How to Choose the Best Copywriter

If you’ve never hired a copywriter before or you’ve had negative experiences in the past, then you may be worried about hiring the right copywriter for the job. No one wants their time or money to be wasted which is why it’s important to think carefully about the sort of copywriter you’re looking for. 

Nowadays, anyone can write a few hundred words or so and call themselves a copywriter. This means finding the best copywriter for the job is no longer as simple as typing in “copywriter for hire.” It’s about sieving through the thousands of copywriters who produce poor copy and finding the select number who have the right experience and genuinely know their stuff. 

Have a Browse of Their website

Take a look at their portfolio, have a read of their blog, get a feel for their site and try and gauge whether they’ll be a good fit. Do you like their style of writing? Their tone? Their sense of humour? If you're hooked and persuaded by their writing, chances are they'll write you copy that hooks and persuades. If you find yourself browsing their site and thinking "Cor, I wish my writing sounded like this!", then again, you've probably found yourself a winner.

See Whether They Have a Niche

Some copywriters are far more adept at writing for specialist industries. These may be the type of copywriter to go for if you’re looking for detailed technical copywriting specifically for Law, IT, Finance, etc. Other copywriters may write for a broader range of industries. If you’re looking to build your brand or are a fresh, up-and-coming website looking for more outlandish, comical or creative ideas, a more conceptual copywriter is likely to be a better fit. 

You may also be looking for a copywriter with experience in writing for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), meta titles and SEO tags. Most copywriters will specify whether they can do this on their site. Generally speaking, a copywriter will highlight any specialist areas they are particularly competent in, but their website and portfolio alone should provide a clear idea. If you’re not sure, ask!

Chat with Them

Have a chat with them. You could get in touch online or over the phone or even face to face over a coffee if you’re local. Ask questions, get to know a bit about their experience and try and vibe how confident and enthusiastic they are about taking on your project. 

Copywriters are usually a friendly bunch and should want to get to know you and your business better so that they can work together with you to make sure your project is a success. 

Look at what they charge

Sadly in today's market, you don’t have to look far to find clients willing to exploit copywriters by offering to pay pittance or copywriters who are willing to sell their time and work for a lower price than it’s worth. Any professional copywriter (or client) knows this is unethical and completely unacceptable.

It’s understandable that price plays an important factor when deciding which copywriter to hire. However, this shouldn’t be your sole focus. 

A high-quality professional copywriter will usually have established a solid idea of his or her value and will be able to quote you fairly and accurately according to the project at hand. A cheap copywriter is unlikely to be the best copywriter for the job. This could be because they’re just starting out and are lacking experience in the role, or it could be because they haven’t developed a comprehensive understanding of the nuances of writing good copy.

Copywriting tends to be an industry in which you get what you pay for, and professional quality writing is worth every penny. 

Ask for their rates. Some copywriters work on an hourly, half day or day rate while some prefer to quote on a per project basis (quoted specific to the project). Many also offer special copywriting packages. Remember, exceptional copy is designed to generate sales, build and establish your brand and in turn help to increase the success of your business and make you more money.

Buy well, buy once. It’s much better to pay a few more pounds than risk not attaining the desired results.

Disclose All the Details Of the Project

After all, we’re copywriters, not mind-readers.

One way to ensure you get the best possible copywriter for the job is to provide your copywriter with a clear, comprehensive (although, not overwhelming) idea of who you are, your objectives and how you’re hoping to achieve them. This will give your copywriter a clear idea of what they are expected to and provide you with a concise, accurate brief of what they’re able to do for you.

The best copywriters like to get to know their clients and understand as much as possible so that they can make sure your project is a success. Furthermore, a good copywriter should always let you know if they don’t feel confident to complete your particular project.

Make Sure There’s a Written Agreement in Place

Before any work goes ahead, make sure your copywriter has drawn up a written agreement itemising all the copywriting services your copywriter will provide. This should spell out what the project entails, the copy your copywriter will provide, the turnaround time, copywriting rates and full payment terms. 

Make sure you have both signed this, and both have a copy. Most copywriters will provide this but if they don’t just ask. It’s important you read through this brief thoroughly and make sure you’re 100% satisfied and that everything you discussed is included. If in any doubt, ask your copywriter to clarify any details you’re unsure of. 

Having a written agreement in place protects both you and your copywriter. This helps make sure you’re both entirely clear on what the project entails and what is expected, smoothing out any potential misunderstandings. 

Provide All the Info They Need

Once a brief has been agreed, and a contract is in place, make sure your copywriter has all the info they need to get started. 

Be on hand to answer any questions and stay in touch with your copywriter throughout the project. A good copywriter is likely to keep in touch to keep you up to date with how your project is going, and you should expect to receive questions from them if they’re unclear about or want to double check something. Questions are a good thing. The best copywriters know that the more questions they ask and the clearer they are about the project at hand, the more likely it is they’ll produce just the sort of copy you’re craving.

Let Them Work Their Magic

While there’s no problem with staying in touch, providing additional information, or checking in with how the work’s going from time to time, make sure you let your copywriter get on with the job.

Don’t change the job specification, or try and add additional tasks (without expecting to pay the extra). Don’t hassle your copywriter or expect them to turn around the work sooner than agreed. 

The best copywriters know what they’re doing and like to be left to do it properly. If they have any questions, they won’t be afraid to ask. 

Be open to advice

Experienced copywriters have an excellent idea of what works and what doesn’t when it comes to business copy. A good copywriter will often consider it part of their duty to say if they don’t think an idea will work or if they’re confident something else will work better. After all, copywriters do this job all day and are likely to have worked with many similar clients and businesses. We know what we’re doing, and we have a good idea of what will work. 

If your copywriter has any suggestions or even thinks you’re way off the mark in your approach, try not to take their comments offensively. A good copywriter will want to work with you to make sure they not only complete your project but that the copy works and that they obtain your objectives. No copywriter is going to disagree just for the sake of opposing.

Don’t Go Cold on Them

You may wonder how this relates to choosing the best copywriter. Stay with me.

While a professional copywriter won’t (or at least shouldn’t) behave with any bias toward particular clients, making sure you’re easy to reach and settle payment promptly will help keep your copywriter sweet, happy to work with you and more likely to go above and beyond when it comes to any future projects. 

Just because we’re a “freelancer” doesn’t mean we deserve to be treated any differently to a respected employee or client. Ghosting is no fun for anyone.

If you act shifty, take a long time to reply or behave disrespectfully in any way, this won’t make for a happy copywriter. Time is valuable, and no one wants to worry that they’re wasting it. While they’ll still provide the work as agreed, they’re likely to associate it in a more negative light and are far less likely to want to work with you again. This works both ways. Your copywriter shouldn’t behave in this way either. If your copywriter is not responsive or fails to complete the job on time without any credible reason for the delay, then I’d hazard a guess they’re not the best copywriter for the job.

If you have any concerns about the work or would like some revisions made, tell them. While these may come at a small additional charge, any decent copywriter should be willing to work with you until you are thrilled with the finished piece.

Get in touch: roxy@copyrox.com