Read This Before Hiring a Copywriter for the First Time
Hiring a copywriter is exciting! It’s also a little scary the first time you start working with a writer, or anyone new for that matter.
Will they judge you?
Will they laugh at your writing?
Will they throw out every word you’ve ever written and start over?
No, no, and definitely not.
Working with a writer can, and should be a fun experience.
Especially if you want to work with me, but I'm biased.
Before we work together, you need to do your part.
If you don’t do this work in advance you won’t get the results you want from your copy. Then you’re going to want to throw pickles at me.
Listen up, this is important.
Before you hire a copywriter, you need to have one big fat skill — you need to know how to talk to your potential customers.
What a copywriter can’t do:
Read your mind
Know who your customer is
Understand the biggest problems that your potential customers have
Save your failing business
Tell you the words that your customers use
Before you hire a copywriter, be able to answer these 4 questions:
1) Who are your customers?
Who are they? What do they want? What’s their biggest problem? What are the actual words they use to describe their problems? What would be a dream come true for them?
2) Who are you?
What do you stand for? What do you believe? What’s your why?
3) Why are you fucking awesome?
You should be able to tell me why you are the perfect person to work with your potential clients. Why should they give a shit about you?
4) What’s your story?
Did you have a low point or coconut fall on your head A-HA moment that led you to where you are today? What are you all about? What do you believe?
Knowing the answers to these questions is a great start. Next, you need to know how to talk to your people.
The best way to know how to talk to your potential clients?
Put yourself in their shoes. What’s it like to be them? What are the words they use to describe their problems to you?
As you chat with clients and potential clients, note the exact words they use.
What are they wishing for?
What are their big scary goals?
What do they give a shit about?
What keeps them up at night?
What problems are keeping them stuck?
As much as I wish I could be a mind reader (ESP Copywriting would be an insanely profitable business!) alas, I am not. Think through all these things.
When we first get on the phone, I’m going to ask you these things too. I’m going to be a hard ass about it because knowing this stuff is non-negotiable.
And if I started writing for you without understanding this, I wouldn't be doing my job and would be doing you a disservice. That's the shit that keeps me up at night.
When you’re ready for a copywriter
When you have a good understanding of the language your people use and you’ve become a rock star at talking to them. Then, a copywriter can help you add strength and power to your words. They can also add some sass if that’s what you’re looking for too.
Or, if you just don’t know how to get to the point, a professional copywriter can help you with that too.
So, you’ve hired a copywriter
Even after a copywriter does some writing or editing for you, don’t plan on just throwing those words on your website or in your book or in your program.
Read the words your copywriter wrote for you (I recommend reading aloud). If it sounds like you and you’d feel comfortable using those words - then you have my permission to use those words. You’ve got to check them with your gut first.
Have you done all these things?
Well, gold star for you!
Have you done all these things and want to see if we can work together?
