Hire a professional copywriter? Ain't nobody got time for that.

There are times when I’ve been able to assist clients in applying some of the techniques used by professional copywriters to write new content or freshen up existing content for their website, however in many cases you should hire a professional copywriter. Sometimes it can make sense to do it yourself, but other times it’s a very good idea to call in a professional. Here are a few examples where you may want to bring in the professional.

1. You’re no Hemmingway

Most of the time it’s about simply putting in the work, however it can be hard to put the work in for something you don’t feel a connection with. Sometimes you may have a pressing need, but not enough time to get good enough to do it yourself. Lots of people hate to write, and if the thought of writing is about as appealing as visiting the dentist, you’ll never put the work in to get good.

Your time can be better utilised focusing on more of what you’re good at and less of what you dislike. If writing isn’t for you, hire or partner with a really good writer to make sure that part of your website is getting the attention it needs. Ultimately it won’t matter how fantastic your products or services are, if you can’t communicate that to customers then you will continue to struggle. Every website needs to communicate well and that means you need strong copy.

2. You don’t have the capacity

Even if you do enjoy writing, there’s a limit to how much copy you can produce while building your website. Depending on the site of course, you can be faced with a mammoth task ahead of you getting all of the content together while you are making other critical decisions along the way. Lengthy writing sessions can work for some people, but they can also sabotage your productivity in the long term.

I’ve seen clients pull in a team of marketing staff to help out with the volume of content set out, but it has not always worked out as expected and there are clear examples where seeking the assistance of a professional would have made all the difference.

At the end of the day, the more high-quality content you can create, the more authority and customer engagement you can build. You need to understand the strategy behind the content you’re creating and should not simply add another content writer for the sake of generating more words on page as it is not always necessary.

3. You need particular expertise

As the person in the business who looks after your website, you may create really good content for your blog, but you need a specialist to write converts that converts readers into customers. In other cases, it might be a strong SEO copywriter to write content that both serves your business needs and can rank well in search engines.

Naturally you will pay more for a copywriter with a specific expertise, rather than a generalist. Just like you would expect to pay more for an Audi mechanic who’s been in business for 20 years over someone at the corner mechanic who’s always wanted to try fixing an Audi.

4. Step away – You’re too close

It can be really tough to be objective about your own business and when writing content, talk about benefits rather than features. You are fully aware of the effort put in to make your product or service stand apart, but your user may have no interest at all in those things. They may even care about something that’s barely on your radar.

This is why it can be so important to get some outside eyes to communicate your most important benefits. Your  difference could even be something you take for granted, but that your customers find particularly impressive.

Just make sure that your writer is looking at real customer feedback. Use a tool like Qualaroo to find out this information as it can be invaluable. So look to survey responses, social media or user testing with customers. The very best feedback of all is user testing both new and existing customers — they are really the ones who have invested in what you have on offer.

The message still belongs to you

As much as a talented copywriter can help you find your strongest marketing message, ultimately that message does need to come from you. You know the customer you want to reach. You know the little details that will make your copy more interesting. No one will ever know your business like you do.

A copywriter can make your website sound fantastic — but as the website owner, you’re the one who’s ultimately responsible for your story.