Want to Hire a Copywriter? Things You Need to Know
✨ Quick Links from this Episode
Copywriting Retainer Services therelevantcollective.com/retainer
Copywriting Portfolio therelevantcollective.com/portfolio
When you own a business, there is a lot to write, from emails to long-form content. So, when you finally decide to pass it off to an expert, what should you expect? And how do you know if it's a good fit? Even if you're not looking to hire right now, this blog will give you an idea of what to expect when you do decide to hire a copywriter and what to consider when adding someone to your team.
Why Should You Hire a Copywriter
The main reason you should hire a copywriter is to pass off the copy in your business to a person skilled in speaking to your audience, building trust with your audience, and leading your audience toward your paid offers.
Copy is more than just writing words. It’s nice to pass these tasks off and free up time in your business, but a good copywriter will do more than that. They will bring strategy and expertise to your copy, so you can move the needle in your business.
A lot of people will go to a VA first when looking to hire a copywriter because it’s affordable and a VA can handle various tasks across your business. There are pros and cons to this, depending on your stage in business. A VA isn’t going to have the same skillset and knowledge that an email copywriter does, for instance. They may need more direction, support, and corrections - whereas a copywriter can completely take over the project and will give you directions on how to best tackle the project.
What Do You Need Before You Hire a Copywriter?
Before you hire a copywriter, you need to have a clear understanding of your audience, have a solid layout of your offers, and know your brand voice.
Let’s talk more about each of these -
A Clear Understanding of Your Audience - You need to have a basic understanding of your audience's wants, needs, and desires. And of course, you should know who your audience is. You don’t need to know everything, a lot of email copywriters, myself included, will conduct market research to get to know your audience even better.
Have a Solid Layout of Your Offers - If your offer is brand-new or recently pivoted, make sure you have a clear grasp of the offer before you hire help. For example, you want to be clear on what the offer includes, who it’s for, the pricing, the benefits, and so on. If you can’t explain this to a copywriter, you won’t have the best results.
Know Your Brand Voice - You might not have thought about your brand voice before, but if you want to hire a copywriter who sounds like you, you need to be able to explain your voice. Most copywriters will have a system to help you explain and correctly identify your brand voice.
What Can You Reasonably Expect When You Hire a Copywriter?
You might wonder what you can expect from an email copywriter or any other copywriter, for that matter. It’s a good idea to have reasonable expectations, so you can correctly judge the outcome of the project and your satisfaction. Reasonable expectations don’t mean setting the bar low. Instead, it means not inflating expectations that are outside the scope of what a copywriter can deliver.
There are certain things that your copywriter shouldn't be expected to do unless it’s part of the package you have with them or something that they told you that they specialize in. Here are a few expectations to set before you hire a copywriter -
They aren’t growing your list for you. This is a really big misconception. I write a lot of welcome sequences (and I’m always happy to provide strategies for list growth), but I can’t grow someone’s list for them! List growth has a lot of factors involved. Are you promoting it? Running ads? Do people want your freebie? Your copywriter doesn’t have control over those factors.
They can’t make you money. (Hear me out!) Depending on the type of copy your copywriter is tackling for you, it should help you make money. For example, your launch copy should convert to buyers. But again, the copywriter can’t control if people do buy. Are your offers something your audience is looking for? Were there tech issues? Ultimately, the copy is a part of your marketing ecosystem. It SHOULD help you make sales, but it can’t guarantee sales. Make sense?
How to Decide Which Copywriter to Hire
Let’s say you’ve decided to hire an email copywriter. Maybe you’re deciding between a few people. How do you know which one is the right fit? Which email copywriter is going to jive well with you?
There are a couple of things you want to look at when you hire a copywriter -
Their Niche - A lot of copywriters tend to have a niche that they prefer to work in. It doesn't mean that they won't work outside of that, but that’s the people they tend to work with. For me, a lot of my clients are former or current teachers. They sell digital products, memberships/courses, or offer services. That’s my sweet spot!
Their Portfolio - A copywriter’s portfolio will give you an idea of their general writing style and their results. Copywriters can write in various voices and for various brands, but a lot of them have a particular style or preference. For example, I write best in casual, conversational language - like talking and joking with a friend.
Their Availability - Each copywriter will have a different level of availability and project style. Some projects stretch over weeks, while others work in VIP day style. You’ll want to make sure their timeline aligns with your ideal timeline.
Their Process - This goes along with their project style, but you’ll want to make sure how they work through the project fits with your vision. Some copywriters will want to be very hands-on and schedule weekly meetings. Others will collect information and scurry off to do the work - while you focus on your tasks (that’s more my style!).
The Payment Plan - When you get a project proposal, you should see some payment options or an outlined payment plan. If not, it doesn't hurt to ask! Most copywriters will ask for a deposit. Some require the rest of the payment before the project begins (that’s me!), and some will ask for it after the final draft.
The Revision Process - Almost all projects will include revisions. This is your chance to ask for changes and edits. If you don’t see this in your proposal, be sure to ask the copywriter how many revisions you can request.
What It’s Like to Hire a Copywriter
The last thing I want to chat about is the general process that you can expect when working with a copywriter. Obviously, this is going to be specific to me because I don't know what every other copywriter's process is, but I hope this gives you an idea of what to expect!
Step One: The Inquiry
Oftentimes, this is found on copywriters' websites. You'll submit a form saying that you're interested in working with that copywriter. After that, they should reach out and ask you to schedule a discovery call.
Step Two: The Discovery Call
I always have potential clients book discovery calls with me. These meetings are about 20 to 30-minute calls where I'll ask you about your business and the project. You’ll also get an opportunity to ask me questions!
Step Three: The Proposal
A couple of days after the call, you’ll get an official proposal. Sometimes this scares people because they think, “I'm about to sign my life away to this person!” But a proposal is just the beginning of the conversation. You can ask to adjust the project to fit your needs and walk into your project feeling comfortable.
Step Four: Sign the Contract and the Pay Invoice
Once the proposal is accepted, you'll sign the contract and pay the deposit to secure your spot. Expect to pay around 15% to 30% for a deposit. Personally, I require a 25% deposit. This deposit reserves that spot on the calendar for you.
Step Five: Onboarding
During this phase, you and the copywriter are doing the pre-work to ensure the project runs smoothly! You may have a call to discuss details about the project, and you likely need to fill out a questionnaire asking about your business, brand, offer(s), and so on.
Step Six: Writing
This is the fun part! This is when you officially pass all that information off to the copywriter you hired, and they take the writing off your plate. They’re going to use the information you provided, plus their own research, to craft the compelling copy that you need.
Step Seven: Revisions
You’ll get to see the first draft of your project. This is always exciting! You get a chance to request changes and revisions. For example, you might want to add, delete, or change aspects of the copy. Typically, copywriters will take 3-7 days to correct the copy once the revisions have been submitted.
Step Eight: Final Draft and Offboarding
Once you have the final draft, it's all yours to do whatever you want to do with it! Your copywriter will offboard you and send you some housekeeping information at the end of your project. They’ll likely ask for a testimonial too, and this is the best way to show your appreciation for their work!
Are you ready to hire a copywriter? Let’s see if we’d be a good fit! You can explore my website and portfolio by heading to my website. You can also submit an inquiry for a project, and we can jump on a discovery call to chat about your project idea.