What to Look for in a Professional Interior Design Copywriter

Professional copywriting is a lot like interior design. While you use design to balance the puzzle of style, functionality, and livability, professional copywriters do the same for you through words, user experience, and business strategy. Not everyone can do it. (And, like design, you get what you pay for!)

Today, I want to share several characteristics I recommend looking for when hiring a professional copywriter, starting with…

1. Experience in the Interior Design Industry

Think about it like this… If you have allergies, would you rather go to a general practitioner or an allergist? If you need legal protection, would you hire any old lawyer or would you look for one who specializes in working with business?

My guess is that you would choose the specialist. Doing so not only gives you customized, highly experienced support but also results in less time spent. It’s what they do.

The same is true for copywriting.

In my experience, copywriters who work with “creative entrepreneurs” can still do a great job from a writing perspective, but the feedback I hear is that the message itself feels generic. Even if it’s true (like the overdone, “we design for your lifestyle”), the message is going to fall flat.

Someone with industry experience will be able to help you go deeper, speaking more specifically to the clients and projects you want to attract and giving you helpful business advice along the way — all tailored to your unique goals.

2. Writing Style that Feels Like a Fit

Finding a talented writer is a given, but the right fit is like working with a designer… it’s personal. To gauge if a copywriter is the right fit for you, view their portfolio (if public) or ask for examples of their work. You can find ours here.

3. A Mind for Business Strategy

Professional copywriting is so much more than just writing — it’s business strategy. How? We identify how to attract your ideal clients and projects (at the price points you want). We research competitors to figure out what helps you stand out in the market. We help plan the layout and user experience (UX) of your website (your #1 marketing tool) to inform and inspire new visitors, leading them naturally to your contact page. 

Finding a copywriter with industry experience — and a process that includes the deep work — will result in you having an extended team member with far-reaching and impactful insights. That’s far better than just getting words for a page. (Translation: Please don’t ask your local millennial for copy.)

4. A Forward-Thinking, Problem-Solving Approach

In addition to business strategy, professional copywriters are forward-thinking problem-solvers. We will ask you what struggles you’re currently facing in your business or might face in the future. For example…

Do you only want full-home projects? Let’s position your service as a complete process instead of breaking it down into individual services.

Do clients expect to work with only you and not your team? We can fix that by structuring the copy and their experience around the concept of feeling supported by a team.

Would you like to create a legacy business that you can sell in 10 years? Let’s plan for it now by making sure it could run with you. You get the idea. 

My goal is for every project we work on to last our clients at least 3-5 years or more. That’s forward-thinking and future-planning.

5. Personal Connection… with You!

Lastly, it’s important that you feel a personal connection with your copywriter. Just like design, creating website copy is a process that requires going deep into your processes, your business and life goals, and your interests. Even if you are trusting us to be the creative visionary, it’s a collaborative process.

The best way to judge if there’s a connection would be to read through their website, blog posts, social media accounts. You could also subscribe to their newsletter or book a discovery call to chat with them. Once you’re face to face, you’ll know pretty quickly whether it’s meant to be!