Is It Easier To Write Sales Copy For Yourself Or a Client?

[ebrown]

For copywriters that write sales copy for their own products and/or services, is it easier to write sales copy for yourself or a client? Also, do you approach writing sales copy for yourself differently than for one of your clients?

Thanks,
Eric

[Raydal]

I write better for my clients than myself because I perform better
when there is a gun to my head. I know that I have to defend
my high fees and my reputation so I give it my best shot.

When I write for myself I think that I could always come back
to the letter later and fix it up. So for me the 'pressure' makes
the difference.

-Ray Edwards

[Ross Bowring]

Writing sales copy for yourself can be hard. With a client you can sorta see things from above... like a map. Writing for yourself... you're grounded. The solution? Tie a thousand multi-colored balloons to your roof. This way you can float effortlessly skywards and finally gain real perspective.

(Someone should make a movie about that...)

[Kevin Lam]

Like the movie Up, Up and Away?

I agree with everyone here. You would think you'd write better for yourself, but the knowledge of yourself sometimes get in the way of your perspective. Am I being too modest? Am I being too arrogant? Am I saying enough? Am I saying too little?

I've received a lot of compliments on my copywriting website, but I still wonder these things myself. I even sometimes go back and change it a little bit here and there. Of course, I have to be careful because I may end up changing it too much to where what people liked before is now gone.

[David Raybould]

Originally Posted by Raydal

I write better for my clients than myself because I perform better
when there is a gun to my head. I know that I have to defend
my high fees and my reputation so I give it my best shot.

When I write for myself I think that I could always come back
to the letter later and fix it up. So for me the 'pressure' makes
the difference.

-Ray Edwards

I think you nailed it right there Ray,
that's exactly how it is for me too.

There's always the time issue too-
sometimes it's hard to give the
personal projects the time you'd
give a client's project.

Well that's how it gets for me
sometimes anyway.

-David Raybould

[Jo_Shua]

I would agree with Ray.

I find that when I am under pressure, then I perform better. Also, what Kevin says is true for me too. With my own copy... I tend to 'over analyze' and 'over correct' it.

[Alexa Smith]

Different here. Not being a "proper copywriter" what I'm writing isn't really "sales copy" in the strict sense referred to by others above, but I always feel much more comfortable writing for myself (and I think I do better writing for myself) because I'll sometimes do/say things that I'd be embarrassed "persuading a client to try", and when writing for a client I feel a bit more inhibited, rule-driven and expectation-driven. With my own copy, I tend to under-analyse and under-correct, and I suspect my output actually benefits from that.

Very interesting thread!

[CyrusR]

For me I wouldn't say it's easier or more difficult. I would say that it is different.

When you write your own you have the advantage of intimately knowing your product so you know what it is, what it's for, and what it can do better than anyone else. After all it is yours. At the same time you can express it better and with more sincerity I would say.

When you write for someone else the product is there, you know what it's for and what it's supposed to do but somehow that's it. Like the others are saying you are detached from the product, which can be good by itself depending on how you use it.

It can get difficult in terms of recognizing what the client wants to convey about his product. People can often get a read on a persons connection with the product if he sells them and so you need to overcome that in order to get that message across.

[la dominatrix]

Strangely I had never thought about it it is easier to write for others. i ma too tied in and emotionally involved with my own product it is harder to get the sense of detachment that I need
La dominatrix

[mitchman3]

I've found it easier to write for myself, but mainly because my clients so far have been reluctant to really let me see the entire product, so I can only go off what they've given me, which usually isn't much. One guy wanted me to write a 3,000 sales letter for him, but only gave me a homemade brochure he gave me that was very sketchy. I had to do some really creative writing to get that one done, and came in at 2,976 words; he paid me anyway. lol

[Dean Dhuli]

Writing sales copy for yourself is the more difficult
of the two, without a doubt.

When you write for others, you're writing for a new
product. So it's challenging and exciting at the same
time.

When you write for your own product, you often know
too much about the product or niche and start to think
that even your reader will feel the same way and not
find anything exciting in what you have to say.

I can only go off what they've given me, which usually isn't much.

What I've found is that whenever you work with
independent product creators, more often that not
they will be of limited help and you have to do more
work to dig out info for the copy.

But when you work with companies, they have their
own research teams, editors, etc.

So it's almost like you just have to take whatever
info they give you, put it in the right place in the
copy, and finally just fine-tune everything.





]

[mrbond007]

Of course for me....because you don't need any responsibility or burden to have the best copy...and any risk of getting dispute or negative feedback.

[CyrusR]

Originally Posted by mitchman3

I've found it easier to write for myself, but mainly because my clients so far have been reluctant to really let me see the entire product, so I can only go off what they've given me, which usually isn't much. One guy wanted me to write a 3,000 sales letter for him, but only gave me a homemade brochure he gave me that was very sketchy. I had to do some really creative writing to get that one done, and came in at 2,976 words; he paid me anyway. lol

I've had the same problem when writing for a client. They want this and this and this and yet they don't give me the information I need. Often all I ask is for them to give me the content they want to put into the letter, and I'll do the rest. typically I ask for the product itself so I can actually do a hands on but no surprise not everyone wants to do that. Some have been good to give me a copy and for those clients I find it easier to write for them. For those that only give me summaries well it does take some creative juggling to get the information you need. Typically I look at their competitors and take it from there.

[Dainis]

I'm not sure, though I suspect it will be easier for me to write for clients than for myself. I'm just getting my first copywriting clients, so we will see. :-)