Insist on the Right Copywriter

If your primary source of outside help for marketing communications and public relations projects is a marketing or advertising agency, you have probably worked with whichever copywriter the agency assigns to your account.

But is that writer really the best choice for your projects?

You may be better served by bringing in your own freelance writer to work with the agency, especially for certain situations and projects.

The project needs a writer with specialized subject knowledge or writing skills. Don't automatically accept the agency's assurances of "Oh, we can handle that." Ask for samples and interview the staff writer the agency wants to assign to the project.

You prefer to work with a writer who has more experience and business savvy than the junior-level staffers that often receive all writing assignments at some agencies.

The agency's writer and account manager is one and the same. This combination may work if it is a small agency and you are assigning only a few, small, easily managed projects. But in a large agency that is handling many complex projects for your company, combining these roles simply will not produce the best work.

Enabling a Constructive Relationship Between Freelance Writers and Agencies

Because I am a freelance copywriter, it may seem that I don't like agencies and am trying to elbow them out of the way. Not at all.

I have worked happily in a cooperative relationship with agencies because we kept our joint focus on meeting the client's needs.

But some agencies may be reluctant to work with your preferred freelancer, so set the groundwork that will make everyone's working relationships easier. Then respect the boundaries of the relationship and the agency's authority in working with the writer, especially if the agency is managing the writer's contract.

It is your prerogative as the client to insist that the agency work with the best writer for your project, whether that writer is already on the agency's staff or freelancers list, or an independent freelance writer of your own choosing. And by encouraging positive communications and collaboration, you can help this relationship be successful for everyone.