It’s little wonder copywriting is first for the chop when budgets are tight. After all, everyone can write, right? Truth is, there’s a gulf between schooled writing and the crisp prose copywriters use daily. Who remembers the lesson on tautologies, redundancies, repetition, cliché, alliteration, sentence forms and passive verbs? I must have been off sick that day.

There are copywriting rules that make words work harder. But much of a writer’s ability comes down to natural aptitude and experience. Only by working with many different clients will a copywriter become skilled at switching styles, using rhythm, structuring information and knowing when to stop. And when to break the rules.

Whether you’re writing your own collateral or looking for support, copywriters can still play their part. Here are five things you can do to get engaging words for an affordable price:

01. Do it yourself: if it’s your first attempt at writing copy, spend some time honing your style. Read as many competitor brochures, websites and ads as you can. Before cranking up Word, check out this unusually accurate entry from Wikipedia.

02. Clean it up: if you’ve written the copy, it’s a good idea to send it to a copywriting professional for a second opinion or a tidy up. Send them your document, talk things through, and they’ll edit, rewrite and give it an edge.

03. Do the groundwork: if you have some rough content but no time to knock it into shape, give a copywriter a call. They’ll take your ideas and craft it into compelling copy your customers want to read. Best of all, because you’ve made a start on the words, you’ll pay less than putting a copywriter to work from outset.

04. Get the brief right: if you want a copywriter to write everything, prepare a brief that provides full support information and details of the audience, contacts, media and deadlines. Giving a copywriter a full brief means they’re more likely to get it right. So you’re less likely to pay more if it’s wrong.

For an overview of required information, here’s an example brief.

05. Ask for a quote: if a copywriter charges by the hour and things take longer than expected, costs can spiral out of control. Ask your copywriter to provide a firm quote that includes a couple of rounds of amends. A quote will also help with your budgeting.

Budgets may not be what they once were. But that doesn’t mean we should overlook words. Used well, they have the power to sell, influence and inform. Used poorly, they have the potential to lose you custom and damage your brand. So, take your time, prepare your content, and don’t be afraid to call on a copywriter to help keep your costs down.

Copyclean
You email the copy and we’ll clean up the grammar, turn out the typos and sweep the spelling clean. £30 an hour + vat.

Copycraft
You email the copy, we’ll rewrite your content and make it sparkle like new. £50 an hour + vat.

Copyworks
If you need fresh copy, email or call 01793 619626 for a chat. We’ll discuss what you need and provide a fixed quote that won’t change unless you change your mind. That means you keep control of the cost.

We’d love to know what you think of these packages, especially if you can suggest more. Email your thoughts to info@characters.ltd.uk

Now, imagine you’re the agency account manager. Your best art directors and copywriters are working on the next big campaign. That’s ok, this job is mostly copy. A Mac monkey and a cheap freelance writer is all you need, right?

Why use a Copywriting Agency?

With a copywriting agency, every copy job is important. You get the attention to detail and quality output of the best freelancers. At the same time, you benefit from the responsiveness and adaptability of an ad agency. Think of it as always having an expert on the case.

Think about this too. One copywriting agency can unify your brand voice across different media. So you’ll avoid the varying quality, tone and interpretation that comes from using different media-specific agencies. Makes sense doesn’t it?

When it comes to low-risk enterprise, setting up as a copywriter ranks somewhere between breathing and babysitting. And with the recession in full swing, expect lots more wannabe scribes jumping aboard the gravy train to Copywriter Parkway.

Copywriters or cowboys?

“Of the group of people who call themselves freelance copywriters, a far greater percentage is inexperienced… than was the case a decade ago,” said Lisette Howlett, Managing Director of Hirescores.com at www.freelanceuk.com. “The quality of the core professionals is still just as strong, it is just that the size of the pool so much bigger.”

There’s more to this problem than pulling pearls from poo: “Even though these… (candidates) aren’t a serious threat to skilled, professional, natively fluent British copywriters, they are depressing the market in terms of earnings – and, in many cases, eroding trust.”

Searching for copywriters online can be a tricky business. Unless you strike lucky, you’re likely to get what you pay for, or pay too much for work that falls short.

And don’t we know it. Building the Characters team was, frankly, a pain in the proverbials. But there are some good writers out there working at reasonable rates. Happily, we’ve found some crackers and made them sign contracts in blood.

That’s how we make it easy for clients. With Characters, there’s no risk of paying too much for a bad writer. Because we’ve already found the best writer for the job.