1. Communication - Successful freelance copywriters are able to take your ideas and communicate them clearly to the market you need to reach. And that means that they should be able to communicate with YOU as well. Without good communication, there's a good chance that your results will be smaller than they should be.
Can your copywriter communicate with you? Can they communicate with your employees? Can they communicate well when things go right and when things go wrong?
Of all of the problems I've had in my own freelance copywriting business, EACH one can be traced in part to poor communication.
2. Accountability - Who is ultimately responsible for the success of the promotion? If your promotion falls flat, will your copywriter accept his fair share of the responsibility or will he point the finger at you, your products or how you run your business?
During the interview process, you might consider asking the copywriter about successful projects they've worked on. And be sure to ask them about projects that didn't work out so well. How they speak about the failures will tell you a lot.
3. Marketing Mindset and the Ability to SELL - The bottom line is, any freelance copywriter who is successful knows how to sell. What you're looking for is a freelance copywriter who is able to take a product and position it in the best possible light for your prospects. After all, that's really what this is about. Selling your stuff.
So you want to get a pretty clear idea about their selling skills or selling experience. One of the quickest ways to do that is simply to pay attention to how they sell YOU on becoming a client.
4. Writing Skills - Of course your freelance copywriter needs to be able to write. But in the bigger scheme of things, it's probably one of the least important skills when compared to the ones earlier in this list.
After all, do you really want to work with a copywriter you can't stand, who blames you when things go wrong? That's not a recipe for a profitable long term relationship.
Hiring a freelance copywriter can be one of the best investments you make in your business. Just get the information you need to make the best decision for your business and your needs.
