I’m crazy about pumpin’ this blog full of tips to help creativepreneurs like you crack the code on copywriting how-to skills: from call-to-action CPR to bullet 101, about page refreshing and more, I’ve got your back.
You should be good to jam, yeah?
Well, yes and no.
I had a call with new Ashlyn Writes client Katelyn James today (????????) and she made my heart sing: “I want to start letting the experts do their thing.”
It makes all the sense in the world to become a student of copywriting as CEO of your creative business: you’re the #1 message-bringer communicating who you are and what you do to your brides, students, and clients.
But.
There are several times you should bring in a professional copywriter, once you can afford to invest in it.
Bringing you a list of 7 times you should bring in a copywriter … ’cause while I know you do love a little DIY bootstrapping in your life as a small business owner, sometimes outsourcing is pure alchemy.
Let’s hit it!
1. When you hate writing.
Client’s questionnaire response I read this week: “I hate writing. I would literally not pass a college course on it.”
By all means, outsource bits of your biz that slow your trajectory!
You need a working knowledge of your brand voice, tone, and basic salesmanship for marketing (I’m guessing you still write some client emails and social media posts), but goodness gracious, focus on your strengths! Lots of people hate writing*, and that’s ok.
* some people don’t hate it, but are just procrastinators, which is also okay, too. Try the FocusKeeper and Brain.fm apps in tandem to lock down on focusing during your next writing session.
2. When you don’t have the bandwidth (even if you’re a stud writer).
Many of my clients lock and load copy that’s more heart-race than eyes-glaze.
Christina Scalera. Jenna Kutcher. Abby Springmann.
And not just launch copy clients–we’re talking many of my basic website copywriting package clients.
It’s a testimony for me to consider playing to my strengths in my business, too: these entrepreneurs are shrewd to get tasks off their plate, doubling down on their output to focus on writing course curriculum, serve clients with high-dollar packages, etc.
Oh …
And implied here?
If you’re brand new to your business, don’t hire a copywriter. Study copywriting, take a course, DIY it. Don’t invest in a copywriter until you know exactly the market research behind who you’re after, what they want, and what you do to solve it.
In a nutshell: If you have more time than money … don’t hire a copywriter (yet).
Learn it yourself.
Take a course like Copywriting for Creatives, read articles, try your hand at it. You’ll get better, and you’ll get to the point …
3. When you need something super-nuanced.
Maybe it’s a welcome or nurture sequence, launch funnel, or sales page: you know that a persuasive, optimization crazy copywriter (????????) is what you need.
Or.
You’re moving your blog to a new platform for hosting, and could best steward your biz by getting SEO-minded copywriters like Krista & Davey to comb through your copy to see what ranking opportunities are out there.
Maybe you’re naming a business, running Facebook ads, or need a wordsmith of a VA to spice up stale client templates.
Copywriting isn’t a replacement to your marketing, but it’s how you drive traffic and eyeballs to your marketing focuses.
4. When you want your grammar to keep it ????.
Copywriters know when to argue the Oxford comma or the em-dash vs. en-dash quandary … but aren’t afraid to break the rules like an artist when it’s conversion-appropriate.
(And yes, I threw the elipses in there on purpose … space before and after, thankyouyas.)
5. When the curse of knowledge won’t go away.
I see this all the time with our Brand Storytelling package.
And I can totally relate.
#BEENTHEREDONETHAT
It took coach Heather Crabtree to sort out my mission statement.
It took mentor Carli Patton to help me realize my winning differentiating factor is the 50% artsy, 50% analytical eye I can’t shake (ya know … the one that made me feel like the not-artsy-enough AP Art student, and not-mathy-enough academic student growing up … script flip!).
Someimtes, you just need an extra pair of eyes to point out what people actually want to hear.
6. When you’re not so sure how to apply research.
A copywriter will ask you for direct access to ideal client language, study what your following is asking in Instagram comments to you, and data mine in Facebook groups where your target audience interacts.
But if a reverse engineer dance of writing doesn’t sound up your alley, you have two choices:
1. Try surveying your audience (I wrote a how-to on that here) and writing wily words to serve that tribe
2. Hire a conversion copywriter, because well, they should data mine your audience to help you bring home the bacon.
Oh–I wrote a post about surveying here. Click to read up on the how-to!
7. When stakes are sky high.
Circle the one most like you:
A. You spent 3 months building out a course, beta testing it, and priming your email list.
B. You just left your job to make your side-hustle real … and now it’s time to replace your old income.
C. You’re rebranding your website, and need well-structured messaging that conveys your prowess and value … since you’re upping your prices.
D. You know your brand message like the back of your hand, and your sell-no-sleeze website copy is doin’ it’s thing: you’re busy with client work, and stringing words for maintenance copy, like email marketing, blog content, opt-ins, and social media copy.
D, you’re off the hook.
A-C, keep reading.
If you’re caught in a moment where you’re tripping over your web words and need a rush of clarity or spark for your business and can’t risk dismal sales … hire a copywriter.
Or just invest in studying it.
So there you have it.
Before you get a copywriter to strut into your life however, remember this: ultimately the message comes from you.
Unique Value Proposition, Unique Selling Proposition, Onlyness Factor (as my Copywriting for Creatives students know I call it), Red Sole Factor a la Louboutin: ID the thing that makes your audience sit a spell and say “dip me, baby,” and you’ll riddle the theme of your marketing story.
Bottom line, a professional copywriter is a perfectionist over language: obsessive about how tone lands and rhythm falls, where a good double-meaning finds play, and what decades-old copy formula sings yet again despite its patina.
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There are several times you should bring in a professional copywriter, once you can afford to invest in it.
Bringing you a list of 7 times you should bring in a copywriter … ’cause while I know you do love a little DIY bootstrapping in your life as a small business owner, sometimes outsourcing is pure alchemy.
