When to Outsource Your Copywriting and When to DIY
When I graduated from university I felt like I knew how to write. I’d just finished writing a 120-page thesis, passed my classes with flying colours and survived English courses that had me writing essays on a different 400-page novel each and every week–thank you Princeton for the crash course in speed reading and writing!
In my first real job in PR I learned quickly that knowing how to write creatively or academically is not the same as knowing how to write for business. I had to throw out much of what my fancy degree had taught me and learn how to write for actual humans. That’s how I discovered the real power of writing.
Today generative AI makes it possible for just about anyone to write something that sounds good. But what exactly should you be writing about, how can you tell if it’s really good and how do you stand out when it’s faster than ever to create content at scale?
These are questions that professional writers and marketers everywhere are asking themselves. My take? The best way to write is to start with understanding your audience and then focus on sharing what only you can. AI tools are incredibly useful and I use them in my everyday workflow, but they’re not a substitute for original ideas, thought leadership and human creativity.
Content vs Copy
Before we go on let’s unpack some terms that tend to be confusing (even for professionals!).
In marketing, there are many different types of writers. The job of a copywriter is to write persuasively. If you have something to sell, copywriting can help your customer understand what makes it so great and most importantly, why they have to have it.
Both “copy” and “content” can use stories to connect with people. The key difference is that copy has a specific job to do (selling) while content can be just about anything you want it to be.
Content writing can aim to educate, engage, entertain, inspire, nurture or attract your audience, without necessarily asking them to take action. As you can imagine, content has an important role to play in supporting the sales process, even if it doesn’t make a direct offer.
Copy can show up in different places: on websites, ads, landing pages, social media captions, emails, product pages, print material and more. Content can show up in a lot of these places as well, though many companies focus their content strategy on blogs, articles, emails and social media.
So what makes copywriting so important? Copy is what locks in sales for your business!
What Does a Copywriter Do
A skilled copywriter will gather insights, craft strategic messages, and write copy that persuades your target audience to take action.
There’s more to copywriting than having a knack for sales (that was never my strong suit) or just being a good writer (there are plenty of those, including ChatGPT). Great copy is driven by empathy for your audience–it’s art and science coming together to capture the right people’s attention and convince them to say yes to your offer.
My copywriting process always starts with research. Why? Well, without research you’re just guessing when you could be using data to drive your strategy. That's right, you don’t just have to throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks!
Customer interviews are one of the most powerful tools in the copywriter’s toolbox because they give you first-hand insights into your audience’s pains, motivations, questions and frustrations. In other words, they enable you to empathize as a writer.
The goal of copywriting is to make your audience feel seen and heard so that they can trust that you’re the right solution to their problems or the answer to their desires. From there, all they have to do is say yes.
Should You Write Your Own Copy?
By now you should have a grasp on what copywriting is and why it’s so valuable for your business. So, should you hire a professional copywriter, or should you learn to write your own copy?
The truth is, copywriting isn’t a skill that you learn overnight, but if you have a solid foundation of writing skills, there are some cases when it may just make more sense to write your own copy or use a tool like ChatGPT to help you.
Keep in mind it doesn’t have to be all or nothing: you can always outsource copywriting in one area while taking on certain projects that feel more intuitive yourself.
Here are a few signs you may want to take your copywriting into your own hands:
Your business doesn’t need to make a profit. Are you pursuing a passion project or just trying to help people like you solve a problem you’ve already figured out? Before you invest money in marketing, you could test the waters and see if this is really something you want to pursue as a business.
You’re just getting started and your budget is limited. There are some things you can learn to do yourself relatively quickly and some skills that take years of practice or expensive equipment. Sometimes you have to make compromises to fit your budget. For example, you might want to invest in professional photography and website copywriting, but write your own social media posts and learn how to use basic design tools.
You are your brand. You might be surprised to learn that many creators who have a personal brand outsource all or most of their copywriting to professionals, but others wear all the hats. If you like writing and you’re willing to put in the time to learn the strategies that make copywriting work, you might actually enjoy writing your own copy. Putting yourself out there in an authentic way can go a long way toward persuading your audience.
8 Signs It’s Time to Hire a Copywriter
If you’ve never had success hiring a writer before, the idea of letting someone else be the voice of your brand might sound scary, but there are plenty of reasons why it could be the right move for your business.
Just for fun, here are some of the signs it might be time to invest in a professional copywriter:
You’ve already done your own writing but your product isn’t selling and you suspect your marketing isn’t up to snuff.
You can’t seem to get the ideas out of your head and onto the page.
You’re a person of many talents but you know your writing skills just aren’t great.
You’re a great writer but you hate writing about yourself or you can’t seem to figure out what to say about your business.
You just don’t have the bandwidth. You have too much on your plate already and you can’t seem to find the time to do research, conduct interviews and write your own copy.
You’ve hired your best friend’s cousin the English major to help with content in the past but you’re not getting the results you wanted.
You have a solid strategy already but you’re ready to turn up the volume and you don’t have the capacity to do it on your own.
You’re great at certain types of copywriting but you don’t have specialized skills for different media like websites, email newsletters or social media.
You have a lot of decisions to make when it comes to allocating resources, investing time and hiring for your business but here’s one good reason to invest in copywriting: words matter. Stunning photography, a genius social media campaign or a beautifully designed website might be the hook that draws customers in, but words are what will seal the deal.
How to Write Better Copy
If you do decide to try your hand at copywriting, there are a few things you can do to be more successful. First, always keep your audience in mind. Try writing like you’d speak if you were having a real conversation with a customer. This is one of the best ways to make a connection with your audience.
Second, be intentional with your words. Remember you don’t have to guess! Do your research and define your messaging strategy before you sit down to write.
Finally, don’t forget, it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. If you have to make compromises with your budget (don’t we all), play to your own strengths and focus on hiring professionals to help with the things that will make the greatest impact on your business. You can also hire a consultant to guide you through the process…like me, I can do that for you!
