Photo by paintMonkey
The term “copywriter” is a pretty broad one, and covers a lot of different areas. One copywriter can solely write direct mail, while another can do online sales letters, press releases, auto-responder copy, or a combination of all 3.
Even if you know the type of sales material you want your copywriter to come up with, the lines can even be fuzzy from there.
In this article, we’re going to discuss some things you should expect any time you hire a copywriter. If your writer isn’t doing these things, there is a problem.
#1: Your copywriter should always do due diligence.
Any copywriter that wants to do a good job is going to need to do research. This may be in the form of giving you a questionnaire, interviewing you on the phone, or a combination of both.
A good copywriter knows that there’s no such thing as too much communication in the beginning.
Extra-prudent copywriters will also interview your past clients, research websites in your chosen niche, or read books about your niche.
The more they have to work with, the better the draft will be.
Speaking of drafts…
#2: You should always get a draft.
Your copywriter should give you a draft of whatever sales material they come up with. While most copywriters don’t allow for unlimited edits, you should have the opportunity to look over the sales material at least once. When you’re done looking through it, you can give any feedback necessary (including points you want made, points you don’t feel comfortable with, and so forth).
#3: The material should be written to your audience.
The copy that your writer comes up with should be emotionally engaging to your readers. It should speak in the “voice” of your average customer, and it should use the terminology and phrasing your customers use. This is absolutely imperative, as relating to the customers will mean everything in making sales.
#4: Your copy should be (at least mostly) grammatically correct.
Many of the world’s top copywriters say it’s important to write as if you’re writing to someone with limited language skills. This is not to insult anybody but to make sure that the writing is short, choppy, and easy to read through. The easier the copy is to read, the more people will read it.
That being said, you still shouldn’t be presented with copy that’s riddled with spelling and grammatical errors. This will only make you look unprofessional.
#5: It should be easy to use graphics in conjunction with the copy.
Copywriters aren’t responsible for graphics, but they should make it as easy as possible to coordinate with the people who are. The material that is delivered to you should be in an easy-to-copy-and-paste format.
This is the bare minimum of criterion to look for when working with a copywriter. Obviously there are other important things, but feel free to use this as a basic litmus test to know you’re getting at least the basics.
Warm regards,
