FAQs
- What questions should customers think through before talking to professionals about their project?
There are many different kinds of freelance copywriters, too. Quick breakdown: The non-advertising writer. This is the guy or gal who knows how to string sentences together, but does not know how to sell. They can be great at providing content for your blog, or writing the special reports you offer as bonuses, or fleshing out the other materials you need that your biz is not relying on for sales. They should come cheap, too and work by the article, or by the hour, or by the project. But because they are not responsible for your bottom line profits, they are more like a vendor. They provide materials you need that require being written. The regular advertising writer. They may come from the world of ad agencies, or from publications. They also are NOT usually steeped in the art of selling they rely instead on cleverness, slogans, and graphic-oriented advertising that cannot be tested because it does not produce actual results. Their fees will be all over the map. They may have a good resume, having written material for recognizable companies. For most entrepreneurs, Im gonna go out on a limb and warn you away from any copywriter who doesnt understand direct response advertising. (The term direct response simply means asks for an action, which can be measured. A sale, an opt-in, a reply. The response action is where profits will be made.) The direct response copywriter. This is the dude who understands how to write copy that will ask for an action which (its worth repeating) includes closing a sale, capturing a lead, or moving a prospect to becoming a customer. Real salesmanship applies. In nearly all big entrepreneurial jobs, this is the kind of writer you want. There are 3 approximate levels of expertise to any direct response writer you hire: Level One: Raw rookie. A beginner, with little or no track record, and few if any prior clients. Believe it or not, a rookie can actually be a decent bet, depending on what you need done. IF hes been trained in direct response, or is in training with a good mentor, then he will at least understand the fundamentals of good marketing-oriented writing. However, they are untested, and you must be clear that you will be paying for part of their education. If you need something that requires real expertise, the rookie will be over his head. Expect to pay under five thousand dollars all the way down to a few hundred bucks to hire a rookie writer for almost any project. And you will have to manage him closely, and know exactly what you want (and why youve gone with a rookie to get it). You may be able to bully a rookie into working fast, or constantly change copy as you go but remember that he is not experienced at meeting tough deadlines, and may not handle stress well. (A writer needs a load of time cooking in the front trenches to develop the thick skin of dealing with most clients, under deadline, with a lot riding on the ads. It doesnt come naturally.) Remember: A rookie is not a bargain if youre relying on their copy for anything critical in your biz. Its like hiring a Little Leaguer to pitch opening day for your Major League team. Level Two: The veteran direct response freelancer. This is a writer with references, success stories, and examples of his work he can point you to that already exist online or in other media. They will have experience in all forms of advertising and marketing, including direct mail, Video Sales Letters, email auto-responders, web sales pages, print ads, just about every way a sales message can be delivered to a prospect. More important, the high-end freelance veteran will also have massive marketing experience after being involved in many, many different projects over the years, hell have insight to what has worked, what hasnt worked, what is working now, what isnt working anymore, and in many cases what is NEEDED to make your project work (that aint there yet). The best veteran writers are essentially marketing consultants, who provide the copy once the marketing plan has the bugs kicked out of it. In other words you can hire them JUST to provide copy, if you know exactly what you need done, and theyll deliver great ads. Or, you can allow them to look at your current efforts and they may help you discover where the real problem is with your sinking sales (hiding behind what you thought was the culprit) where unseen problems are murdering your bottom line where new problems may develop down the line as well as pointing out what may be missing in your product or marketing plan. Top writers earn their fees many ways, and you can expect to shell out ten grand up to thirty grand (and more) just for fundamental advertising (like a Video Sales Letter, or a web sales page, or a sales funnel from Adwords to name capture to email auto-responder to sales page, and so on).