With the rapid growth of online testing, it is becoming more and more apparent that the words on our websites make a huge difference to all the metrics we value most, the foremost of those metrics being the revenue we generate.
With the words on our web pages being so important, it's not surprising that managers are taking a closer look at the talents and performance of their copywriters, whether they are in-house or freelancers.
Nor is it surprising that those managers have to make some tough decisions about which copywriters to keep, and which to let go.
During the course of preparing this article, I sent an email to more than 15,000 copywriters and marketers and asked for their feedback.
Based on that feedback, I have divided what follows into three parts.
The first will address the most common reasons to fire a copywriter. The second part will look at ways to minimize the risk of firing a perfectly good copywriter. And the third part will look at an area that desperately needs addressing industry-wide: formal training for online copywriters.
There are four main reasons that companies lose patience with the copywriters they either employ or hire on a freelance basis.
1) When copywriters don't deliver on time
When you have schedules to meet and other members of the team depend on the copywriter delivering his or her work in a timely manner, failing to meet deadlines can be a deal breaker.
As one publisher puts it:
"A copywriter who says, 'I underestimated the amount of time required to perform this job and it looks like I'm going to need another week to complete it,' is usually OK -- if that call is early in the process. If that call comes the morning the project is due, that's unacceptable. That's when you begin looking for another copywriter because you know you can't rely on him/her, and all you want is to get that project in your hands so you can move on."
In other words, if the copywriter behaves in a professional manner and gives advance warning of delays, and good reasons for them, that's OK. But to simply announce that the work won't be completed, at the last moment, is unacceptable.
Maybe a good copywriter can get away with this kind of mistake a couple of times, but not more than that.
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2) When the copywriter's work just isn't good enough
As with any profession, not all copywriters have the same level of skill. Some are excellent, some do decent work and some aren't good at all.
Here are some reasons for firing a copywriter that were submitted by a business relations coordinator who recently had a bad experience:
When the writing is stale and I feel like I could have done better myself.
When I feel like it's something that was grabbed off an old brochure that we did years ago. I don't want regurgitated material. No cut/paste.
When the material I receive is painfully far from reaching the intended audience.
This sounds to me like lazy copywriting, when the final text reads like a first draft, and the writing clearly isn't addressed to the needs and interests of the website's audience.
3) When copywriters don't deliver the content that is asked for
Here is one unhappy editor's experience with a freelance copywriter she hired:
"Several months ago, we contracted with a highly recommended writer to write a monthly e-newsletter about a specific brand of computer products. I sent him all the usual resources, as well as our HTML templates, and then sat back with the highest of hopes. I was disappointed. When he submitted off-style copy (lots of exclamation points, improper noun caps, fragmented sentences), I sent him a tracked-changes version of all the corrections and very politely corrected him on individual points. I knew he could write like a grownup because his emails to the person who hired him were letter-perfect. The next month he submitted the same drivel, and I wrote a slightly less polite response albeit with the same multiple-page set of corrections."
In this instance, the editor seems to have given the copywriter ample briefing and background, but the copywriter simply failed to deliver.
The reason may have been that the copywriter wasn't able to write in the way that was required by the client. Or perhaps the issue was more closely related to reason No. 4...
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4) When the copywriter's ego gets in the way of acting professionally
Some copywriters are totally convinced they are always right. They raise themselves above the client and take a position where they are the "expert," and the client's job is to listen and learn.
Copywriters with too much ego are a pain, as are those who, in the face of criticism, raise the defence of being "artists."
That said, there are certainly times when a copywriter really does know best.
This is where a very experienced, senior copywriter takes on the mantle of a consultant.
But the "copywriter as consultant" needs to be worthy of the title, needs good people skills and needs to establish a strong level of trust with his or her client.
When the copywriter really doesn't deserve to be fired
Sometimes clients expect miracles from their copywriters and become disappointed when they don't deliver.
This response from a marketer/entrepreneur describes the problem perfectly:
"I'm in the process of partnering with a copywriter for work on client web page copy. Our philosophies and methodologies for copywriting are very similar, and she seems to be really on top of things. Prior to outsourcing this work, I would end up doing it myself, so finding a competent person to work with, and one who understands me and the way my business works, is very important to me.
"She offered to write one page for an upcoming project for free so I could get a feel for her writing and we could fine-tune our process for defining and completing projects. Unfortunately for her, I'm in the midst of starting this new company and don't completely have my act together yet. I was vague in my requirements and ended up feeling frustrated when she didn't just 'know' what I needed from her. At one point, I had almost decided just to continue doing the work myself.
"Luckily, she stuck it out, and we have established a good working relationship. The moral: unless the person hiring the copywriter has a well-defined idea of what he or she needs, the copywriter is going to be at a loss. Copywriters are not mind readers. And while you may be looking for someone's creative input, that is not the same thing as dropping a poorly defined project in his or her lap and expecting the person to run with it."
Copywriters need a clear and comprehensive briefing every time.
If you get frustrated with the copy you get, but you don't provide strong briefings, then the blame lies with you, not the writer.
Online, the question of providing briefs can be a little complicated. While in the offline world copywriters are usually included in meetings at the very beginning of a project, this doesn't happen so much in the online world.
All too often the marketers and designers do the early work on a web page, group of pages or email campaign, and then finally bring in a copywriter to "add the copy."
This approach will almost always lead to disappointment. And you may end up firing the copywriter for no good reason.
Bring the copywriter into the meetings sooner, so the person has a thorough grounding in the project and is able to contribute some thoughts at the early stages.
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How much do you invest in training your copywriters?
As we have seen, there are many good reasons to fire a copywriter.
But before you get too trigger-happy, give some thought to how much you invest in the training of your online copywriters.
The web is still a new medium, and everyone involved in the creation of web pages needs help in learning best practices.
Grab a pencil and paper and write down how much is invested in training your web design and IT people each year. Include the books they buy, the conferences they go to, the webinars they sign up for, the training days they attend, the support software they buy.
Now write down what your per capita investment is for training online copywriters? And how does it compare with what you invest in others on the team?
I'm guessing that your investment in the training of your online copywriters is pretty low. And there lies the root of some of the frustrations you experience with copywriters.
If you use freelance copywriters, then getting up to speed with best practices is their responsibility. But if you employ copywriters in-house, then their training is your responsibility.
In other words, while there are certainly times when a copywriter deserves to be let go, be fair. Before you pull the trigger, make sure you have given your writers the opportunity to do their best work.
