A copywriter is different from other writers. We don’t just describe: we excite, inspire and motivate. Whether you want content for your website, a tagline for your business, or a makeover for your internet presence, a copywriter can help you find the words to make your message sing. The correct editor, that is.

Sometimes, in their rush to promote their business, managers and entrepreneurs make predictable mistakes. Here are three big ones and how to avoid them:

1) Sign up wholesale before testing someone.

If you hire someone for a big job before you’ve had a chance to try them out on a small job, your whole project could go in a direction you don’t want.

Instead: Hire someone for a small job before you hire them for a big job. This way, you can see if you like your work and if you feel a connection enough that you could imagine working together long-term.

2) Give up after the first try.

You also don’t want to go to the other extreme. Great copy usually requires multiple feedback loops. This means that you say what you want, the writer produces a sample or samples, you give feedback, and the writer starts over with your most recent feedback in mind. Repeat, and repeat again.

Through this process, you become more and more clear about what you want, and the writer gets closer and closer to giving it to you. At least, if you have a good connection with your writer (see #1 above). Rarely will someone hit the nail on the head on their first try. If you throw a writer out on the street because he didn’t get it right the first time, you could end up missing out on great writing for your business.

Instead: Agree ahead of time how many revisions you will incorporate (I generally recommend at least three). By the third review, you should have a clear idea of ​​whether you are heading in a direction that makes sense to you.

3) Hire any writer

So your spouse’s co-worker’s nephew just graduated from Princeton with an English degree and wants to work? Excellent! You decide, heck, it’s an Ivy League school, how bad could the copy of him be?

Seven pages of overwrought prose later, you might start to think that writers who have specialties might not be so bad after all. You would be right.

Here’s why: The type of writing required in most settings: universities, non-profits, tech environments, etc. – not what you need for your business. You want a writer who knows how to take the gist of what you’re offering, set it apart from the competition, and get your customers to call.

Instead: Find someone whose samples you are excited about. Although some writers are multi-talented, don’t assume that the skills of a grant proposal writer, journalist, or ghostwriter automatically translate to good copy. Most don’t.

Good luck!