You’re thinking of hiring a copywriter, but where the hell do you start?
Google is giving you plenty of options for people to hire, directories, agencies, and a lot of shAIte… but how do you know how to sift through it all to get the copywriter you need?
Okay, that was the last rhetorical question for this section, don’t worry. I’m just going to dive right into explaining how to go about hiring a copywriter, and if it’s something you actually need.
Do I need a copywriter for my business (or am I being scammed)?
Great question!
Before you go hiring a copywriter, you need to think about how your business is appearing everywhere.
That might be your website, a newsletter, a service or brand PDF, your LinkedIn profile, or even a company eBook or whitepaper. The common denominator here is that you have words about your business that you want to be great.
Regardless of the wide variety of copy and content writing out there, the fact of the matter is that most business owners aren’t just hiring a copywriter for the delivery of words.
It’s also to:
- Gain back time to focus on areas that need their immediate energy
- Know that their audience’s needs, aspirations, and pain points are being addressed
- Ensure that the action they want their audience to take (e.g., booking a discovery call) is going to tick away in the background without their 24/7 presence required
If you want the words that represent your business to be effective and drive the right actions, then yes. You probably need to think about hiring a copywriter.
But let’s dive into the reasons in-depth so you can be sure I’m not a scamming charlatan out to get your money!
Hiring a copywriter > writing about yourself
When you’re a business owner, you’re also, quite literally, the business.
The problem with this is that it can quickly feel like you’re on a stage with your trousers around your ankles in front of a live audience every time you have to speak about yourself and your business.
You’re also so close that you can’t see the forest for the trees – all of the micro-elements of your business that you’re juggling along with fifty other plates are demanding your time.
A copywriter is there to take all the important information, small and large, and weave it into an action-driving tapestry… not give you stage fright.
Sometimes a copy audit might be more suitable if you’re used to writing for your business. More often than not, business owners have neither the time nor the inclination to write for themselves.
And that’s fair!
You’re running this sh*t
Yep, running a business shouldn’t always feel like running a marathon.
But for a lot of business owners, there’s simply not enough time in the day to do everything that needs doing.
Writing your own copy pales in comparison to the delivery of your services, the refining of your products, client relationship-building, admin, and the other day-to-day.
You’re the boss, baby!
Which means that sometimes, outsourcing your work by hiring a copywriter means outsourcing a headache and time spent doing something you don’t enjoy.
Instead, you can focus on doing what you love (or at least, what feels more immediately necessary)!
You hate writing, whether it’s from a technical or a creative standpoint
Some of my clients love writing, but they hate having to make technical refinements. Whether it’s grammar, punctuation, or marketing-specific changes to optimise the copy (e.g., keep it all aligned to the same purpose, audience pain points, etc.)
Other clients despise writing because they don’t feel like they have the time and headspace to tap into their creativity.
Thus, writing becomes a massive and painful slog.
I get it! I spend more time writing for clients than for myself, and it’s because trying to balance the creative process with the need for technical accuracy can feel like pulling teeth.
That’s exactly why hiring a copywriter can be helpful, whether it’s for full website copy or just a sense-check audit.
You want things fresh and consistent
Nothing screams “as and when” approach like a tone of voice and overall approach to copy that differ across all your marketing channels.
It’s kind of like catfishing your audience, really. They see an amazing tone of voice on your LinkedIn and get in touch, only for your website to be drier than a granola bar dropped in a desert.
When you hire a copywriter, you’re getting expertise and insights into how to align your copy on all fronts (if needed).
If you’re worried that you always get great feedback when talking with clients about your business, but virtually no enquiries on your website, there’s a good chance there’s a dissonance between the two.
A copywriter will keep your approach fresh and consistent, rather than providing you with a ‘one and done’ piece of work.
At least they should, anyway!
When you shouldn’t try hiring a copywriter
You’ve read the above, and you’re thinking, “Meh, I’m not sure any of this matters to me”.
So, when should you accept that hiring a copywriter just isn’t right for you?
When you’re gripping onto your business like a monkey wearing grippy socks
Hey, I won’t judge.
Outsourcing stuff is a definite lesson in exactly how much control you’re willing to let go of. For some people, that’s plenty, and for others it’s nothing at all.
But the thing is, it’s infeasible to expect a copywriter to do anything for you if you’re not going to hand over the reins.
You need to be able to balance your own expertise with handing that, and control over the copy and project (with communication throughout, obvs), to your copywriter.
If that sounds like an absolute living nightmare, then it’s a no on hiring a copywriter.
Your business is still in its infancy
Now, this isn’t always the case, but businesses that are just starting are in a massive period of constant change.
Things like your service/product can change quickly, as can your audience, budget, and understanding of what it is you’re providing and for whom.
Of course, there are plenty of business owners with a relatively rock-solid idea of their entire business, top to bottom. But even then, there’s a good chance the scope of work will change, which means increased costs in the long-run for the business owner and a very unstable scope of work for the copywriter.
If you’re still super early days, it might be better to think about something like a Tone of Voice Guide to get all your future copy sounding the same and laser-focused, rather than website copy.
You’re not ready to set aside the budget
Yep, the ol’ money hush-hush, brush-under-the-rug topic.
Copywriters all charge differently. Some charge day rates, some charge per project, and there’s even the poor per-worders.
Full website copy, for example, is something I charge starting from £1,550 for a standard 5-page website. This accounts for the time it takes to research, write up, and make any edits or amendments after sending it over.
For people who want the guidance but don’t have the immediate budget for full website copy or a rewrite of any existing copy, a copy audit is always more cost-effective.
The point is that without an adequate budget, it’ll be a pointless endeavour to hire a copywriter instead of seeking more affordable options or waiting until you do have the funds.
Hey, wanna hire a website copywriter?
Well, I don’t just do websites, but it’s what I do the most and do best. But here’s the rundown:
Website copy: I’ve done copy for a range of B2B and B2C businesses, as I don’t have an industry niche (I just love writing stuff you’ll love and your audience will f*cking adore).
Copy audits: I do mini audits starting from £99 (think a single-page business PDF or a 500-700 word blog post), and full website copy audits starting from £650.
Tone of Voice Guide: Your branding and TOV guidelines, including your SWOT analysis, tone of voice dimensions, do’s and don’ts, and the other important stuff.
Other stuff: Blog posts, branding copy, full website copy combined with a tone of voice guide and additional support package, you name it.
You can take a look through my website to find out more, or drop me an enquiry here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Copywriters with specialised niches, consultancy tie-ins, and additional bolt-ons will generally charge more than your cut-and-dry copywriter.
ProCopywriters research gives £480 as the average day rate of a copywriter, for a benchmark, though project-based charging is most popular, so you can expect to pay upwards of £1,000 for website copy as a minimum.
You’ll get more time back, but more importantly, you’ll also get more of your desired marketing action – page clicks, downloads, sign-ups, call bookings, purchases – alongside the expertise to make your overall approach to copy more effective.
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