Copywriting that sells: Why to hire a professional freelance copywriter

In a slow economy you may consider handling copywriting in-house to conserve money. Why pay a freelance copywriter when you can write your own advertising, public relations and marketing communications copy? After all, you know your product/service better than anyone. So it’s only a matter of writing clearly and concisely, right? WRONG!

Because effective copywriting is not driven by logic. It’s driven by emotion.

A professional freelance copywriter understands this. Yes, he presents ideas clearly and concisely. But even more, he writes to sell.

A professional freelance copywriter is persuasive

The goal in business is to convert prospects into customers. And copywriting is where it starts. An experienced freelance copywriter uses language that appeals to human emotions. He writes copy that pushes psychological buttons and motivates a response. How? By using descriptions that invite interest and spark the reader’s imagination.

A freelance copywriter also relates to your prospect’s problem and positions your business as the solution.  And he uses a tone of voice that matches the language of your industry. It might be professional and business-like; it might be fun-loving and humorous. But it will always be carefully worded to call for an action. And this is what generates leads that result in sales.

A professional freelance copywriter delivers search engine optimized copy

Search engine optimized copy has two audiences: the robot spiders that crawl the Internet searching for your keywords and the people that read it. A professional copywriter will write for both.

First the copywriter considers keyword density. This is a measurement of how many times your keyword appears in relation to your total word count and is usually presented as a percentage. If your keyword appears once among 100 words your keyword density is 1%. If twice among 100 words it’s 2%. And so on.

But there’s also the human side. Because the copy still has to be engaging or you’ll lose your audience. Focus too much on keyword density and you’ll end up with stilted copy that is boring. High search engine results won’t help much if your audience doesn’t read your content. A professional freelance copywriter knows how to include keywords and still fashion a smooth, engaging narrative.

A professional freelance copywriter is fast

Market opportunities change quickly and timing is crucial. When you’re running a business, finding the time to write can be a challenge. It might take a week to clear your calendar enough to start writing and another week to complete your final draft. A freelance copywriter will crank out polished copy in a couple of days—maybe even less. 

And don’t forget the need for marketing communication is ongoing. You’ll need a constant supply of fresh content to remain competitive. That’s where a professional copywriter earns his keep. Deadlines are part of the territory. Once he accepts it, he keeps it.  

You probably will save money by handling your own copywriting, but is it really cost-effective? Here are two questions to help you decide: Is there something else you could be doing that is more productive and revenue generating? How much money are you losing because you’re missing market opportunities and not generating leads? The answer is: probably more than you think.