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How to Hire a SaaS Copywriter to Make Your Copy as Good as Your Product

Tetiana Sukmaniuk
August 30, 2022
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It’s no secret that SaaS solutions can’t talk, so you need to write copy that sells them. Great copywriters have the skills to persuade readers through text that your product is something they’ve been looking for. 

But what makes a great SaaS copywriter, how to spot them, and where to look for them? If these questions are bugging you, we’re here to help. In our guide, we will explain the specifics of hiring SaaS copywriters and talk about what qualities you need to look for.

Without further ado, let’s start with some popular myths about copywriters and why you shouldn’t trust them AT ALL. 

Popular myths about copywriters BUSTED

John E. Kennedy, a legendary ad-man, described copywriting as “salesmanship in print”. That’s because copywriters don’t just write, they sell products using words. They understand your target audience and your product. They can literally get into the buyer’s shoes to understand what the buyer needs to learn about the product in order to buy it.

Let us get some common misconceptions about copywriting out of your way. 

A good copywriter does not:

  • Fill empty spaces in design with words. Don’t underestimate the importance of copy in favor of design. If you feel like everything you need to sell your SaaS solution is a cool modern-looking website, while a copywriter’s task is to fill it with smart words, you’re totally wrong. When thinking about your future website, the first thing you need to care about is content. People will look at the website’s design for about five seconds, but what really makes them interested in your solution is your copy. 
  • Play the same role as a content writer. Copywriters and content writers specialize in creating different types of content. Copywriters work on short-form copy for marketing and advertising purposes. They aim to persuade potential customers to take action (subscribe, make a purchase, and such). Copywriters typically write landing pages, sales emails, and social media posts. On the other hand, content writers produce long-form content, such as blog posts, guides, and e-books. They research industry-related topics to create relevant content that informs readers and increases their engagement. 
  • Sell bad offers. Good copy does not sell alone. Behind good sales numbers, there is also a relevant product, sufficient market demand, a well-designed marketing strategy, and a bunch of other factors. If your offers don’t meet the market needs, don’t expect any excellent copy to save the day and bring you lots of cash. 

By the way, to learn how good copy aligns with excellent company offers, you can check out our article with examples of SaaS copywriting.

Qualities of a good SaaS copywriter 

When hiring a copywriter for your company, you don’t need to follow any strict requirements. It's not like hiring a software engineer. But we advise that you look beyond some basic technical skills, such as research, writing, and SEO knowledge.

We believe that the qualities of a golden copywriter were best described in the book "Ogilvy on Advertising." Although the media mentioned in this book are no longer relevant, Ogilvy lists some timeless characteristics that any master of copy should have:

  • Obsessive curiosity about products, people, and advertising
  • A sense of humor
  • A habit of hard work
  • The ability to write interesting prose and natural dialogue
  • The ability to think visually
  • The ambition to write better campaigns than anyone has ever written before.

In short, good copywriters don’t simply write. They are, first of all, people who can read the room well and write words that resonate with your target audience. 

Persuasion power in copy comes from the point of intersection between your audience’s needs and desires and your product’s features and benefits. A great copywriter is a marketer who spends time to understand both your product and your audience. 

Unfortunately, not all copywriters are like that. That's why the internet is full of weird, unengaging, hard-to-understand copy. 

If you're curious to learn about typical SaaS copywriting mistakes, please read our article "What Is SaaS Copywriting OR Why Your Cutting-Edge AI-Powered Solution Doesn’t Convert." 

And we’re moving on.

Where do you find a good copywriter?

You can find copywriters with proven experience and a relevant portfolio on popular hiring sites. Here are some well-known places to look for a SaaS copywriter: 

Freelance marketplaces

  • Upwork is a freelance hiring platform with a vast talent pool. Here you can find copywriters with different levels of experience, from beginner to expert. You can also post a copywriting job for specialists to apply.
  • Fiverr is a marketplace for finding freelancers. It's Upwork’s competitor but with lower-cost freelance copywriters. Look for candidates in the copywriting category and filter through specialists with the required skills.
  • Freelancewriting is an online platform to find writers for articles, whitepapers, email newsletters and press releases. Here you can also find copywriters with diverse skills. 
  • Flexjobs helps companies find vetted employees for hybrid, remote or flexible work. Fill out the form on their website with the details about your copywriting job and start looking for remote talent.
  • Freelancer is an online platform for hiring remote specialists. You can post a copywriting job on this website and then choose among the candidates who bid for it.

Writing communities

  • Contena is a membership-based community of freelance writers. It offers training programs, useful resources, and helps writers find jobs.
  • Contently combines a data-driven marketing platform and a network of content marketing professionals. They provide top talent to companies like Dell Technologies and Marriott. Here you can find writers with proven expertise in copywriting.

Professional networks

  • LinkedIn is one of the largest hiring websites. On Linkedin, you can find both freelancers and full-time employees. Just post a copywriting job and reach out to people with relevant expertise. 
  • The Dots is a network for recruiting remote employees and freelancers in creative industries. Post a job and wait for candidates to apply to it.

How to evaluate candidates

Access their portfolio

To make an informed decision, pay attention to the writer's portfolio while choosing a candidate to reach out to. All the websites we mentioned let you see the writer’s work experience, portfolios, and client testimonials. Select a writer who has experience working in your niche and has already created the type of copy you need (landing page copy, email copy, social media copy, and such). 

Give them a test assignment

This is not a necessary step in your hiring process. If you see that a candidate has expertise in your niche and a good portfolio with many relevant cases, you can jump straight to the interview. However, such cases are rather an exception to the rule. If you have second thoughts about a particular candidate, it is better to give them a test assignment. Test assignments for a copywriter can include only one task, such as writing a small article or multiple small tasks to test their understanding of different writing techniques. 

Here are some characteristics that you should pay attention to when evaluating a writing test assignment:

  • Clear focus
  • Compelling introduction
  • Coherent structure
  • Strong argumentation
  • Good readability
  • Grammatical accuracy

Invite them for an interview

Here some examples of questions you can ask a copywriter to get an idea of their expertise and approach to copywriting: 

  • What differs great copy from bad copy?
  • How do you decide on the structure of a landing page?
  • What SEO requirements should your copy meet?
  • How do you analyze the effectiveness of your copy?
  • Are there any principles of great copywriting you can list?

How much does it cost to hire a SaaS copywriter?

In two words: it depends. The cost to hire a copywriter is based on their experience and the pricing model. You can find a copywriter who can write a landing page for $20 or a copywriting agency whose prices start at $1000.

Here are some market observations: 

  • Copywriters' rates on Upwork are from $19 to $45 per hour. Website copy ordered on Upwork might cost $200 – $500 per page or $4,500 - $10,000 per project. 
  • An hourly rate of copywriters on Fiverr ranges from $23 to $37 with a median of $29. 
  • To compare, an in-house copywriter in the US earns $55,308 per year on average. 
  • Freelance copywriters and agencies charge per word, per hour or per project.

Billing per word or per hour doesn’t always encourage writing better content. Yet, charging per project means that you pay for the writer’s experience, industry expertise, and skills. 

We at Kaiiax charge our clients per project because we believe that charging per word diminishes the value of copy, and charging per hour isn't quite fair (the more experience you have in a certain industry, the less time you will spend working on sales copy for this industry).

Why hire SaaS copywriters at Kaiiax?

At Kaiiax, we specialize in content marketing for technology companies. Our services cover every aspect of marketing: from crafting content strategies and copywriting to SEO and link building. Our holistic approach has helped our clients in 50+ tech market niches convert their website traffic into leads. 

Copywriting is one of the key services we offer to our clients. Here are our core principles for writing high-converting copy: 

  • Credible and understandable offer
  • A clear understanding of the audience, their problems, and needs
  • A deep understanding of the product, and how it differs from competitors' products
  • Copywriting based on the principles of clarity, coherence, persuasion, originality, consistency, readability, and credibility
  • Search engine optimization to make sure a page we write can be found on Google.

Check out this article to learn more about how we work with content

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