How to Hire a Copywriter: Steps, Rates and Vetting
SuperGig Editorial Updated July 2026 8 min read
To hire a copywriter, first name the one action the copy must drive and match the specialty to it: direct-response for a sales page, conversion for a landing page, ad copy for paid campaigns. Expect $75 to $150 an hour or a per-project fee, hire for proven results over a pretty portfolio, and give a short paid test on your real product. The best copywriter is the one who can prove a number moved.
Step 1
Name the one action before you name the writer
Copywriting is writing that gets a reader to act, so the first question is what action. Buy the $99 plan? Book a demo? Start a trial? A single conversion goal focuses the whole engagement and tells you which kind of copywriter you need. Asking for copy that "raises awareness" gives a writer nothing to aim at and gives you nothing to measure.
Copywriters specialize. Direct-response and sales-page writers carry launches and high-ticket offers, conversion writers optimize landing pages, and ad writers feed paid campaigns with hooks a media buyer can test. Match the specialty to the job rather than hiring a generalist and hoping.
Step 2
What is the difference between a copywriter and a content writer?
A copywriter writes persuasive copy tied to a conversion: ads, sales pages, emails and landing pages measured by clicks and sales. A content writer produces articles, guides and blog posts built to inform and earn search traffic over time. Both matter, but hiring the wrong one wastes money. Hire a copywriter when the goal is action this week; hire a content writer when the goal is authority and organic reach.
| Copywriter | Content writer | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Conversion now | Traffic and trust over time |
| Typical output | Sales pages, ads, emails | Articles, guides, docs |
| Measured by | Clicks, sign-ups, sales | Rankings, sessions, dwell |
If it is articles and SEO you need, see hire freelance writers instead. For conversion copy, read on.
Step 3
How much does it cost to hire a copywriter?
US freelance copywriters typically charge $75 to $150 per hour in 2026, but most conversion work is priced per project because the value is the revenue it drives, not the hours it takes. A landing page often runs $800 to $3,000, a long-form sales page $2,000 to $8,000, an email sequence $1,000 to $4,000, and a set of ads $500 to $2,500. A proven direct-response writer usually earns back the fee on the first campaign.
Judge cost against outcome, not word count. A $3,000 sales page that lifts conversion from 1% to 3% is far cheaper than a $500 page that never sells. For how copywriting rates compare to other roles, see how much it costs to hire a freelancer, and the full deliverable-by-deliverable table is on the hire copywriters page.
Step 4
How do I know if a copywriter is good?
The portfolio tells you they can write. Results tell you they can sell. Screen for the second, because the gap between a page that converts at 4% and one that limps at 0.5% is the whole return on the hire.
- Ask for control-beating results: a page, email or ad that beat the previous version, with the numbers.
- Give a short paid test on your actual product so you see how they research and find the angle, not just how they phrase things.
- Read their own marketing; a copywriter who cannot sell themselves will struggle to sell for you.
- Watch how they take feedback in the test, because the best copy comes from a real back-and-forth, not a defended first draft.
On the paid-ad side, strong writers often lean on tools to move faster, using a system that can generate ad copy and on-brand variations from a product URL to spin up test angles, then applying real judgment to pick and sharpen the winners. The general screening playbook is in how to vet a freelancer.
Step 5
Brief them well and protect the payment
Copy is only as good as the raw material you hand over. Give the writer your customer reviews, support tickets and sales-call notes, point to the copy that has worked and the metric you will judge by, and let them research before they draft. Then get out of the way on the first pass and save your notes for the review; a good writer will fold in your product truth and sharpen on the next round.
On SuperGig, every copywriter clears a 4-stage screen and you fund each milestone in escrow, so payment releases only when the copy is delivered and approved. If the copy is feeding a paid campaign, a freelance marketer can run the media buying while the writer keeps the creative fresh.
FAQ
Hiring a copywriter: quick answers
How much does it cost to hire a copywriter?
US freelance copywriters typically charge $75 to $150 per hour in 2026, but most conversion work is priced per project. A landing page often runs $800 to $3,000, a long-form sales page $2,000 to $8,000, an email sequence $1,000 to $4,000, and a set of ads $500 to $2,500. You are buying revenue rather than words, so a proven direct-response writer usually earns back the fee on the first campaign.
What is the difference between a copywriter and a content writer?
A copywriter writes persuasive copy tied to a conversion: ads, sales pages, emails and landing pages measured by clicks and sales. A content writer produces articles, guides and blog posts built to inform and earn search traffic over time. Both matter but they are different skills. Hire a copywriter when the goal is action this week, and a content writer when the goal is authority and organic reach.
How do I know if a copywriter is good?
A good copywriter can point to results, not just a nice portfolio: a page that beat the control, an email that outsold the last one, an ad that scaled. They research your customer before writing, lead with the offer instead of clever wordplay, and take an edit without ego. The fastest test is a short paid brief on your actual product so you see how they think, not just how they write.
Should I hire a copywriter or use AI?
AI tools are useful for first drafts, variations and speeding up a skilled writer, but they do not replace one for high-stakes copy. AI does not research your customers, choose the winning angle or own the outcome, and it tends to produce fluent, generic copy that all sounds the same. For a sales page or a launch that has to convert, hire a copywriter and let them use AI as a tool, not a substitute.
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