Writing a post on social media that asks for a copywriter to contact you is not the best way to find someone qualified. Good copywriters are too busy writing to troll social for posts about work. Usually, if you try to find someone that way, you’ll end up with someone really new, or someone who doesn’t have return customers (which means they aren’t good at their job).
How to Find a Qualified Copywriter
If that’s the case, what is a clever way to find a qualified copywriter?
There are plenty of ways, so don’t worry. But before we get into how to find and vet a copywriter, first you need to understand what good copy looks like.
For our purposes in this article, here is a quick list of what functional copy needs.
- It has to be benefit-focused (what results will you see if you use whatever the copy is recommending?)
- It has to mirror and elicit emotions. How does the target audience feel? Does the copy mirror that? How will they feel in the future if they get the results of the product or service the copy describes?
- It needs to be clear, concise, and consistent. Confused people don’t purchase (in fact, they won’t do anything but leave).
- It needs to sound like the brand it’s written under, not a generic copy-and-paste swipe file. A swipe file gives you text and areas where you fill in the blanks. Good copywriters do know how to modify swipe files so that they sound like the client (I use my own swipe files I spent years writing and testing). You’ll know an unmodified swipe file when you see one, because it won’t sound anything like the brand.
Now that you have the list of 4 things copy should do, let’s talk about where you can find a qualified copywriter:
- Ask your business friends. One of them is likely to have a copywriter they love working with.
- Look on UpWork or Fiverr. I started on UpWork and one of the cleverest copywriters I know started on Fiverr. You usually won’t find high-budget copywriters on these platforms, but if you aren’t at a stage yet where you need someone who understands high-stakes copywriting, it’s okay to hire someone you can afford as long as their copy hits all of the points we went over together above.
You get what you pay for. If you want someone to write copy for you that seems like too good of a price, it could be that English is a second language for them. Or, it could be that they’re new. Either way, if you like their samples, go for it! When your business levels up and you can afford to work with a more qualified copywriter, you can always hire someone who is used to working on bigger projects.
- Search for copywriters on LinkedIn or Instagram and read through their content. If a copywriter is qualified to work for someone else, their brand writing should hit all of the points we mentioned before. I have people track me down and hire me from Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok. I have also met people in networking groups who watched my content for a few months before hiring me.
- Ask me for a referral. If you’re like “Kristin, your prices aren’t a fit for where my business is right now,” I totally understand. But I did go through an intense training program for copywriting with a bunch of amazing writers and some of them have lower price points than I do. I’d be glad to give you a referral to one I know is awesome.
And now you know how to find a qualified copywriter!
Are you ready to learn more about how Literary Symmetry can help you communicate clearly with confidence to grow and scale your business? Awesome! Head here for two amazing, complimentary resources.
