Food Copywriting is More Satisfying Than Food Writing
Remember in your geometry class when you learned that a square is a rectangle but not every rectangle is a square?
That blew my little sixteen-year-old mind.
It’s kind of the same situation when it comes to writers in the food and beverage industry. A food copywriter is a food writer, but not every food writer is a food copywriter.
Let me explain.
Food copywriting is a filling three-course meal
Food writing makes the reader’s mouth water.
Food copywriting integrates strategic marketing tactics to make your food sell.
Descriptive food writing is amazing. Have you ever read something so delicately written you could feel the flakes of buttery pastry melting in your mouth as you virtually bit into a chocolate croissant? Eating is a very intimate experience. Beautiful adjectives and descriptive languages can bring it all alive.
Food writers love to write about how a dish smells, feels in your mouth, tastes on your tongue. They can paint the picture of the elegant restaurant you are dining in, recounting the experience that came with the delicious meal and the culinary creativity that inspired them.
But it’s always about the food and the magic behind the meal. What about the guest?
First Course: Customer Research and Narratives
Copywriting is not just descriptive writing. It’s writing that puts the audience first and appeals to their unique needs.
If you want a line out the door for your dish you need to do more than just describe how delicious it is. You need to describe why it matters to the customers. How is it going to appeal to their desires?
The customer is always the hero. And your food and beverage brand should empower them.
A talented food and beverage copywriter conducts consumer research before writing. Knowing your target audience allows your brand to appeal to them in a meaningful way.
A copywriter wants to know: What is your audience trying to achieve? What are their values? What are they searching for?
Most importantly, a copywriter will then craft your messaging to meet these audience needs.
It all comes down to showing how your food and beverage product fits into their lifestyle on a deeper level. The customer’s mealtime narrative should include you because you matter to them.
Second Course: Your Choice of Communication Channels
Food writing is elegant, descriptive, and often found as critiques in newspaper columns or Instagram captions.
Copywriting is working for you everywhere. And it comes in a variety of formats.
The medium of your message is critical and a copywriter understands the parameters of your channel before crafting the message. Some valuable platforms for your food and beverage copy include:
Your website
Web landing pages
E-mail marketing
Social media advertisements
Blog posts
Each medium requires detailed consideration, as writing formats will vary for each. A copywriter will know how to adapt your tone and call to action between these different formats.
And the choice of words for these platforms is very strategic.
Third Course: SEO on the Side
A food copywriter will know the value of search engine optimization (SEO) and how the integration of important keywords will help your target audience get to know you.
Expertly crafted, keyword-oriented content is powerful. With it, a copywriter can get your name to reach higher and higher in Google search results.
Your description might be mouth-watering, but if no one can find it to read… it doesn’t matter.
A great copywriter will write genuine, attention-grabbing content for both your audience and Google. While the Google algorithms are a bit of an enigma, a copywriter knows the best practices for success and makes it a part of the job to keep learning about SEO.
Both food writers and food copywriters are skilled in what they do. But it is a food copywriter who will bring your brand’s marketing strategy to the next level. A copywriter is customer-focused, marketing savvy, and writing to support your growth.
(We also love food.)
Hiring a food and beverage copywriter will allow you to produce the best content from the start. Whatever type of content you need, there’s a solution for it.
Expert, crave-worthy copywriting will allow your brand to stand out in the industry, earn new sales, and foster strong relationships with your loyal customers.