Freelance copywriters in partnership

Many copywriting projects can be completed by a copywriter working alone. However, others require a level of partnership and co-working in order to produce the most effective copy, with third parties backing up the freelance's own copywriting services with their own specific expertise. Adverts, for example, rarely depend on copywriting alone for their impact: the most effective ads are created by a copywriter working in partnership with a creative designer or art director, perhaps supported by a client account manager who represents the client’s wishes and priorities. This type of setup is most likely in an agency arrangement. The copywriter and art director work closely together, perhaps brainstorming ideas and refining them in partnership before collaborating in the actual production of the ad.

Once the actual creative content is being created, the copywriter takes responsibility for the words, while the art director considers what images or graphics will best convey the message. However, the two roles can and should overlap: good copywriters will often suggest designs or images to go with their words, while experienced art directors may well suggest an ‘image plus slogan’ idea. In this situation, it’s down to the expert in each area to confirm that the idea is sound and refine it as far as possible. Savvy creatives know that good ideas can come from anywhere, so they won’t mind sharing the credit.

Digital agencies are an increasingly important client group for many copywriters. Having evolved a website design for their clients, they then need to populate it with website copywriting that makes sense to users while also fulfilling SEO copywriting requirements. For the freelance copywriter, orking with a digital agency is essentially no different from working with a traditional concern, although a level of background knowledge in SEO, keywords, meta tags, HTML and other technical aspects will be hugely beneficial to the copywriter who wants to work with an agency.