By Holland Webb, @WebbJohnpaul

American Christians have an annual purchasing power of $5.1 trillion.

That dumbfounds me, you guys. It’s like the national debt sometime in the Clinton administration.

Most Christians shell out money on the same basic expenses our neighbors do – food, mortgages, bills – but we spend other dollars differently.

We buy Christian books, download Christian music, take Christian trips, attend Christian schools, and give to Christian missions. We may also shop at Christian-owned businesses such as Hobby Lobby or Chick-Fil-A.

What can the size and scope of the Christian industry mean for you as a writer?

All those ministries and products need marketing, which means Christian organizations hire copywriters like you and me. If writing to raise dollars for mission agencies sounds like your thing, let’s get you started.

What are the fundamentals of copywriting?

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO is the process by which a website gets traffic through a search engine. Unlike paid ads, SEO is free. Large companies design their page’s architecture and determine their keywords to maximize their SEO benefits. As a writer, you get to weave those keywords into well-researched, interesting, reader-centered text that fits into the architecture.

If you are working for a small organization that has no SEO expert on staff, you’ll be doing your own keyword research. For that, I recommend using the free version of Moz. Click on “keyword explorer,” and type your topic into the search engine bar. You’ll find the top ten articles on that subject plus reams of keywords with the number of monthly searches for each. Select some of the best performing keywords to incorporate into your piece. Use the articles in your research. Let the data guide your article’s structure.

• Storytelling prowess

Donald Miller, CEO of Storyline and New York Times bestselling author, says, “Telling a good story is the key to being understood.” Copywriting is corporate storytelling. All those elements of fiction writing you learned from the bestselling, award-winning novelists who teach at Blue Ridge? Put ‘em to work raising money. Character. Setting. Plot. Theme. Conflict. These all play a role in copywriting.

If you write fundraising pieces for a Christian organization, storytelling is critical to your success. These organizations want to tell stories of the families they’ve helped or the donors whose lives have been changed by giving. Almost all fundraising pieces contain stories. Learn to tell them well.

• Research skills

Content that turns readers into givers must be both inspiring and credible. Let the stories inspire the readers, and support those narratives with credible research. Make sure your sources are legitimate ones. In general, sites that end in .org, .edu, or .gov are more credible than .com sources. Avoid .net sites altogether.

Verify any data you use from at least three separate sources. If you conduct interviews as part of your research, be sure to independently substantiate any facts your interviewee shares with you. For more tips on research, take a look at my interview on Genre Chat.

What’s special about copywriting for the Christian market?

• Write fundraising materials

Christian ministries need money to carry out their missions. Many of them acquire that money by asking people like you and me to give. If you’re like most Christians, you give to one or two (or five) organizations whose work captures your heart. In most cases, those organizations send you emails, letters, newsletters, and Facebook posts to keep connected with you. Someone writes these pieces.

Some organizational communication pieces are informational, but others are explicit appeals for money. If you write those appeals, be direct in asking for support. Donors fund clear and urgent requests. They don’t give when your piece sounds like giving doesn’t matter much or can wait until some later time.

• Steward donors

Not all pieces are direct appeals for money. Some inform the donor and keep her connected to the organization’s mission. For these pieces, you want to tell stories typical of the organization’s work but that have some unique slant. For instance, a former client of mine provided services to people with disabilities in the world’s poorest countries. We told one story of an entire family of six people who had lost their sight due to cataracts. Cataract surgery was a typical intervention for this organization, but this story had a novel twist to it that captured reader interest.

• Use testimonies and Bible verses

Your material should not sound like a sermon, women’s ministry presentation, or Sunday School pamphlet. Don’t overdo the spiritual component, or you may come off sounding like Elmer Gantry – the fictional preacher who milked his hearers for money. That said, don’t underdo it either. A well-placed Bible verse, biblical story, or line from a hymn can create a powerful connection between your client’s mission and the work of Jesus on earth.

How can I get my first client?

Start with the people you know. How long has it been since your church updated their website? What about local ministries in your area? Small denominations may have missionaries who could use a hand writing up their appeals. Once you have some clips, pitch larger ministries or find a digital marketing firm that specializes in faith based organizations.

As a copywriter, you can help Christian organizations fulfil their missions and mandates by keeping them in touch with their supporters. It’s a great way to use your writing to support the work of God’s kingdom and to earn some money for your family.

Holland Webb is a full-time freelance copywriter and digital marketing strategist living near Greenville, SC. His clients are leaders in the online retail, higher education, and faith-based sectors. Holland has written for brands such as U.S. News & World Report, iLendX, Radisson, Country Inn & Suites, MediaFusion, Modkat, Great Bay Home, IMPACT Water, and BioNetwork. He is a featured writer on Compose.ly, and his monthly copywriting column appears on Almost An Author. You can reach him at www.hollandwebb.com or at hollandlylewebb@gmail.com.