter and a great one?

No it’s not a joke.

Genuinely, the difference is that a great financial copywriter will add something to your business.

They’ll come with ideas, tips and tricks to make your copy stand out.

They’ll have something to add to the conversation and it might even be totally unrelated to the copy they are writing.

Good standard of English

You might think that this is a given in the copywriting industry but you’d be wrong.

I’m always amazed when I see work from other writers that just doesn’t make sense.

Or has speeling errors (just my little joke).

Or has clearly been written by AI.

If that spelling error is annoying you then think what it will do to your clients.

Attention to detail

This isn’t just the details that go along with copywriting; it’s the detail that goes along with the gig.

Answering emails

Asking questions is they don;t understand

Making sure their copy is accurate

Delivering on time.

This is one thing that gets my goat. You have a deadline and I’d expect to deliver my copy by then if not before.

Some copywriters just don’t bother.

They get you

This is one of those ‘soft’ things that can’t be quantified but it is absolutely imperative.

They have to get you.

They have to get your company.

They have to understand your tone of voice.

If there’s a mismatch then it’s likely that the copy they provide, whilst great, doesn’t quite do what you want it to.

A great financial copywriter will understand what you are about and how to add real value to your team.

You like them

People laugh when I say this but one of the reasons that I went freelance is that I wanted the freedom to work with people I like.

And you should like your copywriter too.

Life is too short for tetchy meetings and awkward email exchanges.

It’s Friday PM and you want to talk about your campaign but you don’t mind having a little bit of a laugh too.

You have to like the people you are working with, otherwise the time passes very slowly indeed.

Financial copywriters are a different breed

We work differently and we think differently but we’re not that odd!

Someone who has worked in finance for any length of time will understand that there are some things you can say and some you can’t.

They’ll be as invested in the work as you are.

And they’ll add to the project by bringing their knowledge and experience to bear.

If you’d like to have a chat and find out how I can help your business then click the button and let’s talk.

Do I need a financial copywriter for my business?

Do you need a freelance financial copywriter

Although copywriters all do the same thing, a financial copywriter is slightly different.

So the answer to the question really is “What is your business?”

Truthfully, if you want someone to write product descriptions for your e-commerce site then no, you don’t need to pay for a finance copywriter.

Sure we could do the job, but we aren’t e-commerce specialists.

But if you run a business that deals with financial things like loans, insurance, investments etc then I would say you absolutely do need a financial copywriter.

There are a number of things that you can’t do in the UK when you are promoting financial products and a good financial copywriter will know all about these.

Importantly they will also know the value of great research and ensuring that anything they write is truthful and accurate.

When you are for any finance company it makes sense to have an expert at the wheel when you are looking to put information out in the public domain and employing a proper freelance financial copywriter is absolutely the way to go.

A freelance financial copywriter isn’t just for finance companies

This is one of the things that most surprised me when I made the move into full-time marketing.

It shouldn’t have because I had been writing for years and the vast majority of my clients weren’t financial businesses.

But they were companies that liked to work with financial companies.

And that’s where a financial copywriter comes in.

Because it’s important that you use someone who is able to use language and tones that your target market understands.

For example, if you produce financial software or maybe you are an insolvency practitioner then you will want to talk to accountants.

But accountants like a certain type of language and things to be phrased in a rather understated manner. I can say this because I AM an accountant!

So for enterprises that are in an allied sector and that has a target market that is professional and somewhat conservative, it makes complete sense to find a decent financial copywriter.

Technical jargon you want to get across?

As a Financial Director, one of the key parts of my job was to explain exceptionally complex financial information to managers and directors who all had different skills and aptitudes.

When you have to do this every day you start to understand the value of simplicity.

Having these skills are important because when you have an incredibly technical subject, but your decision maker isn’t necessarily an expert themselves, then you need to be able to put your point across in a suitable way.

This is another skill of a financial copywriter that is transferable to other sectors.

The ability to take complex models and transfer them into everyday language.

So do you need a financial copywriter?

Does your business have complex technical concepts that it wants to communicate?

Do you want to talk to finance professionals?

Do you have a need for professional and accurate content?

If you answer yes to any of these then you do need a financial copywriter.

And if you need a financial copywriter then you should get in touch.

Click the button or go here to get in contact