What Information Should You Provide A Copywriter or Ghostwriter?

There was an interesting post on another copywriter's site last week with a similar question. Ryan Healy wanted to know what his subscribers are looking for when they're ready to hire a ghostwriter or copywriter. You can check out the answers to that question by clicking the above link.

Here's my take on this subject:

1. Know what you want. The more information you can give the copywriter, the better job she or he will be able to do for you. You should be able to communicate to the copywriter a basic overview of your project, its goals, the desired end result and some information about who your desired target market is and why they will be interested in this product or service. (Depending on the project - how complicated it is, what your timeline is, and even how much you want to spend - you should expect to receive a telephone consultation, email follow-ups and some questionnaires - all of which will help the copywriter to do the best possible job in the shortest amount of time for you.)

2. Have some background material prepared. Previous ad samples, copies of previous campaigns, testimonials or feedback from previous clients or people who have tested your product or service, research about the market, etc. Also, depending on the depth of the project, give the copywriter the product, or a good description of the process involved in delivering the service. (You can create pdf. documents and email these things most of the time - in the event you need to use snail mail or UPS, then make sure that you're giving the copywriter enough time to receive and go through them, and to work on your project.

3. Be available for questions throughout the project. Choose to set aside a little bit of time throughout the project - this accomplishes two things. First, it gives the copywriter the opportunity to ask questions and receive answers all at once. This makes the process of writing much smoother and it means that she or he is not waiting for an answer from you that delays the entire project. And secondly, it helps you to oversee the project itself and make sure that everything is on track for meeting your deadlines. You also can spot problems in the copy and correct them right then.

If you've got more questions about hiring a copywriter or ghostwriter, feel free to shoot me an email or leave a comment on this post, and I'll do my best to answer you!