4 REASONS WHY YOU’RE NOT READY TO HIRE A PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT COPYWRITER
I bet you’re wondering why a copywriter is telling you not to hire them. The truth is, it happens all the time. I’ve had discovery calls with ideal clients that weren't ready—it took the call for them to see it. As a copywriter, I work with you. We create success together.
So, it’s not in my best interest to recommend services you don’t need.
That’s something I wish more copywriters understood. When focusing on monetization, you overlook the key to the next level — connection. How are you connecting with your ideal clients?
You’re not ready if:
You lack a clear Vision.
Your Focus is outside of your business.
You haven’t created a Budget.
You have an abundance of Time.
It’s ok if you’re not ready, as long as it's not impacting your business. A copywriter can help you, but if you hire one before you’re ready...you’re wasting money.
If you’re about to hire a copywriter, consider these four things first. And if you’re not ready, don't worry, it’s a good thing. I’ve included free tools to help you until you are.
Do You Have A Clear Vision For Your Business?
LinkedIn’s Collaborative Article on copywriting states:
“One of the biggest challenges that copywriters face is lack of clarity. This can happen when you don't have a clear understanding of the project brief, the client's goals, the target audience, or the tone and voice of the brand. Lack of clarity can lead to confusion, frustration, and wasted time and effort.”
This boils down to creating your ICP (Ideal Client Profile). Yes, a copywriter is often brought on board for the project — but we need clarity. What services do you offer? What problems are you solving? What’s your price point? What’s your offer? Who does this benefit? More importantly…
Who Is Your Ideal Client?
This is the first place many business owners get stuck. An Ideal Client is an avatar within your Target Audience. When you create your ICP, you break down exactly who and what is your client.
It’s hard when first starting a business because your aim is at monetizing. But, I assure you, building your ICP and marketing strategy is your pot of gold. If you haven’t defined your Ideal Client, I wrote a blog article that will help you with the process. If you still have questions, feel free to ask.
What’s Your Brand Voice?
Imagine your ICP as an avatar — a client avatar. They’re a living breathing person, like you and me. When you created your ICP you immersed yourself in their world. You got to know them. What comes next is how you speak to them.
Whether it’s LinkedIn content, blog articles, emails, or your website, you have a voice. Using that voice consistently across all platforms becomes your Brand Voice.
It’s important to have a consistent Brand Voice since it’s at the top of your funnel. Nike is a great example. Nike promotes determination and resilience through their voice. When you think of their content, you know who they’re targeting.
Can You Clearly Define Your Offer?
The last piece of your vision is your offer. Immersing yourself in your ideal client's world revealed their pain points and desires. This is fuel for your offer. Use this to position your offer as their resolve.
All business revolves around one principle, problem-solving. You’re selling a desired outcome, a feeling, a need. The better you can articulate their problem, and your offer, the more success you’ll have selling it.
It looks something like this:
Your Target Audience is where they are.
Your Ideal Client is who they are.
Your Brand Voice attracts them.
Your Offer helps them.
Having a clear vision sets you apart from the rest of your competition.
When you have a clear vision, you can:
Price Your Services Accordingly.
Build Loyalty and Repeat Business.
Market, Pitch, and Sell Successfully.
Lower Your Cost for Client Acquisition.
Massively Increase Your Inbound Leads.
Align Your Brand with Your Clients' Values.
Create a Personalized Experience for Your Clients.
2. Are You Focused On Your Business?
A year ago, I was helping a potential client in the early stages of her business. She was a hot lead. I knew she planned to bring me on as her copywriter, which was great because I liked her drive. Her website was about to go live, so she asked if I would proof her copy.
As a favor, I helped her at no charge. I guess you could say I paid it forward. She had done a great job on her own. Judging by her drive, this was a sure thing — we would be successful together. Until she ran into her first real problem…
…her company name.
Moments after her website went live, Google flagged her for trademark infringement. She had used a trademarked company name. Unfortunately, she built her entire brand around this name. What happened next revealed her focus to me. I tried helping her with the problem, but one problem led to another, and she gave up.
Come to find out, she worked a full-time job while starting her new business. So when it hit the fan, she shifted focus to her full-time job. Can you blame her? I can’t. Starting a business is not for everyone, no matter how driven you are. It’s hard work. But if you’re not focused on making it work, then a copywriter can’t help you.
Check in with yourself and be sure you’re ready to focus on the success of your business.
Is your career demanding this time of year?
Does your personal life require your attention?
Are you willing to fail, learn, rinse, and repeat?
Is your budget telling you it’s time to reconsider?
Don’t wait to uncover your aim until you’ve invested in a new copywriter. Check in with yourself now.
3. What’s Your Marketing Budget?
Most businesses start with DIY, long nights, and strong coffee. If you had the budget to hire someone to do it all, you would. Because you know how hard it is. Budget is everything, after all, you have a life outside of your business.
But, you could still benefit from working with a copywriter. The takeaway here is not to overbuy. You might have the desire to impulse-buy relief.
Don’t do it. Stick to your budget.
If you’re ready, finding a copywriter willing to work around your budget isn’t hard. It never hurts to ask. I’m available for a quick chat if you need help with this. If a copywriter like myself is outside of your budget, try Upwork or Fiverr. You’ll find a copywriter there for any budget.
And if you don’t have a budget, you’re not ready to hire a copywriter.
4. Do You Have Time To DIY?
I’m not going to sugarcoat this, effective copywriting is time-consuming. From coursework, to practice and experimentation, it’s a lot. I’ve spent hours on this blog post alone — researching, writing, editing, etc.
Now that I think of it, I should add those hours up…they’d add to the effectiveness of my offer!
All jokes aside, if you have the time to do it yourself, then you should…for now. Once your business picks up and you no longer have time, reconsider.
If you plan to go the DIY route, good for you! It’s relatively cheap and easy to get started. Here are a few tools to help you write copy for your business.
Learn How To Write Copy
Sarah Turner (creator of the Write Your Way To Freedom), has a stellar YouTube channel. Here, she covers how to write various forms of copy. This is no charge to you, but she offers her program for continued learning. Which is what I did for my business.
To throw some credibility her way, Sarah’s program is in the Inc 5000 and ranked #24 in education.
Free Copywriting Tools
Most copywriters use Google Docs. Writing with Google Docs helps you format your content for Google’s Algorithms (SEO). It also makes it easier to upload content to your website.
One of the biggest roadblocks new copywriters hit, is editing. By learning how to write copy, you’ll learn how to spot new copywriters. Prevent rookie mistakes with the Hemingway Editor.
If you’re writing a blog article, you need a good headline. My favorite headline analyzer is Coschedule.
Always check for plagiarism. It’s possible to unknowingly plagiarize content. Use a tool like QueText for peace of mind.
So, Are You Ready?
Whether you’re starting your DIY journey, or ready to hire a copywriter, I’d love to hear from you. Comment below, use my Contact Form, email waylan@waylanwebb.com, or schedule a FREE audit.
Looking for more content like this? Check back for new blog posts and don’t forget to follow me on LinkedIn.
