You’ve gone through all the steps of looking for a solid copywriter. You spoke to what dozens of people (or so it seems), scoured samples (some great and some horrifying) and finally settled on someone to work with you.

After all of that time and effort, you want to make the investment worth it.

So how can you get the most from your copywriter?

Your copywriter, like your marketing, doesn’t work in a vacuum. There are many different things that can impact how effective a copywriter is for your project.

Part of that is based on your copywriter’s skills, experience and understanding of your industry. 

And part of this is based on the material she has to work with.

I’ve had clients in the past who wondered, “Why am I doing all this work?” So I broke down how each part would help me create the copy that matched their business.

Your business is unique. You may sell the same product or service as a dozen other companies, but there’s only one company that has your people and processes in place.

Let’s explore how to get the most from working with a copywriter.

A detailed list of who you talk to

Most copywriters will ask you for a copy of your buyer personas. This is a short description of the types of people who buy from you.

These may be considered trade secrets, or you may not have one, but it’s the key to creating the best copy possible.

Why?

You can create copy that’s generic about how great your product is. It won’t convert well. It’s not aimed at your ideal buyers.

One of the hardest things for many of my clients to accept is that you can’t serve everyone.

While everyone may benefit from what you offer, there will be specific groups of people who will benefit most. Those are your buyer personas.

A map of the customer journey

No piece of marketing, especially online, lives in a vacuum. A good copywriter needs to know where the new marketing piece will be in your customer journey.

As an outside copywriter, I’ll first take a quick “trek” through the customer journey.

You want a copywriter who will take the time to understand the customer journey. What does someone see first? Second?

What did they search for to find you?

If someone uses a keyword related to awareness, it’s a very different need than a keyword related to buying.

Dig into the archives

Any marketing material a copywriter creates needs to match your business, your goals and your voice.

Gather past marketing materials to help your copywriter.

A few current marketing pieces will let her know what people are seeing currently. Marketing pieces that didn’t work in the past will show what your audience isn’t interested in.

Customer service tickets will show current concerns and potential gaps in your market’s knowledge.

This is all to paint a complete picture of what your customer walks through before being ready to buy.

Gather New Information

Older materials can help your copywriter know more about your offering and company. She’ll also want to gather up-to-date information about your audience.

All of this will give you valuable voice of customer data to create a high-converting campaign.

She may ask to set up a survey, interview past and current customers and use heat-mapping or similar technology to see how people interact with your current marketing.

Be Patient

Now, it’s time for your copywriter to begin writing. All of the copy she creates will be based on a deep understanding of your company, offering and audience.

Many projects take several weeks to complete. A copywriter needs to gather enough information to get a deep look at your audience. This takes time, especially to gather enough responses to surveys or interviews.

Be Communicative

While your project will take some time to complete, you shouldn’t be in the dark.

Look for copywriters who can give you a detailed idea of how often you’ll hear from them, what kinds of updates you’ll need and a clear listing of the information you’ll need from them.

You’ll want to know how you’ll receive updates and the expected response time. Projects can only move forward if questions on both sides get answered quickly. For my clients, I usually operate on 2 business days for responses, though I aim for one.

Let’s Review

After you receive the copy, your project isn’t over. You may need edits or have questions.

Before you’re ready to review things, a quick call to go over everything is usually helpful.

I’ll often explain any interesting information I discovered during my research and how that informed the copy.

For many projects, I’ll also include a rough wireframe so my clients can see what the final copy will look like on their audiences’ screens.

This is also the time to go over any questions and confirm the next steps-including when revisions will be made if needed.

Working with an outside copywriter will help you get an important piece of your marketing completed. It also gives you an outside perspective, similar to what your new customers might experience. You want to take the time to find the right person who can understand your company.

Looking for some outside help? Grab a free, 15-minute chat to discuss your next project.