How to Find a Good Copywriter? Get the Best Content for Your Business

As you are reading this post, you probably are in need of compelling content.

Of course, Upwork, Useme, Fiverr, or Freelance websites list thousands of content writers to choose from. 

However, which one will be the best for the type of content that you need? 

We will help you distinguish mediocre content writer wannabes from true word warriors and copy killers. Let us show you how to find a good copywriter. 

Hop in!

The Basic Question – Who is a Copywriter?

A copywriter is a person who writes engaging content for publicity, advertising, blog, social media, or any other platform.

You are probably familiar with many popular catchphrases and one-liners that are associated with giant businesses. Let’s have a look at some of them. 

There is a copywriter behind each one of them. A person who, you can say, has shaped the face of these brands. 

Have you seen this battle:

There is also a copywriting team behind it. And we’ve got to admit, quite a good one.

How Many Copywriters Are Out There?

According to Steve Coombes, there are 28 million businesses and around 95 thousand writers of all kinds just in the United States. The number includes newspaper journalists and best-selling novel authors. 

This means there is one writer per 290 companies.

And we are talking about writers, not copywriters. 

It’s hard to tell how many copywriters are out there. Mostly because the same person usually has multiple accounts on different platforms. 

• On freelancer.com there are 50,784 copywriters as of 16-02-2021.
• Upwork.com there are 500 pages with 10 copywriters on each page. 
• Fiverr offers services of 2781 copywriting entities.

There is plenty to choose from.

What is a “Good” Copywriter?

Why do some copywriters charge 1$ per word, whereas others charge 10 times less? Why does Upwork feature a 100$/hour offer on Upwork, along with $3 ones?

The answer is the quality of their work, the end result, and the amount of work the copywriter puts into creating content. 

It is said that writing copy takes the same amount of time for good and b… other copywriters. The writing process is not complicated nor time-consuming. 

It’s the preparation. 

A regular copywriter will receive a topic, a brief, and maybe some upfront payment. Then, he’ll finish the job and send you his preferred payment methods. A good copywriter will be a nightmare.

Why? 

Imagine coming to a restaurant to eat. You just want to have a meal that will fill your stomach and make you happy. Nothing more than that.

Meanwhile, the waiter keeps asking:

• What do you want?
• Meat or vegan?
• If meat – beef? Chicken? Fish? 
• Potatoes? Rice? Fries?
• What for a starter? 
• What would you like to drink? 

And while all these questions may disturb you in a restaurant, in SEO copywriting it is a good sign. The copywriter has to know your needs, feelings, and the purpose of copy. He/she type of it, the audience, the target customers, the length, your suggestions, and whatnot. 

It is the only way to prepare a great copy. To prepare a good job description.

That’s why when you want to hire a copywriter and your business partner names the price without asking any questions – walk away. 

Different Types of Copywriters

They say that if something is good for everything, it’s actually good for nothing.

It is also true for copywriters.

According to Radix Communications, there are seven major types of copywriters:

Copywriters type	Function
The Creative Copywriter	They create interesting, catchy, and memorable copies like slogans, product descriptions, headlines, and ads. They can produce a hooking campaign idea.
The Digital Copywriter	They create descriptions, website pages navigations, microcopy, the instruction on how to use the website and how to move around it as well as CTAs and buttons.
The Marketing Copywriter	They will create a campaign and a story that will immerse the customer. They’re the best at working on brand awareness and long-term strategies. They can write good articles, video scripts, etc.
The Explainer Copywriter	Their work is to explain. They write guides, datasheets, instructions, etc. The work seems kind of grindy but no less important.
The SEO Copywriter	These are usually the copywriters mentioned above who will additionally optimize your content for Search Engines.
The Brand Journalist	It is a mixture of a journalist and a copywriter. Someone who will write articles about the company that serve a certain marketing purpose and give result.
The Technical Writer	This kind of copywriter will produce the highly specialized copy for your product, blog, and whatever you need. They cost the most but they will produce the best content.

Other Types of Copywriting Services

Freelance Copywriter

Currently, it’s the most popular way when looking for a copywriter job. 

Some of them are freelancing after their regular 9 to 5 to aid the budget.

Some of them have so many assignments, that they can make a good living.

And some of them became legendary. If your business needs someone like that to write copy, don’t bother without a bunch of cash. But the words they produce will be worth it.

Direct Response Copywriter

These people will be go-to copywriters for business owners who seek great sales copy. Sales letters, Facebook Ads, Google AdWords banners, amazing one-liners, short and focused product descriptions will force the prospect to convert right away.

You don’t want to hire these ones if you need a specialized, technical article or a blog post if you need traffic or optimize your content.

Blogging Copywriter

Blogging was different back in the day. If you had something interesting to say or share with your audience, you started a blog and this way you established a platform to connect with your community.

Now it doesn’t work like that anymore. Especially with the Google algorithm leaning more and more towards the user’s experience. 

These days you need to deliver valuable, useful, and credible content. 

Not only that. Blogging has become a vital part of digital marketing. A vast majority of companies and websites have a corporate blog. 

And every blog needs content. 

It is what blogging copywriters deliver – blog content. They know what’s being clicked, what’s readable, what’s attractive, and how to put it. If your plan is to establish such a blog to garner more traffic and build authority in your niche, you may need to hire some blogging copywriters.

Ghostwriter

There are many people who have an interesting story to tell, but they lack a writing gift. And although they are good at story-telling, they cannot transfer it onto paper. 

It is where the ghostwriter comes into play. It’s prevalent in the celebrity/sports environment. People there are famous but not necessarily gifted in terms of writing so they hire a ghostwriter to share their story.

The ghostwriter’s job is controversial because of moral rights.  In theory, moral rights cannot be transferred or sold.  In practice – it happens.

What Do You Need From a Copywriter as a Business Owner?

You cannot simply go to a copywriter and tell them: “I need 10 blog posts.” 

You need a plan. Regardless if you have hiring managers or not.

Unless you come up with a killer, revolutionary product that will change the world forever, your company will most likely face tough competition – both physically and online.

Ideally, you want to find a copywriter that specializes in the type of copy that you require.

Do you need high-quality social media posts? Blog posts? White papers? Product descriptions? Sales letter? Do you want your sales page to receive more traffic?

If it’s the first time that you order something, you might feel a little bit confused. 

Before ordering any content (and paying for it) you must identify your business needs. 

Step 1 – Content Marketing Strategy

You cannot select just any keyword and hope for the best. You need to make sure that the keywords you choose are actually the ones that you need. 

Here you have three options:

1. You conduct the keyword research yourself.
2. You have an SEO expert on your team.
3. You are looking for a copywriter that will do it.

Let’s go quickly over these options.

#1. Conducting keyword research yourself

The first important question – do you know how to do the keyword research? Can you tell which keywords will give you the traffic that will convert? Do you have the tools to do it? 

If not, it is better to hand this task over to someone who knows the drill. 

You can try to learn how to do keyword research. 

There are more than enough guides and video tutorials on how to do it. For the purpose of having a simple blog, it should be enough. 

However, if you aim for the biggest, most lucrative keywords for your business, you might hire a copywriter who will do it professionally. 

Also, if you have experience in SEO and you are able to do the keyword research on your own, you might skip this part.

#2. SEO expert on your team

It is probably the most expensive option, but if your SEO expert is capable and skilled, it will pay off with time. 

Your SEO will conduct broad keyword research, prepare a content marketing strategy, and create topic clusters that will make your website gather vast amounts of organic traffic. 

If you don’t want to hire an SEO expert or if you don’t need one full-time, you can always outsource it. Freelancing platforms are brimming with SEOs as well. 

#3. A copywriter that will do it

Some of the best content writers have tools, skills and an idea to conduct keyword research for you. 

However, you need to be aware of the fact that they will charge extra for it. 

Step 2 – Hiring a Copywriter

The first question you need to answer is whether your content marketing strategy is a long-term or a short-term one. 

A long-term strategy would be beneficial if you are starting your adventure with SEO in your company and you have a lot of work to do. 

A short-term strategy may rely on fixing some minor issues like writing or correcting a sales guide or an instruction for new products. 

Step 3 – Monitoring the Results

You don’t need expert-level technical knowledge to see the results of SEO actions and the content itself.

As a business owner, you will see growth in traffic, leads, sales, Facebook likes, and so on. 

How to Pick The Best Copywriter For The Job?

One of the most important things is to find a copywriter that specializes in the topic that you need content about. 

Why so?

1. Less research – every article needs research. A copywriter that reached Diamond in League of Legends will need less research on “How to play mid lane” than someone who never played the game.
2. Faster delivery of an article – less time spent researching, means quicker completion of the project.
3. Lower price – most freelance copywriters charge based on the amount of research needed and the amount of work they’d have to put into the project. Thus, an expert on a certain topic will put less effort into preparing the content, although it costs.
4. Guaranteed quality – someone with a deep knowledge of a certain niche will guarantee not to make significant, substantial mistakes when writing blog posts or sales page descriptions. Serious business owners want to make themselves look like experts for both the browser and customers. 

Freelancer or Full-Time Employee?

Brian Dean from backlinko.com says that “SEO never ends.”

And he’s right. 

Reportedly, there are at least a few hundred changes to the Google algorithm each year. 

You can check the biggest ones on the Moz page.

A huge search intent study by SurferSEO proved that in 2019-2020 the same search results fluctuated without being updated.

The graphic shows how search results changed from update to update.

Source: SurferSEO blog

And this is how it changed from September 2019 to December 2020.

Source: SurferSEO blog

Thus, we have two conclusions:

1. You will always need content.
2. You will always need updates.

There will always be something to work on. 

• 1. Hiring a freelancer may come with a higher hourly or per-word cost, but it offers greater flexibility as the arrangement is typically short-term, unlike a full-time contract which is more binding and cannot be terminated at will.
• 2. Freelancers can provide valuable additional support to a full-time copywriter, allowing you to outsource tasks when you urgently require extra content.
• 3. Employing a full-time worker grants you more control and accountability. If a copywriter makes a mistake, they can be held responsible, and you have the opportunity to mentor and develop their content creation skills, making it an investment.
• 4. However, the third point has its drawbacks. As your content writer gains experience, they may request salary increases over time. In contrast, freelancers often offer more predictable pricing, ensuring you have a clear idea of their charges.

The Skill Level

It is a constant battle between price and quality.

Would you rather buy a brand new mechanical keyboard from a top-notch company like Corsair K100 RGB OPX for $250 or maybe a no-name keyboard for $50?

Would you spend $400 on a quality, brand-new PSU or you’d rather go for cheap blacklist garbage?

The same goes for a copywriter. 

Content is an investment.

If it’s well done and up to date it will pay great benefits for years. If it’s done poorly, you might as well take the money and give it to a homeless person. You will have the moral benefits of doing a good deed.

The Price Point

When looking for a copy, you should have some sort of budget for the project.

Do not spend your last dollar hiring copywriters to prepare white papers, blog posts, product descriptions, or social media posts. Your landing pages and customers can wait. 

A great copywriter will tell you the exact price of one’s services and why is it so high. 

A bad one will ask about your budget and propose a solution that works for them, not you.

At the same time, be careful with going too high. “Expensive” doesn’t automatically mean “good”. The fact that people charge $100 for an hour of their work doesn’t mean they guarantee quality. 

Maybe they’re scammers? 

Maybe it’s a cash grab? 

Via Platform or Directly

There are countless platforms that gather both content writers and business owners looking for content. Each one of them takes a commission for their services. 

Sometimes you may feel like it’s a rip-off.

When it comes to a direct agreement, the money will be better. If you agree to work for $100, that’s what you get.

Provided that you will get it.

The Internet is a place full of scammers. You need to keep it in mind. 

Do you remember a renowned scandal, when a man tried to sell his friend’s account worth $1,4 million? 

Source: screenrant.com

Trust is a huge issue in the business these days.

It is why paying the commission may not be the worst idea of all. The platform takes care of both the customers and freelancers. 

The Recommendation

In copywriting, a profound Upwork profile and impressive portfolio is one thing. But a recommendation is a different pair of shoes.

A lot of professional copywriters will get gigs from the recommendation network. It builds trust better than the best portfolio in the business.

Ask your friends on Facebook if they’re writing or they know someone who’s writing words for money. Post an announcement on LinkedIn or any other social network. 

The Destruction of Freelance Market

We’ve mentioned that different people have different skill levels. 

Part of them will create a sales pages copy that will boost your revenue to the sky. 

Part of them will demand an upfront payment, simulate work, and run away.

Alternatively, they will charge small potatoes for their products and produce sales letters that wouldn’t sell a hamburger to a starving man.

It is why the value of copywriting services depreciated over the past years. 

Good copy creators struggle to make their way to the top because of the opinion the bad ones provided them with.

How Much Does a Good Copywriter Cost?

Bad copywriters will tell you the price. That’s how you can tell the difference.

A great copywriter will not name a price before knowing exactly what the client needs. 

Remember the part about the restaurant and a thousand questions? 

Bad copywriter will name a price of $10 and give you a sandwich.

A good copywriter will identify your needs and tell you how they will prepare the best meal in the world within your budget. 

And then they’ll deliver.

These are the exemplary rates for freelancers from Upwork:

Obviously, it all depends on the project that you have. These people will charge differently for multiple landing pages and differently for a single blog post. 

What Are The Best Places To Find a Copywriter?

If you’re here, it means you already found one.

Here at GamerSEO, we provide high-quality services for businesses revolving around gaming. Check out our products, as we are an SEO and marketing agency and quality content is not the only thing we can produce for our customers.

Freelance Copywriting

If all you need is a good copy or a freelance writer, you should try the biggest ones:

• Fiverr,

• Upwork,
• Contena,
• Freelance Writing Gigs,
• Blogging Pro,
• Journalism Jobs, 
• Morning Coffee Newsletter, 
• Freelance Writing,
• All Indie Writers,
• Freedom With Writing,
• Contently.

Full-time Copywriting

If your business needs something more than a sales letter for the customers or a Facebook post from time to time (meaning you need a proper long-term worker writing for you), these are the best options:

• Working Nomads,
• GlassDoor,
• Workana,
• TopTal,
• Guru,
• We Work Remotely,
• FlexJobs.

SEO Agencies

If you need a different type of product, for example your project involves content planning, writing, publishing, and auditing, you may want to turn to an SEO agency. Most of them (like us) will provide complex solutions for all types of businesses.

Do you know any better places to find a quality writer? Share it with us in the comment section, and we’ll update the article.

Even a Perfect Copy is Not Enough

How is that? How is it possible that we pay hundreds or thousands of dollars to hire a copywriter, and they don’t deliver? 

Well, a copy is not a magic spell. 

It will not enchant your prospects to make the purchase or hypnotize your website visitors to leave a lead. 

It will not provide you with a miracle.

However, a good and experienced copywriter will point these things out. They will say things like:

• “Your product is great, but your website loading speed is detrimental,”
• “You need to optimize images on your website, add an image alt attribute, and fix Meta Descriptions,”
• “Your website looks bad and the UX is negative,” 
• “Your sales pages should be updated” and so on.

A good copywriter knows that they need to deliver. If you pay a few hundred dollars for a slogan, and it doesn’t move a conversion metric a tiny bit, who are you going to blame?

The copywriter.

The conclusion is straightforward. You bought a copy making a major investment, and it didn’t help. Logical.

It’s like buying a medicine. If it doesn’t help, it means it is a bad medicine, and you only wasted money. In the heat of the moment, it doesn’t matter that you are allergic, your organism doesn’t tolerate the active substance or your bad diet neutralizes it. Maybe you didn’t hire the right copywriter for the job or the problem lies in his writing style.

FAQ

How much does a good copy cost?

Prices should be evaluated individually for a specific project. Poor copies start working from $0,01 per word. Good ones take more than $0.10. The best ones will not even consider writing for less than $1 per word.

Where can I hire a copywriter?

We recommend checking the most popular writing platforms – Fiverr, Upwork, Freelance.com, Guru, etc. 

What should I look for when hiring a copywriter?

These things are the most important in copywriting:

• skills,
• writer’s portfolio,
• recommendations,
• experience,
• areas of expertise and specialization,
• types of products the writer is offering,
• the type of a copywriter (sales copy, direct response, blogging, creative, technical, etc.),

The price for the project goes last.