8 tips to choose a copywriter

Professional copywriting is an investment, just like having a sales team, a shopfront, going to trade expos, your copy is doing a job. At the end of the day good copy equals more sales, so get someone who knows how to write to write it for you. Unless you happen to be a mechanic, would you service your own car? No.

Yes, we can all string a sentence together, but does that make us all good writers? Hmm not really.

A good copywriter will write you engaging content that gets to the heart of the problem. It will draw in customers in an intelligent and approachable way.

Choosing a copywriter for your business

So, you're on the hunt for a copywriter that's right for you. Here are 8 top tips to make the process simple:

 1. Checkout their website

Have a look at their site and see what services they offer, does it fit what you’re looking for? Do you like their writing style? Do they feel like they’d be easy to work with? You don’t want someone that’s going to add to your workload or stress. 

2. Samples

Are there samples of work on their site? Read the copy and see if it’s engaging, persuasive, has a call to action. Does it just talk about the company – blah blah blah or is it customer focussed? Remember you’re only looking at the words, the copywriter often has no say on the structure and design of the website, brochure, newsletter (sad sigh).

3.Testimonials

OK no one’s going to post a bad testimonial, but client comments can still give you an insight into why they liked working with them. Whether they’re great at delivering on time, have quick turnarounds, intense eye for detail, approachable, friendly, professional etc etc.

4. Blog

Does the copywriter have a blog? Checkout what articles they’ve written, it’ll give you another layer on what they do and how they work. 

5. Have a chat

Old school I know but pick up the phone and have a chat. Find out if you get on, do they understand your problem and can they provide the solution? You’re looking for someone to work with who is going to represent your business, so interview them. They will be part of the team, short or long term.

6. Rates

Rates vary depending on experience and location, you should expect to pay from $100-$250 per hour. This will depend on type of work and technical expertise.

7. The Brief

Ah the all-important brief, you cannot have too much detail in this document. It should tell you everything about who is doing what, where and when.

Your copywriter will likely have a briefing document for you to fill in, if not you’ll need to put together your brief. Outline what the project or ongoing work is, who is doing what, the deadline for stages of the work and how it is to be delivered. You would normally only get to this stage once you have chosen a copywriter. So ask them what their process is and if they have no briefing criteria, stay clear.  

8. Delegate

Yes, it can be hard to let go, now you have a pro on the team you have to give them space to work. While you build up your trust you will need a check in system and most copywriters actively encourage feedback through the early stages. They don’t want to waste time on copy that’s going in the wrong direction.

If you’re planning to invest in a great whizz bang website that looks amazing, make sure your copy doesn’t let you down. You’ve got to get the communication right to convert your website visitor to engage and buy from you. After all, this is a business, right?

So get a professional copywriter to turn your words and ideas into copy that creates sales.

I’m always happy to have a chat to help advise, drop me a line at moyra@moywordswork.com.

Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash