When Gertrude Stein was asked what she thought of Oakland, California, she answered: “There is no there there.” Without content, the same could be said about copy.

For anything that anyone reads in any form to be meaningful, it needs to be about something.

In the interactive space, that something is what the content strategist initially researches, defines, and then passes on to the copywriter. Afterwards, the copywriter turns that information into whatever kind of presentation is needed, as defined by the client’s needs. The copywriter works within the limitations of the platform, technology, time and resources available as well as shapes the copy to fit SEO considerations and character limits, as defined by the content strategist.

Belief in the Muse

What a copywriter most values is time spent with ideas percolating, giving a chance for creative inspiration to strike. In most projects, the quintessential percolation happens in collaboration with the team, working most closely with the visual designers.

It All Begins with Branding

There are various kinds of copy that can emerge, depending upon the project. However, every project requires one thing from copy first and foremost: branding. The copywriter needs to capture the “character” of the product or service being written about – its mood, style, voice and tone. To do that most effectively, the copywriter receives help from the business strategist and content strategist and knows, in advance of any writing, the bio of a company, its goals and competitors. Also, the copywriter works closely with the visual design and user experience (UX) teams to understand how the look, style and usability of the site will contribute to defining the brand.

Types of Copy

Below is a list of different types of copy that the copywriter is most often called upon to write in the interactive space. Often these different kinds of copy can exist within one document, but some of them are reserved for games or technical.

• CTA: The most frequent objective for copy is to get the user to ACT.
• Instructional: From how to use your Zephyr TV remote to how to open a box or make a cake, copy tells the user how to achieve a goal.
• Informational: Whether used to drop a casual fact or to relate something pertinent to a user’s understanding, informational copy educates (e.g., “SLO is the happiest city in the U.S.”).
• Navigational: Essential for a user to get around a site or use an app, navigational copy is omnipresent.
• Tech translation: Turning technical language into laymen’s language is one of the main requirements for a copywriter when addressing consumers about the electronic devices they just purchased or when talking to any user who wants to make sense of how something technical works.
• Nomenclature: What something is called reflects the brand. It also affects the usability of a site.
• Myth: The story is what brings a product or service to life. Although not always needed to be blatantly present, in the best copywriting it will still exist as a silent hero. It doesn’t need to be fully fleshed. It simply tells the user the who, what, where, when and why in a subtle way that captivates their imagination. And brings the product or service to mind in a compelling way when the user is out in the real world.
• Playful interaction: When a site talks back to you, you know it’s alive (e.g., the taunts a player gets when he doesn’t figure out the game on preparetodie.com).
• Conceptual: A picture is worth a thousand words. To collaborate with the visual designer and find an image that tells the whole story all by itself or with just a word or two – that’s as close to perfection as a copywriter can fly. In other words, in the interactive space, the very best storytelling is wordless. And that is copywriting too.

With Content, Copy Creates World Peace

Well, maybe that’s going a little far…but did I mention that copy is supposed to get the reader’s attention?