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Should you hire a UK copywriting agency? And how much will it cost?

staff at a UK copywriting agency

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In this article, we’ll explain:

 

What is a copywriting agency?

In a nutshell, it’s any organisation that employs professional copywriters who deliver work for external clients. There are a few nuances to this description that might help you decide which sort of copywriting agency meets your needs.

Types of copywriting agencies

Full service digital agency

In brief: A large agency that delivers the full spectrum of digital services, from advertising to design and social media management. 

 

This type of agency will have copywriters, but they’ll also employ designers, developers, paid search executives, video specialists, social media managers and account teams. The copywriters working here will most likely be deploying their skills in service of a wider brief, for example, creating the content for the adverts that the agency is managing.

 

Advertising agencies

In brief: An agency of any size that produces adverts for any medium and buys media space for their clients, employing visual designers, copywriters, account teams and media buyers.

 

The copywriters working here will be advertising copywriters trained in writing scripts, strap lines, long form adverts and advertorials. Some of the most famous copywriters, like David Ogilvy, came from an advertising background. Here are some of David Ogilvy’s words of wisdom, which are always worth sharing.

 

Branding agencies

In brief: An agency that helps an organisation design and develop the visual identity of their products and brand.

 

The copywriters working here will be focused on product names, packaging copy, web copy and any other writing that helps a brand become more recognisable. They will typically be ‘conceptual’ copywriters, coming up with ideas that define identities and create powerful brands.

Creative agency

In brief: “Creative agency” is a relatively generic term typically used to describe an agency specialised in generating and executing creative concepts, from websites to activation events.

 

The copywriters working here will have diverse skills, from straplines to packaging copy. There may also be tranches of specialisms, from landing page copywriters to direct response.

 

Public relations (PR) agency

In brief: An agency that specialises in media influence and reputation management. Copywriters working here will have a more journalistic approach, often using their skills to author press releases, company statements, thought leadership and executive communications.

Search engine optimisation (SEO) agency

In brief: An agency hired to improve the organic search performance of a website or app. Copywriters working here will typically specialised in producing content that is optimised for search engines, as well as writing content that can earn backlinks from external websites.

 

Copywriting agency

In brief: Any agency that specialises in copy and content as its core deliverable, without necessarily focusing on adjacent disciplines like SEO or PR.

 

Copywriting agencies will have fewer staff from other disciplines and their structure will be optimised to deliver high quality copywriting and content at scale. Teams will typically be split into expert disciplines, including:

 

 

Copywriting agencies, like PR and advertising agencies, may also differentiate themselves by sector. For example:

and even super niche sectors like:

When an agency niches down to this degree, you can safely assume a high level of subject matter expertise as well as copywriting skill.

Copywriting covers a broad range of disciplines, from advertising copy to technical microcopy or user experience. 

A copywriter who is great at persuading someone to consider buying your product in fewer than 50 words has a very different approach to their craft compared with a copywriter who is great at publishing thought leadership content for chief executives.

In a nutshell, a copywriter is an expert in their craft, and they will typically have one or two specialisms and some subject matter expertise. For example, you might be looking for a financial services copywriter who specialises in user experience copywriting. Or a healthcare copywriter who specialises in advertising copy.

A copywriting agency is an organisation that can offer a range of copywriting services and is typically able deliver work on a larger scale.

As well as copywriters, a copywriting agency may also have people doing the following jobs.

 

Types of copywriters you’ll find at a UK copywriting agency

 

Content designer: Creates content as part of a cross-functional team. Specialises in copywriting that helps users complete tasks, such as mortgage applications, resetting passwords or signing up for an account. Content designers think about page layout, functionality, information architecture and hierarchy and taxonomy as well as the words that they use.

 

User experience copywriter: Similar to a content designer but more focused on the words than the layout, and typically used to working with a designer. User experience covers things like error messages, warnings, journey flow and expectation setting.

 

SEO Copywriter: Specialises in creating content optimised for search engines to improve website ranking and visibility.

 

Technical Copywriter: Focuses on writing technical manuals, product descriptions, and other content that requires specialised knowledge.

 

Creative Copywriter: Produces persuasive, imaginative copy for advertising, campaigns, and branding.

 

Sales Copywriter: Writes persuasive copy aimed at converting prospects into customers, often used in sales letters and landing pages.

 

Digital Copywriter: Creates content for digital platforms, including websites, blogs, and social media.

 

Brand Copywriter: Develops the voice and messaging for a brand, aiming for consistency across all media.

 

Marketing Copywriter: Produces copy for marketing materials, such as brochures, email campaigns, and promotional content.

 

Direct Response Copywriter: Writes copy designed to elicit an immediate action from the reader, like making a purchase or signing up.

 

B2B Copywriter: Specialises in writing for business-to-business communications, focusing on industry-specific content.

 

B2C Copywriter: Creates consumer-facing content aimed at individual buyers, emphasising benefits and emotional appeal.

 

Product Copywriter: Focuses on writing detailed and engaging product descriptions for catalogues and e-commerce.

 

Social Media Copywriter: Writes concise, engaging posts and advertisements for various social media platforms.

 

Healthcare Copywriter: Writes content related to medical products, services, and healthcare topics, often with a focus on compliance.

 

Financial Services Copywriter: Specialises in writing for the financial services industry, including content on investing, banking, and insurance.

 

Grant Writer: Develops proposals and applications for funding, focusing on non-profit and educational sectors.

 

Ghostwriter: Writes content that is officially credited to another person, often used for books, articles, social media posts and speeches.

 

Content Strategist: White not technically a writing role, content strategists tend to be people with a copywriting background. They plan and oversee the creation and implementation of content to align with business goals.

 

Whitepaper Copywriter: Writes detailed and authoritative reports to inform readers about complex issues, often used in B2B marketing.

 

Email Copywriter: Writes newsletters and email campaigns to engage subscribers and drive conversions.

 

Advertising Copywriter: Specialises in writing short, impactful copy for ads in print, online, and broadcast media.

 

Specialist copywriters vs generalist copywriters

 

Should you be hiring a specialist copywriter or a generalist?

 

Our most common recommendation is to always try and find someone who is specialised enough to deliver both writing quality and subject matter expertise. There are trade-offs you’ll need to make, but in our experience, if you’re dealing with budget constraints or simply can’t find the perfect blend of knowledge and skill, go for the writer with more subject matter expertise and less writing experience.

 

Look for a writer who writes well enough to communicate the important things and who understands the topic or topics required deeply. This is a far better trade-off than someone who writes exceptionally well but who only understands the topic at the surface level.

 

In our experience, it’s easier to tidy up someone’s writing than to correct factual errors. And you simply cannot edit your way out of a situation where the writer has a fundamentally inadequate understanding of the topic they’re writing about.

 

Here’s an example from journalism. Martin Lewis, AKA the Money Saving Expert, is by no means the classiest or most interesting writer in terms of style. He uses basic language and repeats himself quite a lot. He is also second-to-none in his understanding of the UK’s financial services system. There are better writers out there, but if you want someone to explain the complexities of payment protection insurance mis-selling, Martin’s your man.

 

The other benefit of choosing subject matter expertise over pure writing flair is that it will typically be quicker to edit, easier to understand and cheaper to produce. Someone who already knows a subject in depth can convert that expertise into good, useful content far faster than someone who doesn’t know the subject in the same depth, but who has an attractive writing style.

 

With the growing use of AI for copywriting, hiring writers that genuinely and deeply understand what they’re writing about is a meaningful point of differentiation.

 

There are typically two ways in which a copywriter will specialise:

 

By subject matter expertise

For example:

 

By discipline

For example:

There are a handful of super specialist copywriters whose specialisms intersect, for example:

Do you need a generalist with great writing style, or a subject matter expert?

We think you should always seek the highest level of specialism available and within budget. There will be scenarios where you’ll need to make compromises or accept that your definition of ‘perfect’ is impossible to find.

 

For example, if you are a travel insurance brand with a specific user experience challenge, you may find a great UX copywriter who has expertise in either travel or insurance. But probably not all three at the same time.

 

The caveat: generalism can be a function of experience.

 

Some copywriters refer to themselves as generalists simply because of the sheer body of work they’ve produced over their careers. They’ve had a sufficiently large amount of roles, projects and experience that they can legitimately claim to be able to write capably and expertly on a range of topics.

 

They may not be true generalists in the sense that they are equally accomplished at all subject areas they handle, but they may be generalists in the sense that they have a good to excellent grasp of more than a few topic areas. For example, the founder of Essential Content Sean O’Meara would be classed as a generalist in the sense that he has sufficient experience and has been published widely writing about the following topics:

 

Do I need a UK copywriting agency?

 

As our name might suggest, Essential Content is a content and copywriting agency. Here are some of the most common reasons our clients ask us to help them.

 

They have a great product or service, but zero capacity to create elite copy at scale

 

This is quite a common and simple problem. A company with a website wants to create high quality persuasive content, but they don’t have a copywriting team. They come to us, we agree on project scope and most of the time, work with them on an indefinite basis.

 

They need access to specific copywriting skills

 

We have lots of clients who have their own copywriters. These clients come to us because they need specific copywriting skills. The most common example here is when an organisation needs to improve user experience, content design or tone of voice (or all three). Essential Content has the processes and experience to deliver these outcomes and it is typically a better investment for the client to engage us to do it for them than figuring out how to do it themselves.

 

They need access to specific subject matter expertise

 

Another reason clients with their own copywriters like to work with us. We have deep experience in some very important sectors, including financial services, regulatory affairs, healthcare, logistics, transportation, information technology. If a client is creating content across those sectors, they may turn to us to provide the depth of subject matter expertise to do the job justice.

 

They need to deliver more content than they are capable of doing by themselves

 

Quite simply, a client needs to increase copywriting capacity to meet their immediate and medium term business needs. For example, a bank launching a new product or an insurance company refreshing its onboarding journey may need us to deliver that work for them so that their copywriting teams can focus on business as usual projects.

 

They need strategic guidance on delivery

 

As an agency with experience supporting large, complex organisations like banks and insurance companies, we understand the best ways to deliver elite content at scale. We can zoom out from the coalface of a project and examine the strategic objectives, milestones, risks and opportunities. Then we’re able to present a comprehensive content strategy that serves as a delivery framework. The client can then either deliver the content themselves or engage us to implement the strategy using our own team of expert copywriters.

 

They want us to upskill their copywriting team

 

This is a less common scenario, but something our team particularly enjoy doing. Picture a large organisation with a relatively new copywriting team. They may be great at writing, but lack strategic experience and understanding of how to deliver complex copywriting projects. We can provide training via workshops and hands-on mentoring to give less experienced writers the skills they need to produce the content that their employers need.

 

They need senior, experienced content designers and copywriting leaders who can help influence internal partners

 

A lot of marketing, brand and user experience teams are great at their particular discipline, but they lack organisational influence. In a nutshell, it’s hard for them to make change happen. By bringing an external perspective with the degree of experience and expertise of an agency like Essential Content, they’re able to persuade decision makers across their organisation to adapt, sponsor and support change that enables them to build better products and services, communicate better with customers and ultimately do their jobs better.

 

They want to improve or refine their internal content operations and processes

 

Sometimes all our clients need is guidance on how to implement their skills better. A great writer may be able to produce persuasive copy, but if it fails compliance checks or doesn’t satisfy the original business need, it’s wasted expertise.

 

We help organisations by improving and optimising their processes and content operations so they get more value for money out of the investment in copywriting. Our aim in these engagements is to make it easier for copywriting teams to produce great work, at scale, that has a material impact on business objectives.

Should I hire a UK copywriting agency or hire a freelance copywriter?

 

We LOVE freelance copywriters and we sometimes bring in specialist practitioners to support our client projects.

 

This part of the guide is not an attempt to persuade you away from hiring a freelancer and hiring an agency like Essential Content instead. 

 

In fact, if you think a freelancer would better suit your needs, please get in touch and we can recommend some fantastic, talented people that we’ve worked with in the past, such as:

 

This section is to help you decide on the path forward that best suits your current and future objectives.

 

There are advantages and disadvantages to both approaches.

 

For example, agencies tend to cost more than freelances and typically require a longer term commitment. On the flip side, agencies tend to have a broader mix of talent and expertise than a solo operator. And there are fewer operational risks associated with engaging an agency. If a freelancer becomes unavailable due to illness or personal circumstances, it can derail a project. Agencies are better equipped to handle business continuity challenges.

 

That said, if you are currently working to a tight budget, or don’t know whether your project will be supported long term, we’d recommend considering a freelance copywriter over engaging with an agency.

 

But, if you’re confident in the scope of what you want to achieve and have a budget in mind to invest in copywriting, we’d recommend speaking to an agency that specialises in the subject areas and industry that matter to you.

 

Hiring a Copywriting Agency

 

Advantages:

 

Expertise Diversity: Agencies typically have a team of writers with diverse specialisations, offering a wide range of expertise.

 

Higher Capacity: Can handle large volumes of work efficiently, suitable for organisations with extensive copy needs.

 

Reliability and Continuity: Agencies often have the resources to provide continuous support without disruption.

 

Comprehensive Services: Offer integrated services, such as strategy and tone of voice design, alongside copywriting.

 

Established Processes: Likely to have established quality control and project management processes, ensuring consistent output.

 

Insurance: Agencies tend to have more comprehensive levels of insurance to protect clients against risks.

 

 

Disadvantages:

 

Higher Cost: Generally more expensive than freelancers due to overheads and comprehensive services.

 

Less Personal Feel: The client might not always have direct access to the writer working on their project.

 

Potential Bureaucracy: Larger agencies may have more formal procedures, which can slow response times.

 

Hiring a Freelance Copywriter

 

Advantages:

 

Cost-Effectiveness: Typically more affordable than agencies, with flexible pricing arrangements.

 

Personalised Service: Direct communication with the writer can lead to more tailored and responsive service.

 

Flexibility: Freelancers can often adapt to changing project scopes and timelines quickly.

 

Specialised Expertise: Some freelancers offer deep expertise in specific niches, beneficial for targeted projects.

 

 

Disadvantages:

 

Limited Capacity: May struggle to handle large or multiple projects simultaneously, which could be limiting for a large organisation.

 

Variable Reliability: Dependence on a single individual might pose risks of delays or inconsistencies if issues arise.

 

Broader Skills Limitations: Freelancers might not offer additional services necessitating multiple hires.

 

Inconsistent Quality Assurance: Quality control processes might vary, leading to inconsistencies in output.

 

Relationship Concentration: Engaging a single entity becomes a challenge if issues in the relationship develop. Agencies are able to swap out team members and bring in talent that has the best rapport with the client team.


The table below is not exhaustive but it does summarise the common benefits and drawbacks of hiring a freelance copywriter over a copywriting agency.

 

UK copywriting agency Freelance copywriter
Broader and deeper pool of expertise Typically more affordable
Capacity to scale up delivery More flexibility
More refined systems and processes More capable of embedding as part of an internal team
Ability to influence decision makers Able to deliver smaller projects that would be less profitable for an agency
More hands on deck, higher levels of quality control and oversight
Greater range of subject matter expertise
More diverse skill base

 

Can I use AI to write the copy I need?

This might be where you’d expect us to say “absolutely not”, only an established copywriting agency with subject matter expertise can deliver a standard of work that’s fit for your brand.

 

It’s not the place of an established UK copywriting agency to persuade you away from using ChatGPT or one of the many other AI-powered tools that many people use for copywriting.

 

If you don’t have the right budget to hire a copywriting agency or an experienced freelancer, then using AI can sometimes be an acceptable compromise, especially if you need content at scale.

 

But it can be risky. Below is a list of the biggest risks we’ve observed when businesses use AI for copywriting, based on the experiences of clients who’ve tried it for themselves.

 

 

How do I select the right content and copywriting services?

Before you approach an agency to learn about their services, it’s really useful to have the following things in place.

 

 

Once you’ve got a defined set of objectives and constraints, prepare a very short, to the point brief.

 

This might include:

 

 

This will be a useful first resource to share with the copywriting agencies that you want to approach.

 

But which copywriting agencies should you approach?

 

Our recommendation would be to select a copywriting agency that has some or preferably all of the following characteristics:

 

How do I select the right copywriting agency?

 

This is where it gets tricky. The best answer we can offer is to disclose some of the reasons our clients have selected us, in order of most common to less common.

 

 

How much does hiring a UK copywriting agency cost?

An established UK copywriting agency charges approximately £150/$199 per hour. 

 

That’s an oversimplified average, but it’s a good gauge.

 

Some copywriting agencies may also charge a day rate.

 

A typical day rate for a copywriting agency is around £1,000 / $1,300.

 

Agencies may also offer to work on a project fee, which may be more suitable for specific projects like:

 

 

Some agencies, including Essential Content, work on retainer.

 

The benefits of this approach include:

 

 

Our retainer fees are below:

 

Days per month Monthly Retainer Cost per day
7 £5,200 / $6,600 £743 / $943
8 £5,400 / $6,840 £675 / $855
9 £5,600 / $7,120 £622 / $790
10 £5,800 / $7,370 £580 / $737
Standalone day rates
First 6 days per month £800 / $1,016
Additional days per month £900 / $1,144

 

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