What to Look For When Hiring a Copywriter

Having a reliable copywriter on-call can be vital. If you don’t have that “go-to” person on your team, what usually happens is that a critical project rears its head and you’re stuck beating the bushes to find someone at the last minute.

Sometimes you’ll succeed and sometimes you won’t (and sometimes you will get stuck with the writing!).

Before you start looking

If you haven’t worked with copywriters in the past – or if you haven’t been delighted with the quality of their output – here are some tips on getting the best value for your copywriting dollar:

Know and tell.

Don’t take on a copywriter until you have a clear picture of what you need. Then create a detailed job description defining the parameters of your project and your expectations.

Everyone’s a specialist.

Professional copywriters – like lots of other professionals – frequently specialize. Some stand out as website writers, some excel at sales collateral, while still others are pros at writing technical handbooks or white papers. Look for someone with established skills in the type of writing you need.

When you’re selecting the writer and the specialty, don’t forget to consider your audience and media. For example, web copy is usually written in a friendly, conversational tone, while technical books use more high-level language.

Check the portfolio.

A writer worth his or her salt should have an online portfolio. Take a long, hard look at it and determine if the writer can handle work in a variety of styles and formats. Even if the copywriter is a specialist, each portfolio item should look or sound distinctly different, because you don’t want cookie-cutter copy.

How’d they do that?

Copywriters should be able to explain their processes to you – the way in which they gather information and develop the project. They also should take the time to research, using credible sources, which they should document. When appropriate, the writer knows how to identify experts and obtain interviews to get current, expert information.
Let’s talk about copywriting and your organization: Contact Allison today for a no-obligation phone or email consultation.

5 questions to ask any copywriter before you hire

Hiring a copywriter can be a great decision, especially if you find a writer that you really seem to mesh with. However, not all copywriters are created equal. If you aren’t careful you may end up hiring someone who isn’t quite up to snuff and who doesn’t provide you with the quality content that you want.

“What experience do you have?”
Sometimes, a new copywriter who’s just starting out will turn out some phenomenal work.

More often, a new copywriter will create copy that needs at least some additional work to make it serviceable. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t take a chance on new writers if they have samples that look solid, but at the very least it should be an informed decision if you do. Writers with experience are often a safer bet, since they have a larger body of work to prove their skill.

“How familiar are you with the topic?”
Many copywriters work largely in certain niches.

This is great if you need content that falls within that niche, since they have a large amount of expertise to draw from. If a copywriter has never written about the topics you need, though, they’ll have to do a lot more research and may lose that “expert” edge. Unless you have documentation and research materials available to help the writer bridge his or her knowledge gap, you’ll likely want someone with at least a passing familiarity with the topic at hand.

“Is your work CopyScape safe?”
Plagiarism is a big problem with written material, especially given how easy it is to access information on the Internet.

In a perfect world, we wouldn’t have to worry about the copywriters we hire grabbing content online and trying to pass it off as their own, but unfortunately it does happen. Suggesting that you may run content through CopyScape to check for plagiarism can help to ensure that everything you receive is original work. You should follow through on that as well, checking periodic pieces until you feel that you can trust the writer; it will not only catch outright plagiarism, but will also let you know if the writer is spinning content from elsewhere and just rewriting bits to make it look original.

“Do you have recommendations?”
A lot of people don’t think to ask for recommendations (aka testimonials or “happy client” stories) from copywriters, and that’s a shame. Recommendations can tell you a lot, especially in regard to the writer’s work ethic and how well he or she works with others. If a copywriter doesn’t have any recommendations, it might lead you to wonder whether past clients weren’t happy with some aspect of the work they received.

“Do you offer bulk pricing?”
While you shouldn’t necessarily start things off with a large project, it’s always nice to plan ahead.

If there’s a chance that your relationship with the copywriter might grow into a larger-scale project, it’s nice to know if you can catch a discount for larger amounts of work. This likely won’t be a dealbreaker, but if you have two similar candidates and only one offers bulk pricing then it may influence your final decision.

Asking questions can also help you get to know your copywriter, so don’t be afraid to ask even more that may come to mind. The writer’s willingness to answer may say as much about whether they’re the one for you as the answers they give.

Questions to answer on your side

Finding quality copywriters is no easy task. As with hiring any employee or contractor, be sure to get the facts first — from your prospective writer, as well as from the folks on your own end.

Consider these questions, and you’re sure to find a talented, hard-working and dependable writer with whom you can build a productive relationship.

• What exactly am I/are we looking for?
• What is our budget? Is it realistic in relation to our needs?
• How do we prefer to pay — by the hour, by the project, or on regular retainers?
• What payment schedule works best for us? For this writer?
• What kind of timelines and deadlines will we create for this writer? What is their turnaround time?
• Has this writer written in this medium? Has he or she covered our industry or client’s business before?
• Can this writer switch easily from web to print to video to audio to social media?
• How do we best communicate? How does this writer best communicate?
• Are in-person meetings a requirement or necessity?
• Does this writer have the bandwidth on his or her end for our workload?
• What does the writer’s price include? Revisions? Research? Social media interaction around the copy?

Tips for working with your copywriter

So get a great copywriter on board BEFORE you need one and follow these tips to guide you in working with the right copywriter:

• Don’t settle for part-timers and moonlighters. You wouldn’t go to a moonlighting doctor, would you?
• Ask for an information or media kit with specific facts about the writer’s background, services offered, fees, client list, samples, copies of articles and so on.
• Ask around. Creative directors at ad agencies, graphic designers, communication managers at local businesses and members of professional associations may know someone who’s perfect for your needs.
• Pay no mind to geography. It’s nice to work with local talent, but that shouldn’t rule your decision. Talented copywriters are all over the country. If you find a local pro, great. But put quality ahead of proximity.
• Follow your gut. Use your brain to evaluate the information and facts you collect, but pay attention to your instincts, too, to find someone you can work with comfortably.
• Treat a pro like a pro. Develop and maintain a good long-term relationship. True professionals are always busy and in demand, so they don’t have to put up with unprofessional behavior.
• Provide background material. You undoubtedly have marketing plans, reports and lots of other paperwork loaded with information. Gather it up and hand it over.
• Let your writer write. Once you work out the details, stand back and let your copywriter do what s/he does best. And never write by committee. It’s annoying and will lack the spirit and focus one good writer can pull off by working alone.
• Give specific and frequent feedback. Saying things like, “This section needs more wow” doesn’t help. If you’re unhappy about part of the copy, tell the writer exactly what you don’t like and how you want it revised. And when you like the copy, say it. Positive feedback feeds writers egos, tells them more about your likes and dislikes and helps you get better work in the future.

Having a professional copywriter on-call is essential. A pro’s prose will help sell your products and services and make your projects – and your life – a lot easier.

So take the time to find the right writer…today.

Allison Nazarian is president and chief copywriter of Allison Media Group, a Florida-based company that helps businesses nationwide harness the power of words to sell, inform and publicize. Contact Allison here for a free copywriting consultation.