Care and Feeding of your Copywriter

It’s great to have a freelance copywriter as part of your team, but what’s involved in the care and feeding of your copywriter? Clearly, they can’t know your plan, voice, and desires by osmosis. So, it goes without saying that you’ll have to throw them an informational bone once in a while. How to best work with your copywriter is going to depend on a number of factors.

A copywriter’s specialty

If you required a heart bypass, would you prefer to trust a General Practitioner or a Heart Surgeon? As I like to say, it is impossible for copywriters to be authorities in every subject. You just won’t find a copywriter who is a former restaurateur/engineer/manufacturer/landscaper/accountant.  But, that doesn’t mean you can’t locate a copywriter with an industry specialty.

Here at Ocean Crest Creative, the forte is building custom, handcrafted content solutions for those involved in the travel and tourism industry. 32-years of buzz creation and copywriting experience in one particular industry allows us an edge over others who are just visiting the business.

This goes for any other trade. Try to pair up with a writer who is already familiar with the overall challenges you face every day.

Be clear about the who and what

When you issue an assignment to your copywriter, make sure you let them know who the reader will be. The more specific you can be, the better. Also, let them know if the copy they are writing will be featured in, for example:

Articles
Blog posts
Brochures
Email campaigns
Internal Communications
Newsletters
Press releases
Sales pages
Service descriptions
Website copy

Try to focus on only one area of use at a time. It allows the text to be more dynamic and will garner better results. Remember, you can always come back to your word artist and have them repurpose text that they have written.

Be clear about the when

Since most of the best freelance copywriters only work on a retainer, it allows them to truly get a feel for your desires and how your particular establishment operates. While some companies like to have and do provide a long-term project calendar, others work on a simple monthly assignment basis.

In the monthly scenario, you may say you need three jobs created and completed with no other specifications other than “by the end of the month.” Alternatively, you may want Assignment #1 ready for review within the first week, and the balance by the end of the month. Whatever your approach, make sure your copywriter understands your requirements as they arise.

Be open to and expect questions

There is nothing worse than a copywriter who becomes a black hole to your time. Likewise, when crickets chirping and the monthly bill are the only things you hear out of your person, it may be a signal to look for a new relationship.

Most copywriters will require at least some clarification on assignments such as details, resources, and what you would like to use as your call-to-action. Remember, it is the goal of every copywriter to lead the reader into some form of action that is beneficial to you and your organization.

Reality checks

How am I doing? Does the copy look the way you would like? Are we tracking towards fulfilling your wishes? If you are not getting questions like these from your copywriter on a regular basis, you have a problem. Your simple assignment sign-off is not enough.

The person who you have hired to pen for you is, in effect, your ghostwriter. That which they write should sound like it came from you, not them. To accomplish this, they will need a reality check on their efforts periodically.

Get help

If you have an in-house team or use a public relations company to build your content, don’t be afraid to turbocharge their efforts with a contracted writer. No doubt they may feel a bit competitive and territorial regarding the addition, but remember, this is about your success and not their contentment.

By adding a freelance copywriter to the pool, you will breathe fresh perspective and ideas into your copy. It will also allow your lead writers to focus on front-burner projects while your contractor picks up the slack.

They are your happy, Labrador Retriever

In general, freelance copywriters are an easygoing group, and like Labrador Retrievers, their tail never wags faster and harder than when they know they are making you happy. If you need someone to fetch your word-related balls, give a shout. To us, there is nothing better than delivering what you want again, and again, and again!