So, we’ve established that you’re interested in hiring a copywriter.
But I’m willing to bet that you still have some questions going through your mind. I’m also willing to bet that my copywriting FAQ below will answer at least some of them.
These are some of the copywriting questions I hear most often.
What IS copywriting? (AKA Copywriting FAQ #1)
I could get very philosophical about this question, but let’s keep things simple for the time being. Copywriting, or “copy” to its friends, is a collection of words designed to convey a message.
Historically, it has had a close relationship with advertising and journalism. Newspaper copy and marketing copy are surely the two most well-known forms of copywriting.
Since the advent of the internet, however, terms like web copywriting and social media copywriting have become much more common…even though they’d have sounded like gibberish just a couple of decades ago.
What does a copywriter do?
If I had a nickel for every time I’d answered this question at a networking event, cocktail party or family dinner (“we go through this every week, Grandma!”) I could retire tomorrow.
I’ve written a little about what a copywriter does elsewhere on this site, but it hardly seems appropriate to pull that up at these events and say “here, read this.”
There are cynics out there who would say that the job of a copywriter is to convince people to buy things that they don’t need. But they’ve got it all wrong.
A good copywriter explains the benefits of a product or service to people, who may or may not already realise they want/need it, and show them how it will improve their lives.
To put it another way, I use words to help businesses make themselves impossible to ignore.
I need X, Y and Z. Could you help with that?
Almost certainly yes.
I specialise in writing for the web, guest/ghost blog posts and email marketing for startups and business owners. I’ve taken on a healthy mix of b2b copywriting and b2c projects in the past.
I’ve also worked on print advertising, technical writing, web banners, A/B testing and UX copywriting. Yep, I like to keep busy.
I’m used to my daily routine not being very…routine. One day I might be working with a brand to develop or hone a tone of voice that stands out from the way its competitors write.
The next I could involve delivering training to an in-house copywriting team. Some days it’s back to basics – making a big cup of tea and writing compelling content for a business owner.
Will you work on-site?
I usually work remotely, using apps like Basecamp, Slack and Trello to manage projects. However, I’m willing to travel for meetings and am always up for a bit of hotdesking if needed.
Although there (really) weren’t many advantages to coronavirus, copywriting clients are more prepared for remote work than ever. Maybe even more prepared than many of them realise.
How’s your availability look?
Immediate.
By that I don’t mean that I’m sitting by my laptop waiting for your email but that, if you’ve got freelance questions that just can’t wait, I’ll see what I can do to squeeze you in.
Why do I need a copywriter?
You might be asking yourself “should I do my own copywriting?” This is a question that a lot of copywriting FAQ pages omit, because it’s easy to see how it might harm the bottom line.
But honestly? The answer is maybe.
The advantages of a hiring a copywriter is that they can see your website or product through the eyes of potential customers. Because you’re so close to it, you probably can’t do that.
You have prior knowledge and expectations that create an inherent bias when you’re writing about it. If you don’t believe me, run your website through UserTesting and watch the results.
Aside from coming up with powerful, persuasive writing (yup, copywriters are part Jedi) to make your content as good as it can possibly be, a good copywriter will work to identify why your customers need you and figure out how to explain it to them
Plus, you’ll never have to deal with writers’ block again…
How much should a copywriter charge?
Depending on experience, a copywriter might charge anything from £200 to £500 a day. Possibly more if they work at an agency.
Always be wary of cheap copywriting. When a copywriter charges very little, it probably means one of three things:
- They’re inexperienced.
That isn’t a bad thing in and of itself, as there are tons of talented new copywriters out there. It does, however, mean that you might suffer if they’re not familiar with standard business practices. - They’re unconfident.
I sympathise massively with junior copywriters who are too meek to charge enough to live on. But there’s a risk that their lack of confidence will be reflected in what they write about you. - They haven’t figured out their business model yet.
Many, particularly new, copywriters don’t charge enough then have to take on more work than they should to make ends meet. The danger is that the resulting work is rushed and substandard.
It’s not a bad idea to sit down and figure out what your budget really is before you start approaching copywriters.
What’s the difference between a copywriter and a blogger?
This might be a copywriting question for another day, because I could literally write a book (or at least a blog post) on it.
However, here’s a very quick answer to tide you over. The purpose of a blog post and a piece of copywriting, let’s say a sales page, is typically very different.
A blog post is usually designed to demonstrate thought leadership and/or generate brand awareness. And, in most cases, bring some traffic to the site via SEO.
Copywriting, on the other hand, is more likely to be written with generating a sale or a trial account in mind. All while portraying the brand or company as reputable and trustworthy.
What are your rates?
Freelance copywriting rates are tricky beasts.
They’re rarely as simple as £X per hour/day, because a tightly crafted 600-word sales letter requires a lot more tweaking and research than, say, a blog post of the same length.
My fees are calculated on a project by project basis but £350 ($450ish) per day/£50 ($65ish) per hour is a decent ballpark figure if you want to get a rough idea of how much we’re talking about.
Once you let me know a little more about what you’re looking for, I can come up with a proper quote for the job.
Do you have any testimonials?
I sure do.
I have a couple of copywriting testimonials on my Contact page – one last signifier to prospective clients that I’m a dream to work with! – but I’m happy to provide more references on request.
How long will it take to write my copy?
How long is a piece of string? Ugh, sorry, I hate that expression. It’s true in this case, though, as delivery times will depend on how much work there is to be done.
What I can tell you is that it’s always best to build in some wiggle room to accommodate for the back and forth that inevitably goes along with a copywriting project.
However, hard deadlines that we’ve agreed on will NOT be missed.
Where are you located?
Once upon a time, my site was optimised to target terms relating to “London copywriter”. Then, for a while, I tried to get Google to anoint me as the Manchester content writing king.
Currently, I’m located in the north of England. But I have clients located all over the UK, USA and Canada. These days I position myself as a remote copywriter with plenty of capacity to travel.
Have you won any copywriting awards?
I haven’t. But, then again, I’ve never entered any.
I’m sure that a fancy little trophy – those D&AD pencils are particularly swish – would look great on my desk, but most awards charge participants hundreds of pounds just to enter.
And then there’s the cost of attending a ceremony to actually collect it. That means hotels, train tickets and, let’s be honest, probably a better fitting suit.
All of which sounds like a lot of fun but, honestly, I can think of better ways to invest a few hundred quid in my business. Hopefully you care more about generating sales than you do my trophy case!
What makes good copywriting?
I’ve written more about what constitutes good copywriting elsewhere, but I would argue that virtually all examples of great copy do at least one of the following:
First, it captures your attention.
Innocent Smoothies’ copywriting is the “go to” example of this for writers because, when they debuted their ultra-friendly tone of voice, it was unlike anything else on the market.
Second, it prompts you to think in a different way.
In an ideal world (for a copywriter), that might mean someone who hadn’t previously thought about purchasing an item saying hey, what that says makes a lot of sense. I think that could really help me out.
How do I go about hiring you?
You get in touch with me with some information about what you’re looking for. I’ll reply with a quote and any questions I have.
Once we’ve firmed everything up and set a delivery date, I get to work. Doesn’t get much more simple than that.
Well, that’s about it for my copywriting FAQ! That said, I sort of think of this page as a living, breathing entity.
I get copywriting questions, from how to hire a copywriter through to how much copywriters charge on an almost daily basis. When I come across a head-scratcher, I’ll often devote a bit of time to answering it and throw it up on this page.