What your copywriter wants you to know. In the nicest way possible. Mostly.
Like anyone who works for other people, copywriters work hard to come up with the end results you’re after. But also like anyone who works for other people, we sometimes have to tip-toe around on egg-shells, muttering ‘the customer’s always right’ while working out how to tactfully share a few honest truths.
So here are just a few of the things we sometimes wish we didn’t have to explain.
Shorter copy is often harder to write than longer copy, so it’ll cost you more.
If you want that short, pithy sentence that sums up your business in your exact brand voice and reaches out to your ideal customer, great. It might only be 12 words. But they’re 12 important words and that’s why you hired a copywriter to come up with them. We don’t charge by the word (or at least I don’t). We charge by the time and resource that went into coming up with the right words.
We might know what needs to go in your copy better than you do.
You might have very clear ideas about what you want to say, and that’s fine. But if we suggest something, it’s because our professional experience tells us it’s worth suggesting. So it’s worth considering listening.
It’s OK to start a sentence with And. And But.
It’s really totally fine. And it stops you sounding stuffy.
I will always fight the corner for what’s best for your business, so please don’t take it personally.
I’m saying ‘I’ here instead of ‘we’ because while I’m pretty sure everything above goes for most copywriters, I’m not always so convinced of this one. Not everyone is comfortable challenging a customer who wants something silly so I suspect this doesn’t apply to everyone. Of course, at the end of the day I’m not a monster, you ARE the customer and you’re paying, so what you say goes. But I’ll try to stick up for your business. You’re hiring me to do my best for you, after all.
We don’t just write, we know stuff.
This one particularly applies to freelance copywriters. Copywriters in agencies might just write. They might not. But freelance copywriters are ALSO small business owners. We have a wealth of experience in all sorts of things to do with running a business, from marketing to accounting, HR to dealing with suppliers. We also often have years of previous work experience behind us (how many people go straight into freelance copywriting when they leave college?), so as well as hiring someone who’s good with words, you’re hiring someone who knows stuff.
We really need you to pay on time.
We know that you might have a policy for holding back invoices for 30 days or 60 days (or longer for some huge companies). But we pay our rent from those invoices. There is no monthly payroll process that delivers a nice, neat sum into our bank accounts (or at least not for lots of us). So please, please, pay promptly. It might be the difference between being able to buy our mum a birthday present that month or not (insert your own pictures of sad-looking puppies, accompanied by sorrowful violin music).
If you fancy supporting the ‘Megan’s mum’s birthday present fund’, you can hire me. Find me at www.meganrosefreelance.com.
