How to Hire a Copywriter Who Actually Sells

Your website looks polished. Ads are running. Traffic is steady. But sales? Stalled. Visitors browse and leave without buying. The problem isn’t visibility, it’s conversion.

That’s why hiring a copywriter is a revenue decision, not a cosmetic one. In fact, copywriting is one of the most impactful digital marketing services you can outsource. Companies that align persuasive messaging with growth strategies see outsized results. In fact, Deloitte’s Global Marketing Trends Report 2024 found that organizations with strong marketing leadership grow revenue 2.5x faster than their peers.

What a Copywriter Actually Does (and Why It Matters)

Copywriting isn’t content writing. Content builds awareness. Copy drives decisions. Unlike a generic website content writer, a copywriter who sells focuses on persuasion and measurable business results. Copy drives decisions. The best copywriters blend market research, psychology, and creativity to persuade customers into action.

The Content Marketing Institute’s 2024 B2B Benchmarks report shows that businesses focusing on persuasive, conversion-oriented copy report three times the ROI compared to those relying on informational content alone.

Signs It’s Time to Hire a Copywriter

You may already feel the symptoms:

You can’t clearly articulate your value proposition

When you’re immersed in your product every day, it’s easy to speak in features, jargon, or internal language. Prospects don’t want complexity, they want clarity. If you struggle to explain why your solution matters in a single sentence, it’s a signal that an outside copywriter can distill your message into customer-focused value.

Website traffic grows, but conversions don’t

SEO, ads, and social campaigns may be working to bring people in, but if those visitors don’t convert into signups, calls, or purchases, something is broken in the messaging. A copywriter bridges that gap by turning attention into action.

Ad campaigns burn budget without ROI

Paid media can expose weak copy faster than anything else. You might get clicks, but if the landing page fails to persuade, the spend is wasted. A copywriter ensures that every click flows into a clear, compelling journey that maximizes return.

Leadership is stuck wordsmithing instead of strategizing

Many founders spend late nights tweaking website headlines or email subject lines. While it shows care, it’s also an opportunity cost. Every hour spent editing copy is an hour not spent on product, fundraising, or partnerships. A professional takes that burden off your plate and does it better.

This isn’t rare. According to the HubSpot State of Marketing 2024, only 22% of marketers are satisfied with their conversion rates, even though most report steady traffic growth.

The Different Types of Copywriters (and Which One You Need)

Copywriters specialize differently depending on goals:

B2B copywriters

These writers specialize in long, complex sales cycles where multiple stakeholders are involved. Their strength lies in translating technical features into business outcomes, framing ROI, and building credibility that moves decision-makers toward contracts and demos.

B2C copywriters

Selling to consumers requires a different approach. B2C copywriters excel at storytelling, emotional hooks, and urgency-driven messaging. They know how to spark immediate desire and shorten the path from interest to purchase.

Direct-response copywriters

When you need measurable action, clicks, signups, or sales, direct-response specialists shine. They craft sales pages, funnels, and ad campaigns designed for conversions, testing every word to squeeze more revenue from the same traffic.

Brand copywriters

These writers help businesses establish voice, positioning, and consistency across channels. They’re less focused on immediate conversions and more on building long-term trust, recognition, and authority.

Why does this matter? Because businesses are pouring more into ads than ever, global ad spend is projected to surpass $1 trillion in 2024, with digital taking the lion’s share. Yet average conversion rates across industries still hover between 2–3%. The wrong copywriter means that spend goes to waste. The right one ensures every click, impression, and visit moves prospects closer to buying. For many businesses, the safest path is outsourcing niche skills like conversion copywriting instead of hiring full-time too early.

Key Qualities of a Copywriter Who Sells

The best copywriters don’t just write, they investigate. They dig into customer interviews, analyze competitors, and adapt seamlessly to your brand.

Relentless research skills

Strong copy is built on evidence, not guesswork. Top copywriters conduct customer interviews, scour reviews, analyze competitors, and mine industry data to understand the exact language buyers use when making decisions.

Ability to capture the Voice of the Customer (VoC)

The most persuasive messaging doesn’t sound like marketing, it sounds like your customers talking to each other. Great copywriters are skilled at extracting real phrases, pain points, and desires, then weaving them into copy that feels authentic.

Adaptability to brand and channel

A sales page requires urgency and structure; a thought-leadership piece needs authority and clarity. Effective copywriters shift tone and style to match both the brand’s voice and the medium they’re writing for.

Focus on outcomes, not word count

Instead of promising “1,000 words of copy,” they talk in terms of conversions, leads, and revenue impact. Their mindset is tied to business growth, not page length.

Cost vs. ROI: What You Should Expect to Pay

• Website projects: $2,000–$10,000, depending on the number of pages, depth of research, and complexity of the sales journey.
• Sales pages: $1,000–$5,000, especially if they’re tied to product launches, funnels, or campaigns with clear ROI expectations.
• Email sequences: $500–$3,000, with higher-end projects often including A/B testing and segmentation strategies.

The HubSpot State of Marketing 2024 highlights that improving conversion rates is now a top priority for marketers globally, with more than 70% ranking lead generation and conversion as their primary goal. That means the demand for copy that moves prospects from “interested” to “ready to buy” has never been higher.

Alternatives if You’re Not Ready to Hire

If you’re not ready to commit:

Use DIY frameworks or templates

There are plenty of proven copywriting formulas such as PAS (Problem-Agitate-Solution) or AIDA (Attention-Interest-Desire-Action) that can guide you in drafting your own copy. Templates and online courses can give startups a useful starting point, though they often lack the nuance and customer-specific language that drives the highest conversions.

Request a copy audit

Instead of a complete rewrite, many experienced copywriters offer audits of existing assets like websites, sales pages, or email funnels. They’ll highlight what’s working, flag weak spots, and provide actionable recommendations. This gives you clarity on where to focus and helps you prioritize changes that can deliver quick wins.

Hire freelancers for short-term projects

If you need copy for a single campaign, landing page, or ad set, a freelancer can be a flexible and affordable option. Copywriting is also one of the most common easy remote jobs that businesses experiment with before scaling. It’s a good way to experiment with professional copywriting without a full retainer or in-house salary. The trade-off is that you may need to manage consistency across different writers.

Consider agencies when scaling

For companies running multiple campaigns across channels, agencies can provide a full team of writers, strategists, and designers. This option delivers consistency and speed but usually comes at a higher cost, and you may sacrifice some of the deep brand immersion that a dedicated copywriter brings.

Final Checklist: How to Hire a Copywriter Who Actually Sells

Before signing a contract, make sure:

Define a clear revenue outcome, not just a content need

Don’t settle for vague goals like “we need new website copy.” Instead, tie the project to a measurable business result such as boosting demo requests by 20% or doubling the conversion rate on a sales page. This ensures both you and the copywriter are aligned on outcomes from the start.

Check specialization against your business stage

A B2B SaaS company with a six-month sales cycle needs a very different writer than an e-commerce brand launching a new product. Make sure the copywriter has experience in your type of funnel and can show relevant results.

Review portfolios for impact, not aesthetics

Portfolios filled with pretty websites and clever taglines are nice, but they don’t prove business value. Look for case studies or samples where the copy led to measurable improvements, higher conversions, lower acquisition costs, or stronger retention.

Ask about their research process

Strong copy is built on insight, not guesswork. A revenue-driven copywriter should have a repeatable system for gathering customer feedback, analyzing competitors, and identifying messaging gaps. If they can’t explain their process, that’s a red flag.

Evaluate cost in terms of ROI, not word count

Great copy isn’t priced by the page or by the word. It’s priced by the potential business impact. A $5,000 landing page that brings in ten new clients is far cheaper than a $500 page that fails to convert. Shift the lens from expense to investment. Even highly regulated industries like healthcare prove this point, companies succeed by trusting healthcare outsourcing services for specialized roles, and hiring a copywriter works the same way.

Final Thoughts

Hiring a copywriter isn’t about filling your website with words, it’s about giving your business a sales engine in written form. The right copywriter doesn’t just describe what you do; they persuade prospects to take action, shorten sales cycles, and unlock ROI from every marketing channel you’re already investing in.

If you’re serious about growth but don’t have time to search, vet, and onboard copywriters yourself, Penbrothers can help. We specialize in connecting global businesses with vetted remote professionals, whether that’s a conversion copywriter, digital marketer, or niche specialist, so you get results without the hiring friction.

Ready to find a copywriter who actually sells? Talk to Penbrothers today.