1. Understand Your Own Needs & Create Your Project Brief (Dan Stelter)
Hold your horses there, partner! Before you even go searching for a freelance copywriter, you have to know what the heck it is you want done. While professionals operate under the term “freelance copywriter” or “freelance writer,” what one does varies greatly from the other. So, before you approach a freelance copywriter, define your project as best you can at this point by identifying the following:
- The type of project (direct response copy, website copywriting, blog articles, press releases, white papers, social media content etc…)
- Project goal
- Audience
- Message you want to communicate
- Research necessary
- Approximate word count
- Deadline
- Budget
The more of this information you have, the better. You don’t need it all right away, and your freelance writer can help you identify finer answers to these questions later on. For now, however, this will be enough for you and your copywriter to get to know one another and see if it’s a possibility for you to work together.
2. Prepare a project brief (Marlene Oliveira)
Before you approach a potential writer, think through the details of your projects. What help do you require? Clarify the project in your own mind and be prepared to communicate the details including:
- Project type (e.g. web copy, speech, media release, annual report, direct mail, executive bios, etc.)
- Project goal/communications objective
- Audience
- Main message
- Research required
- Approximate word count
- Timelines and deadline
- Number of revisions and sign-offs
A formal brief is always very helpful, but for simpler writing projects, it’s just a matter of being prepared to answer questions about the details above. While you might want to fine-tune some of these details with the guidance of the writer you hire, being as clear as possible from the outset will help you to establish a good understanding with a copywriter whose work meets all of your expectations.
3. Find the Right Writing Specialist (Susan Green)
As in many professions, freelance copywriters often have specialties. Some excel at writing websites and sales brochures while others are experts at writing press releases and sales letters. Also some copywriters may have specialized expertise in writing for certain industries or type of businesses such as a manufacturing company versus a service provider. Another consideration should be the skill level required to complete your job. A veteran copywriting professional with a marketing background and proven experience in the type of writing you need will bring more value to the table but will also cost more.
4. Don’t Hire an SEO Pro (Laura Serino)
Hiring a solid copywriter with knowledge of SEO is better than hiring a self-professed SEO writer. You need someone that has SEO knowledge, yes, but that focuses on content and not on keywords.
The days of copywriters touting SEO expertise are over. In fact, they’re long dead. I’ll even go a step further and tell you not to worry about SEO at all when you hire a copywriter. If there are keywords that need to be included in certain product descriptions, then hand off a list of those keywords and tell your new writer to “keep them in mind”.
Nothing is an inspiration killer more than a long, strict set of words that a writer simply must adhere to. If you’re looking for awesome copy, don’t hog tie your writer with a long laundry list of SEO requirements. Apart from working in a single keyword phrase at some point, give them the creative freedom they need to produce incredible copy!
As far as your brand’s copy and strict SEO is concerned, it’s a breakup that was a long time coming.
5. Have a Conversation (Matt Brennan)
I love when I get the chance to talk with perspective clients ahead of time. It gives both of us a chance to cement the relationship, and make sure we have the right fit. When you are looking to hire a freelance copywriter, make sure that you find out a little about them. Here are a few questions you should consider asking.
- Do you have a website? This is a good one if you haven’t found any online marketing materials from the writer. They should be able to point you to something that gives more information about their past experience.
- Have you written in this industry before? This is a valid question, and I receive it a lot. I’ve been at this for almost 10 years, so frequently the answer is yes. But sometimes it’s not. However, I would say that it’s equally important to consider a freelance copywriter’s background. For instance, I am a former journalist. I learned as much as I could about a given topic on a daily basis, then turned around and wrote about it. That is a transferrable skill.
- Tell me about your background. This is open-ended and general. But for reasons I mentioned above, this is a good question.
These conversations can be a great way to get to know someone before doing business with them. They are the freelance copywriter version of a job interview. It’s a window into a potential relationship on both sides, before you make a commitment.
6. Filter your candidates (Raven Tools)
When you post a job, you’re likely to get a ton of resumes and inquiries. These filters help you narrow the field:
- Mistakes. Misspelled words or grammatical errors in the cover letter or writing samples.
- Style. A writing style wildly inconsistent with your needs.
- Lack of experience. Of course, if you are ready, willing and able to train a writer, this is not an issue.
- Poor follow-up. We look for writers who respond quickly and accurately.
- Lack of effort. If a candidate has taken the time to research our agency and speak to how his skills match up with our requirements, I’ll give him consideration. Interest, effort and enthusiasm count for a lot.
When we narrow the field to two or three candidates, we assign them a real project involving the type of content they would write if we hired them. In our case, it might be a blog post and a press release, or a set of PPC ads. (These items can be produced in a reasonably short amount of time; if you’re hiring someone to write a white paper, you will have to narrow the scope of the trial assignment.)
7. Get some samples, but don’t take them too seriously (Robert Warren)
By all means, make sure that you’ve personally verified that this person can write. Get some samples and ask the opinions of others before hiring. Meanwhile, though, don’t put too much weight on them. First, good samples are hard to come by; copy gets butchered in editing thanks to micromanaging clients (happens a lot), or the writer is unable to obtain a final printed sample (my batting average is about 15%), or for whatever reason the writer is unable to make samples available (confidentiality agreements, etc.). Most of all, though, an example of past work is the product of a particular time, place, client and market – without some sense of context, you have no way to accurately gauge the effectiveness of the copy. When you read a writer’s samples, try to get the backstory. Get some context before judging on appearances.
8. Have a price in mind…but don’t focus on it (Camilla Peffer)
There’s a common misconception amongst those unfamiliar with hiring freelancers: copywriters are interchangeable. And for that reason, people often end up focusing on price. Why hire a copywriter for $75 an hour when you can hire one for $10 on Elance? Because you get what you pay for, dummy! If you pay nothing, you will get next to nothing. Actually, you’ll likely end up losing money. Ouch. A good copywriter charges their worth. So while you should keep your marketing budget in mind, don’t put price first. Put value first.
9. Ask candidates to provide an accurate estimate of price and timeline for delivery (Craig Simpson)
Never give anyone a blank check. Before hiring a copywriter, you always want an estimate of how much it will cost and how long it will take. The copywriter may not know ahead of time exactly how much work something will require. But experienced copywriters should have a feel for how long it will take. Maybe they think it will take between 15 and 20 hours, so they give you a range of possible prices and delivery dates. At least you have an idea of the most it will cost and the most time it will take.
The best copywriters will be busy, with jobs backed up. They may have to finish some of those before getting to yours. If you need something right away, you may have to find another copywriter. Keep in mind, may of the best writers may need 3 to 6 weeks to complete a small project and 2 to 4 months for a larger project. I’ve found that most of the time, it’s worth the time to wait for the best writer to be available.
Some copywriters are efficient, easy to work with, and always meet their deadlines. Others may never meet a deadline. You won’t know what type you’re dealing with until you work with them (or get honest references from other clients). If you’re happy with a writer’s work, you may give more leeway in scheduling. But if the writer drives you crazy, find another one.
10. Conduct an exploration call (Mike Neidert)
If you do one thing after hiring a freelancer, do this: conduct an exploration call. This is something I now insist upon before starting work. While it may seem inflexible, especially when there are deadlines, having a conversation about the project is vital. This is the time to brainstorm, suggest ideas and listen to their expert guidance on what to do to make the project a success. It’s the ideal moment to mention those twenty-seven content ideas you have, establish the voice and style you’re looking for and help the copywriter understand all that you know about the project, from your ideal customer to the path to purchase or even the idea behind the project.
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