It’s out there – your advert for a copywriter has been launched, waiting to tempt some exceptional talent to enhance your team.
This means you are one of the few business leaders who understands the value of copywriting. If you want to build and maintain strong relationships with your customers, stakeholders and staff, the content in your name must be top-notch.
But there is another way: hiring a freelance copywriter.
Freelance copywriter vs in-house copywriter
If working with a freelancer is not something you’ve done before, you may not have considered it a viable business solution.
Hiring a new member of staff makes more sense to you.
You have a skills gap in your team that needs filling, so the traditional route is hiring a new staff member.
This means:
- Onboarding costs
- Training costs
- Holiday and sick pay
- Gradual indoctrination, which leads to bland content
- Blinkered approach to writing
- Limited skill set
- Staff churn
Perhaps it’s not looking like such a great solution now. So, what’s the alternative?
Why freelance works for business
Content is an ongoing need, so a temporary contract with a copywriter won’t cut the mustard. However, engaging a freelance copywriter to work with you for, say, ten days a month will deliver all the content you need.
Although they won’t be full-time, they will quickly blend with your team to provide all the support you need. Plus, you’ll find that because they have been writing for many years, they will be able to meet your needs in a shorter space of time than a junior copywriter on your team.
What other benefits does a freelancer bring?
- A plethora of ideas – a freelance copywriter will also be working with other clients and can use some of the concepts and techniques from outside your industry to generate original ideas that will get you noticed.
- Oodles of experience – you will benefit from the expertise of a seasoned professional.
- Cheaper in the long run – I am not for one second suggesting freelancers are cheap (because they’re not), but it does negate the need for holiday pay, sick pay, training, etc.
- No indoctrination – although the freelancer will be part of your virtual team, they won’t become desensitised. Blinkered writing is a common side-effect experienced by staff writers. They become so engrained in ‘the way you do things’ that they miss opportunities to challenge, inspire and engage with readers.
- Get more for your budget – copywriting positions in many companies are often junior and, therefore, come with a relatively low salary. However, if you engage with a freelance copywriter, you will have access to someone with experience and a proven, professional track record who, if you were to employ full-time, would cost you a bomb.
Freelance is the way to go
If you are looking for exceptional talent, experience, a chameleon-like writing ability, and a trusted advisor, the freelance route is the best option.
Sally Ormond is a freelance copywriter and MD of Briar Copywriting Ltd.