The smell of good copy: finding the perfect blend for robust international content

In today’s digital world, it all boils down to content. And demand for good content has never been higher, with statistics indicating that 70% of people would rather learn about a company through articles rather than advertisements, and that social-media sites and blogs account for almost 25% of time spent online.

So what exactly is content? And is copy the same thing? Let’s start by clearing up what the two terms mean. Content is writing that educates, informs and entertains; in other words, it tells a story. Copy, on the other hand, is writing that inspires action and sells the story. However, the line between the two has become increasingly blurred, as the purpose of content these days is to achieve both: to tell and sell the brand story. This blog therefore considers copy an integral part of content writing. To tell a globally sellable story well, you need a key ingredient: strong copy.

Brewing strong copy

As a language service provider (LSP), our copywriting work involves both writing and translating copy that’s meant to grab the attention of our customers’ target audiences in multiple languages. So how do you go about creating strong copy? And what role does language play in all this?

Let’s tackle the translation part first. Translating copy into another language isn’t as simple as it sounds. It more often than not calls for transcreation services. Transcreation – a blend of the words ‘translation’ and ‘creation’ – goes beyond the classic translation process. It’s not just about adapting idioms and wordplay linguistically, taking cultural idiosyncrasies into account and checking whether the text matches the images. Transcreation involves repackaging the message by tailoring such marketing copy even more precisely to different countries, cultures and target groups, while retaining the original core message.

Longer texts might even require repackaging the entire story. Take, for example, bikes. A leisurely way to get around in western nations, they are still an important means of transport in many developing countries. Writing copy for such a product would need to account for this crucial difference in usage behaviour in the different markets.

Transcreation is therefore a great way to brew up strong localised copy for the following services:

  • Slogans and tag lines
  • Headlines
  • Online advertising
  • Social-media content
  • Creative marketing texts

Copy to go

When writing copy from scratch, you have to ensure it is snackable and consists of punchy takeaways, starting with an attention-grabbing headline. Let’s take the following two headlines as an example – one from a healthcare service provider and another from a beverage company:

We are committed to putting patients first when it comes to healthcare

New item: we now have a new variety of cherry beer in our international assortment

Essentially, there’s nothing wrong with either of these two sentences. They’re both structurally and grammatically correct and get their intended message across. However, what they lack as a headline is ‘punch’. This is an easy fix: rewording the copy while retaining the original message makes for a catchier alternative that is not only more stimulating and personal, but also grabs the reader’s attention more effectively at first glance. So let’s give both these examples a shake:

Our commitment to healthcare: putting patients at the heart of everything we do

Cherry on top: check out the latest addition to our international assortment of beers

See what we did there? If the above changes got you to sit up and take more notice, then you’ll know that copy of any form must be well written – make it relevant, concise, easy to read, informative and convincing!

 

Consistently serving up piping-hot copy

So what distinguishes good copy or content? Creativity lies at the core of any copy you create. Marketing knowledge, a pronounced feeling for language, conceptual thinking and the ability to empathise with target groups are also a must.

External factors play an influencing role, too. The quality of the copy stands or falls with the briefing from the client. This includes information about the content, its objectives and intended use, as well as the target group, text genre (narrative, descriptive, procedural, etc.) and language style. Of course, in the age of the internet, search engine optimisation is essential. In international copywriting, for example, the specific key terms are defined for each country.

Finally, staying up to date on market news and trends is another important aspect to delivering content that keeps your readers consistently engaged and asking for more. So if you’re looking for a robust blend of copy for your international audience, get in touch – we’d be happy to help!

You can learn more about our transcreation, copywriting and language services here.

Saveen Uthappa-Eck

Saveen Uthappa-Eck works as a translator, editor and content writer on the English team. A true-blue language fan, she enjoys crosswords and watching foreign-language shows and movies in her spare time.
Saveen Uthappa-Eck