by Matt Weik
A common question I usually get (and you may be thinking as well) is, “How do you wake up every morning and sit in front of a screen and type all day long?” I get it. There’s nothing glamorous about being a supplement writer and banging away at a keyboard all day long, but as weird as it is, that’s precisely what gets me excited and out of bed.
In a sense, we all have something we are passionate about. The unfortunate thing is that not many people can say they do what they love for a living. I’m willing to bet if I ran a poll asking how many people love their current job, the vast majority would click the “I hate my job” choice. Trust me, I’ve been there before. I simply took a leap of faith that I could turn my passion into a viable business and put food on my table. Luckily, I’ve been able to do that.
Writing is something that I’ve always loved since I was a little kid. My parents saved up enough money when I was little to get me an electric typewriter – does anyone even know what that is these days? Eventually, as technology improved, we upgraded to a Commodore 64, where I would spend hours writing stories and simply allowing my creativity to flow. You could say it was back then where I was “bit by the writing bug” and wrote whenever I had the opportunity.
But enough of the history and background, let’s dig into the nuts and bolts of what makes me tick as a supplement writer.
Is a Supplement Writer Even a Real Thing?
For most people, writing about supplements (or any health and fitness topic) wouldn’t account for much of an income. Sadly, most people try but are unable to make it work and turn it into a full-time job or business. I’ve always loved health, fitness, and supplements, and consider myself an industry nerd. I love learning new things, trying new supplements, and looking for the nearest trash can during brutal leg days. Maybe I’m wired differently – but aren’t we all?
As a supplement writer (specifically), it’s my job to help supplement companies like Ironmag Labs increase their sales and grow their business through content and copywriting. A brand comes to me and asks if I’m able to rework their product page copy on their website, write blogs, create the copy for their product labels, work up a product page for Amazon, build copy for funnels, newsletters, emails, and just about anything that uses the written word.
Essentially, being a supplement writer is being a sales closer in written form. And I love every minute of it. I get to dig into who the target demographic is, what their pain points are, what hurdles they are trying to overcome, and write in a way to evoke emotion to help them through the sales cycle until they ultimately make a purchase and tell themselves that they NEED this product.
There’s nothing sleazy about being a supplement writer. It’s not like writing for tabloids and creating fake news and stories. Sure, some may think what we write is a bunch of BS and hype, and some writers are like that – just not me. Supplement companies have a whole portfolio of products that they formulate, and that’s what they do best. But writing the copy, for most, does not come easy for them.
A Day in the Life
How long does it take you to write a few pages? An hour? Two hours? An entire day? Maybe more? For at least 10 hours every day, I’m in front of my laptop writing copy, looking at research, examining formulas, pulling data, and constructing written words that resonate with a particular audience.
I get to work alongside many of the biggest brands across the globe and collaborate with their teams to bring their vision to life. While a supplement writer is not responsible for any creative aspects of a project, we get to work closely with the team that does in order to help add specific elements to the pages and copy to add a visual component and further illustrate what is written in the copy.
What you are left with are a bunch of words that mean absolutely nothing if no one reads them (of course, any good writer also understands SEO and the legality of what is said in copy to help ensure their client doesn’t get sued for false claims). Therein lies the next challenge.
Just like an author who writes books (which I am proud to say I’ve written over a dozen), things aren’t done once the final period is inserted. Next, it’s all about getting the information out there for the public to see. Working alongside the marketing team, a supplement writer helps create social media posts, press releases, email blasts, newsletters, and blogs that help direct people where the supplement company wants them (which is a sales page to convert).
Do You Know the Difference Between Good Copy and Bad?
Of course, you do. You’ve read something that either had you thinking there’s no way this can be legit or true, and that read in such a way that it turned you off from the product or didn’t make you feel it was something you needed to purchase.
Any good piece of copy or content should cause someone to want to take action (the name we use is a “call to action”). It should lead them to the next step and not have the individual leaving the website or going elsewhere to find more information.
A good supplement writer and copywriter is invaluable. It could be the missing piece that is causing you to experience slow sales (or worse, no sales). Think you don’t need a supplement writer? Try one and see if they can boost your sales. Do your homework, find someone who’s qualified, who comes recommended, and give them a project to work on. A supplement writer can free up your time and make you a lot of money.
