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Let’s face it, writing isn’t everyone’s forte. And when it comes to crafting your business’s messaging, facing such an important task can feel pretty daunting. If writer’s block has you in its grip, you might have decided to seek help from an expert copywriter. But when is the right time to bring them on board?
In this week’s episode, Nicki and Kate (with 30+ years of copywriting experience between them!), discuss how you could end up running into trouble if you leave it too late to hire a copywriter. Listen in to find out the best time to involve a copywriter for maximum impact and the kinds of projects you can expect them to help you with.
Looking for closed captioning or a transcript? Watch the episode on YouTube!
A Sneak Peek at the Episode
[2:20] Messaging is integral to the success of your business, but it can be challenging for business owners to write for themselves. If you are considering hiring a copywriter, there is a right and wrong time to do it!
[3:40] It’s better to involve a copywriter when your project plans are clear to avoid confusion and higher costs. Expert level copywriters may also be less willing to work with you if they see that things are a little bit chaotic.
[7:30] As well as knowing what your projects are, you also need to be clear on each project’s priority. One copywriter can’t deliver five deliverables at the same time!
[8:50] Once you’re clear on your projects and their priority, bring a copywriter in sooner for better results. A good copywriter asks questions to get you to a deeper level of strategy, which is more beneficial to think about at the start of a project.
[10:43] One of the first projects you might want to work with a copywriter on is creating a tone guide for your business. You need this foundational document to establish what your brand sounds like and make everyone clear on how you communicate.
[13:08] Another reason to get a copywriter in sooner rather than later is because copywriters book up fast! They might not have availability for another couple of weeks or even months.
[15:40] You don’t have to hire a copywriter to do ALL of your messaging. A good rule of thumb is to hire copywriters for projects that will have the most monetary impact.
[17:25] If you want to do the writing yourself, you could also hire a copywriter to give feedback. But remember if the fundamental strategy is wrong, they can’t necessarily fix it. Bringing them in earlier means they can ask the right questions and guide your writing process along the way.
[21:20] Leaving projects too close to the deadline could mean you incur rush fees or compromise on quality. And you can’t afford for quality to suffer with your messaging!
[23:21] A good copywriter can be a long-term partner in your business, helping you to strategize as well as write. But it’s essential to start the relationship right by bringing them in at the right time, communicating clearly, and giving effective feedback.
Mentioned on this Episode
- Browse our listing of highly trained, experienced copywriters
- How to Hire Copywriters & Other Freelancers
Related Links
- You Can Benefit from Hiring a Copywriter Sooner Than You Think…
- 10 Must-Use Marketing Messaging Strategies to Turn Leads to Customers
- A Dynamite Marketing Messaging Is the Key to Your Audience Taking Action
Must-Hear Takeaways
As with every episode, we highly encourage you to listen to the entire conversation! But, here are a few of the highlights:
“A good copywriter is going to ask you questions that are going to get you to a deeper level of strategy and you, of course, want to be thinking of those deeper levels of strategy at the beginning of the project. You don’t want to bring a copywriter in later and then have to work backwards, like ‘Oh my gosh, I had the email funnel built out and now we have to go back’ and that sort of thing.” Nicki
“When you’re hiring a copywriter, you don’t have to hire a copywriter for all of the writing that needs to be done in your business. I know sometimes there’s that idea that if I bring in a copywriter, I have to hand over all of my messaging and boy that’s expensive so I should just do it myself. That doesn’t necessarily have to be the case, certainly if you’re flush with cash and you want all that stuff off your plate, then great but you don’t have to, you can choose. Maybe it is just this discreet project or maybe it’s just part of this project. I think a good rule of thumb is hire copywriters for the work that is going to have the most monetary impact.” – Nicki
“A good copywriter is an amazing partner in your business and when you find one that you like working with, it can be a relationship that lasts for years, potentially. They truly will be a partner, they will help you strategize, and they will cheer your successes just as much as you will. It can be an amazing relationship but you have to make sure that you set that relationship up well to begin with by bringing them in at the right time, bringing them in for the right things, continuing to clearly communicate with them, give them feedback in the best ways, tell them why something doesn’t work instead of trying to rewrite stuff, and why things do work so that they know the most effective points too.” – Nicki & Kate