Hiring a copywriter can transform your business’s digital marketing performance and help you get ahead of the competition. Successful companies communicate clearly and persuasively with their target audiences in today’s crowded UK marketplace.
The challenge facing most UK business owners isn’t a lack of great products or services – it’s effectively communicating their value in ways that drive action. Professional copywriting addresses this by combining persuasive writing with strategic marketing knowledge and technical expertise.
Businesses investing in professional copywriting typically see significant improvements: website conversion rates increase by 20-50%, email performance improves by 15-30%, and organic search traffic grows by 40-100% within six months. Working with copywriters who understand local market nuances can amplify these results further for UK businesses.
However, the market is flooded with people calling themselves copywriters. Understanding the difference between basic content writing and strategic copywriting is crucial to making the right hiring decisions.
This comprehensive guide covers everything UK business owners need to know about copywriting, the benefits of hiring professionals, how to find the right talent, and how to work effectively with copywriters to drive growth, leads, and sales.
What is Copywriting?
Copywriting is the art and science of writing persuasive content to motivate readers to take specific actions. Unlike traditional writing, copywriting focuses on driving measurable business results through strategic messaging that connects with your target audience and guides them through your sales funnel.
Professional copywriters create various types of content for marketing purposes, including website copy, blog posts, email campaigns, social media content, video scripts, and advertising copy. However, modern copywriting extends beyond simply writing – it involves understanding your audience, developing brand messaging, optimising content for search engines, and creating integrated campaigns that work across multiple digital channels.
Do You Need to Hire a Copywriter?
The first question you should ask yourself is whether or not you need a copywriter. The answer is a resounding yes if you want to increase your sales. No copywriter can guarantee you a specific increase in sales.
However, a good copywriter will undoubtedly increase your sales. Here are some signs that your business can benefit from hiring a copywriter.
The first is that you are unsure about your current content. Whether it’s emails or blog posts, if you second-guess your content marketing,+6, you probably need a copywriter.
Blog posts can help people find your business and interest them in your products or services. You can benefit from a copywriter if your blog is neglected or if you don’t have one.
Social media is another way to reach potential customers. If you don’t have the knowledge or time to maintain a social media presence, you need a copywriter with experience in social media.
Unsuccessful email campaigns are another sign that it’s time to hire a copywriter. Your emails should be generating clicks and leads. Your business isn’t growing to its full potential if they aren’t.
Define Your Goals:
When looking to hire a copywriter, take the time to define your goals and objectives. This will help align you and the copywriter and create content that drives results. Key goals to define include:
What is the primary purpose of the copy? For example, do you need website content, blog posts, social media posts, advertising copy, email marketing, or other types of content? Defining the purpose and medium helps shape messaging.
What tone and messaging needs to be conveyed? Know if you need formal corporate messaging or a more casual conversational tone. Define the key messages, brand voice, and audience feelings you want to evoke.
What does success look like? Set goals like increased conversion rates, lower bounce rates, stronger brand messaging, more traffic, higher rankings, or increased engagement. Define measurable metrics for success.
Who is the target audience, and what do they need to hear? Outline demographic and psychographic details about your audience. Know what motivates them, and craft copy that speaks directly to their needs.
What are the key information points or calls-to-action the copy needs to communicate? Know the primary CTA, keywords, features, benefits, or other details you want incorporated.
Types of Copywriting
There are several different types of copywriting. Some copywriters specialise in one kind of copy, while others work with several different types. For example, some people only work on copywriting the landing page.
Advertising copy includes taglines, headlines, and the copy on posters and billboards. Any sales or promotional copy, including sales emails, telemarketing scripts, and promotional blog posts, can also be considered advertising copy.
Many times, advertising copy, website copywriting, and SEO copy overlap.
Copywriting for publication is written for offline publication. This content can be for books, newspapers, or pamphlets.
Website copywriting involves writing copy for web pages, including blog posts and landing pages. Website copywriters are generally skilled at website design and SEO.
SEO copywriters need to be compelling and engaging like other types of copy, but they must also be optimised for search engines. Copy optimised for search engines is more likely to bring customers to your website via search engines like Google and Yahoo.
Other copywriters specialise in a specific industry or niche. This often allows writers to gain extensive experience in their industry, making it quicker and easier for them to write compelling content.
Benefits of Hiring a Copywriter
One of a copywriter’s most tangible and essential benefits is their ability to increase your sales.
A good copywriter can write compelling content to help your business grow and increase sales. There are other benefits to hiring copywriters as well:
Saving Time
You have many responsibilities and demands on your time. Hiring a copywriter means you can spend your time doing what you need to do to keep your business running.
When considering the initial cost of hiring a copywriter, you should ask yourself how much your time is worth. You’ll likely find your time more valuable than the money spent on a copywriter.
For example, many businesses nowadays want to start a blog. However, this takes a long time, especially if you’re not used to writing large volumes of content at pace. Copywriters tend to work much quicker than non-specialists.
Special Skills
Copywriters have the unique skills required to write engaging copy. Writing compelling copy requires talent as well as knowledge.
Chances are, you don’t have the time to give yourself a crash course in writing the type of copy you need. Even if you do, practice makes perfect. Professional copywriters have the experience to give you the copy you need to grow your business.
Creating a Brand
Your brand is the most valuable part of your business. It’s your reputation in the business world, and if you do it right, it will be instantly recognisable. Building a brand also helps to build customer loyalty and makes your product or service more memorable.
It’s a misconception that copywriting is just about writing copy. Copywriters can help you create your brand as well. First, they can help you identify the specific personality for your brand.
For example, when you think of Mountain Dew, you think of adventurous people who aren’t afraid to try new things. This is Mountain Dew’s brand personality.
Brand personality has more to do with purchasing decisions than you might think because we tend to buy products with brand personalities that match our own or that we would like to emulate.
Proper branding can give you an edge by driving consumers to choose your brand over competitors.
Once you’ve established your brand personality, your copywriter can create content that fleshes out your brand and makes it memorable.
Building a brand is a complex process, and every piece of content, from your website to promotional emails, should reflect the brand that you are trying to create.
Fresh Perspective
No one loves your business as much as you do. However, it’s essential to get a fresh perspective when it comes to your business.
The web loves new content, and a new outlook can show potential customers benefits they may not have considered. Copywriters will talk to you about your business, and they will be able to view the benefits you can provide from the customer’s perspective.
Timing
The web loves consistency just as it does fresh content. It’s important to publish content on a schedule, particularly for blogs. This lets your readers know what to expect and gives you a higher ranking with search engines.
Experienced copywriters can suggest a schedule for posting blog posts and sending emails. More importantly, they can deliver these items on a reliable schedule.
How to Hire a Copywriter: Step-by-Step Process
Once you’ve identified the correct type of copywriter or agency for your needs, the hiring process becomes crucial to your success. A structured approach helps you find quality talent, set clear expectations, and build productive working relationships that deliver results. Here’s how to navigate the hiring process effectively and avoid common pitfalls that can derail your content marketing efforts.
Step 1: Create a Clear Project Brief
A comprehensive brief sets the foundation for successful copywriting projects. Include your business background, target audience details, project objectives, key messages, brand voice guidelines, and required deliverables.
Business Context: Provide background on your company, products/services, and unique value proposition. Help the copywriter understand what makes your business different and why customers should choose you.
Target Audience: Describe your ideal customers, including their demographics, interests, challenges, and motivations. The more specific you can be, the better the copywriter can craft relevant messaging.
Project Goals: Clearly state what you want the copy to achieve – generate leads, increase sales, improve brand awareness, or educate customers.
Brand Guidelines: Share existing brand voice guidelines, tone preferences, and examples of content you like or dislike.
Step 2: Set Clear Expectations
Scope of Work: Define exactly what’s included in the project—the number of pages, word counts, rounds of revisions, and additional services like keyword research or performance tracking.
Timeline: Establish realistic deadlines for research, writing, and revision cycles.
Budget: Be transparent about your budget range to ensure alignment and avoid misunderstandings.
Communication Preferences: Agree on how and how often you’ll communicate during the project.
Step 3: Review Proposals and Samples
When evaluating copywriters, request relevant writing samples and detailed proposals that outline their approach to your project. Look for evidence of strategic thinking, not just writing ability.
Step 4: Conduct Interviews
Phone or video interviews help assess communication skills, professionalism, and cultural fit. Ask about their experience with similar projects, their process for understanding your audience, and how they measure success.
Step 5: Start with a Test Project
For significant ongoing relationships, consider starting with a smaller test project to evaluate working style, quality, and results before committing to larger contracts.
Follow these best practices when onboarding and collaborating with your copywriter:
Provide a creative brief outlining goals, audience, tone, key messages, deadlines, etc. If available, offer brand guidelines.
Maintain open communication and provide context and feedback promptly. Quick approvals keep projects moving.
Give access to CMS platforms, past copy, images, brand assets, etc., to help them craft content.
Set clear expectations around revisions, rights to content, and byline usage in the contract.
Build a collaborative long-term working relationship for successful ongoing projects.
Writer’s Experience and Talent
If the writer is not established or if there is uncertainty about whether a potential writer can deliver the results you want, ask them to write a test assignment and pay them for this first test.
It is essential to pay them because professional writers usually will not work on “spec” unless you are a significant publication. This is how fraudsters get content without paying for it.
Give the writer a chance to make as many revisions as necessary; however, pay them for the attempt, even if unsatisfactory. It is unfair to do otherwise.
Writing Assignment Requirements
This is the most important consideration that affects whether you get the desired results. There are two methods. One is to let the writer decide about the content following basic parameters. The other is to have the writer follow very detailed instructions.
Basic Assignments
Some assignments are generic and do not need to have detailed requirements. The content created is the writer’s choice, and the requirements may be as simple as:
The general subject matter,
Word count,
Deadline.
A typical example of this is a standard 500-word blog post, and the guidelines given to the writer are to match the existing style of the blog and then write a post about something related to the subject that the blog has not already covered.
Detailed Assignments Other assignments need to meet particular requirements.
There are very detailed instructions for these assignments, which may even be a template that shows the exact layout of the assignment, the headings and subheadings, and the word count requirements for each section.
Some of the detailed instructions that are helpful to writers include:
Spelling: Designate American or British English spelling.
Keyword Usage: Do not use keywords awkwardly in grammatically incorrect sentences. Do not keyword stuff!
In-Text Citations: The use of in-text citations is a must. Either hyperlink part of the text directly to the source or add the link after the relevant section.
Formatting Tip: Keep lengthy paragraphs to a minimum. Create bullet points wherever possible. Use subheadings to break up the text.
Word Count: Minimum words -1,200. Maximum words – 1,500.
Also, a creative brief helps guide a writer, such as this example:
Audience Type: Knowledge Seekers
Comprehension Level: Newbies to Professionals
Target Demographic: Adults 18 to 60
Audience Description: Companies seeking advice or information on digital media, digital marketing, and search engine optimisation.
Keyword stuffing, Awkward use of keywords, Personal opinions or ethical convictions, First-person speech
If you want precise results, prepare a template and outline of the assignment to guide the writer in great detail and give the writer a list of guidelines to follow.
Payment Rates
Professional freelance writers earn from 0.01€ to 0.05€ per word or more. The average is about 0.02€ per word. Some writers from developing nations will work for as little as 0.001€ per word; however, the results are terrible.
The English used is not the same as that of a native speaker from the U.K. There will be many spelling and grammatical mistakes. Using this content without editing it is a huge mistake.
This poor-quality content requires severe editing by a native English speaker to correct all the problems, which will cost as much as having a professional writer do the job in the first place.
Do you go into a fast-food restaurant and always buy the cheapest thing on the menu? Probably not.
So do not be afraid to pay writers a decent rate. Most writers earn less per hour than if they worked in a fast food place. They write because they love doing it. If you find a good writer, pay them more so they will continue producing high-quality results for you.
How ProfileTree Transforms Your Content Strategy
ProfileTree doesn’t just provide copywriting – we deliver integrated digital solutions that transform how UK businesses communicate and grow online. Our comprehensive approach combines expert copywriting with core specialities to create powerful, results-driven campaigns.
Integrated Web Design and Copywriting
Our web design and development team works hand-in-hand with copywriters to create websites that don’t just look stunning—they convert. Every piece of copy is strategically crafted to guide users through optimised conversion paths, while our WordPress specialists build fast, mobile-friendly sites that rank well and generate leads.
Video Production with Compelling Scripts
Great video content starts with great scripts. Our video production team creates engaging promotional videos, explainer content, and YouTube strategies, all supported by professionally written scripts that tell your story compellingly and drive viewer action.
Content Creation That Ranks and Converts
Our content marketing combines SEO expertise with persuasive copywriting to create blog posts, articles, and web content that attracts organic traffic and converts visitors into customers. We understand the technical requirements for search visibility and the psychological triggers that motivate purchases.
AI Implementation for Content Excellence
We help UK businesses utilise AI tools to enhance content creation while maintaining the human insight and cultural understanding that drives results. Our AI training and implementation services show you how to use technology to scale content production without losing quality or authenticity.
SEO-Optimised Copy That Performs
Every content we create is optimised for search engines while remaining engaging for human readers. Our Belfast-based SEO specialists work with copywriters to research keywords, understand search intent, and create content that ranks well for terms your customers use.
Digital Training for Long-Term Success
Our digital training programmes teach UK business owners and marketing teams how to effectively brief copywriters, develop content strategies, and measure results. Our workshops cover everything from understanding what makes copy convert to implementing AI tools for content creation.
Working with ProfileTree means accessing a digital marketing ecosystem where copywriting integrates seamlessly with web development, video production, SEO, and AI implementation to deliver measurable business growth.
Hiring a Copywriter for Your Business
If you follow the tips in this best practices guide on hiring writers, you will be pleased with the results.
There are plenty of talented writers working on freelance projects. Investing in high-quality content for your website, blog, marketing materials, or promotional efforts is a very beneficial strategy for any organisation.
Get Your Free Digital Marketing Consultation
Don’t let poor copy hold your business back. Our Belfast-based team has helped hundreds of UK businesses transform their online presence through strategic copywriting integrated with cutting-edge web design, video production, and AI-powered marketing solutions.
What you’ll get:
Audit of your current content and digital presence
Personalised recommendations for improvement
A clear roadmap showing how integrated services can boost your results
No-obligation discussion about your specific business goals
Whether you need website copy that converts, video content that engages, or a complete digital transformation, we’re here to help. Our proven approach combines copywriting excellence with technical expertise to deliver results that matter to your bottom line.
Ready to see the difference professional copywriting can make?
Hiring the right copywriter can significantly boost your business’s marketing and content creation efforts. However, finding top talent and working together effectively requires following best practices around goal-setting, collaborating, providing resources, and setting clear expectations. Do your due diligence to find experienced copywriters that match your industry, voice, and budget. Build a collaborative relationship for long-term content success. With the right strategy, you can gain an invaluable expert content partner by hiring the best copywriter.
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