Bad copy wastes money and costs you sales. You simply can’t afford it. That’s why it’s critical that you ask …
Top 3 Essential Questions Your Web Copywriter MUST Be Able to Answer to Prove They Can Write High-Octane Copy to Drive Your Online Marketing Machine
You’re not running online marketing campaigns for the fun of it.
You want, need, and expect results.
You may already have been burned by hiring a copywriter whose fees were very budget-friendly, but whose copy didn’t yield results. Maybe you paid a LOT of money and didn’t get results. Unfortunately, it happens all the time.
You deserve to work with a web copywriter who is talented, qualified, and ideologically aligned with what you’re trying to accomplish.
You need a way to identify that copywriter so you’ll know her when you find her (or him).
So let’s dive right in with the top 3 of my 10 Essential Questions to evaluate whether a web copywriter is qualified to write the high-octane web copy you need to drive your online marketing machine …
Question 1:
How is writing web copy different from writing for print?
This is an important question to ask, because there IS a difference. If the copywriter writing your web copy doesn’t get that, then you should get a different copywriter.
When writing for the web, a copywriter needs to be aware of two audiences: the human reader and the search engines.
Writing for the human reader is fairly straightforward — write copy that shows the benefits of a product or service while eliciting an emotional response that compels action. I did say straightforward, not easy.
Writing for the search engines, on the other hand, is more mechanical and involves using keywords, titles, and subheads that tell the search bots how relevant your web copy is to what someone is searching for.
For example, if someone is searching for “how to get a red wine stain out of clothing,” an article or web page that uses that same phrase in the title and body copy will be ranked higher in their search results than pages about “red wine” or “laundry stain removal.”
Search engine algorithms are very complex these days, and they reward quality content with better search result rankings …
So your copywriter needs to be able to produce quality web content.
There is an art to writing for the human reader and a science behind writing for the search engines. Your web copywriter needs to balance the two while producing copy that delivers results.
Question 2:
What does your ongoing education look like?
The web is constantly evolving. Search engines never stop revising their algorithms. Marketers test new strategies every day.
In order to write web copy that works, your web copywriter needs to stay on top of what’s going on — what’s working now — in the online marketing world.
Ongoing education can take many forms, including:
• acquiring new certifications
• attending conferences, seminars, and webinars
• listening to podcasts
• reading books
• investing in and taking courses
A web copywriter devoted to the craft will have a plan for ongoing education, and they should be able to tell you their plan right off the top of their head.
If they have to think too much about it, you should think about whether they’re the right choice for you.
Question 3:
What does it mean to be a Direct Response Copywriter?
If your copywriter doesn’t immediately know what you mean by direct response, walk away … fast.
Direct response copy is intended to get the reader to take action.
That action could be …
• Give u
s your contact information (opt-in) in return for some valuable freebie
• Schedule an appointment
• Accept our free trial offer
• Buy this thing now
• Or whatever it is that you want the reader to do
A direct response copywriter ALWAYS will ask you what the call to action is for a particular piece of copy.
They will want to use testimonials as social proof. They will write a benefit-oriented headline.
Their copy will be written to speak directly to a single reader, and it will sound like a conversation.
Don’t accept anything less than direct response to drive your online marketing.
>> Want the rest? Click here to get all 10 questions in a convenient, downloadable pdf. <<
