Should you hire a copywriter for your health and wellness business?
And how to get the most for your money.
Photo by Free To Use Sounds on Unsplash
Let’s set the scene. You’ve been in business for a few years, you’ve got a good thing going.
Clients are steadily entering your orbit if you’re a service provider, and if you’ve got a product it’s flying off the shelves and you think, “hey, I really may have something here.”
It’s usually around this time when you realize two things.
First, you need a lot of words written for a lot of different channels. Email, social, website, landing pages, sales pages, scripts, course content, and on and on. It’s a lot of words!
Second, you begin to value your own time. As the leader of your business you see that it could be spent in better ways than learning how to write high-converting, SEO-friendly copy, which in an art (I’m biased, yes, but good copy can have big results!).
How do you know when it’s time to make the leap and hire a conversion-savvy copywriter? It’s going to cost some of your hard-earned cash, so you need to answer these questions first:
Do you know your ICA (ideal customer avatar)? Like really know them? What are their wants, needs, desires? This goes beyond their demographics, and asks deeper questions to understand their pain points. It also means becoming a copy detective to learn more about your customers.
What’s your budget? Good copywriting isn’t cheap. As with anything, you get what you pay for, so be cautious of hiring off of freelancer sites. Think about the value that the copy can bring for your business over time and remember investing now can save you money in the future. Do a little research and see what average costs may be—I’ve added a handy guide below to save you some time.
What are your goals? Do you want a website that sounds more like you? Do you want to establish a brand voice and style? Do you want to see sales go up? You may want a combination of these things, but it’s important to get clear on expectations before diving in.
What needs to be written and in what order? Do you need full website copy and an email nurture series? Do you need print collateral? Ask questions and get advice from your copywriter but also know what you need and have a goal in mind for when you want it done.
Do you need copy or content? This is a totally valid question, and I have I’ve written all about the topic, of copy versus content here.
Now that you’ve answered the questions above and you’re ready to hire a conversion copywriter, here are a few tips to get the most bang for your buck.
A few more words on budget and pricing...
If you’ve never hired a copywriter you may not know what to expect in terms of cost. You can certainly ask questions when you get on the phone, but by doing a little research in advance of your search, and understanding the basics of freelance copywriter pricing, you’re far more likely to find the right person and not be shocked by the price tag.
Pricing is tricky, but fortunately for all of us, Abbey Woodcock and friends (serious pros in the biz) recently did a survey to better understand pricing on copywriting projects. Here’s an idea of what you can expect for a few common types of sales copy:
Know that your offer is something the market wants
Ok, it’s time for a bit of tough love. Great copy will not, I repeat, will not save a bad offer, a vague offer, or something that no one wants. I’ve seen this time and time again. A client launches a new offer to their audience and expects big sales, sends all the “right” emails, has a webinar, and writes a killer sales page, and then...crickets.
If you’re not sure that what you’re selling is what people want then test it first, try a soft launch, get feedback, and do customer research to learn more about what your audience really needs to help you craft your offerings and messaging, then hire a copywriter to help you hone in on that messaging.
Hire the right writer
If your product or service is related to health and wellness, fitness, anything on the ‘woo’ spectrum it will be helpful to hire a copywriter that knows this language, knows your customer well and can speak in a way that will resonate with them.
When you get on the phone with a potential copywriter they should ask you a lot of questions about your product and service and have insights into sales and marketing for your niche in particular. You’re always welcome to ask for similar samples or work they’ve done as well.
At the end of the day a copywriter should be a partner to you, they should be excited about getting to know you and what you do and excited about sales copy.
Set reasonable expectations
If this is your first experience with a copywriter start with a single project. Understand that learning voice and adapting to different working styles can take a little time. Expect deep knowledge and open partnership, but not perfection right away.
There you have it, everything you need to know to decide if hiring a copywriter is right for you and the questions you need to ask yourself to get there. Have questions on copywriting? Reach out via email, or on Instagram, I’d love to connect!