Get the Background Materials
Background materials are those things that have already been written about the product or service. So your first step in any copywriting task is to collect as much of this information as possible. After all, there may be well-written explanations, sentences, paragraphs, headlines, turns of phrase, and other existing text and ideas you may be able to use in your new copy.
Here is a list of common materials to ask or look for:
Advertisements
Articles
Brochures
Case studies
Catalogs
Transcripts of speeches
Online demos
Letters and e-mails to prospects and customers
Flyers
Sales presentations
Internal presentations
Market research reports
Marketing plans
Memos
Press releases
Media kits
Teleselling scripts
Product reviews
Product specifications
User manuals
Promotional or how-to videos
Sales training materials
Sales letters and direct mailings
Sell sheets
Technical reports
Web pages
White papers
Not every item on the above list will be available or even exist. Try to collect as much information as you can. This is your first step in educating yourself on the product or service, and its potential buyers.
