Whether you’re looking to create new website content, define your brand voice or create regular thought-leadership content, a freelance financial copywriter can help. But, like everything, the devil is in the detail. And not all copywriters are alike.
Needles and haystacks
There are countless copywriters out there. And many will describe themselves as a freelance financial copywriter. But that can mean a lot of different things. It might mean they’re a copywriter who has a few pieces of work for one client in the finance sector under their belt. Or it may mean they’ve worked in the finance sector and have brought their experience into a new career in copywriting. They may even be the genuine article, with considerable experience and an innate understanding of working in a regulated environment. But even then, that might not be everything you need.
The fact is it is not simple to find who you need. So, we’ve put together a few tips, to help you find a freelance financial copywriter who is right for you.
One: Start with you
Before you even start your search, you’ll need to give careful consideration to your requirements. It’s no use having the best freelance financial copywriter in the world if you can’t give them a detailed outline of what you need and are trying to achieve. Any copywriter worth their salt is going to ask for a decent brief, and you’ll want one too, so you can agree process and deliverables. Clear project objectives also ensure you can focus your such for the writer you need.
Beyond the project, consider one of the most important basics: do you have an established corporate tone of voice? If not, you’ll need someone who can help with that too, so factor that into the skill set you’re looking for. In short, make sure you know what you want, before you start looking.
Two: Experience counts – but don’t be over specific
When you’re choosing who to work with, make sure you can see a website or portfolio that shows a good breadth of financial copywriting experience. But, please, don’t expect even the most experienced freelance financial copywriter to have dabbled in every single sub-sector of the industry. If you’re looking for experience in something highly specific, you’re unlikely to find it. Or if you do, you may be looking at someone with narrow experience, who brings less to the project. A good freelance financial copywriter, with broad financial sector experience, will use their knowledge, with research and interviews to generate the valuable content you need.
Three: Personality matters
Personality plays a huge part in finding the right freelance financial copywriter. You might find someone who has a great portfolio and looks great on paper – but what about who they are, personally? The relationship needs to work. If it doesn’t there might be many reasons, but one red flag to watch out for is ego.
A truly desirable freelance financial copywriter will prioritise the project objectives, above everything else, including their ego. That doesn’t mean that they won’t challenge you or fight their creative corner – but only for the good of the project and brand, never to protect their ego. Ultimately you need a writer who will build on feedback positively, to create interesting, unique content.
Four: Communication is crucial
Just as personality counts, so does their way of working. There’s no point in finding a freelance financial copywriter with a great portfolio if they leave you in the dark when it counts. Make sure that the person you choose understands that you expect to be kept in the loop regularly. And while regularity is key, so is speed. When you have a time-critical project, waiting around for a response is only going to create stress. So, set your expectations at the start of the project, and make sure you’re on the same page.
Five: Think beyond this project
The likelihood is that, if you need a freelance financial copywriter now, it won’t be the last time. Consider how often you’ll need them. Ask about their availability and whether they will be able to cover what you need going forward. Some copywriters take longer-term contracts and may be unavailable when you need them most. Ideally, if you can find more than one writer to create a relationship, you’ll have that extra capacity when you need it.
There’s a lot to consider in finding the right freelance financial copywriter, and it can be a bit of a headache. But by considering the points above, you might just find the right fit, to create something special, together.
At Alex Genn Copywriting, we have 25 senior-level writers, who have a wealth of experience, are easy to work with, and are great communicators. And with so many exceptional writers, we always have someone on hand, even at short notice.
