What Is a Copywriting Strategy? (And How to Create One)

Is your content underperforming? If your copy isn’t getting the results you want, it’s likely missing a strong copywriting strategy.

Why is it so important?

Think of it this way: Copywriting without strategy is like pissing in the wind. In short, it’s ineffective and rather pointless.

The most effective brands and businesses know that great copy doesn’t happen by accident. They use a structured approach to create persuasive, goal-driven content that speaks to their audience and drives results.

So, whether you need a new SEO website, brochure, capability statement, ad, or blog posts, having a clear strategy ensures your message is consistent, compelling, and always conversion-focused.

Here’s a quick coffee-break breakdown of what a copywriting strategy is, why your business needs one, and easy tips to create one.

What Is a Copywriting Strategy?

A copywriting strategy sounds complex, but it’s simply a plan for crafting and structuring your messaging to engage the right audience and drive a specific action. It considers your brand voice, target market, key messages, and the purpose behind every piece of copy.

Without a strategy, businesses often end up:

• Writing copy that sounds nice but doesn’t convert or achieve anything

• Sending mixed messages across different platforms, confusing customers and clients

• Targeting the wrong audience with the wrong tone

For example, if you’re a corporate law firm, you need a precise, professional tone and jargon-free copy to build trust with business clients. But if you’re a family law firm, you need an empathetic tone and reassuring copy to connect with people going through scary and stressful legal matters.

A copywriting strategy ensures your messaging fits your audience and business goals.

Why Your Business Needs a Copywriting Strategy

A good copywriting strategy is the difference between copy that exists to tick marketing boxes (something I see often!) and copy that actually works.

Here’s why every business needs one:

• Better conversions
  Great copy catches the eye of your audience and makes them do something. A strategy helps structure your messaging and moves readers from interest to conversion, whether that's a call, signing up, or getting in touch.

• Consistency across channels
  Your website, emails, ads, and social posts should all sound like they come from the same brand. A strategy keeps your messaging aligned, building trust and brand recognition.

• Stronger audience connection
  A strategy ensures you’re talking to the right people in a way that resonates. Instead of generic messaging, you're directly addressing their pain points and speaking their language.

• SEO benefits
  Strategic copy has to appeal to both people and search engines. A well-planned strategy includes SEO tactics to improve rankings and drive organic traffic.

Copywriting Strategy in Action: Launching a New-to-Market Product with Clarity & Impact

Let’s look at one of my recent website copywriting projects that shows the value of a great copywriting strategy.

NZ-based GDB Systems was launching Prophet, its new trade promotion optimisation software. But they faced a common challenge for new-to-market products: How do you clearly communicate what it does, why it matters, and why businesses should care?

With no existing tool offering the same level of insight and control, Prophet was solving a real industry problem. But to make an impact, it needed clear, compelling website messaging that would quickly resonate with its target audience.

The strategy? Clarity, relevance, and conversion focus:

✅ Straight to the point - No jargon, no fluff. Just clear, benefit-driven messaging that made it easy for customers to immediately understand Prophet’s value for their business.
✅ Pain-point driven – Focused on the frustrations of trade promotion management - the guesswork, fragmented data, and lack of control - and how Prophet solved them.
✅ SEO-optimised and conversion-focused – Headlines and content structured to attract the right audience and drive action.

The result? A website that sells the solution, that GDB Systems calls “best in class.” The copy didn’t just explain Prophet, it positioned it as the must-have tool for businesses looking to optimise trade promotions with confidence.

By taking a strategic approach to the website content and layout, I ensured the messaging was sharp, relevant, and designed to convert. Take a look here.

5 Key Elements of a Winning Copywriting Strategy

So, what does a winning copywriting strategy look like? As a minimum, it involves:

1. Knowing your audience
   Who are you talking to? Why do they need you? What motivates them to take action?

2. Defining your brand voice & messaging
   Are you formal or conversational? Authoritative or approachable? Your strategy needs to define tone and key messages for consistency.

3. Setting clear goals
   What’s the purpose of each piece of copy? More enquiries? More sign-ups? Your strategy must focus on achieving specific outcomes.

4. Choosing the right formats
   Different goals need different formats. A solid strategy helps you decide what to write and where.

5. Optimising for SEO
   A strategic approach means considering keywords, readability, and search intent so your copy engages and ranks in search results.

How to Create a Solid Copywriting Strategy in 5 Steps

Step 1: Research your audience and competitors
Who are you targeting with each piece of copy? How are your competitors positioning themselves? What are they saying to stand out?

Step 2: Nail your messaging and value proposition
What makes your business unique? What problems do you solve for your customers and clients? Why is YOUR firm the best to help them?

Step 3: Map out content types and channels
Plan what copy you need, where it will go, and how it fits into your overall marketing strategy. Consider your target audience - what platforms are they using? How and where is best to get their attention?

Step 4: Write, test, and refine
Great copy isn’t static. Track performance, tweak messaging, and optimise based on results.

Step 5: Keep evolving
Your copywriting strategy should not be ‘one-and-done’. Adjust and refine it to meet business, audience, and market changes and to tackle competitor activity.

Need Help With Your Copywriting Strategy?

Whether you're starting from scratch or refining what’s already in place, a strong copywriting strategy is crucial for any copywriting project - especially larger ones like new website copy.

If you want a copywriting strategy and copy that works, let’s chat.