How do you hire a copywriter in 2026?

How do you hire a copywriter in 2026? And with AI writing so much of our copy, do you even need one?

I’d start by looking at what you need help with. If you understand your buyers, have clear positioning and messaging, and know how to judge the copy AI produces, you might not need a writer for every page or email. But if you’re still figuring out who you’re writing for and what you should say, getting AI to produce more drafts won’t answer those questions for you.

I’ve had to work through those questions on my recent projects. Before writing the copy, we needed to clarify the positioning, develop the messaging strategy, and learn more about the ideal customer.

That’s part of what I expect a good copywriter to help with. You shouldn’t need to hand them a perfect brief. They should know what they need to learn, how to research it, and how to use what they find to write the page you’re paying for.

So when you hire, I’d look beyond the finished copy. I’d want to see how the writer got there, including how they used AI and what they changed in its drafts.

How AI changes the copywriter’s job

Compared with five years ago, I definitely spend less time crafting copy variations. AI helps me do that. I spend more time trying different ways to tell the company’s story, fine-tuning its positioning, and working on the voice, tone, style, and taste of the copy.

We start with an outline. AI writes the first draft, then I add comments, feedback, and alternatives. It polishes, and we iterate.

When I review a draft, I’m thinking about the buyer. And that’s something you’d want a good copywriter to do: understand how to make the message resonate with the right buyer, rather than leave that judgment to AI alone. What does the buyer need explained? Which claim will they doubt? What should we emphasize, and what can we cut? Sometimes I’ll write an alternative line because showing AI what I mean works better than asking it to make the copy “more conversational.”

I also spend more time setting up the project so we can reuse the research and decisions. I keep the customer research, positioning, approved messaging, and feedback together. Then I give my agents instructions for applying that information to the page or email we’re working on, so we don’t have to rebuild the context every time we need another draft.

Research and strategy were part of good copywriting five years ago, too, but AI has changed how I divide my time: less on producing variations by hand, more on deciding what to say and improving how we say it. That’s where judgment and taste come in.

Why buyer research belongs in your copywriting brief

In an interview on the Every podcast, investor Matt Hartman describes a valuable part of product work: watching how people use a product, understanding where they struggle, and using those observations to improve the next version. AI can shorten the time it takes to build that version. His argument is that the person who understands users becomes more valuable because they can act on what they learn more quickly. Listening to him, I kept thinking about copy.

I think the same applies to our work. If you know why a buyer hesitates, you can try a clearer explanation or back the claim they’re questioning with more relevant proof. AI helps you explore those options quickly, but if you don’t understand the problem, how will you know which version to use?

That’s why I’d look for a writer who can explain what research they need and how it will help them write your copy. They also need to understand the job of each page or email. Your homepage might need to explain who your product is for, an onboarding email might need to help someone take their first useful step, and a pricing page needs to help them assess the cost and choose an option. The writer should be able to plan the content around that job (and make sure the content works together as a journey), not just fill a template.

You still have responsibilities as the client. Give the writer access to your customers and business information. Explain your constraints. Decide which offers and promises your business can stand behind. The writer can help you make those decisions, but they can’t take responsibility for what only you can approve.

Four ways to assess a copywriter before you hire

In your next interview, ask candidates whether and how they use AI, then ask them to walk you through a project. A portfolio tells you what they delivered. Looking at their research, drafts, and revisions alongside their AI tool of choice helps you understand what they contributed.

I’d also consider a small, paid exercise: give them an existing research pack and ask for a homepage variant within an agreed short window. Give them enough context to make useful choices, and let them explain what information they’re missing.

Here’s what I’d assess:

1. Do they ask questions that could change the copy? For example, how do buyers describe the problem? What do they need to know before booking a demo? The writer should explain why they need those answers, rather than send you a long questionnaire and leave you to work it out.
2. Can they explain their writing decisions? Ask why they led with that promise, chose that proof, or put the sections in that order. They should explain how those choices help the buyer understand the offer and decide what to do next.
3. How did they improve the AI draft? Look at their comments and alternative wording. Did they catch a claim the company couldn’t support? Make a vague explanation specific? Change the tone without losing the meaning? You’re looking for good writing as well as good judgment. And of course, unaddressed AI slop is your red flag.
4. What would they check with buyers? Ask what they’re still unsure about and what they would do to find out. A writer should be able to recommend a direction and explain what evidence would make them reconsider it.

I’d want them to work efficiently and produce copy that doesn’t sound like AI slop. But I’d also want to know why they think the page will help the buyer. Speed and polish alone wouldn’t be enough.

When your team can use AI without hiring a copywriter

Even a strong writer needs feedback from buyers, not just another revision. When I leave comments and suggest alternatives on an AI-generated draft, I’m helping the AI make the copy clearer for our intended buyer. But improving the draft doesn’t show me how that buyer will interpret the finished page.

Customer conversations, sales calls, feedback, and observed behavior help us check that. If buyers misunderstand the offer, we need to find out what confused them. Asking AI for another headline doesn’t answer that question.

So yes, I’d recommend using AI without hiring a copywriter if your team already has the research, strategy, and a process for turning them into useful copy. Someone also needs to review the work and know when to go back to customers for more information.

If you have all that, you may only need occasional writing support. If you don’t, ask a prospective copywriter how they’d help you build it. That gives you a much better hiring conversation than asking how many pages they can deliver in a week.

Discovery

Matt Hartman on understanding users and improving products

In the interview I mentioned above, Matt Hartman explains why understanding users matters more when you can build and change a product quickly. He talks about learning from how people use a product, then using those observations to improve the next version. Start at 28:32 for that discussion.

A strategic narrative worth studying: Why We’re Building Muse

Alexandr Wang’s Why We’re Building Muse is one of the best examples of an opinionated, interesting, clear, and relevant strategic narrative I’ve stumbled on. Even better, it works as an X article. He starts with something people want: a life they haven’t quite managed to build. Then he names what gets in the way, shows how AI could help them act, and introduces Muse as a response to that problem. The product follows the argument rather than leading with a feature list. Read it for how he builds the story.

Resonance

— Joseph Sugarman,The Adweek Copywriting Handbook​