I’ve worked with many different PR agencies over the course of my career. They’ve been some of my favourite people to work with over the years.
PR agencies are brilliant at building relationships, securing coverage and managing reputation. But there’s something magic that happens when copywriters and agencies work together on a project. Copywriters and PR go together like tomato ketchup on a bacon sandwich, or a KitKat and a tea break. You get my drift.
Think about it. PR involves a good deal of writing. There are press releases to prepare, thought leadership pieces to be cultivated, and social media captions that require fine tuning in that elusive quest to stop the scroll. None of these happen by accident.
With this in mind, here are five reasons why bringing in a copywriter is a smart move for PR agencies who want a slice of the copywriting magic pie.
1. You’re selling stories. A good copywriter makes them land
A good PR professional knows how to identify a story, a good copywriter knows how to tell it, and a successful campaign combines both.
A copywriter brings craft to the narrative. They know how to open with a hook, build tension and end with something memorable. They understand rhythm, register and what makes a headline actually work.
That’s not a small thing. I’ve worked as an editorial assistant for a design magazine and managed the editorial inbox. Believe me when I say that journalists and editors are flooded with pitches and press releases. The quality of the writing and how each pitch is tailored to the individual publication is often the difference between coverage and being confined to the ‘bin’ folder.
The best copywriters take their readers on a journey – educating while persuading. They must be able to write creatively yet strategically, often taking complex material and presenting it clearly and concisely.
2. Your clients expect copy that sounds like them
PR agencies – you guys are busy. You can be working across multiple clients, often simultaneously, each with their own tone of voice, target audience and brand personality. Then add in maintaining high quality consistency across press releases, website copy, award entries, social captions and newsletters. That’s a skill in itself.
A good copywriter knows how to adapt their writing style. They’ll understand the client you’re writing for and absorb a client’s brand voice. They’ll communicate with customers on their level meaning the message is easily received.
They also need to understand a client’s product and have knowledge of past advertising methods and themes. For me, this includes background research on the client’s brand and analysis of competitors. The more research I do, the easier it is to write copy.
3. SEO is still relevant and a good copywriter knows how to leverage this
Some people seem to be under the misapprehension that the rise of AI means SEO is no longer important. The truth is that SEO is as relevant today as it was back in 2016.
Yes, AI has changed the game somewhat, but the same principles still matter. Key words are still important. Keyword stuffing is still annoying. And both Google and your human visitors still value well thought-through content that reads naturally.
While I do believe that there are benefits in recognising LLMs (large language models) in your workflow, they aren’t everything and shouldn’t prevent you from considering SEO in your web copy.
A good SEO copywriter is trained in understanding the nuances that come with writing for the web. Although there are some useful SEO plugins out there, they should be used with judgement. If your aim is to turn every red cross into a green tick, very quickly your copy is going to read like a bot wrote it – which I’m guessing is not the vibe you’re going for.
Remember, your audience are still searching through Google and people are increasingly tired of AI search results. Just something to think about.
4. Human created content is outranking AI generated content
AI generated content is everywhere and although Google has confirmed they don’t actively penalise websites for using AI generated content – guess what? Human created content still outperforms it’s computer generated rivals.
Search engines such as Google prioritise EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) and human content has that emotional, first-hand experiences that robots just don’t possess. Think emotional experiences from lived real-world experiences or a funny anecdote from an embarrassing moment.
This authenticity resonates with readers on a deeper level. You earn their trust, meaning people are more likely to use your services.
Have you noticed that when you read unedited AI content it can often be vague, irrelevant or use outdated information? Content like this triggers quality filters resulting in lower ranked search results.
Increasingly, people are calling out businesses for their very obviously AI generated content.
AI can be a useful tool, but content written by a human skilled in copywriting just reads and performs better.
5. Don’t forget the importance of soft skills
Good copywriting isn’t purely a creative skill. In a PR agency context, soft skills are some of the most valuable qualities and they don’t always show up in a portfolio.
The best copywriters are adaptable. They’re comfortable working independently from a brief, meeting deadlines without being chased, and handling rounds of feedback without friction. They’ve also typically developed a thick skin; copy gets changed, redirected and sometimes scrapped, and a good copywriter takes that as part of the job rather than a personal slight.
Being adaptable, deadline-driven and professional enough to separate the ego from the work matters.
Fancy a chat?
If any of this resonates, I’d love to hear from you. Whether you’ve got a specific project in mind or you’re just thinking about building a roster of reliable freelancers, drop me a message and we’ll have a conversation.
About Mim
Hello there, I’m Mim – a freelance copywriter based in Liverpool, Merseyside.
For over 15 years I’ve worked with brands across tech, culture, charities, education and design. I’ve also worked alongside some lovely PR agencies and marketing firms along the way.
Alongside my copywriting work, I’m a published journalist. I’m a contributor to Design Week, a University of Sheffield graduate and a Mini MBA in Marketing alumna. You can view my ProCopywriters profile here or head to my ‘About’ page for more info.
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