Step 1: Organise your documentation
Make sure you have all the important information you need. Rather than sharing pages and pages of old content, or examples of other companies’ content you like – make sure that you have a succinct organized foundational documents.
These will usually include your brand persona, buyer personas, tone of voice documents – pretty much anything that will inform your copywriter exactly who you are, who you’re targeting, and what language they should use when writing for you.
This will be handed over to the copywriter once you agree on the project scope and pricing, so they can get started.
Step 2: Develop a brief
Briefs are one of the most important elements of smooth cooperation. The brief lets your copywriter know exactly what your expectations are for the project and what your goals are for that particular piece of content.
This is crucial to reducing how long feedbacking takes. If a copywriter is 100% clear on what you want, they can ensure no time is wasted creating copy that isn’t even close to what you were expecting.
Step 3: Learn your copywriter’s rates
There are several different ways that copywriters can charge for their services. The most common are:
- Per character
- Per word
- Per hour
- Per project
Per project is usually the best option, as it’s likely to get you a better quality of work (from our experience we notice that the more experienced copywriters tend to charge per project).
If they charge hourly, you can also ask, on average, how long certain tasks take them. This will help you gauge what it could cost depending on the project you need to be done.
Step 4: Get an estimate
Even when copywriters charge per word or character, the actual number can vary. This can be because a piece of content is perhaps more complicated (very technical) or requires a lot of research. This is where the brief will help you get a more accurate estimate for your project.
Some tricks for reducing the cost of estimates is to include the following in your briefs:
- Links to research documents so your writer doesn’t have to spend time searching
- A rough skeleton of how you imagine the document
- Any keywords you want to be included
Step 5: Accept the estimate and get started
At this point, you’ll either accept the estimate…or you won’t. Assuming you do accept it, of course, you’ll now be ready to kick off your project. Remember, your copywriter already has the brief (which should also include the deadline). All you need to do is give the green light, and they will get going.
Step 6: Feedbacking and iterations
Your copywriter will usually provide you with some kind of agreement in terms of their practices – including feedback. Some will offer 1 rewrite, and others will offer 2. Do not expect unlimited rewrites, and if you do want a more iterative approach, expect that to be reflected in the cost.
Copywriters can offer you 1 re-write and then charge hourly after that. This means that they create the document, you have an opportunity to leave your feedback and request any changes and then hand it back to them. They will take on all the feedback, and make all the changes – and the document should then be ready. If additional changes are needed, then those can cost you at an hourly rate.
This might sounds scary, but it shouldn’t be. Experienced copywriters will get it right 99% of the time after that one round of feedback (assuming the feedback is constructive).
To save time, we often use the method of using google docs and comments in those docs. Your comments and suggestions go directly into the document and then we can all view the changes together. It’s the easiest way to collaborate, and the most efficient.
What else should I consider?
There are a couple of other things to consider when getting started with a copywriter. Things like:
Are calls included in the cost of the project?
Most copywriters will not include them once the project has kicked off. So you shouldn’t expect to have multiple feedback calls while working on projects unless your copywriter explicitly outlines that this is included in the price of their service.
How do I leave good feedback?
Constructive feedback is vital to the efficient completion of a project. Giving actionable comments is the best way forward. This means, rather than saying “this isn’t good” – explain why it’s not good, or what you would rather them include there instead. This isn’t you writing for them, this is just you taking the time to explain. Taking those few minutes can save you hours of iterations.
Are you ready to start with your copywriter?
Getting started with a copywriter, if you’re looking for quality work and efficient completion, does require some preparation on your end. But the time you put into that prep will save you loads down the road. A lot of the preparation, like foundational documentation, can be used over and over again – you can hand the same documents to different copywriters.
The trick to all of this, really, is just finding the right copywriter for you. Someone who really knows your industry gets your business, and someone you can see yourself working with. An experienced copywriter will take you through these steps, and in some cases will even help you along the way by offering consultation or even starting by developing your foundational documents for you.