Hire a copywriter for your business awards application
Did you know that you can hire a copywriter to write your business award application? Nope? Well you’re not the only one. The other day I was chatting to someone about this service and they said ‘Blimey! Whoever heard of such a thing? Sounds brilliant. Um, so how does that work then?’ Or words to that effect.
So – without further ado – here’s how it works.
Awards applications usually have a word count. Let’s say it’s a maximum 500 words per question. You might be inclined to do one of three things…
1 You write 225 words. Well, you’ve answered the question and you don’t want to labour the point. Also, you’ve left a nice bit of white space – maybe the judges will use it to draw a smiley face. Um, no! The judges will think you have a crappy business because you, the business owner, can’t think of very much to say about it.
2 You give it everything and write 650 words. That’s really going to impress the judges. Hmmmm – no! The judges are pissed off that you ignored the rules about the word count. They have hundreds of applications to read. They throw yours in the bin.
3 You write exactly 500 words. God knows what you’ve written – probably a lot of waffle – but high-five for that word count. Er, no! The judges fell into a waffle-induced coma at 120 words. They never came out of it.
Let’s talk about the ‘c’ word
So, about this word count business… whether you’ve got 200 or 2,000 words to play with you’ve got to make every one of those suckers count. That means you’ve got to be CONCISE. We talked about waffle, right? Also known as blathering, babbling and droning, waffling is when you write a lot without actually saying anything interesting, valid, relevant or meaningful. Waffle is words without purpose.
Copywriters don’t waffle. We’re not allowed to. It’s in our job description. And, actually, we hate waffle. So do award judges. That’s why you need a professional copywriter who can write words sparingly and succinctly.
The devil is in the detail
I don’t want to go on about waffle… but I’m going to go on about waffle. Within the word count of an award application, the judges will be looking for as much detailed information as possible. And when I say detailed, I mean detailed.
‘Our business has seen significant growth in the past year.’
Bully for you! I bet every other award applicant can say the same.
‘We’re a forward-thinking, innovative organisation.’
Well that’s six words and, nope, still not getting why you should win an award. And, if it was down to me, if you threw any more clichés in I’d personally disqualify you.
Judges need specifics to make them sit up and take notice. Award-winning applications require fact and figures and precise information. There’s no way a copywriter will let you off the hook with vague boasts. They’ll email you, call you, text you, stalk your granny – they won’t rest until you’ve given them something SPECIFIC to include. And while they’re at it, a copywriter will also help you tart up your testimonials to impress the judges.
Of course you don’t HAVE to have a copywriter to write your business award application. And there’s no guarantee you’ll win if you do hire one. But if writing’s not your bag and your application is more ‘waffle’ than ‘wow’, it might be worth considering.
* Need a copywriter for a business award application? Get in touch on 07894 669750
PHOTO: Mohamed Hassan/Pixabay