Why Are B2B Copywriters in Demand?
By Steve Slaunwhite

One of my favorite books is Make It Happen Before Lunch by Stephan Schiffman. In it, he tells the story of how his sales training business was about to go bust. He had no clients. No money. His telephone was about to be disconnected.

As he rushed to save his business — via a marathon week of cold calling — there was one thing he knew would give him a fighting chance.

Market demand.

Schiffman knew that so long as there were companies out there eagerly looking for effective sales training, he could overcome just about any obstacle to success.

He was right. And thanks in part to market demand, his business not only recovered, it thrived. Google him. Today, Schiffman is considered one of the greats in sales training.

What does all this mean to copywriters?

It means that if you focus on copywriting markets where the demand is high, then you have a decent chance of success. After all, the business is there. You just have to find a way to get it!

So where can you find that big demand?

In my opinion, you’ll find it among Business-to-Business (B2B) companies.

In fact, the demand for good copywriting and content for B2B companies is exploding. Not long ago, a marketing director of a start-up software company told me, “If a really good B2B copywriter knocked on my door, I’d want to hire her instantly. I would ply her with tea and chocolates if I had to. Anything to persuade her to write for us!”

Okay, not all prospective clients are that eager. But I do hear similar comments from marketing directors frequently.

So why is the demand for good B2B copywriters so high? There are many reasons, but the two most compelling are these:

1. Growth of content marketing

To help sell their products and services, B2B companies need to produce great content on a regular basis, everything from emails, landing pages, and blog posts to case studies and white papers.

The problem is, they can’t keep up. Just about every B2B company feels they’ve fallen behind on producing content to support their marketing initiatives.

In a recent study by the Content Marketing Institute and Marketing Profs, marketing directors of B2B companies were asked what their top content marketing challenges were. In first and second place were “Producing engaging content” and “Producing content consistently.”

In other words, they’re struggling to find copywriters.

And not just any copywriters, but trained professionals who know how to write clear, persuasive copy and engaging content that helps sell B2B products and services.

Plus, this low supply and high demand means B2B companies are willing to pay trained copywriters very well. Take a look at these common examples of content you can write for a B2B company and the fees you can command:

• Customer success stories (case studies), 2-3 pages: $1,250-$2,000
• E-books, 8-15 pages: $1,000+
• E-newsletters (text only): $600-$1,000
• Blog Posts, per post: $200-$500
• Ghostwritten articles, 2-3 pages: $500-$1,200
• Infographics (text only): $1,000
• Press releases, 1-2 pages: $250-$500
• Speeches, 2,500-3,000 words: $4,000-$6,000
• Videos (script only): $1,000-$2,000
• White papers: $3,000-$5,000

Get the training to write the content marketers need and just four or five good B2B clients can fill your schedule with all the fun and lucrative projects you can handle.

2. Shortage of writers

I have yet to hear a B2B marketing director say she’s inundated by inquiries from freelance B2B copywriters. Usually, I hear the opposite. Most are struggling to find good B2B writers.

Why is that?

One reason is that B2B copywriting is more challenging than general copywriting. You need to understand products you may not be familiar with. How much do you know about turbine valves or commercial restaurant coolers? Or even sales training services?

Also, you need to know how to write content and copy that educates and sells a business buyer, which is different from persuading consumers. Do you know how to write a brochure that gets an accountant interested in new software?

I think that’s one of the reasons why some writers shy away from B2B. And that’s too bad. Because just about any good writer can learn this stuff. It isn’t rocket science.

You can learn how B2B companies sell their products and services. You can learn the role great copy and content plays in that process. You can learn how to write intelligently and persuasively to business buyers. You can learn how to write a brochure, white paper, email series, website, case study, blog post, and so forth.

So, why don’t you?

In my 23 years as a freelancer, I have never seen the demand for good B2B copywriting this high. In my opinion, it’s where the action is these days.

Do you have any questions about how to get started as B2B copywriter? Please share with us in the comments below so we can help.