Let me start by saying that if you are one of the lucky few that is completely happy with the PR and marketing copywriting talent within your business, HUGE congratulations! I recommend hanging on to that talent with both hands (maybe not literally!). Unfortunately that does mean this post probably isn’t for you.
However, if you are one of the many businesses that aren’t completely happy with ALL of the PR and marketing copy written for your business, read on!
PR and marketing copywriting for your business – in-house vs outsourcing
Coming up with the words for your PR and marketing can happen in a few different ways. Some people prefer to maintain full control by using existing employees to write their company’s copy for them. In smaller businesses, owners might even be doing the writing themselves. With the advent of AI, this option may on the surface seem more appealing than ever.
With the support of AI or without it, however, coming up with the right things to say about your own business is a very difficult thing to do. Even professional PR and marketing copywriters find that hard. And even if you know exactly what you want to say, are you sure it’s what your audience wants to hear, or is it what you think your audience wants to hear?
The other option for producing PR and marketing copy for your business is to outsource to an external copywriter and here is why that might be your best option.
5 Reasons to hire a PR and marketing copywriter
- Saves time and money – It may feel like an additional expense you don’t need to employ a copywriter, but for example, if you are doing the writing yourself, or if your marketing manager is doing all the writing themselves, it’s worth working out how much this is costing the business. How much does your time cost? If your writer holds a senior position in the company, the cost of their time is almost certainly more than you would pay even a top-notch freelance writer. And while we’re on costs, it’s worth thinking about the quality of the copy being produced and whether it could be working harder for you if it were written by an expert. Of course, anyone employed directly by the business is likely to know more about the company, but that doesn’t necessarily make them the best PR and marketing copywriter.
- Delivers a fresh perspective – While a good copywriter will work hard to learn everything about your business and the products or service you have to offer, they probably won’t become embedded in the business in the same way direct employees do. But working externally to the business allows a PR and marketing copywriter the freedom to come up with new ideas you might not have considered. It’s sometimes easier for someone outside of the business to identify the amazing things you do, than it is for you to identify these things about yourself, and because your copywriter might be working with a few different companies, they may get fresh ideas from other businesses or sectors too.
- Gives you the gift of time – Employing a professional writer to look after your long form blog posts or feature articles for trade magazines for example, frees up you or your internal resources, to do what you do best. Whether that’s managing people, running a business, making sales or coming up with new marketing tactics to push your business forward. You can’t really hire freelance support to help with any of these things because that’s probably why your customers buy from you, but in the same way as accounting or legal support is often outsourced, copywriting is another aspect of business that can be outsourced to give you more time.
- Covers all bases – Whether you are a new venture just starting out, a small business at the point of expansion, or a larger company with a full-service agency on your books, it can be overwhelming to ensure all of your marketing balls are kept in the air. One of the most common things I have seen fall to the bottom of the list is business blogs or longer feature articles. That is because longer form prose takes more time, effort and skill to write. This is where freelance PR and marketing support is really helpful. It can plug any gaps in your existing marketing channels. Also if you hire a writer to create longer articles for you, whether for publication in print or online, you also then have circa 800-1500 words to play with and repurpose for other marketing channels.
- Puts your content first – Any type of copywriting is a time-consuming business! Coming up with ideas, doing the research, checking the facts, writing the copy and editing the words afterwards, takes time and expertise. Creating content is unlikely to be a priority in most businesses, unless there is a dedicated resource just for this. That’s not to say it’s not considered important, but perhaps not as important as generating leads, closing sales, delivering your products and services, sending invoices, and providing after sales care. But for a PR and marketing copywriter, your content is absolutely their priority. It won’t fall to the bottom of a to do list, and it won’t be rushed through because of other competing priorities.
Find your PR and marketing copywriter match
Despite there being so many benefits to hiring a copywriter, they only apply if you find the right person for your business. It is worth doing your research and paying your due diligence by asking to see endorsements and reviewing their previous work or their own blog, to see if you think they will be a fit. Not all PR and marketing copywriters are the same, but when you find a relationship that works, you can reap all of the above benefits and more.
If you’re ready to go to the next step, you might find my previous blog posts, FAQs about outsourcing copywriting, and how to prepare for hiring a copywriter for your business blog, useful. And if you have any other questions, or you would like a quote for some copywriting work, please drop me a line at helen@blogwrite.co.uk
