5 Reasons You Don’t Want to Hire a Copywriter

Why you shouldn’t hire a copywriter. Spoiler alert, you should.

TLDR: Hiring a copywriter isn’t for everyone, but I’d wager it is for you.

@iconcopy

Control

“I don’t want to rely on someone else”

Relinquishing control of certain areas of your business can be hard. Especially if it is something you have looked after for a long time, or maybe it is a new business you have been nurturing from conception. You’ve seen this project from the ground up, and no one is better equipped than you to write the copy for it right?

This is so relatable. The thing is, when you work with a copywriter you build a relationship and communicate through the course of that relationship. Whether it is a single social media post, campaign, or ongoing content or web copy relationship, you still have control. 

Nothing needs to be released to audiences unless you say so. Find someone you get on with, who perhaps shares interests or history and who you can build a trusting relationship with.

Privacy

“I’m not comfortable disclosing information about my business to outsiders”

Privacy is a huge issue in our modern world. It can be a very big step to let an outsider in on your company’s USP or next project – especially if it is highly contentious or sought after.

Any copywriter will at the very least require basic company information (i.e. what you actually do, your values and goals) as well as more detailed information on the campaign or project such as key message, target audience, and of course, USPs and competitor info. 

If this fills you with dread, ask yourself this: How would you write a greetings card to someone if you didn’t know the occasion, their name, or their address?

Both copywriter and project owner must understand all of these factors in order to achieve an observable and measurable goal. Without this information, the copy might read well, but without the hooks and keywords that speak to your specific audience it will likely be lost in the ether. 

If there is not a clear and communicable purpose driving the copy, it is likely you will not see the results you desire.

In my early days of writing on at least one occasion, I was over-enthusiastic and thought I had enough information to complete the work required. However, by the 3rd or 4th edit – each time being drip fed a little more information – things start to get incredibly time consuming and frustrating for both parties.

An admission of guilt from yours truly

Pushy

“My customers won’t respond to salesy or pushy content”

A fair point. We all feel a little uncomfortable with hard sales and cold calling. It works for some. The thing is, there is a huge difference in writing styles and individual perception of language.

What a skilled writer can do is to find the right language and level of persuasion for your ideal customers, to get the results you need.

As well as the language use, a copywriter can offer an all-important outsider perspective on your product or service. As a business owner it can be easy to forget what your customers want, the benefit you want them to perceive, because you are so excited about the features of your business.

This outsider perspective, knowledge of sales, marketing, and language creates persuasive and captivating copy, tailored for your audience, that guides them smoothly through a sales process, even if they are aware they are being sold to. 

Voice

“I want it to sound like its coming from me”

It does feel natural to assume that if you want your business to sound like you, then you need to write it. However, being a copywriter means we are experts in tone and consistency. That is why we ask so many questions

Concerned that changing to a copywriter will mess with the consistency of your current set up? This is a common concern, but in the case where you have a lot of copy and content already we can audit this and work with the parts that work to help you make it cohesive.

Your other options? You could ask whoever’s free in whichever team to do it. Or perhaps you have your PA or office manager do bits and bobs in their spare times. At least they all work for the company right? The thing is, in this scenario it is always someone’s second priority. We won’t be fitting things in around our other responsibilities, this is our job.

Hiring a copywriter means your copy will have a consistent tone, style and brand voice which will be used effectively across all your communications. 

Time

“By the time I’ve answered all the copywriter’s questions, I could have just written the copy myself”

You have the raw information. Do you have the time though?

To keep your copy fresh and engaging, content must be updated and added regularly. Add on top of this the content creation, research, market analysis, editing and formatting which goes hand in hand with writing copy (I hope) you can see how this is a full time job. 

If we take into account the vast quantities of content online, a hastily written article posted after work is likely to have about as much impact as using barbie’s stiletto to chisel a marble statue (shoes sold separately). 

So, while it might seem simpler and cheaper to write your own press release for your latest product release, or throw together a landing page for your most recent online campaign, if no one reads it, you have wasted your time in writing it.

So there you have it.

While privacy, control, voice, saving time and being pushy are all valuable concerns to have, it is this writer’s opinion that they are concerns that are ever-present in b2b relationships. Hiring a copywriter should be treated with the same caution as anything else. 

If something doesn’t work or feel right, then trust your instinct. When you find the right writer you’ll know!

Ick. OK, one more thing.

Price. I know, I didn’t include cost in my list as I really don’t think it is a valid reason to not hire a copywriter anymore. The time saving to you as an individual or company as well as the potential ROI is so worth it! If you have any more queries in this vein you can check out my FAQs or feel free to get in touch for a no obligation chat.