Copywriting
All publicity material should be written in plain English and the section on written communication elsewhere in this guide gives advice on general standards.
If you are producing publicity material aimed at specialist audiences, it pays to use a professional copywriter. You may find that you are too close to your own material to be able to present it effectively to different audiences. This is why even the best journalists have their copy polished by sub-editors.
A copywriter's job is to take your raw material and refine it to give it maximum appeal. A good copywriter will approach the job like a journalist, probing you to draw out the main points and key messages in any material. A copywriter should take a layperson's viewpoint and highlight any areas where your material is difficult to understand.
Copywriters can also be useful when you want to include case study interviews in your publicity material, as they are skilled in interviewing people and editing large amounts of material.
The ESRC can suggest names of copywriters. Look for writers with a track record of writing for your target audience, for example business or the health sector. Most copywriters will quote either a day rate or a fixed price for the job. You can keep costs down by supplying as much relevant information as possible at the start. The more time a writer has to spend digging around for the right information, the more it will cost. Remember that they will generally need to be paid for researching the material, writing and editing and checking and proof reading if required.