What is B2B copywriting?

B2B is short for ‘business-to-business.’ In other words, it’s any company that sells to another company.

The opposite of B2B is B2C, which stands for ‘business-to-consumer.’ B2C companies sell directly to customers like you and me. Think Mcdonalds, Superdrug, and TESCO.

B2B is a very wide niche, so one day you could be writing for a tech company, and the next you could be writing for a haircare brand.

If it’s variety you like, B2B is where it’s at.

What are some examples of B2B companies?

Oooh, good question.

Some popular examples include Slack and Zoom.

Both are video-calling and messaging apps used by businesses to communicate with their teams.

The majority of B2B businesses fall into the ‘tech category.’ These businesses provide other businesses with software and tech that helps speed up processes.

But you can also find B2B businesses in industries like:

• Construction and engineering

• Beauty

• Finance

• Retail

• Healthcare

• Hospitality

As you can probably tell, there’s lots of variety in B2B.

You can write about beauty, tech, healthcare, and so much more - the only difference is that you'll be writing copy that speaks to other businesses, not consumers.

Take B2B beauty.

Instead of writing copy for customers of a makeup brand like MAC, a B2B copywriter would write copy for businesses that sell MAC in their stores or makeup artists who use MAC.

What kind of things do B2B copywriters do?

As a B2B copywriter, you’ll get exposed to lots of different types of copy.

While it will all depend on what your client/employer wants, B2B copywriting isn’t just limited to stuff like white books or research papers.

B2B copywriting can also include:

• Blogs

• Emails

• Newsletters

• Social media copy

• E-books

• Web copy

Customers and businesses are no different - they both want copy that speaks to their individual needs and desires.

And that’s another thing - B2B copywriting doesn’t have to be boring.

At the end of the day, B2B copywriters aren’t writing for a business with no feelings - they’re writing for the people in that business. Real humans with real feelings and emotions.

I’ve done a lot of B2B copywriting and the majority of it has been focused on ‘engaging’ the audience - writing up blog posts, emails, and social media copy.

Sure, there’ll be times when you have to write up ‘informative’ stuff that might be a little on the dry side - but for the most part, B2B copy has to be human and engaging. It’s just wrapped up in a slightly different way to B2C copywriting.

Examples of B2B copywriting

To give you a taste of what B2B copywriting looks like, here are a few of my own examples (just click on the image to read the copy).

And if you’re wondering why my name isn’t featured on any of these pieces, it’s because most B2B copywriters act as ‘ghostwriters.’

In other words, we write as someone else - not ourselves. That might be the business we’re working for or a person in that business.

And in fact, most copywriters operate like this - we rarely write as ourselves. We’re usually writing as the company that we’re employed by.

B2B blog examples

B2B email and newsletter examples

I also thought I’d throw this company into the mix - just to show you that B2B copywriting doesn't have to be dull.

They’re a marketing agency that specialise in helping other businesses stand out and ‘be different’ with copywriting, guerrilla marketing and personal branding services. And they're anything but boring!