Finding the best copywriter is a challenge to advertisers all over the world. In the online world, finding a gifted writer should be easier now more than ever. After all, the digital age makes it possible to reach talent from around the world, but that is also part of the problem. Many people with a keyboard and a creative mind market themselves as copywriters. However, all the best copywriters have a few things in common: experience, eloquence, and ingenuity.

Copywriting and Scripting Services

If you select the correct copywriting agency, its staff will find the right copywriter for you. However, that requires that you spend precious hours finding the right agency first. Though there are hundreds of copywriting services floating around the Web, only a handful attract corporate-level talent.

When appraising a copywriting service, ask yourself one question, how much confidence in its writers does the agency have? If the agency can promise you'll be 100 percent satisfied with the result, you can be fairly certain the company has faith in the abilities of its writers. Concepts Video has over 30 years of successful copywriting experience.

Independent Search

An independent search requires you find candidates and then vet them. While this can be time consuming, recognizing a great writing talent is something almost anyone can do because, inherently, we all have the ability to recognize great prose. Companies like Upwork.com, Freelancer.com, and Fiverr.com all offer independent contractors offering copywriting services. While they may be cheaper than using an agency or production company, you’ll need to vet them properly so that you don’t waste your money or time on bad copy.

Here are the steps you can take when vetting a copywriter:

Look at Past Work

Ask for 10 writing samples. Whether you read each sample is irrelevant. If a writer can produce 10 pieces, that writer is experienced enough to consider.

Ask for a Sample Piece

If you find a writer that seems to have the experience you are looking for, ask for a sample piece on a theme or subject of your choosing. The best way to determine if a writer is worth their salt is to ask them to write about something they are unaccustomed to writing. Scrutinize this piece ruthlessly; if there’s a grammatical error or spelling mistake, then it’s likely they didn’t edit and review their piece properly.

Assess Writing Style

Find a great piece of writing — on the subject you chose for the sample piece — and read it. Then, immediately after, read your candidate's sample. How does it compare to the great piece? Does the candidate's piece flow or is it a grind to push through? Is it flavored or dull and bland? Is your candidate up-to-date or still writing like it's the 80s? Can the candidate paint a picture with words and illustrate with prose?

Check Word Choice, Timing and Rhyming

Does the candidate use obscure, complicated words (such as "coquette" and "adamantine") that are confusing, unnecessary, and frustrate and annoy the audience? Or does the writer use simple words that everybody can understand? For example, commercials and most popular news outlets are written at a 5th grade level.

Also, most commercials rhyme and have excellent timing with solutions and calls-to-action (CTAs). Check that the copywriter's previous work has good rhyming, as well as engaging and clever calls-to-action.

“Reading copy shouldn’t feel like reading a biology book.  Good copy should captivate the reader and motivate them to take action.”

Great Copywriters Are Worth Their Weight in Gold

Great copy can capture a customer in a second. When Concepts Video has two minutes to make a customer choose a Bissel vacuum over a Shark vacuum, our expert copywriting and demonstrations quickly captivate consumers. By creatively explaining the benefit of products in an eloquent way, Concepts Video has made our customers hundreds of millions of dollars.

Great copywriters are invaluable for any business. They can get customers to pick up the phone or enter their credit card information after a 30-second commercial. When it comes to capturing customers, copywriting is always key.