It’s one thing to write well, it’s another to get paid for your writing.
I think a lot of writers would like to believe that their craft, their ability to write well, should be enough. That writing is based on some form of meritocracy.
But ask anyone who’s been in this game professionally for any length of time, and they’ll tell you that’s simply not the case. There is this X-factor. A nebulous, inscrutable set of criteria in which clients hire writers.
The bad news is: this is true. The good news, however, is also: this is true.
Over the last decade and a bit, I’ve built copy departments at six different companies. Right now, I manage a team of eleven copywriters, two associate copy chiefs, and two creative producers. I’ve recruited, hired, and subcontracted as well.
In short, I’ve hired (and fired) a lot of copywriters.
I would like to believe I have a pretty good track record. Two copywriters I hired back in 2012 for a financial company are still there and have received equity. Another one went on to become the CEO of an eight-figure supplement company. Three are my business partners today.
By being on the hiring side so long, I believe I can give you a lot of insights into how to land more writing jobs, clients, and projects.
There are some caveats I need to point out however.
When I first pitched this five-part series, my hypothesis was that if I were to break down my hiring process, I could help copywriters land more jobs by demystifying what clients look for.
But the more I thought about how I look for, evaluate, and ultimately hire copywriters, the more I realized my method is a lot different from how most people hire copywriters. What came to mind were three things:
- I’m a copywriter myself. I freelanced for 16 years as a copywriter and when I pitch clients on building a copy department, my USP is “it takes a writer to hire a writer”. I see things in writers that clients fail to see.
- I’ve trained and mentored copywriters. I was the main teacher for John Carlton’s writing course for six years. I’ve mentored several copywriters to six-figure careers. I have a really good grasp on the different stages of a writer’s career development.
- I’m the manager. When I hire copywriters, I typically end up being their in-house manager as well, which means I’m there to properly onboard, manage, and coach them on performance. There’s a lot of back-and-forth feedback on the work itself.
All three of these points ensure that I hire, onboard, and nurture writers well so that my success rate becomes exponentially higher than someone who doesn’t have those traits.
Now, compare this to how most clients (in my experience) hire writers.
- They ask their friends which freelancers they’ve had good experiences with in the past and go with that.
- Or they took a couple copywriting courses and think they know what good copy is enough to hire a writer (without considering the “soft skill” factors of working with a creative).
- Or they get dazzled by a “guru” who’s really good at marketing themselves (like selling from the stage) but their skill level is not commensurate with their actual ability.
(The horror stories from the last one are incalculable).
AND THIS… is the nebulous, inscrutable X-Factor I was talking about earlier. The writers’ market is like the stock market in the sense that few people actually know how to accurately evaluate writers.
I genuinely believe most clients or employers don’t know what they’re doing when hiring copywriters. Just look at them flock to A.I. and wonder why it doesn’t do what they want it to (or they just don’t care what it spits out).
The truth is, our profession, like lawyers, doctors, and any craft that requires a lot of nuanced training and experience, is basically “magic” to outsiders.
The bad news is: you have to sell them on what you can do before they’ll hire you.
The good news is: if you know how to sell your craft, you can build a good career doing this regardless of whether you’re actually as good as you say you are or not.
Obviously, unless you’re a psychopath or a “copy bro,” I’m going to assume you want to sell what’s on the tin. That you’re actually a good writer who can deliver what you say you can.
So in a roundabout way, as I walk you through what I personally look for in a copywriter over this five-part series, as someone who is a lot more stringent and thorough in his hiring process, my hypothesis is that you, yourself, will find areas to improve on as a writer, but also, and more importantly, find ways to present yourself to potential clients and employers with frameworks they haven’t thought of before. That was a very long sentence. I apologize. I’ve been reading Austen again.
To me, selling writing is often a combination of diagnoses, bedside manner, and quiet confidence… and a lot of that work comes down to explaining things contextually and using insightful frameworks anyone can understand. That’s what we’ll be talking about over the coming weeks.