What does a freelance copywriter do?
When you're looking for powerful words that persuade, inform or sell, freelance copywriters can help.
What is freelance copywriting?
If you're in business, you'll use written words every day to explain to clients what you do.
You can either write these words yourself or get a professional to do it for you.
One option is to go with an agency – such as a copywriting agency or a marketing agency offering a copywriting service.
Or you could reach out to a freelance copywriter who understands the needs of different clients and can quickly offer solutions.
Someone like me.
What services does a freelance copywriter offer?
Some freelance copywriters have a specific niche – especially in the world of advertising.
Ad copywriters are a breed apart and tend to work on few (if any) other types of copywriting.
And they're not what most business owners are looking for when it comes to the words they need for their business.
What most business owners need is an experienced all-rounder; a freelance copywriter who understands and can take care of:
* Website content (for launch or relaunch)
* Homepage 'doctor' services (suggesting important changes and the introduction of new text and elements)
* Sales and marketing emails
* Copy for brochures (print or digital)
* Landing pages
* The wording for ad-hoc promotional activities (such as flyers, banners, billboards and ads)
* Blog writing
* Social media copy
I take care of all of the above apart from social media copy, using tech tools and copywriting frameworks when needed. The skills and experience I bring to the table mean I can function in a similar way to a small copywriting agency.
Why is it important to find a good freelance copywriter?
Every time you've clicked on a web link or scrolled down a page, the people behind that website have done a great job.
They have managed to hold your attention, or nudged you towards an action that they want you to make.
Those people are probably professional copywriters – often self-employed experts, like me.
By partnering up with the right copywriter who takes time to:
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Understand your business
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Consider or develop your tone of voice
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Listen to your goals
And bring his/her writing skills to the table, you have the potential to supercharge your business.
It's no exaggeration to say that a good website can easily perform 10x better than a poorly worded one.
Finding the right freelance copywriter for your business is incredibly important.
Why choose me as your freelance copywriter?
I have two main advantages over many other copywriters.
The first is that I have been doing this for a long time – 15 years in digital content and even longer across the publishing landscape.
That means I can work quickly – and do a far better job than an inexperienced newcomer.
The second is that I listen. My clients tell me that I am great to work with and that I 'get' what they are trying to achieve – with minimal fuss.
By doing that, I can help them find the solutions they need.
Each new freelance copywriting engagement typically includes:
1/ A free initial consultation.
2/ 30 minutes to several hours of video calls during which I gather the information I need to write your copy – whether that's web pages, sales emails or other written content.
3/ A detailed set of questions in which we get to the heart of your business, your buyer and your copywriting needs.
4/ A study of the competitor landscape to see what's working for other brands in your sector and potentially uncover best practices and tactics.
5/ If it's a website project, keyword research – to ensure the copy has a chance of ranking. Pro-level SEO tools can boost your performance on search engines even further. These tools told me, for example, to shoehorn 'copywriters freelance' and 'copywriter uk' into this page, which is easier said than done!
6/ A set of 'design prompts' showing how I feel your copy should be presented to readers for maximum impact (based on 25+ years of publishing experience and briefing designers).
6/ Meta description and title tag copy, plus validation of these and all headlines using online tools (on request).
9/ A full pre-delivery copy check, with all text run through Grammarly Pro.
9/ The delivery of all copy – including headlines, subheads, body copy, bullet-points and panels.
10/ 1 x round of revisions to make sure that you get what you need.
Freelance copywriting prices and packages
My work is priced according to the amount of time I think will be needed to deliver great work that has impact and adds value to your business.
So I don't have standard 'freelance copywriter rates'. There are no set prices or packages.
Nor do I charge by the hour or the word.
Being paid by the word is more the domain of journalists, who become adept at working out whether the fee for the 1,000 words they have been asked to write will be worth it or not.
I don't work like that, because some of the most important words your business uses are priceless. And they may take hours or days to get right.
That sliver of 'hero' text at the top of your website may only be a single sentence. But if it's working really well and encouraging potential customers to stay or click on a critical CTA, it's worth its weight in gold.
And it may have taken a surprising amount of time to make it perfect for your target audience.
So just drop me a line and get a conversation going. I'll be able to give you an idea of some costs once I know what you need.
Not everything needs deep creative thinking time or big ideas, but in some cases that step is an important part of the process.
At other times – especially if I already work with you and have a good grasp of your business – that slogan you've been trying to come up with for hours might take me minutes.
But we have to get to know each other first.