Hiring a copywriter makes good sense. After all, your time is better spent doing what you do best, running your business. Over the past decade or so, I’ve seen people make the same mistakes over and over when they hire people in my profession. Whenever I take on a client, they come under my care, guidance and protection. I treat them like I would my own children, making sure they stay on the right path and steering them around roadblocks when I see them.
If you’re reading this blog, you fall under the same category.
I’d like to save you the headache and hassle of hiring the wrong person (not to mention the cost of having to start over with someone else.) So, here’s my advice for how to hire the right writer for your business.
Know the difference between a direct marketing copywriter and a content writer.
The word “copywriter” gets tossed around a lot these days, especially if you include “web copywriter” or “SEO copywriter.” Here’s the thing, though, when most people search online for a copywriter for $10 or $20, what they’re really looking for is a content writer.
A content writer generally works on short articles, blog posts, maybe even social media blurbs. They fill your website with content. These writers work quickly and their work isn’t meant to sell anything at all. It’s simply filler. If you’re lucky, it’s well-written, relevant filler that will lead a reader to explore your business further.
If you’re hiring a content writer, make sure you have a plan for the content. What is its purpose? How will it ultimately lead to increasing your bottom line? And don’t skimp on payment. Sure, you can get an article written for $10. But for $20, you get better writing, more words, and likely a more professional writer. $20 is still a bargain, and it’s worth the extra money to avoid missed deadlines, bad spelling and incoherent sentences. Poor grammar on your website makes you look bad. So, unless you’re an expert and can spot those dangling participles at 20 paces–just pay the extra cash.
Now, if you’re looking for copywriting that actually SELLS SOMETHING, you need to hire a direct marketing copywriter. Someone skilled in the craft of direct response style sales letters and advertisements. At first glance, these writers cost A LOT. After all, a halfway-decent sales letter will probably run you $5,000. And an excellent one can top $20,000. Why would anyone pay that kind of money for WORDS?
If your writer is worth anything at all, you’re getting a hell of a lot more than just words. You’re getting:
- In-depth market research
- Tested persuasion techniques
- Psychological and emotional response research
- Traffic consulting (including SEO and Pay-Per-Click campaigns)
- Conversion consulting
- Lead generation strategies
- Customer retention plans
- Useability consulting
- Design suggestions
- Ideas for integration between online, offline, social and mobile media campaigns
- And a whole lot more, depending on your business.
That’s why the top copywriters cost so much. Because you’re getting a whole marketing consulting firm rolled into one. Now, you may not be looking for marketing advice. After all, you just need to get the words written. But it’s still vitally important that your copywriter understands marketing and sales strategy. Because that means they’ve taken the time to learn where their writing fits in the grand scheme of things, and that means a much better effect on your bottom line.
So, how do you tell if a prospective writer is going to deliver more than just words? There are clues you can glean during your initial conversations–whether they’re email or on the phone.
Does the writer ask about things like traffic plans, overall marketing strategy, follow-up and target markets? Or are they only interested in looking at your product or service in isolation? If the entire conversation revolves around one product or service, there’s a good chance that writer is too narrowly focused. They might write a good sales letter, but have no idea how it fits into the overall sales process.
Hire the best fit, not the lowest price.
You can find freelance copywriters in any price range you like. But as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for. High-priced writers get that way because they consistently bring the desired results for their clients. That doesn’t mean every piece is going to be a winner (nobody’s perfect, after all.) But you’ll have far fewer duds than if you go bargain shopping.
Which reminds me, if any prospective copywriter says they “guarantee great results” — Run, don’t walk, to the next prospect. Guarantees are tricky things. They provide what’s called “risk relief” and get people to buy. But the truth is no writer can guarantee anything when it comes to what results you can expect from their work. There are simply too many variables involved.
The only way to know what works for sure is to test, test, test…oh, and then test again. When you’re raking in hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales, suddenly that $20,000 copywriter will seem like a bargain!
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