There is a deeply ingrained idea: that writing well is enough to sell.
That a good story, a good text, or a good idea will, by itself, find its way.
But in practice, that’s rarely the case.
Between what we write and what we manage to accomplish, there’s a gap where many projects fall by the wayside. Valuable ideas that never gain recognition. Books that aren’t published. Services that fail to find clients.
Not because they lack quality.
But that’s because they lack strategy.
Writing and selling are often seen as separate worlds. On one hand, creation; on the other, commercial logic. As if words served only to express and not to generate results.
The truth is that, when used well, words play a much broader role: they not only communicate an idea, but also help to position, frame, and sell that idea to the recipient.
It is at this point that writing ceases to be merely a creative exercise and becomes a strategic tool.
In this article, we will explore how it is possible to transform words into an effective business approach and how aligning writing and strategy can make the difference between a project that remains in the drawer and a project that finds its place in the market.
Because writing well isn’t enough to sell.
One of Pássaro Amarelo’s first clients revealed to us that he had a rare book ready for publication. This work, written over twenty years ago, was kept in a desk drawer and contained a unique, memoir-like account of the main Portuguese composers throughout the centuries.
We were delighted with the idea.
Luiz (a fictitious name), a musician by profession for over thirty years in one of Portugal’s most reputable orchestras, told us about the misfortunes of not yet having been able to fulfill his lifelong dream: publishing a collection of texts, written in the 1990s, in a weekly newspaper, due to a lack of editorial interest in the project.
The book, with over four hundred pages and a prologue written by a nationally renowned musicologist, was unique. It presented brief biographies of Portuguese musicians who played, performed, or created classical music since the founding of the nation, that is, throughout a period spanning from the Middle Ages to the 20th century.
The work represented a herculean effort in gathering names and stories from Portuguese music: a unique source of inspiration for the promotion of Portuguese culture.
Naturally, we here at Pássaro Amarelo immediately embraced this project.
How your first customers define your business positioning.
When starting a business or project from scratch, it’s not strategic to accept every initiative.
And that’s because the first customers are often the ones who define a brand’s identity: if your first testimonials are from people who want content creation services, that will begin to be the essence of your business.
Quite the opposite, if your first clients want you to work in software copywriting, then that’s what will shape your career path.
We here really wanted to combine Pássaro Amarelo with literary projects that have a commercial focus.
How to sell a book: real challenges of publishing prospecting.
Our first client asked us for help with active market research: they wanted to find a publisher for their book.
But what would be the best approach?
What should I write in an email?
How do you convince a sales department that a work has cultural value and, incidentally, some financial profitability?
How could the commercial interest of a literary project be justified through numbers and words?
The author’s experience with this same approach, more than twenty years ago, had been very negative. He had knocked on many doors and always received a response of disinterest.
There was a bittersweet taste to that experience, as if he were telling us: “I don’t know how to deal very well with this rejection.”
Therefore, the book remained stored on the desk, waiting to one day be published.
Literature and business: why they need to communicate in the same language.
In the field of writing, there seems to be an invisible thread separating literary works from commercial ventures.
Typically, those dedicated to Literature seem to have more difficulty embracing a commercial discourse; and those who understand strategy rarely get entangled in a web of abstract concepts.
The truth, however, is that these realities often have to go hand in hand if we want to give Literature and Business a voice in the world.
Strategic Copywriting: How to Sell Through Words
Offering a literary support service, as we do here at Pássaro Amarelo, involves:
- to identify the intrinsic value of the works;
- to research the relevance of that topic in the market;
- Study the competition;
- And, above all, knowing how to sell the product.
And, as is to be expected, we have to learn how to inspire others with our idea through words.
Words are not just for entertainment.
They also serve to generate results.
Because a good email isn’t enough to generate results.
In this pursuit of results, we align a sales pitch that is consistent with the content of the client’s project.
We ask for your approval to use this new letter to knock on new doors that have gradually begun to open.
After all, there was a possibility of hope.
Every sales department has its demands. In some cases, we had to explain who the target audience for the work was and who it would predictably interest.
These questions are not easy to answer for someone who has never trained their commercial eye to analyze a product.
It’s a mistake to think: “just writing a good email is enough to achieve the results I want.”
What makes a good email?
Is it well written?
What if the strategic criteria fail?
Essential questions to sell an idea, product or service.
When we want to sell an idea, a product, or a service, it’s crucial to ask a set of questions:
Who benefits from this?
Is there a market for this project?
What is the added value that I will present to the other party?
It is essential that we know how to present value.
In our case, we seek to answer a central question:
“Why would a sales director agree to publish this book?”
We highlight:
– the rarity and relevance of the topic;
– the prestige and authority of the author;
– the financial viability of the project;
– fitting into a niche with little competition.
Strategic Communication: Why Writing Well Isn’t Enough
There is no straightforward answer to these questions.
This is only possible through an analysis of the entire market ecosystem.
That’s why one of our working principles is the creation and refinement of a communication ecosystem, which goes far beyond simply writing good text.
Real results: when the strategy starts to open doors
The client was satisfied with our approach and, gradually, we began to receive the first meeting requests.
The project interested some publishers, who recognized the relevance of the text.
They wanted to be the first to edit and publish a unique book in the national music scene.
In this process, we cannot disregard the personal experiences of the decision-makers: something that also weighs on the final decision.
Writing and selling: using words to create real value
We cannot forget this.
Each new client is a challenge.
Here at Pássaro Amarelo, we’ve learned that words aren’t just for telling good stories.
They are also a powerful tool that allows us to present results to people: results that aim to create real value in their lives.
