Higher Education Copywriting: For Universities, Business Schools, Distance Learning Providers, and Education Companies
What Makes Good Higher Education Copywriting?
‘Good higher education copywriting needs to be persuasive. Often, you find that educators are good at informing. They’re good at presenting information, but sometimes they really struggle with selling the product or service. Where an education copywriter really helps is that they add those persuasive elements into the text. A lot of universities offer similar courses, so there’s a real need to bring out the benefits and the unique selling points.’
Jamie Thomson, Brand New Copy
How My Higher Education Copywriting Service Can Help You
With shifting global demographics, increasing access to education, and an increasing focus on student experience, competition to recruit students is fierce. Copywriting provides higher education institutions with the opportunity to stand out in the industry. A clear value proposition and consistent messaging across all marketing materials can help recruit students. When we consider that 16.1% of students now see a university’s brand as one of the most important factors when choosing where to study, it’s clear that written communication is playing an ever-increasing role in higher education marketing.
You need a higher education copywriter who knows how to handle your written communications in a way that reflects your institution’s tone of voice and brand guidelines. Producing quality content in-house can be time consuming, and labour-intensive. As your dedicated writing partner, I can break down complicated ideas using simple, straightforward language. Whether you need prospectus copy, course descriptions, or editorial copy, I have the skills and experience to deliver your messages in an engaging, digestible way.
Unlike many creative agencies, I focus solely on the words. I’ll put the time into researching your target audience and your competitors, so we can position your offerings effectively.
''Enriched Our Website Copy''
‘Working with Jamie has been a great pleasure. He is a persuasive writer whose user-centric tone and in-depth understanding of SEO principles enriched our website copy. I greatly appreciated his attention to detail and punctuality in delivering to our agreed timeline. His genuine interest in learning about our institutional values, voice and audience was reflected in the high standard of copywriting he delivered.’
Tom Fearon, Marketing and Communications Manager, The Australian National University
''Creative Attention to Detail''
‘I’d highly recommend Jamie to anyone looking to hire a copywriter. His creativity and attention to detail is second to none. He knows how to engage readers and deliver messages in a clear, entertaining way.’
Woody Webster, Co-Founder of BYT Education Centres and TimeCruncher
''A Copywriter in a Cape''
‘Jamie Thomson is able to deliver both quality and quantity. When it came to populating a national careers site with 700+ career profiles offering genuine guidance to young people, he was a lifesaver. He’s a freelancer in a cape. Plotr.co.uk will be sure to shine the bat signal in his direction in future.’
Magda Knight, Online Editor at Plotr Careers
''Thoroughly Impressed''
‘For the past year, Jamie has been helping us develop video scripts as part of the My Trading Skills platform. We’ve been thoroughly impressed with his ability to take complex information and make it simple and easy to understand. He has really helped establish the tone of voice for our course materials. His attention to detail and commitment to delivering copy on time is second to none.’
Philip Konchar, My Trading Skills
Higher Education Copywriting Services I Provide
As a higher education copywriter, I’m able to write in a range of different styles from journalistic to academic. My education copywriting services include:
- Course content, overviews and summaries
- Promotional marketing material, including brochures, press releases etc.
- Video scripts for explainer videos or course content
- Website copy for your services and sales pages
- Prospectus writing, editing, and proofreading
- Technical white paper copywriting
I’ll ensure that your copy reflects your institution’s tone and style. I can help craft your key messages in a consistent way across all your marketing materials. I also offer SEO-focused content marketing, so if you’re looking to improve your search presence and rank higher for your course pages, I have you covered. I can provide SEO audits and technical recommendations as well as ongoing content marketing.
My copywriting services have been used by a range of clients in the education sector, including the University of Aberdeen, BYT Education Centres and InnoEnergy’s Master’s School.
Copywriting for Programme Pages and Prospectus Guides for The Australian National University
ANU required a copywriter to refresh the content on its College of Law programme pages. The new content had to reflect the University’s values and provide a better fit for its new dynamic tone of voice. The pages also had to incorporate on-page SEO to increase their visibility in search rankings.
2 Technical White Papers for the University of Glasgow
I was contacted by the Univeristy of Glasgow to write two white papers on two new technologies that the University had developed. As the technologies in question weren’t commercially available in other forms, I had to read a number of academic journals and research papers to familiarise myself with the products.
189 prospectus pages written for the University of Aberdeen + 6 printed booklets
I was asked by the University of Aberdeen to write and proofread the online prospectus copy for their Life Sciences and Medicine and Arts department. Some of the website copy was then used as the basis for 6 printed booklets for taught postgraduate courses.
170 Course Pages Written for Westminster Adult Education Service (WAES)
WAES required a flexible education copywriting partner that could improve the content on its course landing pages. Each course description had to have consistent messaging, a cohesive tone of voice, and use relevant brand language according to style guidelines.
92 Degree Programme Pages Edited, An Advertorial, and Corporate Flyer Written for InnoEnergy Europe
Working from a detailed copy deck, I proofread and edited more than 40,000 words of KIC’s Master Education programmes. The resulting edits were uploaded to their website and the copy is used as part of their online prospectus.
47 Course Modules Written for My Trading Skills Educational Platform
Over the course of one year, I worked with financial trading platform My Trading Skills. I was responsible for writing 47 voiceover scripts for the platform’s educational course content. The client was delighted with our work and the course is now live.
40 Career Profiles Written for Student Careers Website Plotr
I was asked by Plotr to create a series of career profiles to help young people in the UK make informed choices about their future career paths. Working from a copy deck, I wrote 40 detailed career profiles, which contributed to the 700+ profiles now on the Plotr website.
How I Work
Before I take on any new university copywriting project, I like to get to know the establishment first. I’ll arrange an initial meeting (by telephone, email, Skype, or face-to-face) to learn more about your needs and what you hope to achieve from working with me.
How Much Does a Higher Education Copywriter Cost?
I believe in being as up-front as possible when it comes to pricing. Myday rate is£500 and I provide a price per project, so you’ll know exactly how much the work will cost up front. Some of the factors that I consider when pricing for copywriting for universities include:
- How much content is required for the project
- The number of words required
- How much research is involved
- Whether tone of voice guidelines are required
- Whether on-page SEO should be considered
- How many revisions are needed
- The project deadline
To provide some context, here’s an overview of what I charge for different types of higher education copywriting:
Basic website copywriting package – 5 pages, e.g. Home page, About page, Service pages x3, including briefing session, research, ongoing correspondence, 3 rounds of revisions.
Cost: £2,500.
4-page brochure – Around 1,000 words including briefing session, all research, ongoing correspondence, 2 rounds of revisions.
Cost: £1,500.
Press release – Around 500 words, including initial briefing, ongoing correspondence, 2 rounds of revisions.
Cost: £500
White paper – Around 3,000 words including all research, gathering statistics, case studies, conducting interviews, revising and editing, 3 rounds of revisions.
Cost: £3,000.
Prices include all ongoing correspondence with the client, editing, proofreading and amendments.
Higher Education Copywriting Guides
How UK Universities Are Using Content Marketing to Recruit Students
Today’s digital-savvy teenagers spend 27 hours a week online, and universities need to be where their target audience is. The way that universities communicate with potential applicants is changing, and content marketing is playing an ever-increasing role.
Higher Education Content Strategy Ideas
With new research shining the spotlight on students’ perceptions of value for money, the need for UK universities to produce transparent, student-focused content has never been greater. A well-executed content strategy can help universities recruit students by publishing content that provides genuinely useful information.
Contact Me Today
If you’re looking for an experienced higher education copywriter, please get in touch.