Copywriters are experts in written communication. On your website they know how to engage and hold your readers' attention. Within a sales campaign they know how to convince a potential customer to buy. So if you want your marketing to work hard, you should consider employing a professional.
7 steps on how to find and brief a good copywriter:
- Be clear about what you want - content marketing or direct response selling
Before you start thinking about hiring a writer, decide what you want them to write. Most copywriters have a broad experience but usually specialise in either content marketing or direct response selling using emails, ads, video scripts or direct mail.
- Decide if this is a single project or the first of many
If your project is likely to be something that might come up again in a few months or might turn into a series of projects, you may find it more efficient to keep your freelance writer on retainer.
- Find a professional
- Ideally use a recommendation. If you can’t, then search online and use a directory. As you don’t necessarily need to meet up with your copywriter, you can choose someone from anywhere in the country. Put quality and results ahead of proximity.
- Have a look at their website. Do they have experience of writing for the financial services industry? How good are they at selling themselves?
- Don’t expect them to be an expert in ROI, conversion rates and A/B testing. Copywriters write, and will expect you to manage the strategy and analytics.
- Pay attention to your gut instinct. It's important to find someone that you can work with comfortably. That means having a writing style and personality that you like and is consistent with your brand.
- For content marketing they don’t need to be an ‘SEO professional’
Hiring a good copywriter with knowledge of SEO is better than hiring a self-professed SEO expert. You need someone that has SEO knowledge, of course, but someone who focuses on producing quality content written for your customers, rather than someone just packing content with keywords.
- Give them a strong brief
Good copy begins with a solid foundation. Write a strong brief (you can use this this template) and spend a bit of time getting it right. Your copywriter will use this as a guide to understand what is required, so be as clear as possible on your expectations.
- Discuss fees up front
Get a written estimate in advance. Agree whether you’ll pay an hourly or daily rate, or a one-off fee for the whole job. A copywriter’s fee reflects their level of experience. Typically, on average you might expect to pay over £300 per day for a good copywriter.
- Finally choose someone who asks lots of questions
The best copywriters know that you’re the best source of information on the subject. They’ll use questions to understand your goals, your strategy, your business, your customers, their needs and what has (and hasn’t) worked well in the past.
To conclude, copywriters specialise in bringing out the best of your brand in a way that resonates with your audience. They can also bring in industry techniques such as SEO that can create additional traffic to your website. It pays to have a good copywriter.