The Superpower You Should Seek in a Commercial Writer

So, you’re on the hunt for a commercial writer — a great copywriter who can sell your products or services with words, raise the profile of your organisation and make your business bucketloads of cash.

Great, but what single quality should you look for?

Maybe you’ll look for a commercial writer who knows her synonyms from her similes?

Or someone who knows where to stick a semicolon?

Perhaps you think the most important attribute of a copywriter is knowing exactly where to put that pesky apostrophe?

But if you do, you’d be wrong.

The most important characteristic to look for in your commercial writer is emotional intelligence.

What is Emotional Intelligence?

According to Psychology Today, Emotional Intelligence, or EQ, is ‘the ability to identify and manage your own emotions and the emotions of others. It is generally said to include three skills: emotional awareness; the ability to harness emotions and apply them to tasks like thinking and problem solving; and the ability to manage emotions, which includes regulating your own emotions and cheering up or calming down other people.’

Someone with high EQ will have heightened self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills. And although these personality traits are great for pretty much any occupation, found in a commercial writer, they create superpowers.

The ability to understand and manage emotions is the ability to understand and lead others.

Self-Awareness

Someone who is very self-aware can regulate their inner feelings and thoughts; they act consciously, rather than reacting. Self-aware people are often more compassionate and are great listeners.

Being able to absorb information and to process thoughts and emotions are critical skills for a copywriter.

Self-Regulation

An emotionally intelligent writer will be a highly effective team member.

Your copywriter, although a key role, is just one part of your marketing team and they’ll need to be able to collaborate well with your designer, developer and other staff.

A writer with high EQ will be able to control their emotions and guide the emotions of others. So you can be sure your creative marketing meetings are productive, rather than disruptive.

Motivation

As copywriters often work alone during the writing part of a project, they must be self-motivated and driven.

An emotionally intelligent person will be able to set their own goals and achieve them. And as you’ll want your copywriter to meet your deadlines, motivation is a must.

Empathy

Perhaps the essential part of EQ for the effectiveness of your commercial writer is empathy.

An emotionally intelligent person is naturally empathic. They have the intuitive ability to put themselves in another person’s shoes; they can see things from other perspectives.

This ability is fundamental to being able to write strong, persuasive copy, as it’s necessary to see things from another’s point of view to create a connection.

With this personality trait, your commercial writer can understand the needs of your target audience and appreciate what makes them tick. A business writer with high emotional intelligence will understand how to get an emotional response from the reader and know what will motivate them into action.

Social Skills

At its heart, copywriting is the art of engaging conversation in written form, so it makes sense that your writer needs to have strong social skills.

With high EQ comes productive communication, the ability to influence and the ability to manage conflict— these are all essential to being able to connect, convince and convert a potential into a customer.

Salesmanship with Words  

You’re marketing your business to human beings, and a good commercial writer knows how to connect to your target audience emotionally. We’re all moved to action and buying decisions through our emotions. And an emotionally intelligent copywriter can create connections, build relationships and get the results you want with emotional triggers.

So while it’s also a good thing if your writer knows where to stick that semicolon and to put those pesky apostrophes, the superpower that’s going to sell your products and services isn’t punctuation, it’s emotional intelligence.

Without it, your copy will just be words. With it, your copy will sell.

If you need someone who can engage your audience, turn your readers into customers and get real results for your business, get in touch for a chat today.

Laura

P.S – Just in case you’re wondering, your copywriter doesn’t need to know the difference between a synonym and a simile — although she probably does.