In the past 4 years, I’ve cut my teeth strategizing & writing award-worthy, revenue-increasing, results-snatching copy. And what really lights my fire is writing for woman-owned and BIPOC-led brands. I’m talkin’ the first day after a braiding appointment type of excited! Energizing them to go big with their bold ideas so that when launch time happens, the world thinks “OMG FINALLY, I’ve been waiting for something like this.” And giving them the tools to diversify the market.
If you’re still DIYing your copy, this post is your sign to stop torturing yourself — especially when the benefits of hiring a copywriter are more than worth it.
Staring at the blinking cursor on your blank screen (making your blood pressure go through the roof), only to end up with copy that doesn’t convert, and inconsistent messaging that confuses your target audience and keeps attracting the wrong people?
NOT the move.
But having an expert to write your copy for you? One that saves you time DIYing your copy, knows customer behaviour like the back of thier own hand, how to create emotional connections and consistently use your brand voice, and is up-to-date with SEO practices — that’s worth the investment.
In fact, according to Persuasion Nation, companies that invest in copywriting see a 300% increase in click-through rates.
But let’s break it down even more why you should hire a copywriter ⬇️
How much time have you wasted trying to find the best way to put into words what makes your business and offerings special? I’m guessing too many hours to count, and way more than you would like to admit.
You could’ve done many other things that would’ve been a better use of your time. Like creating new offers. Or a new freebie. Or hell, getting a much-needed mani-pedi — anything would’ve been better than wasting time wearing all the hats to no avail.
That’s why investing in expertise is a good use of your money — because it gives you time back.
Plus, you’ll increase your chances of increasing your revenue by working with someone who knows how to market businesses like yours. Who can see your business blindspots, and come up with creative ways to solve your problems.
It takes a professional understanding of customer behaviour to know the right things to say, how to say it, which buttons to push, and how to appeal to their emotions — so you can get them to take the desired action (a.k.a. buying your stuff).
You might not know all that stuff, but the copywriter you hire will already have a successful track record of strategically using persuasion techniques that will optimize your copy for conversions.
It takes 5 to 7 impressions for people to remember your brand on average (Pam Moore). Having a consistent and unique message helps you get noticed, stay in your customers’ minds, and have them coming back for more.
It’s already hard enough to write copy on your own, and writing copy without a defined brand voice will only give you ulcers.
When you hire a copywriter, they’ll make sure your brand voice is consistent across all platforms — and with a brand voice guide as their North Star, it’ll make the writing process faster, increase your conversion rates, and lower your long-term costs.
Hell hath no fury like a search engine dissatisfied with your optimization efforts — a.k.a. if you’re not keeping your copy up to par with SEO best practices, it’ll make Google mad.
Like keyword stuffing or — le gasp — not having any keywords at all. Talk about being completely off the map!
But when you have a copywriter, they’re like a compass for your copy. Writing the words that rank and convert.
We all have blind spots — and when you’re not tapped into all the conversion copy techniques and best practices, writing the words that sell your stuff will be your biggest blind spot.
Your copywriter will have an outside expert view that will give you 20/20 vision of the right things to say.
Pick their brain and your treasure chest will be filled with industry insights, competitor analyses that help you stay ahead of the curve, and recommendations that help you continue to innovate.
It’s not enough to post on Instagram, try and keep up with TikTok trends and call it a day. You need copy that works at every stage of the marketing funnel — from when your people first hear about you to when they become brand fans, and onward.
That means you’ll need email sequences that convert, social content that engages, blog content that establishes your authority, and more.
I go into what a marketing funnel looks like for small businesses a little bit more here — but the moral of this section is that your copywriter will help you write strategic copy for every nook and cranny in your marketing funnel.
In order to rank and convert, to say the right thing to your people, and to keep this going on a regular, you need to really understand your target audience, your competitors, and the market.
Copywriters always do a target audience analysis, competitor research, and search for market trends insights before writing a stitch of copy — so they’ll write the words that actually get the job done!
If you want to see the ROI of your copywriting, you can track conversions, A/B test different versions of copy and see if the revenue you made exceeds the copywriting investment.
That’s harder to do when you DIY your copy — but if you’re not seeing results and still wasting countless hours trying to figure out this whole copywriting thing, then your ROI is probably not where you want it to be.
When you hire a copywriter, you can see if the money you’ve made has increased as a result of hiring them, and if it covers the cost of their rate!
Copywriters don’t just say “peace out” and leave you high and dry. The right copywriter will give you reusable templates so you can write your copy on your own, brand guidelines so you maintain your voice, and support to train your team in the future.
If you thought we just tap words on a keyboard anywhere in the world for a 6-figure price tag, you’d be mistaken. There’s a lot of strategy, not just words. Especially when it comes to brand messaging development, content planning, and optimizing your marketing funnel.
The more experienced copywriters will give you the 5-star treatment with research and planning, writing and editing, optimization and testing — essentially, all the support you deserve after investing (and trusting) your hard-earned money in them.
But the pay-off of having speed-dial access to our industry knowledge, industry best practices, and ongoing optimization.
Every copywriter will have different rates based on their experience, expertise, and the scope of work. Here are industry rate averages for the most popular copywriting projects:
Find more fee ranges for the top 80 copywriting projects in AWAI’s 2024 Copywriting Pricing Guide>>>
You can of course barter to do a services swap or find more affordable options on websites like Fiverr or Upwork. But if you want the gold-star treatment and copy that actually gets results, you can’t skimp on this stuff.
I’ll give you an example: Shaque’l was a chronic DIYer — and while she could figure most things out, the same couldn’t be said for her copy.
She was riding on her TikTok viral status giving BIPOC job seekers tips to transition into better, higher paying roles with their transferable skills. And while she was a great marketer, she knew she needed better website copy to convert more.
She was always asking herself “how much money am I losing because the site isn’t converting folks???”
So, she found me on TikTok in August 2023 (which still astounds me as someone stuck in the 200 views jail). Who knew it would spark a months-long relationship?!
Before Shaque’l and her team were even able to leverage the web copy I wrote, they got clarity around how they could best talk about themselves and their offers in a light that’s enticing to their community and future clients. And clearly she liked what I’m writing since she refers new people to me on the regular!
“Jemilla is worth every penny. She did the work we needed in such a timely manner and kept us abreast, the entire time. The money was worth it because this process was so simple and easy (after that damn intake brand form) and I really just got to sit back and be wow’d. I chose Storytella (Studios) because it was a Black woman that was going to know how to speak to my audience, in a voice that they’re used to, without making it cringy and weird. Jemilla’s copy sold me, and I’m a seller, so I knew she could create content that would help us better convert folks on our site. And I mean #BlackGirlMagic, duh.”
You’ve seen all the benefits, and you know what you’re going through — now it’s just a question of whether now is the right time for you to hire a copywriter.
In my professional opinion, if your business is growing, you can’t deal with the cons of DIYing your copy anymore, and you have a launch coming up that’ll require a lot of copy, best set yourself up for success by hiring a copywriter.
First, find your perfect-fit copywriter.
I, of course, will always plug my own services. But, in order to make an informed decision, you should review all your options. Go to your favourite search engine, like Google or Instagram, and shortlist your top 5 candidates. Then, inquire with them to see what the process will be like and if they’re the right fit for you.
This’ll usually start with an application form, a discovery call, or both! From there, you can review their pricing, their deliverables, and their process.
Once you’ve made your decision, you can sign the paperwork and get the party started! Regardless of who you choose, you’ll want to give them a fighting chance of writing the bomb.com copy for you — which means preparing this stuff for your copywriter:
Need more info on this? I go a little more into what to prepare for your copywriter in this blog post.
If you’re new here, hey! I’m Jemilla — Messaging Strategist, Conversion Copywriter, and Founder of Storytella Studios©. I help women-owned & BIPOC-led small businesses find their voice, stand out, and sell their stuff with brand voice development and copywriting that’s compelling, conversational, and cultured af.
With 55+ clients in 15+ different industries, I’ve been able to help a bunch of businesses get more qualified leads, promote their offers, and deliver a consistent message.
If you’re planning a website launch or rebrand for 2025, want to sound ICONIC everywhere you show up, and are ready to create content that actually converts, let’s work together >>>