Copywriting

Your agency is working on a large pitch.  Your team have been beavering away, late into the night, to create compelling copy, craft a beautiful design and meet the deadline.

Or maybe you’re writing copy for your agency’s website, blog or social media.

Should you invest in a freelance proofreader and get an extra perspective?  

Here are five reasons why you should hire an extra pair of eyes to make sure your copy is absolutely perfect.

An outside opinion
You know your agency inside out – and you know the vocabulary.  An outside eye will pick up on jargon that might confuse your target audience.  I can’t think of a single instance where copy is any the worse for being clear.

Ensuring consistency
An AI may not notice if you suddenly switch between ” and ‘ when writing quotes – but your proofreader absolutely will.  

Bonus tip: supply your proofreader with your agency’s Tone of Voice guidelines.  If you don’t have any, consider investing in a copywriter to create some with you.

Be perceived as professional
Statistically, people are more likely to click away from websites with multiple errors.  Your agency is filled with hard-working, professional individuals.  A proofreader will make sure your written content reflects that ethos.

It’s literally their job
Yes, you could ask Kevin from accounts to cast his eye over it.  Kevin will have an outside perspective.  And he may pick up on sudden switches from ” to ‘.  But Kevin’s job is accounting.  A seasoned proofreader can offer a nuanced service that could save you potentially costly mistakes.

Proofreading and editing often go hand-in-hand
Maybe your pitch is wildly outside the word count.  Maybe you want to say something but can’t think of a pithy way to put it.  A little bit of editing from an experienced proofreader and editor can get your text down to the correct word count – whilst ensuring its meaning is retained.

I regularly help agencies out with their proofreading needs, whether it’s emails, web content, important pitches or anything in between.  Use the contact form to get in touch with me or email [email protected].

When you’re part of a busy agency, it can be challenging to keep your blog and socials updated with fun, fresh content.

One of the first things to ask yourself is: whom am I writing for?  What does my target audience want to read?  Those questions alone can sometimes get the creative juices flowing and inspire you to write blogs that are relevant to your customers and potential clients.

If you’re still scratching your head, though, here are ten ideas to help inspire your agency’s blog.

Your news
Has your agency just won an award?  Maybe you created awesome work for a favourite client.  Your blog is the perfect place to let people know your wins.

Pro tip: if you struggle to write about your own work, a copywriter can talk about how fabulous you are in an approachable way.

Your work
You might have a dedicated section for your portfolio or case studies but, if not, your blog makes a perfect home to show how your work has benefited your clients – and to give future clients a behind-the-scenes look at how you operate.

A bit of fun
You know what they say about all work and no play.  It can make a dull blog.  

Depending on the circumstances, a little bit of fun and whimsy can make your blog stand out, attract new customers and make people smile.  When appropriate, of course.

Global issues
Your blog could be a place to talk about the bigger picture and how your agency is supporting its workers as they deal with worldwide issues.  Or you could highlight how you’re taking steps to combat climate change.  

Meet the team
You probably already have an about page where people can get to know the faces behind the agency.  

A dedicated blog post is an effective way for past, present and future clients to get to know your team even more.  

Pro tip: interview a team member each month and create a blog post based on that interview.

Industry-specific topics
Depending on your agency’s area of expertise, you could dive in to topics that are specific to your industry.  Whether you’re talking about the future of AI, the latest UX design trends or something else relevant to your agency, this is a powerful way to showcase your knowledge. 

Positive reviews
Maybe a client has waxed lyrical about your work.  Even if you already have a testimonials page, a blog can be a great way to share the positive feedback and delve deeper into what you did for your client and why it was so effective.

Career openings
Maybe you want to encourage young people to consider working for your agency in the future or simply shine a spotlight on the latest career openings.  Either way, a blog can direct attention to the latest vacancies in your agency and get people thinking about joining you. 

Helpful blogs
Your customers might have questions.  Your blog is a place to sell the fact that you have the answers.  

What sets you apart?
Maybe you use technology in an unconventional, effective way.  Maybe you have decades of collective expertise.  Maybe you specialise in a very specific niche.  Whatever sets you apart from other agencies is worth blogging about.

Hopefully some of these ideas have been helpful.  If you’d like help writing a blog post or proofreading existing copy, I’d be delighted to hear from you.

Obviously, the answer to this question depends on multiple factors, including, but not limited to:

• What kind of copywriting we’re talking about
• How much research is involved
• Whether or not there are any amends to make
• When the deadline is

However, as busy agencies require quick turnarounds, I thought it might help if I put together some information on timings and when you can expect to receive your copy.  To do that, let’s examine the process.

The briefing

Most briefings involve the Project Manager, Strategist and Creative Lead helping brief the copywriter or designer into the project.  In my experience, this usually takes half an hour.

Pro tip: when sending your copywriter the meeting invitation, include links to the written brief or production deck, if possible, so they can familiarise themselves with the project ahead of the briefing.  While they may not always have time to do so, I’ve found studying the written brief ahead of time means I can ask better questions throughout the briefing and really get to grips with the deliverables.

The research

This is a pivotal step, but virtually impossible to estimate its length.  Your copywriter may need to read a whitepaper, go to a library, scour the web, interview someone…  

Something that makes this step a lot easier is having a Strategist on board to lay out key messages and their references.  I’ve found this has saved me hours of research time and means I can focus on getting the actual writing done.

The writing

I’m quite a fast writer, which means I can get a lot done in a short space of time.  This is very useful if there are deadlines involved.  

However, when I have the time, I love the ability to write, step away, then go back and analyse what I’ve done with a fresh eye.  This definitely results in better writing at the end.

I still find estimating how long the actual writing will take quite tricky.  However, I can give a rough quote once I know more about the scope of the project.  

The amends

Working with private clients meant amends could drag on…  and on…  and on…  Even though I had a clause in my contract that amends needed to be with me after two weeks, I was too scared to insist upon this.  I’m still waiting for people I worked with in 2020 to give me detailed amends.

Working with agencies mean other members of the team insist that the client provides all amends by a certain date.  This is wonderful, for me, as now it’s just a matter of making those amends.  Usually this takes no more than a day.

Pro tip: I’ve found having all the team, not just the Creative Lead, take a look at the copy helps create a unified document that’s in line with the original brief.  

Want copy that gets results?  Send me an email and let’s discuss how I can help your agency.

Every digital marketing or communications agency needs quality copy in order to position itself above its competitors.  Whether that copy is for your own website or social media, or for your clients, here are compelling reasons to hire a remote freelance copywriter in 2023 – and how to pick one that’s right for you.

It’s eco-friendly

According to a recent Forbes article, 3.2 metric tons of carbon emissions and 313 gallons of gasoline are saved per remote worker each year.  

In order to minimise my impact on the environment, I recently did away with my printer (can’t print unnecessarily if you don’t print at all!).  I’m always open to suggestions on how to make my business more eco-friendly, but I feel remote working is a strong step in the right direction.

It’s cost-effective

I’m here when you need me.  Off the payroll when you don’t.  You pay for the work I do, as and when I do it.  You also don’t have to pay my tax and NI contributions.

A freelancer can still be a team player

This is especially true when you regularly work with a particular freelancer, or permalancer.  I’ve been fortunate enough to have worked with an agency since November, meaning I know the individual members of the team (as well as their babies’ names, their favourite holiday destinations and their pets).  Getting to know the people you’re working with goes a long way to helping you understand the assignment and, ultimately, create copy that gets results.

How can you be sure you’ve found the right copywriter for your agency?

What do they charge?

While the best copywriter may not be the one that charges most, it’s generally true that you get what you pay for.  How does their day rate compare to others?  Are they “too cheap”?  

What do others say?

I don’t have a testimonials section on my website (mainly because I completely forget to ask clients to say nice things about me) but you’ll often find copywriters investing space on their website to build confidence in their work.  Having testimonials can be an effective and fast way to find out what others say about the copywriter and give you a good idea of how they’ll be able to help you.  

I have a few testimonials on my LinkedIn in the form of recommendations, so that’s often a good starting point if you’re looking to see what others say about a writer.

What do they say (verbally or otherwise)?

Are they on time for meetings?  How do they conduct themselves?  How do you feel when you talk to them?  Are they professional?  

As a copywriter, it’s important to me that I’m punctual and professional.  I respect others who make the effort to do the same – it gives me confidence that they’ll show the same level of care in their work.

What does their portfolio consist of?

This is a pretty obvious one, but, in my opinion, a portfolio is much more powerful than a CV – and don’t even get me started on cover letters!  A portfolio should tell you all you need to know about a potential writer, even if that portfolio consists of on spec copy.  

What’s next?

Once you’ve found a copywriter who ticks all your boxes, it’s a good idea to hang on to them.  Having a permalancer who knows the ins and outs of your agency and knows how to make your clients happy is incredibly useful.  

It’s also a lovely feeling, from a freelancer’s point of view, when an agency wants you to work with them regularly.  

Are you looking to hire a freelance copywriter in 2023?  Why not get in touch now?

When I first started copywriting with various agencies, I was overwhelmed with acronyms.  They meant absolutely nothing to me and, about ten times a day, I had to ask: “What does that mean?”

Chances are, if you’re working in a busy agency, you already know what they all mean.  But I have no doubt that someone, somewhere will find this blog useful.  Even that person is me, going back to check an acronym I should already know by now.

AM – Account Manager.

ATL marketing – “ATL” stands for “Above The Line” and this refers to widespread marketing campaigns, such as television adverts.

B2B copywriting – “B2B” stands for “Business to Business” and refers to any copywriting written by a business, targeted towards another business.

B2C copywriting – exactly the same, except the “C” stands for consumer and the copy is targeted at consumers.

BTL marketing – “BTL” stands for “Below The Line” and this refers to more targeted marketing campaigns.

CTA – Call to Action.  Whether it’s something like “Message me for more information” or a simple “Contact us”, a CTA helps guide a customer to take action.

CX – Customer Experience.

DM marketing – “DM” stands for “Direct Mail” and this refers to marketing material that ultimately ends up delivered through the recipient’s letterbox.

EDM – Electronic Direct Mail. (Either that or “Electronic Dance Music” but I thought the former was more likely given the context.)

PI – Profitability Index. 

PM – Project Manager.

PPT – Microsoft PowerPoint, a presentation programme.

OOH – “OOH” stands for “Out Of Home” advertising. Find out more here.

SaaS – Software as a Service.  

SoW – “SoW” stands for “Statement of Work.”  It’s a document that outlines the deliverables, pricing and time frame for a project.

TOV – “TOV” stands for “Tone of Voice”.  This usually refers to the tone of voice a business or organisation wants to convey – whether it’s professional, friendly or anything in between.  

TTL marketing – “TTL” stands for “Through The Line” and this approach incorporates both ATL and BTL marketing types.

TVC – “TVC” stands for “Television Commercial”.

UX copywriting – “UX” stands for “User Experience” and is designed to make the user’s experience clear and enjoyable – often this involves directing them towards the end goal.

I hope this has been helpful – although I won’t be giving up my day job to become a lexicographer any time soon!

When working with larger companies, I’ve often been given a very handy set of Tone of Voice guidelines.  Perhaps you’re wondering if this is something your agency should invest in?  Let’s take a look.

What are Tone of Voice guidelines?

Tone of Voice guidelines set out how you want your brand to sound.  It’s all about creating a consistent language to be used in all your written content, from websites to social media to brochures and everything in between.

These guidelines will encompass how you want to sound, your style choices (fonts and punctuation, etc.) and overall personality.  

They are not a list of words you can and can’t use.  They’re exactly what they say they are – guidelines to help you and your writers choose the language that fits your brand.

Do you need these guidelines?

Tone of Voice guidelines will help you keep your content consistent.  They’re especially useful if you regularly bring freelancers on board – it’s incredibly helpful to be given some guidance when you start writing for a new client.

Having a consistent voice means your brand will be more distinctive and easy to recognise.  

What’s involved in creating these guidelines?

Before any actual writing takes place, we would need to set down on paper how you want your brand to sound.  I’d need to ask you a lot of questions and, once I had the brief right, I’d ask you to sign off on it to ensure we’re all on the same page.

Once we know what we’re aiming for, I’ll get started writing the guidelines themselves.  

These may include:

• Why a tone of voice guideline is needed and who it’s for.
• Three words that describe your tone of voice.  For example, warm, welcoming and wise.  
• What those three words look like in reality and why they’re relevant to your brand.
• A guide for writing copy that’s on brand.
• Information on style.  For example, one space after a full stop or two?  US or UK English? 
• Optional: any words or phrases you absolutely do not want used.

These guidelines don’t have to be of Shakespearean proportions.  I’m always in favour of keeping written information as short and snappy as possible – thus making it more memorable. 

Should your agency or organisation invest in guidelines?

Fill in the contact form or send me an email ([email protected]) and we can discuss whether this is a service that’s right for you.

One of the reasons I love working with agencies so much is the pool of resources available to dip into.  Having the perspective of a Strategist or someone to provide you with useful links is incredibly useful when it comes to saving time and creating copy that gets results.

Here are a few websites you might want to share with your freelance copywriter.  I’ve found them all very useful in my work with agencies.

Text Compare

Let’s say your copywriter hasn’t tracked changes on the document, but your designer needs to know what new elements should be added to the design.  The Text Compare website is the perfect tool for the job.  You can paste up to two chunks of text and it will flag up all the differences.

Percentage Increase Calculator

My brain works with words – not numbers.  I despise calculations in any form and this little calculator has helped me figure out percentage increases quickly and easily.  

Character Counter

Your brief may contain a character count limit for certain items of copy.  I’ve found this tool invaluable in making sure I keep to the character count.

Hour Calculator

For a long time, I struggled to figure out how many hours I’d worked.  This little tool means I know exactly how long I’ve worked and it makes scheduling a lot simpler.

LinkedIn Date Getter

Let’s say you want to find out the exact date and time a post was published on LinkedIn.  The platform will say something vague, like 20 months, but this amazing little tool will extract the info you need.  I don’t know who made it in order to credit them, but, if you’re reading this, thank you very much!

Whether your agency frequently hires freelancers or contractors or you’re just contemplating the idea, it can be helpful to find out more about how your chosen freelancer works and what their methods are.

Here’s a little about my copywriting process – from the initial conversation with you to the final sign-off.

Saying hello

You might discover my website and think I’d be a good fit or I might spot one of your posts on LinkedIn asking for freelance support.  Our first conversation will involve me learning more about your agency, the work you usually do and the brief you’re particularly looking for help with.  If we both feel we are good a fit for each other, then we move on to the next step.

The briefing

Most agencies will supply me with a written brief and a video call to go over said brief.  This allows me to ask any questions and go over anything that isn’t clear before diving into the work.

Research

Often the Project Manager or Strategist will have laid out all the information I need in a production deck, but, in some cases, additional research is required.  

The fun bit

The actual writing, of course, is my favourite part.  I especially love briefs that allow me to get creative.  Usually, I will align with the Creative Director and Strategist to make sure the copy is fully compliant with the brief and to get an outside perspective.  Once the internal sign off is completed, the copy then gets handed over to the agency to share with their client.

The edits

Usually, only two rounds of edits are needed.  Because I charge a day rate for agencies, this can often result in saving your overall costs if fewer edits are needed.  Once your client is happy with the edits, the job is done.

Things you might need to know

Because of my location, I can only work remotely.  Most of my agency clients are London-based and don’t find this a problem.  

I love adding new items to my portfolio.  I’ll always discuss it with my clients first, to make sure this is okay, but whether or not I’m able to showcase completed work may have a bearing on whether I take your project on or not.

I’m a sole trader.  This means we might need to arrange my payment via an umbrella company.  This also means I may need to charge more to compensate for the umbrella company’s cut.  In situations like this, I use YunoJuno and absolutely love them – they don’t take a cut and pay on time, so I can heartily recommend them to anyone who needs their services.

Ready to say hello?

If you’re ready to take the first step towards working together, simply send me a message using my contact form or to [email protected].  I always answer enquiries within 24 hours so, if you don’t hear from me by then, please feel free to follow up.