I’m going to level with you. Not every website copywriting project has a happy ending. But there’s a bad ending and a fu**ing calamitous ending.
I wanted to share my experience of both, as not every unsuccessful copywriting gig leaves a bad taste in the mouth.
Creative Website Copywriting Gone Wrong
I was approached by a flamboyant, somewhat quirky client to create some web copy for a bespoke furniture business.
It was immediately clear that this fledgling brand was extremely close to the owner’s heart. So, I suggested a lengthy video call. A simple online questionnaire just wouldn’t have been sufficient.
We got to chatting. The client talked me through his life story. And it was a story worthy of a film deal and an Oscar.
Following our two-hour chat, I was excited to get started. The brand was the commercial arm of the client’s personality. They were inextricably interwoven. But that was the issue.
Our discussion took on an almost spiritual context. I thought I had taken a peek into the client’s mind and soul. I was confident I could deliver.
I delivered the first draft. Feedback ensued. Most of it brutal. I delivered a second draft. Feedback ensued. Amazingly, the feedback is even more brutal.
The third and fourth drafts followed, but it was clear that we were miles apart in terms of our vision.
And I just couldn’t get frustrated or angry. This man had put everything into his brand. It was his whole life. He had to tell his story as authentically as possible.
And there it was! This wasn’t my story to tell. Only he could do it justice.
So, we renegotiated the structure of the project, and I reduced my price. I acted as his editor and SEO specialist.
Here’s a sample of what I delivered for the About Us page:
Reimagining Furniture—One Creative Vision at a Time
There are thousands of custom furniture makers around the world. What makes XXXX different? Our spiritual connection with the pieces we create.
Led by a furniture expert and creative visionary, XXXX is a bespoke furniture company that refuses to acknowledge the traditional boundaries of design and production.
The furniture we create, whether it’s an album rack or a bed, is designed to get people talking. Imagination is the instigator; craftsmanship and engineering are the creators.
Playfulness, curiosity, and sensuality lie at the heart of everything we imagine. Of course, this can make the practicalities of making custom furniture exceptionally complex. But hardship is part of our process. It’s one of the reasons why our pieces get people to stop and take notice.
We hate the mundane. And while functionality is important to us, aesthetic charm is given equal weight in our workshop.
XXXX creations are fun, but they’re always underpinned by the utmost levels of craftsmanship. Our pursuit of the world’s finest woods and metals makes our production process even more complex, but that’s a small price to pay for creating furniture with multi-generational potential.
I was really happy with it. I chuckled a self-satisfying chuckle when I sent it. But it just didn’t deliver what the client was expecting.
I seem to remember lots of “it needs to be more grounded.” My memory is hazy. Probably due to the PTSD.
I edited and optimised HIS work, and we went our separate ways with a virtual handshake. An unsuccessful website copywriting project, but a respectful one.
Website Copywriting Gone Catastrophically Wrong
Ironically, my single worst experience as a copywriter in the UK was with a Dutch life coach.
Things went well at first. I created some SEO web copy for her course pages. She loved them.
But then things took a turn.
I’m not sure whether she’d had a bad day or had just changed her mind, but her attitude and language flipped within the space of an hour.
Without going into too much detail, email subject lines were suddenly littered with question marks and exclamation marks. That’s never a good sign!
It turned out that this inspirational life coach was actually a decent writer. I could feel her anger as I read her increasingly harsh messages as they continued to hit my inbox like hypersonic missiles.
Life’s too short. I don’t get paid enough for this sh**.
I just couldn’t work out what the main issues were or why she was so apoplectic. So I cut my losses. I sacked her.
To this day, I still don’t understand what went wrong. But that’s just life as a website copywriter, I suppose.
Carefully and lovingly crafted by Malcolm Cox, an experienced copywriter in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Tel: 07386704956 (Mon to Fri, 9 to 6)
Email: malcolm.cox@contentable.biz
