3 things you need to know about hiring a copywriter

“Why should we hire copywriters?” is one of the most frequent questions we get asked here at Luminate. (So frequent that we started a previous blog post on why hire professional copywriters with the same sentence.) We said it then, and we’ll say it again, the simple answer is you don’t have to. There’s nothing stopping anyone from developing their own content strategy and writing their own copy. 

However, if you decide that doing all that isn’t for you, then you need a professional copywriter. A common misconception, though, is that working with a copywriter means you can walk away from a project and it will turn up on your desk, complete and exactly the way you envisioned it. While that sounds great, in order for the final product to turn out the way you want (or even better), some time and effort is still required on your part. 

Here’s some advice to help the process, and your relationship with your copywriter, move along smoothly.

1) Know what you want written and understand what you want it to accomplish. You don’t need to know exactly what the final product will look like before working with a copywriter (at least not with our copywriters!) but you do need to have a basic roadmap of where you want to go. Are we writing a website, a brochure, blogs, or a white paper? And, most importantly, who are we writing for? Your target audience may change from piece to piece and we need to know specifically, who will be reading the final product and what you want them to do with that information.

2) Have a realistic schedule. Good writing takes time. Rushed work is usually more expensive and, even with the higher rate, of lesser quality than writing crafted on a realistic schedule. Depending on the length of your project, most writers need a couple of weeks to develop your copy; the first draft you see is not your copywriter’s first draft—they spent time letting the ideas simmer, and refining their thoughts to convey the key points and benefits. 

3) Be available for the briefing and revision process. Before starting a project, some copywriters will ask you to complete a written questionnaire, others prefer to take the time to complete a brief by phone or video (here at Luminate, we do both depending on the breadth and depth of the project). Then, you’ll need to provide any background information or other resources your writer may need. It also helps to be available by phone or email should any questions arise during the writing process. Finally, when a draft is submitted, make the time to review it in a timely manner and send back revisions. And, be clear with your edits—if there’s something you don’t like, explain why you don’t like it. This will give your copywriter better insight into what you’d like to see.

And here’s one more piece of advice. If you know you’re going to have an ongoing need for copywriting that truly connects with your audience, take the time to develop a relationship with one writer. (Here at Luminate, we strive to always assign the same writer to a returning client.) They will develop a familiarity with your style and tone, creating a consistent message time and time again.