Ten tips for choosing an English-language copywriter

We get a lot of questions about finding the “right” English writer for international brands. Sometimes it’s a startup launching its first product in Europe and the US. Or an established B2B brand that needs to keep a lot of new digital touchpoints in line with a coherent business strategy. Usually, it’s a complex industry with a tough crowd to please – like engineers, doctors or executives. And it typically goes something like this.                                                  

• “We’re producing a lot of content with freelancers, but the quality’s uneven. 
   Do you know a good copywriter who can help us elevate our brand a few notches?”
• “We translate everything, and the English is correct. But nothing is very persuasive.
   We need some creative firepower."
• "Honestly, I thought our communications were good. Until our American colleagues
   questioned whether we had any native speakers here in Stockholm.
  

All good questions, of course. Which is why we’ve put together a few tips on what to look for in terms of experience, tonality and creative abilities whenever you’re looking for a new writer. You can download them here https://bit.ly/2B05eVS Or check out some projects on our website: www.open.se

But before you check off all the right boxes, ask yourself another question: What are your long-term strategic goals? And how can your writer help identify, formulate and craft them into a coherent story that your customers and your team can believe in?

All too often, what looks like a “content” or “writing” challenge is really concealing a deeper strategic issue. One that no content marketing machine can solve.

Above all, remember: good communication isn’t about multiplication. It’s about amplification. Does the story you’re telling really motivate your team? Is it engaging? Does it open up an interaction between your customers and your brand, or is it just a cut-and-dried sales pitch? There’s a lot more to good writing than converting clicks and calls.

Try to find someone who can help frame your company’s core purpose, what makes you different, and a few simple, clear stories that support this. It sounds straightforward, but it demands a lot more discipline and strategic insight than a lot of today’s corporate content machines are set up for.