6 things you need to tell your copywriter

Copywriters are amazing people. They can take your ideas and turn them into amazing copy that will attract customers and get you sales.

But they’re not mind readers.

So before your first visit with your copywriter, make sure you can give them the answers to these questions.

What’s your budget?

As much as you’d like the guys in Accounting to give you unlimited funding for your copy, that probably won’t be the case. (Especially if you are the guy in Accounting.)

But rather than stopping your copywriter mid-project when the money runs out, let them know up front. They can work with you to come up with the best solution you can afford. You may not get all the copy you want, but you will get the copy you need.

What’s your timeframe?

Copywriters are busy people, often handling multiple projects at a time. So don’t come along expecting your copy to be finished the next day.

Even if they can start straight away, they may charge extra for having to get the work done so quickly. Remember the saying: “Cheap, fast, accurate. Choose two.” And you definitely want one of them to be “accurate”.

So make sure you give them enough time to get the work done properly. (And make sure you’re available to answer any questions that come up.)

Who’s your audience?

Good copy speaks to your audience, and convinces them to buy your product/service.

So who will your copy be talking to?

Your audience may well be the clients you already have, and you just want more of them. But maybe you want to start targeting small companies as well as individual buyers.

Whoever they are, you need to let your copywriter know.

What do you want to say?

Now, what are you going to tell them?

You can’t expect them to buy just because you tell them to. You need to convince them your product/service is worth buying. Your copywriter will do most of the work. But you need to give them some ideas.

Is it cheaper than the competition? Does it have more features? Is it more prestigious? Will it make them more successful?

This is what your buyer needs to know. So make sure your copywriter knows as well.

How do you want to say it?

If you were speaking to your customers face-to-face, how would you talk? Would it be a formal presentation about your product/service, or would it be more like a casual chat?

In most cases, the tone of your copy should match the tone you’d used when speaking face-to-face. So let your copywriter know so they can do their best to replicate it.

What do you want your customers to do?

You’ve worked out what you want to say to your customers, and how you want to say it.

Now, what do you want them to do when they’re finished reading?

Do you want them to click the ‘Buy Now’ button? Come in for a chat? Tell their friends about you? Like your Facebook page?

Whatever it is, you need to make it clear you want them to do it.

And that means your copywriter needs to know as well.

Now chances are these aren’t the only questions you’ll need to answer. Every copywriter is different, and will probably ask different questions to get the information they need.

But knowing the answers to these questions will definitely get things off to a great start.