{"id":2489,"date":"2021-05-04T13:10:37","date_gmt":"2021-05-04T13:10:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.chrisalden.co.uk\/?p=2489"},"modified":"2023-09-20T18:32:56","modified_gmt":"2023-09-20T18:32:56","slug":"freelance-copywriter-7-secrets-marketer-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisalden.co.uk\/freelance-copywriter-7-secrets-marketer-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Working with a freelance copywriter: 7 secrets every marketer should know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As a marketer, you need reliable copy for your business or content project. So if you\u2019re planning to work with a freelance copywriter, how do you make things run smoothly? UK copywriter Chris Alden offers his tips<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Need copy for your website, white paper or other content project? You know the drill by now. Contact<\/a> a freelance copywriter, ask them for some words, agree a price \u2013 and hey presto, the words arrive in your inbox a week or two later, ready for your content marketing. Simple, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Except: not really. When you\u2019re dealing with a copywriter, you\u2019re dealing with a person. That person is creative like you, inquisitive like you, analytical like you. So they start doing what you\u2019d do: they start thinking. They start chipping away at your messaging, trying to refine it, trying to find the right words to say. As you would, in their shoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Questions, questions<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s when the questions start. (You were expecting this, right?) Your copywriter will call you up and ask things like: what do you want to say at this point? Is that really a benefit of your service, or is it just a feature? Is this benefit the same as that benefit, or two separate points? That\u2019s great, but will your clients get it if you say this<\/em>? Is that a piece of jargon your reader understands? What\u2019s your goal here? What\u2019s the client\u2019s goal? And by the way: can I have the feedback on the copy I wrote for you last week?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This process of half-creative, half-logical tinkering with words and ideas is known as writing. It\u2019s rewarding, but it can be frustrating too. To a point the process is unpredictable; but when we arrive at the final draft, we know we couldn\u2019t have written it any other way. To get there, you need a freelance copywriter you can trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So when you\u2019re looking for a copywriter, you need someone you don\u2019t mind sharing half an hour with, to go over a topic. You need someone to whom you can say the irrelevant, unstructured stuff, in case it becomes part of a structured point later. You need to find someone with whom there can be \u2013 at least on some level \u2013 a meeting of minds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How on earth do you find a copywriter who can do that? It\u2019s OK \u2013 if you\u2019re reading this, you\u2019re already half-way there. Here are my tips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"1\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Relax: freelance copywriters are more like marketers than you think<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you work in marketing, take a step back for a moment and think: why did you choose this job in the first place?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To hazard a guess: maybe it\u2019s because you knew that, at some level, you wanted to do something \u201ccreative\u201d with your life. That said, you\u2019re business-minded. So you straddle two worlds, and that\u2019s a strength \u2013 you’re able to step across the artificial divide between rational and creative thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thing is: freelance copywriters are often the same. We\u2019re writers at heart. Many of us have dreams of writing novels, or short stories, or songs, or at least the occasional haiku<\/a>. A lot of us have been journalists in a past life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But somewhere, deep down, there\u2019s also the geeky side \u2013 the need to code, to explore numbers, to understand the technical world, and to build structures that stand up and stay standing (even if they\u2019re only made of HTML, CSS and words).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m one of these creative\/analytical types. I did English and History at A-level (this was a very<\/em> long time ago) but also Maths and Further Maths. You’d call me \u201ccreative,\u201d but I still spend a lot of my time writing about business and tech. I write for rhythm and tone, but I\u2019m geeky about grammar, metadata and numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So when you use a freelance copywriter, remember, you\u2019re dealing with an ally. As marketers and copywriters, we come from similar worlds. We can both offer creative solutions to business problems <\/a>\u2013 and see things from each other’s point of view. Which is a great start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"2\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A freelance copywriter\u2019s independence is their strength<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But although copywriters and marketers are similar, there are differences. One of these is a matter of allegiance: a freelance copywriter works independently, as a matter of choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a \u201cfreelance\u201d copywriter, after all?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the face of it, a freelance copywriter is someone who provides words for money. But they’re much more than that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When your copywriter chose to be freelance, they made an active decision about how they would make a living \u2013 far away from the security of a job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A freelance copywriter deals with multiple clients, writes in multiple tones and formats, while handling everyday business issues such as their own marketing, IT and accounts. They lead lives away from the traditional office (and did so before Covid-19).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personally, I do it because it lets me organise my working life from the bottom of my garden. Or, indeed, in a pandemic-free world, it means I can work from a lovely co-working space<\/a>, which can be fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harness the independence<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

If you work in marketing, the trick is to harness the independence and freedom that a freelance copywriter can offer. You\u2019re dealing with someone who\u2019s a bit outside the corporate world, and if you recognise that, you can use it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a copywriter is running an independent business, you get:<\/p>\n\n\n\n