If your work falls under the umbrella of marketing content writing/ copywriting/ communications or any kind of business writing, you may be introduced or referred to as the wordsmith of the team.
While it may be intended as a genuine compliment, the term is hardly flattering. On one hand, it does not accurately reflect the depth and nature of the work. On the other, its cosmetic connotation reduces it to what writers dread being associated with: fluff.
While word choice, cadence and flow are key to good writing, there is much more to what makes great copy than being a master wordsmith.
For an experienced content marketing professional or copywriter, writing is the easy part.
Over 60-70% of business communications and marketing copy happens before you write your first word. The quality and impact of the finished product depends on various factors including your ability to
understand the problem/challenge in the context of the bigger picture
see the crucial hidden details and untold benefits that help weave a memorable narrative
translate business objectives into value offerings
collaborate with business stakeholders, customer service teams, subject matter experts, designers, art directors, developers and others depending on the nature of your project
understand different stakeholders’ perspectives objectively to find common ground and balance
empathize with the target audience, understand their mindset and what matters to them
write a clear creative brief that encapsulates the problem, solution and approach
learn to speak the audience’s language
turn spreadsheets and numbers into tangible benefits the audience cares about
capture the emotions associated with the product or solution to tell effective stories
delve into the mediums and platforms of communication with their unique strengths/drawbacks
deliver benefit-driven, goal-centered writing that is clear and engaging which could include everything from one-word headlines to 5000+ words of information and persuasion in myriad content formats
I am not sure “wordsmith” quite cuts it as a description for all of the above.
In an age when we are constantly reminded how “nobody has the time to read”, “most people skim” and “long copy is dead”, good writing is gold. It can be attributed to talent, experience, command over language and knowledge of the subject. Writing that makes an impact is a cultivated skill.
Any writer worth her salt will tell you that honing your writing craft is an ongoing, lifelong process. You are never truly done improving. You will likely cringe when you read something you wrote last year or last week and wish you had the chance to redo. The blank page, writer’s block and patiently awaiting the muse’s visit are not myths.
Even with years of experience, you can get stuck. A writer with a dozen bestsellers under their belt may spend hours writing an email subject line.
However, with experience, you learn that the key to stop laboring over the words is to invest time and effort in uncovering what’s underneath. This process is different for everyone.
For a fiction writer, it may be fleshing out each character, scene and setting to the last detail. For a journalist, it may mean interviewing several sources for each side of the story, digging into historical context, consuming everything written on the subject, independent investigation and more.
For a content marketing and business communications professional, it means understanding the business so well and crafting a strategy so solid that the copy writes itself.
Come to think of it, maybe that is why they call you a wordsmith in the first place. Because when you have done the homework, you make it look easy.
