Digital marketing
Hire a copywriting virtual assistant for ads, emails and web copy
A copywriting virtual assistant drafts your ads, emails and web pages, then edits them to a house style you set. Rates start from about £6.50 an hour at the beginner level, rising with experience. You approve every piece before it goes out. We find the candidate and run four screening steps.
Before you start
- Four screening steps before you meet a candidate
- Hours tracked
- Earliest start within 48 to 72 hours of choosing a candidate
The writing work an assistant takes on
Most owners can write well enough. What they lack is the time, and the second pair of eyes that catches the tired sentence. A copywriting assistant gives you both.
Web copy
- Page copy. Service pages, landing pages and about pages drafted from your notes.
- Product descriptions. The same product described for the people who buy it, one by one.
- FAQs. Real customer questions answered in short, direct paragraphs.
Ads and emails
- Advert variations. Several versions of a headline and body for you to test.
- Email copy. Subject lines, body text and calls to action for campaigns and newsletters.
- Social copy. Short posts and captions in your voice.
Editing
- Proofreading. Spelling, grammar and punctuation corrected before anything is published.
- House style. Your draft rewritten to match the voice you set.
- Consistency passes. Names, prices and terms checked across pages.
Where the assistant stops
Regulated products, long reports and brand naming need a specialist writer. Steady blogs and social posts are the job of the content creation virtual assistant. Running campaigns and lists is the email marketing virtual assistant.
Other tasks this role covers
- Blog posts and guides
- Case studies
Tools
Copywriters commonly work in a shared document editor and add their text to your site, email platform or ad account. Tell us where your copy lives and we match the candidate to it.
What a copywriting virtual assistant costs
This role is priced per hour by experience, in pounds, at the Digital marketing level. A beginner level assistant starts from about £6.50 an hour, and the rate rises with experience. Part time is 20 hours a week and full time is 40. The pricing page lists the published roles, and the cost calculator lets you try your own hours.
A call to talk through your copy
Is a copywriting assistant right for you?
A copywriting assistant suits you if
- You have drafts or notes and need them turned into clean copy.
- You know your voice and can show examples of it.
- Your copy needs updating often, across pages, emails or adverts.
Another role may suit you better if
- You want regular articles and posts produced and scheduled: a content creation virtual assistant.
- You want campaigns sent and measured: an email marketing virtual assistant.
- You want your accounts run, with replies: a social media marketing virtual assistant.
A style sheet to start from
General guidance, not a promise about any one assistant. A page of decisions saves a dozen rounds of comments. Complete these lines before the first draft.
| Item | What you write |
|---|---|
| Voice | Three words, such as plain, warm and direct |
| Words to use | The terms your customers use |
| Words to avoid | Jargon, filler and anything you would not say aloud |
| Examples | Three pieces of writing you like, with a line on why |
| Forbidden claims | What you cannot promise, and any legal wording that must appear |
| Spelling and format | British spelling, how you write dates, prices and names |
What you should receive
The draft in an editable file, a note of any facts you must check, and a clean final version. Ask for changes to be visible, so you can see what moved between drafts.
Edit rounds, as a plain process
| Round | Who | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Draft | The assistant | A first version from your brief |
| Your comments | You | One list of changes, not several |
| Revision | The assistant | The changes made, with anything unclear queried |
| Final check | Both | Facts, spelling and links |
The number of rounds depends on how complete the brief was. This page gives no figure.
Evidence for claims
Copy that states a fact needs proof behind it. The ASA’s guidance quotes rule 3.7 of the advertising code: marketers must hold documentary evidence before distributing or submitting a marketing communication for publication. A copywriter can ask where a claim comes from, but the evidence and the responsibility are yours. Give the assistant the proof for each claim you want made.
Plain language
For web copy, the GOV.UK clear language guidance suggests splitting sentences over 25 words, using the active voice and choosing short words over long ones, with the example of “buy” instead of “purchase”. It is a good test for any copy meant to be understood quickly.
Quality checks before you approve
- The first sentence says what the page offers.
- Every claim has a proof you can point to.
- The voice matches the style sheet.
- Spelling, prices, dates and names are right.
- The call to action is clear and appears once.
Common mistakes
- Sending a brief of one line.
- Asking for “something punchy” with no example.
- Several people commenting in turn.
- Claims in the copy that nobody can support.
- Changing the brief halfway through.
Worked example: general to specific
Example only. The business is invented. A boiler engineer’s draft says: “Great service for all your needs.” The assistant asks what the business actually does, where and how a customer books. The revised line reads: “Fixed price boiler servicing for homes in Bristol, booked online.” The second version tells a reader what, where and how, and every part can be checked against the price list.
When you need a specialist writer instead
- Financial, health or legal copy with rules on what may be said.
- A long report, a white paper or a book.
- A brand name or a slogan to be registered.
- Translation into another language.
Questions to ask any copywriting provider
- Who owns the finished copy and the drafts?
- How do you handle claims you cannot verify?
- How many revision rounds are normal, and who decides when it is done?
- Will you work from a style sheet I write?
What is included
The hourly rate covers the whole service: finding the candidate, the four screening steps below, setting up the writing platforms and tools your assistant needs, hours tracked with tools such as Time Doctor, and our management of recruitment, payroll management and quality management. There is no separate recruitment fee.
How hiring works
We start with a free call about the work and the hours you have in mind. We shortlist candidates who have passed our screening, you interview them and you choose. The earliest start is within 48 to 72 hours of choosing a candidate.
Four screening steps before you meet anyone
- CV screening.
- A first interview on personality and the general benchmark criteria.
- A technical interview.
- A practical task, to test the candidate in the field.
Notice, replacement and fees
- In the first 3 months, you can end an unsuitable hire on one week’s notice.
- In the first days, you can tell us it is not right and we will replace them.
- After the first 3 months, the notice period is 1 month.
- Replacement is included in the ongoing fee for as long as you are paying, at no extra charge.
The full terms are set out on how it works.
Questions about hiring a copywriting assistant
What does a copywriting virtual assistant write?
A copywriting virtual assistant writes web pages, product descriptions, adverts, emails and social posts, and edits your own drafts to a house style. They work from your brief, notes and examples. You approve each piece. They do not replace a specialist for regulated or long form work, and the tasks above show the full scope.
Can a virtual assistant write in my brand voice?
Yes, if you give them a style sheet and examples of writing you like. They draft to the sheet, you comment in one list, and the next draft moves closer. The sheet above is a starting point. A voice is learned over several pieces, so expect the first to need the most editing.
Can a copywriting assistant write copy for regulated products?
They can edit and tidy the language, but the claims and the compliance remain yours. For financial, health or legal copy, use a specialist or have a qualified reviewer approve it. The ASA says marketers must hold evidence before a claim is published, so give the assistant the proof for each claim.
Related roles
Browse the content creation virtual assistant, the email marketing virtual assistant or the social media marketing virtual assistant. All of them sit in the Digital marketing virtual assistants family.
Get started
Prefer to write? Send an enquiry.
Tell us the role and the hours you have in mind, and we will reply to the email address you give.