Your business needs good copywriting.

Attention spans are short and people are being bombarded with more information than ever. Your sales materials need to stand out from the crowd - and the best way to do it is through your copy.

What is copywriting?

Copy is anything written with the goal of selling something or having readers take some form of action. Think of sales emails, websites, ads, and other promotional materials. If it has a call-to-action, it’s copy.

Why should I hire a copywriter?

While writing something that sounds nice can be simple, writing something that leads to sales is an art of its own. You’re competing with other companies and other forms of media for your audience’s precious attention. Users read only about 20% of the text on any given page, so ensuring that every word you use sells your services and convinces customers to take action is vital and far from easy.

You also have to keep your audience’s wants and needs in mind. Once you have their attention, what will make them want to buy? Is it humor? Emotion? Utility? Understanding what makes your audience tick will determine whether your copy keeps them reading or not.

Copywriters are trained to do all of this and more. They know how to write copy that resonates with your audience, and iterate until it gets you sales.

Here are some other reasons to consider hiring a copywriter:

• Save yourself time. Especially if your business has a lot of copy, writing it all yourself is a huge time sink. A good copywriter can not only write high-performing copy, but can also do it quicker. This frees you up to do other important tasks for your company.
• Get an outside view on your work. Business owners can be too close to their subject, making it hard to step outside and understand how lay people see it. A copywriter can bring a fresh set of eyes to your business.
• Keep up with changes in technology and culture. Because copywriters focus on content creation for a living, they stay up-to-date on new developments in their industry. From SEO to new marketing methods, you won’t have to worry about your copy not keeping up with these changes.

Types of Copywriting

Many forms of content fall under the copywriting umbrella, so here are just a few you might consider:

• Email copywriting
• LinkedIn outreach
• Website copy
• Pitch decks

Email Copywriting

Most people get dozens of emails in their inbox each day. Writing emails that people not only open but act upon is crucial for successful email marketing. Email copywriters will ensure that your subject line catches your audience’s attention and that the content inside is compelling enough to get them to buy, register, or read more - whatever it is you want your customers to do.

Email marketing is best used as a way of keeping your company top-of-mind. Offering customers valuable information is more likely to keep them subscribed than constantly pushing for sales.

LinkedIn Outreach

In the B2B space, LinkedIn is king. But posting content and hoping that prospects come to you isn’t enough (though a good LinkedIn content strategy is important). You need to combine your posts with active outreach. A LinkedIn outreach copywriter can craft messages to potential prospects that are engaging and authentic, encouraging them to connect with you and continue the conversation. This is a great way to book initial sales calls and build relationships with your prospects.

Because LinkedIn is a business platform, LinkedIn outreach is ideal for B2B companies.

Website Copy

Your website is the primary landing place for potential prospects. With just a quick glance at your website, potential prospects should be able to understand what you do and how it can help them. Distilling what you do into pithy website copy is key to connecting with new potential customers. In short, you need compelling website copy.

Website copy also needs to be search engine optimized (SEO). This means that when someone searches for your company or industry on Google, your website shows up at the top. Writing copy that ranks well in Google is a skill of its own, and your website won’t succeed without it.

Pitch Decks

A pitch deck is a presentation that explains your business plan to potential investors, customers, or other stakeholders. Because these are often presented live in a meeting, each slide must be simple and digestible, while still packing in all the information your audience needs.

Well-written pitch decks are especially important for companies seeking funding.

What To Look For In A Good Copywriter

Copywriters vary in skill, price, and area of expertise, so choosing the right copywriter is a balancing act between many different factors.

Price

While some copywriters will work for minimum wage or less, expect to pay at least $50 an hour for quality copy by a less experienced copywriter. On the high end, top-tier copywriters can command rates of $200 an hour or more. Most copywriters you encounter will likely fall somewhere in between.

Although charging more doesn’t necessarily indicate a higher quality of copy, remember that you generally get what you pay for. If you want a more experienced writer, especially one with heavy experience in your industry, be prepared to pay more per hour for their work.

Experience

Plenty of copywriters can deliver good work in many industries, but companies operating in more technical industries can benefit from working with a copywriter who already has experience in their industry. Most established writers can provide samples of previous work for you to evaluate. If they can’t, or if you want another way to check their work, you can offer them a small paid test engagement before hiring them for a larger project

Style

Every company has its own culture and brand. An over-the-top humorous style of copy may work well for a B2C startup, but might not fit a highly technical B2B brand. Make sure that the copywriter you hire writes in a style that fits your company’s image.

References

Even if you like your copywriter’s output, you might not enjoy working with them. Before you agree to a large contract, ask if you can speak to former or current clients to get a sense of how the copywriter works. Do they meet deadlines? How do they handle feedback? This can help you to get a sense of their personality, work style, and anything else that might affect your working relationship.

Where to Find Copywriters

Plenty of websites can help you connect with a good copywriter, but here are some of the most popular ones:

Upwork

Upwork is an international freelancing platform for creatives of all kinds, including writers, designers, and translators. You can post your job and let freelancers submit quotes for it, or look through lists of writers filtered by skill level, experience, niche, etc.

LinkedIn

The #1 business social network, LinkedIn is popular with B2B brands and individuals looking for new work. You can either post a job opportunity on the site, or search for copywriters in your niche and see if any profiles stand out. Because it’s a social network, posting about a potential copywriting opportunity will likely lead to shares and tags from people you know, making it easier to spread the word.

Word-of-mouth

Nothing beats a verified recommendation from someone you trust. Whether you post on Facebook or send an email to your peers, knowing that the person you’re hiring has someone else’s approval can be reassuring.

Hiring a copywriter can help you close sales without wasting your time and energy. But as any business owner knows, the hiring process can be exhausting. If you’re ready to get fresh copy on your website or improve your email marketing game, schedule a call with me. I’d love to chat about how I can take copywriting off of your hands so you can do what you do best.