The literature that the prospective writer provides to you is important – in terms of presentation, yes, but more importantly, content. So don’t be distracted by stunning graphics and typography. You’re not assessing their (or more likely their clients’) designer’s skills – you’re assessing their copywriting prowess.

Bear in mind, too, that the copywriter’s book will contain only the very best examples of their work. The material they think will most impress you, their hoped-for client. You, on the other hand, want to know how closely that finished product reflected the initial brief – and how effective it proved as a marketing tool.

So be sure to ask what results the copy achieved. And take the names of a couple of referees who’ll be happy to verify the writer’s claims.

Style over substance In the final analysis, the marketing copywriter lives or dies by results: by the leads and/or sales s/he achieves.

Conversely, the style - or ‘tone of voice’ – that they adopt will vary to suit the project on which they’re working, and the audiences they’re targeting. Thus it should never be seen as a differentiator, at the shortlist stage.

Similarly, a client list that reads like a Who’s Who of your industry tells you the writer has been in business for a while. But here again you shouldn’t be too easily impressed: in reality, it’s not terribly difficult for a freelance to secure a one-off project from, say, Dell Computer – and thus legitimately add the company to their list of credits.

It’s considerably tougher to secure an ongoing relationship with that company, spanning a number of projects. So try to determine for how long – and in what capacity – the writer has worked for each client.

The long haul So – to practicalities. You’ve established that your writer can get to grips with your business. They have a proven track record. And they can adapt their style to meet your needs. Would that this were enough. It isn’t.

You’re recruiting for the long haul, remember. So you need to be sure your chosen supplier is a ‘good overall fit’ for you, and your firm.

Do not underestimate the importance of getting along with your chosen writer. Marketing is, after all, a creative process; if the team doesn’t ‘gel’, the project will suffer.

So, a face-to-face meeting - to get a feel for their approach, temperament and character – is paramount.

The ease with which such a meeting can be arranged is telling in itself. If the writer drops everything to meet at a moment’s notice, chances are s/he’s not too busy. Does this suggest a lack of work? And if so: why?

If, by contrast, scheduling a mutually acceptable meeting proves tricky you have to question their capacity - their ability to turn your work around in the required timeframe.

During the meeting itself, you’ll be looking for a candidate who asks searching, relevant and insightful questions – ensuring a detailed understanding of your needs. Ideally, they’ll reference previous clients, who faced – and with their help, overcame - similar problems.

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