Articles
What a freelance native English copywriter can do
By Carsten Bjerregaard, Marketingcapacity.dk (Feel free to link to this article. Copying/publishing without agreement is not allowed)
If your company needs to market itself professionally abroad, it's a good idea to use a native English copywriter. A copywriter who not only speaks and writes good English, but a copywriter who writes and speaks English like a native. Because there IS a difference. We may not be able to tell the difference when we are Danes. But people from English-speaking countries can. A native English copywriter can translate your texts into English or write them in English from scratch. He can get to the heart of your English-speaking target audience. So they can not only read and understand the texts - they can feel what they mean.
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What is native English copywriting about?
Much of what an English copywriter does is, of course, the same as any other copywriter does (just in English, of course). That is to say:
- Understand a market, a company, a product
- Understand a marketing problem (gap between now and a desired situation)
- Develop a concept - possibly together with ADs or other creatives
- Writing text proposals
- Participate in corrections
And be it in all kinds of media types:
- Websites
- Landing pages
- Emails
- Blogs
- Articles
- Whitepapers
- Speakers
- Reports
- Banner Ads
- Google Adwords
- Movie
- Radio spots
- Product descriptions
- Customer cases
- Annual reports
- Manuals for products (technical writing)
In English - what kind of English?
As most would agree, English is a more nuanced language than, say, Danish. It's all about semantics. There are simply more words in English than there are in Danish. This means that you can distinguish between 'almost the same' concepts in English as in Danish. It's more fine-grained, so to speak.
And besides, English is many things:
- English
- American
- Irish, Scottish
- Australian
- Etc.
But here it is perhaps important for companies to be clear about their needs. What are the requirements for your text?
- Does it 'just' have to be correct?
- Should it have more depth and emotional appeal?
- Should it have a 'local' or segment-insider lingo
And it's probably all about the category you're working with. If you're selling soap, it might be enough that the text is correct. If you're selling Italian tiles for stairs, you might need to be able to capture the soul of the product so that the reader experiences the magic. And if you're selling skater fashions, you might need to capture the internal language of your target audience.
Put another way. It's easy to make demands. But all factors need to be weighed together - and in relation to finances. So if you need a native English copywriter, you need to take other factors and skills into consideration.
What does a native English copywriter need to know?
In addition to language, there are other requirements that a copywriter must be able to meet:
- Understand the product, market and problem
- Generate ideas
- Write for the medium and genre (this isn't about language, it's about the subject matter)
- Collaborate with other creatives
- Deliver on time
- Be able to write freely - but also respect details like spelling, punctuation and typos
- Receive corrections
So the ability to write in English is the hygiene factor. From there, you also need to be aware of how a collaboration will go on a day-to-day basis.
What about Danes who write in English?
For many purposes, it can be enough. It doesn't always have to be native. After all, it's not the language people buy. It's the content = the product. And a chair, for example, is a chair, no matter what language it's described in.
But it must be correct. Text that isn't correct sends a signal of a rogue company and poor quality. So, a Danish copywriter? Perhaps. But it depends on your product, your customers and your market.
What types of native English copywriters are there?
Beyond language and collaboration skills, copywriters are naturally diverse. They have different interests and skills. So be aware of what you're specifically looking for:
- Is the copywriter self-driven (how much to brief)?
- Is it a rigorous argumentative copywriter?
- Does the copywriter know how to tell a story to keep you engaged?
- Does the copywriter have a sense of humor (even in their writing)?
- Can the copywriter interview?
- Can the copywriter write interesting and believable dialog (e.g. for movies)
There's no need to find a Bob Dylan if you need to write a product sheet. On the other hand, it might take something extraordinary to write a brand story for a fashion brand.
Why a freelance native English copywriter?
In the past, most people might have thought of freelancers for one-off projects. However, many companies have now realized the benefits of working with freelancers on a long-term basis:
- You can cover needs that don't justify a permanent position
- In periods when you don't need it, you don't pay for the skill
- In a long-term relationship, the freelancer gets to know the company almost as well as a permanent employee
- Compared to buying the desired skill set from an agency - such as an advertising agency - working with freelancers is usually much cheaper
- You have the flexibility to rethink the overall competency profile of the person responsible for an area
- More and more really talented people prefer to work freelance
- A freelancer can still look at your business 'from the outside' - which is a valuable thing when thinking about creative
- Freelancers can bring fresh, outside inspiration to your business
How do you find a good freelance native English copywriter?
Finding the right freelancer can be difficult. And above all, it can take a long time. Because there are many freelancers within the same field, and even if they boast the same skills, there can be a big difference when it comes to the way they work and the work they deliver. When you ask Marketingcapacity.dk to help you find a freelancer to work with, the process is simple:
- You describe your needs to us (either in writing or verbally - we'll confirm in an email)
- We screen the thousands of profiles on Marketingcapacity.dk and, if necessary, the market through our channels
- We nominate a list of candidates and talk to them according to your needs
- You will be presented with 3 candidates that seem to meet your needs
- During the 3 meetings (at your location or digitally) you can ask questions and see examples of their work
- You choose the freelancer you would like to start working with
- We set it up in our systems with time tracking etc. so you have an overview and full control
In other words: After describing your needs, simply set aside 2 hours to meet with 3 hand-picked and screened candidates. That's your guarantee of a good result with reasonable effort.
