Need a B2B copywriter? Here’s what you should be looking for
- Mike Peake
- Jan 19
- 6 min read
Updated: Jan 20
B2B copywriting requires a specialist skillset that not all copywriters possess. After 10+ years as a B2B copywriter, here’s my thoughts on what makes a good one.
About seven years ago, a potential new client surprised me with a very simple question that I really should have been prepared for:
“What’s the difference between a B2C copywriter and a B2B copywriter?”
I floundered a little bit and came up with some bullshit about B2B work being about impressing multiple stakeholders and being more of a long game, but I could tell by the glazed look on his face that I’d blown it.
Which was a shame – because he’d just told me the last quote he’d received for writing his website was £50k. If I’d come in at half that, I might’ve landed a very lucrative gig as his website copywriter.
While I instinctively knew what I did differently for B2B clients compared to B2C ones, I’d never actually sat down and written it out.
So I did.
What kind of copy does a B2C client expect?
Before I begin, let me make something clear: all copy should be as unique and clear as possible.
Whether you’re selling cute calendars to cat lovers or complex SaaS solutions to enterprise clients, you have to find that language and message that works.
So I’m no great fan of templates and formulas. The closer something follows a pattern that people have seen a thousand times before, the less persuasive it becomes. I’m all for originality whenever possible.
That said, here’s what your typical B2C web copy looks like:
It’s short and scannable
It’s emotionally charged
It leads on the benefit
It’s usually conversational
It’s urgent/exclusive
It has a single CTA
It features storytelling
Language can be a bit flowery
It’s big on social proof
B2C copy delivers quick emotional hits designed to turn browsers into buyers before they bounce.
And – unsurprisingly – some elements of good B2C copy can be seen in B2B copy, too, such as easy-to-follow, scannable text.
What kind of copy does a B2B client expect?
This isn’t an exhaustive list, but these are some of the main considerations when I sit down to write B2B copy for a client:
Detail and structure – copy needs to go deeper, drilling down into the details of what the product/service is and how it helps.
Benefit-driven – just like B2C, but now with provable stats to ramp up the interest.
ROI-focused – potential buyers need to sell to their bosses that your product or service will save them x%.
Credibility/proof-building – solid case studies and testimonials add trust; the bigger the client, the better.
Problem-solution headlines reign – “Cut supply chain delays by 22% with the UK’s number 1 inventory software.”
Professional and precise – there’s less scope for wordsmithery (which isn’t to say B2B copy is dull: it isn’t).
Technical and specific – easy on the jargon, but appropriately peppered with terms that resonate with the audience.
Big on features – benefits lead, but detailed descriptions also count.
Plays the long game – how will the copy (and support materials) maintain interest during the buying journey?
What a B2B copywriter needs to know about your business (and what they don’t)
Nine times out of 10, there’s more to a business product than something aimed at the consumer market.
So B2B copywriting often requires a serious deep dive into what you can do – which is why some marketing managers feel they need a specialist copywriter in their sector.
But do they?
Here’s my take on it. I agree that some sectors are so complex that finding a copywriter who has written about your kind of product before can fast-track things.
However, such a writer may be very difficult to find – and may already have ties to a rival company, so that doesn’t really work.
I would argue that, in many cases, a seasoned generalist with a proven track record across sectors is a safe choice.
During my own career, I’ve had to become an expert – of sorts – for all kinds of clients. Here are just two examples:
Shipping and refrigerated containers
Take a look at the titancontainers.co.uk website, where almost every word was written by me. There are well over 100,000 words on there – and quite a lot of them drill into the details of different kinds of containers.
So I’ve had to learn about double-door containers, freezer containers, ultra-freezers, DNV offshore containers and many more – as well as the different industries that use them.
After almost three years as a copywriter for TITAN, I’m probably better qualified to write about containers than 99.9% of copywriters – but I had to start somewhere!
They hired me for my B2B copywriting capabilities, not because I knew anything about containers. Which I didn’t when I began.
HardSoft Computers
The challenge here has been to understand – and communicate – their tech-on-demand leasing model and the many support services this well-known UK firm offers.
Once again, I wasn’t experienced in this sector when I started, but a year in, they now have me writing content for their web pages, ads, emails and white papers every month.
Here are six other things your B2B writer needs to nail to do a good job of writing your website
Your industry ‘speak’ and regs
Overdoing jargon is a no-no, but if everyone in your sector calls a refrigerated container a reefer container, your writer needs to learn this quickly. Likewise, if you comply with ISO 9001, you need a copywriter who grasps that, too (I wrote for a year for the British Standards Institution, so that helps!).
An understanding of the buying process
Who are we speaking to? The decision maker – or the person trying to influence the decision maker? B2B buyers are rarely single people; they’re teams, often buying after exploring every angle.
A way with stats
I’ve always found it pretty easy to decipher studies and data, which is really helpful for B2B work. I can often find a number and make it really sing – sometimes finding an angle that the client had missed. Some copywriters are terrible with numbers.
Your competitive landscape
Who are you up against? How does the industry talk? What do readers expect to see – and how can we make your brand stand out? While this is true in a B2C setting, B2B demands deeper research – because buyers pit you against rivals, and I need to craft copy that positions you as the no-brainer choice.
Buyer personas
In B2C copywriting, the buyer tends to be quite generic – a “type” with a specific need (e.g. a shopper seeking durable shoes). In B2B, you’re often trying to persuade multiple people at once – the CFO, HR, the Ops team etc. And they each have different needs.
Does the copy, therefore, address all their pain points at once, or do we funnel potential buyers to targeted landing pages tailored to each role and nurture them accordingly?
An eye for details
The buyer journey should be as frictionless as possible – so you need someone to put every bit of text through its paces. Microcopy, quote forms, contact details – it all needs to join up and remove any flicker of doubt about your brand/solution.
How I help clients with their B2B copy
I have two immediate goals when I start working for a B2B client:
1/ To quickly learn about their sector so a reader knows I am speaking their language. If someone blinks and thinks, “Hang on a sec,” we’ve lost them.
2/ To find the most persuasive way to sell the product or service to whoever needs it.
A third goal, relevant in some cases, is to give the brand a unique voice. The default TOV for most B2B copy is “pleasant and professional”, but sometimes it can help to make a teeny-tiny course correction.
I think this approach is working.
Many B2B clients have been hiring me for several years, and while they don’t exactly send me a plaque that says, “Sales soared by 50% because of you!” I know anecdotally that my words have boosted sales, led to more visitors and improved Google rankings.
My B2B work starts at just £895 for a two-day sprint, during which I’ll iron out all the main issues with your homepage (plus a couple more select pages of your choosing).
Rewriting existing web copy or creating a plan and all the text for a new website starts at £3,295 for a 7-pager.
For that, you’ll get my undivided attention for a couple of weeks – during which I’ll become as familiar with your brand as the office cat.
Only with a faster laptop and a couple more whiskers.
Want to hire a UK B2B copywriter? Drop me a line and let me know how I can help.
Written by Mike Peake, UK website copywriter + freelance copywriting services (emails, ads, brochures, etc.).
T: +44 (0)208 133 4306
Why not check out my post about what to look for when hiring a freelance copywriter.
