How to avoid hiring a crappy copywriter
Crappy copy.
There’s been a bit of it floating around in the wild lately, stinking up the place.
And a lot of it has been produced by “reputable” sources.
Agencies that seem legit, promise the world and charge accordingly.
...And then churn out copy that shows a severe lack of knowledge when it comes to the basics of copywriting (or even marketing).
Shit like:
Poorly formatted emails (SO BASIC!)
Headlines that don’t even mention features, let alone benefits (“Subscribe to our database”?! No thanks!)
A sales pages with a navigation menu at the top, no real headline and then it ends with a newsletter sign up? (Don’t even get me STARTED on the actual copy…)
W-T-ACTUAL-F is going on here?!
Meanwhile, clients are taking a chance on these providers. They’re investing in them and expecting a positive outcome.
And they have NO idea that the copywriter they just handed a chunk of cash over to has no idea what they’re doing.
The worst part: there’s a good chance the client will LOVE the copy they’re given.
Because they don’t know any better.
They don’t know the fundamentals (let alone the more advanced techniques) that this person they’ve hired should be using. And that’s ok — it’s not the clients job to know ALL the things, otherwise they wouldn’t be hiring someone.
Wait, but if the client is happy and the words sound ok, that’s good right?
No, it’s not.
Because the copy won’t get results.
Instead, it will barely chug along, slowly sabotaging their business.
Less sales. Less mailing list signups. Less time on site. Less repeat business. Less everything.
See why I’m angry?
A well-meaning business owner has been ripped off and it gives us copy peeps a bad rep.
…So how do YOU avoid this potential shit show when looking for a copywriter?
I got your back! #thankmelater
3 simple ways to suss out a potential copywriter:
Ask them what they’ve done in the last 6 months to get better at writing copy -- Have they focused on improving their copywriting, marketing or psychology skills? Or are they just focusing on their own business growth?
Quiz them about their strategy and process -- What research do they do, if any? What goes into the copy itself? Is it more than just nice sounding words?
Check out their previous work -- Their own website AND client work (keeping in mind that each client usually has a different personality / tone of voice / target audience)
Ask them if they get a mentor, copy coach or anyone else to read over the copy they write -- this is THE NUMBER ONE WAY to improve as a copywriter (& the reason I’m in Amy Posner’s Copy Clinic)
👆 Just whip out those Qs before agreeing to hand over your money (and your business’ reputation) to any half-decent word-nerd, and save yourself the heartache.
Or don’t… But don’t come crying to me when it all goes to 💩 (JK, you can always cry to me)