5 Red Flags When Hiring a Freelance Copywriter
If you’re a business owner looking to grow your brand, hiring freelancers is something you’ll probably experience. They’re cheaper than hiring in-house staff and have the flexibility you need to hit your targets. However, every business owner has a nightmare experience with a freelancer, which can put them off hiring them again in the future.
This guide will deliver five red flags when hiring a freelance copywriter. Hopefully, you’ll be able to tell the gobshites from the wordsmiths and won’t get stung by unprofessional chancers.
Poor communication
Many copywriters aren’t the best speakers, which doesn’t mean they aren’t great writers. Speaking and writing are completely different skill sets and while you can feel assured by a smooth talker on Zoom, their copy might not hit the mark.
In this instance, communication means staying in touch with you and providing updates. If they take days to reply to emails, ignore messages on Slack, or never get back to you when you call, alarm bells should be ringing.
No comment? No thanks.
Only choose copywriters who provide regular updates.
While copywriters may not work regular hours, their communication should always be top-notch. If it isn’t, you might be in a bit of trouble and miss content deadlines.
2. Inconsistent pricing
Pricing can be tricky for a freelancer, but if a copywriter has wildly different pricing structures for similar projects, they might not know what they’re doing. This is frustrating, to say the least, and it can delay the work you need to complete and cause confusion.
To get around it, agree to prices upfront and ensure you fully understand what you’re agreeing to pay. Being clear in the first place is the best way to avoid issues in the future, so look elsewhere if their pricing seems too random.
3. No portfolio
Freelance copywriters should have a portfolio of some sort. Whether a dedicated website, a landing page, or simply a list of links, you need to know what they’ve written in the past.
So, ask for examples of work relating to the content you have in the pipeline.
Sometimes, you can find jack-of-all-trade copywriters who don’t have expertise in a specific niche but can still do a job, but if they have no portfolio at all, they probably lack the relevant experience to carry out your content to the standards you expect.
4. Spelling and grammatical errors
Probably the biggest red flag of them all is spelling and grammar, which should be any copywriter’s bread and butter. It might sound obvious, but loads of copywriters are big-time scammers who don’t know their full stops from their commas.
Use Grammarly or even Microsoft Word to pick out any grammatical errors in their work and if the content is riddled with them, run a mile.
5. They don’t have a website
Come on. It’s 2024. You can’t claim to write website content without one of your own. I don’t know if that sounds snobby or elitist, but having your own website isn’t expensive and it shows legitimacy.
Copywriters with no website?
Red flag alert!
Freelance copywriters should also understand the importance of SEO, and if they don’t have a website, they might as well sign off their emails with a red flag emoji and save you the trouble.
So, if you’re thinking about hiring a copywriter who has a Facebook or LinkedIn profile and nothing else, it might be worth looking elsewhere.
Get in touch
As a freelance copywriter, I have the experience and know-how to complete any word-related task you need help with. From blog writing to website content, key landing pages, emails, and more, drop me an email at james@writeocreative.co.uk and find out how I can help with your copywriting requirements.