You don’t get a manual when you hire a copywriter…here’s the next best thing.
So, you’ve never worked with a copywriter before. In fact, you just learned what a copywriter is, and it perked up your ears.
“Take away all of that stress of writing my own sales page/email newsletter/website copy/social media posts/fill-in-the-copy-blank-here? Yes, please! Where do I sign?”
Whether you’ve always known what a copywriter is or you just found out, I hear a lot of the same questions from potential clients who want to hire a copywriter and aren’t sure where to start. You should never feel bad asking your questions, but I know it can still be a bit awkward, so I’m answering the most common questions here for you.
Save this to refer to when you’re ready to hire a copywriter!
What do you do, anyway?
It may come as no surprise that the number one Q I field is, “What exactly does a copywriter do?”
If you felt judged in my intro because you still have no clue what a copywriter is all about, let’s get this one out of the way, first.
A copywriter is someone who uses words that persuade your audience to take action. In other words, a copywriter is someone who writes to SELL.
The actions we get your audience to take can be nuanced, like:
- Book a call
- Sign up for this webinar
- Get a free consultation now
- Give me your email in exchange for the results from this cool quiz
… you get the idea.
Just as often, the action we get your audience to take is as direct as “Buy Now.”
The bottom line? A copywriter is different from other writers because our main goal is to elicit a direct response–an action–from your reader.
So you write ads?
The next most common question I get asked is, “What kind of things does a copywriter write?” And let me tell you, that list is ex-ten-sive. In the interest of time, let’s keep it relatively simple.
Here’s a (non-exhaustive) list of some different types of “copy” you can hire a copywriter for:
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- Ad copy (Yes! We do write ads.)
- Lead generation copy (Think: landing pages)
- Website copy (You know– your homepage, about page, services page, etc.)
- Email marketing campaigns (Everything from sales sequences to regular newsletters)
- Launch copy (Like sales pages, email sequences, thank you pages, one-time offer pages, etc.)
- Social media copy (You can actually hire a copywriter, like me, to eliminate the stress of guessing what to post on your fav platform. Sounds alright, doesn’t it?)
The list goes on…and on. When we get to things like blog posts, we start splitting hairs between copywriting and content writing, but that’s an argument for a different article.
Is it…complicated?
Naturally, most people want to know, “How does it work?” when considering hiring someone new.
Since I can’t say how every copywriter handles their process, I’ll share mine with you and attest that many copywriters do something similar.
The process, in a nutshell:
- You get in touch, and I ask a few questions about the services you’re searching for and your business goals to verify that it makes sense for us to chat more.
- We book a discovery call or “chemistry call,” if you like. Basically, we do a vibe check on each other and ensure your needs and my skills align.
- If we decide to move forward, I prepare a customized proposal for you with different options for great outcomes from your investment.
- You choose the best package for YOU; we sign an agreement, get the deposit taken care of, and start the fun—strategizing to get you the most bang for your buck.
And that’s it.
Once we kick off, I take over and send regular updates to keep you in the loop and make sure we stay on the right track.
Hiring a copywriter is expensive, isn’t it?
This is the natural reaction to someone using the word investment, isn’t it? I swear I don’t use that word to make it sound more intimidating, so let’s address the elephant in the room: “How much does it cost to work with you?”
This is a tough one to answer. I’ve worked on many different projects, and there have never been two that are identical in scope and depth, which is why a lot of copywriters price on an individual project basis only.
My personal opinion is that there are a lot of commonalities, which makes it possible for me to list starting costs. (You can check those out in black and white, right here on my services page.)
Just remember—every writer is unique in their abilities and expertise, and one writer’s prices likely won’t reflect another’s unless you find two who are VERY similarly matched in skills, portfolio, experience, and so on.
Keep all this in mind when shopping for a copywriter, and remember that cheapest rarely equals best when it comes to hitting specific outcomes/business goals.
This will take forever, won’t it?
It’s funny how long we can go without something, but it feels urgent the minute we decide to do it now.
It often happens with copy and leads to this concern: “How long will this take?”
Unfortunately, this is a classic “it depends” situation.
Some factors that affect your copy timeline include:
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- How long you take to choose an option from the written proposal
- How quickly you sign the agreement and take care of the deposit invoice
- How much time and effort you put into loading your strategy doc with content-strengthening detail
- How quickly you get necessary materials and information to your writer
- Your availability for the kick-off/strategy call
- Your response time to feedback submissions
I’ve yet to run into a true “copy emergency,” so keep in mind, if you approach a copywriter with an impossibly tight deadline, be prepared to work with a less experienced writer.
Barring last-minute cancellations in their schedule, most seasoned writers have at least a couple of weeks lead time to contend with.
If your writer of choice has last-minute space in their schedule, don’t be shocked if you’re charged a rush fee for the writer to abandon their plans. To make your copy project top priority, they may need to move things around, book extra childcare, delay other projects, give up their weekend(s) and evenings, etc.
The best thing you can do to speed up your copy timeline? Give yourself plenty of space (avoid those last-minute “launch emergencies”) and get all the materials to us as quickly as possible.
Not quite ready to hire a copywriter?
If you read through this whole thing–thank you! And if you’re still sitting here, asking yourself, “But what about…?” First, I’m sorry I missed your question. Please go ahead and drop your Q in the comment section.
Feeling shy? I’m always happy to hear from you and answer your copywriting question privately if you get in touch here.
