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Anybody can hire a copywriter, but not everyone can hire the right copywriter. With increasing demand for a written content, the number of freelance writers also grows. But how to distinguish a real professional from all the mediocrity and hire a copywriter, who will be the best option for your business?

Having been on the both sides of the equation - I have started my career as a a freelance writer and now participate in hiring staff for our writing service -  I know from my personal experience how hard and discouraging this process could be.

Below you will find my proven steps for hunting great copywriters and tips for convincing them to stick around and help your business to grow.

Step 1: decide what you need.

There is no copywriter, who is able to write about everything with same quality and inspiration. Each copywriter is first of all a person with own interests and experiences. So before you hire a great author, you’ve to figure out what you want them to write - a simple blog post or a strong email message, which should bring customer traffic to your website.

Make a list of topics your future copywriter will write on and decide which form of writing you would like to see at your website - posts, articles or even infographic pieces. Once you have a clear idea of the content you need, you will be able to narrow the search significantly.

Step 2: don’t go for a fancy CV.

Writers write, and a creative CV might be nothing more than another piece of their creativity. Instead, pay attention on how it is written - good language without mistakes or misspellings is a must for any copywriter. Check the overall literacy, logic and formatting of the text - if the resume isn’t nice, what would be the articles? Also, pay attention to the candidate’s working experience - people with technical education or those who have worked for essay service, advertising agency or a company in your idustry are familiar to the business and can better understand your needs. Philological or linguistic education can also be a great bonus - such copywriters are experts in the field of language and will produce high-quality content.

Step 3: ask right questions.

You don’t need to be an expert in language to identify candidates with the appropriate writing skills. Ask the candidate about editorial guides he or she has worked with and basics of SEO. It will give you a handle of a writer’s business experience. To check the grammar skills, give your candidates couple of tests - you can easily find them online. The better scores the candidate shows, the more solid the writing will be.

Step 4: look for the professional skills

The good writing skills are not enough to make the copywriter professional. In addition, the person should be:

1. punctual and able to work with deadlines;

2. open to critisism and comments;

3. able to work in team;

4. attentive to details, plodding;

5. curious and creative

6. precise about following your directions.

To cut the long story short, the copywriter should be a person able not only to write great pieces, but also a professional, who can satisfy the client’s needs.

After you have found and hired the copywriter, it is time to think of ways to keep him or her interested and motivated to work with you longer. It is interesting, but the money is not the best insetive for the creative generation. You can find out more about their psychology on Internet - it has been covered already a lot. However, the question stays open. So how to work with and motivate your copywriter?

Tip 1: diversify the tasks

The easiest way to loose the copywriter is to load him with boring, monotonous work. Even a person with passion for fashion would get bored after a month of  writing about same boots. If possible, let your copywriter do different tasks or change the topics.

Tip 2: teach and explain

As any other of your employees, copywriters also need to improve their skills. It could be additional language courses, some writing master-classes or at least, the subscription for professional magazines. Also, if your copywriter is working full-time, you should teach him/her about your business. The understanding of your business and products will help your copywriter make unique articles with hight-quality content.

Tip 3:expand their duties

The copywriter could also make a career - from rewriter and blogger to author of serious analytical materials and even journalists. If your author has mastered the web-content writing, you may let him act as editor or a content manager. At worst, your copywriter will get new experience, and at best - you will get even more skilled and loyal employee. Nothing can be more motivating as a perspective of new achievements.

Tip 4: give them a rest

For a writer there is nothing worse than a writer's block. On the wave of inspiration, a copywriter is sure he or she could work 24/7 for two weeks and write three hundreds thousands characters of the technical text. Such enthusiasm may lead to a real physical and creative exhaustion, so make sure to plan at least 1-2 days off a week and 15000 characters per day for one author.

Hope these simple tips will help you to find the right copywriter and a great employee for your team. Happy recruiting!