Writing copy isn’t easy, it is time consuming, it requires passion for a subject, expertise in an industry and did I mention time. It also requires you to be literate!
All that being said, if you can plow in the time yourself either as an SEO, can afford your staff’s time as a manager or team lead then awesome you probably should – its you and your team that will be best placed I’ve no doubt. I say that in all seriousness, if you are from an industry – you really are the best placed to write your own content. However…
If you are struggling for time, or staff time, to write you content for your website, blog, latest article, then I would advise you consider hiring a copywriter. For years I’ve used copywriters of two kinds:
- Freelance Copywriters
For me these are the top of the class copy-writers who go the extra mile and will usually cost a few pence more per word than your ‘service based copywriters’. Freelance Copywriters offer a one-to-one service and this means they get to know you, or your client (in my case) and will dive into your industry, researching in depth what you are wanting to write about without a great deal of fuss and delivering pieces of content you know will be good. Overtime, you will find that some freelancers are better than others, it is just the way of the world, but once you build relationships with a few you will know which are best for which topics. - Service Based Copywriters (the easy option)
SBC’s, as I call them, are copywriting services you find on the internet – truly great services a few and far between. In the UK I trust a handful, the best of the bunch is FATjoe a service which offers great content and really quick turn around too. The other I’d trust right now is Copify – the cost of each is comparable, but I do like the service from FATjoe that little more.
If yo’re looking to Hire a SEO Copywriter heres what you should look out for
- If they are a freelancer, they should have some knowledge of your industry
or they should have at least written something in your field before.
The reality is most freelance copywriters work for SBCs too, many work for companies under a NDA, so you may not be able to ask for many examples – its all on trust – but if you like and trust a person, give them a chance with a piece of work and see how they do. Start with a piece or two and go from there, let them prove themselves unless they can show previous work. - Be realistic with expectations
You’re not about to get 1000 words for £10 unless you want a piece of rubbish thrown at you from fiverrrrrrrrr. Honestly, you pay peanuts for any type of marketing and you get… so, pay what something is worth, especially with copy and outreach services – and any type of marketing. The more you pay the better the research and writing will be. - Don’t be tempted by random spammy emails
Never be tempted by the 101 spammy ‘we can do seo copywriting and seo for your website Sir’ emails. If they write spam, you will get spam. If you need content writing, spend an hour or two doing some research or ask someone for some advice. By reading this article you’ve made a good start. - Be prepared to edit
I rarely get a piece of content back from a content writer I don’t need to edit in one way or another. It is part of having content written for you, it will never meet the tone of your website unless you hire the same freelancer for a long period of time and they get to know your business and how your website speaks to your audience. So be prepared to edit for 10-15 minutes for every 500 words or so, it wont be massive but it will be needed. - Give the best brief you can
Once you’ve decided on a freelance copywriter or SBC, like FATjoe, give them the deepest and best brief you can for the article you want. Explain where it will site on your website, what else it will relate to on your website, what links you may want on there and if there is any specific you need it to talk about – include keywords and phrases you need to include. Consider carefully the title and remember you should select the images not them – often you get annoying pictures when a copywriter who you haven’t worked with consistently decides on pictures.
