In need of a copywriter to work on my sales and landing page

[Steve Hill]

One thing you'll want to do is get a firm profile of your ideal target customer, and write directly to that person.

For the copy, taking your points, we could do something like this:

WARNING - Don't Use Your Face Cream Again Until You Know These Answers!

Is your face cream...
free of harmful chemicals and preservatives?
cruelty free, and not tested on animals?
rich in fresh vitamins and minerals?
naturally formulated to fight sun damage, free radicals, and photoaging?
guaranteed to deliver silky smooth, hyrated skin?
hypoallegenic, for even the most sensitive skin?
So pure...it is actually edible?

and then lead into a compelling section that makes the customer really want to try this product.

In this type of approach, the questions would reset the customer's criteria, and the copy would show that this product is the ideal solution.

These are all just rough ideas at this point, but something to think about.

[Steve The Copywriter]

Gordon,

I did mention on thread 25 about potential FDA problems.

It would be far too risky to say the cream is "edible" - a possible alternative "it is so pure you could eat it" (with a warning saying for f*** sake don't).

But you are so right - everything has to be approved by the lawyers.

It's true different skin types need different treatments - there's an TV Ad running in the UK at the moment.

The store has a portable "machine" which tells the skin type. The sales assistant then picks from a huge variety - the "correct" skin care product for the happy customer.

Probably the only way around this - providing our OP has the research - and is able to say that his "product" is suitable for all skin types.

And you are right again about there being no USP - this is what we are trying to discover.


Steve

[Steve Hill]

Originally Posted by gjabiz

See, one of the problems with you copywriters is you look for ways to SELL a product, without taking into the account the overall marketing, including the LEGAL aspects...you may generate a KILLER headline, and copy that converts which can also lead to extra scrutiny by FDA/FTC et al.

All great points, Gordon, and it brings to mind some questions about how much liability the copywriter has in cases where they are hired to produce copy, and the client doesn't vet it for legal and regulatory issues.

In this case, the OP is just looking for free public feedback on his existing advertising, and as such, can use it or not at his own discretion and risk, assuming full liability for compliance.

But in freelance situations, you raise some important points. It may come down to splitting legal hairs in how the contract is worded and who actually owns the copy being used, and if a work-for-hire agreement is in place to assign copyright to the copywriting. It's certainly something to be aware of when working in regulated areas.

[Steve The Copywriter]

Steve,

Good points.

If the client has the full ownership and (c) having paid for the work.

Would that prevent the writer from getting any lawsuits?


Steve

[Steve Hill]

Originally Posted by Steve The Copywriter

If the client has the full ownership and (c) having paid for the work.

Would that prevent the writer from getting any lawsuits?

This post I noticed the other day with a discussion by a lawyer is informative, even though it was talking about intellectual property in the form of video and recordings.

Who Owns Your YouTube Video? YouTube Copyright & Ownership Answers

Aside from the basic ownership issues discussed, what copyright ownership means in terms of liability for that copy's usage by a client is the important question.

[dlkiefer]

trendi80- I am honored you are "swiping" the line :-) and yes, I agree that poison may be a bit harsh :-) Just my observation in my line of work. I lived in a world of Chemical Peels, Laser treatments and yes, Botox® and other popular injections. But, I like more natural products such as Aloe based products and home remedies :-) So, it is refreshing to see a product that is all natural (edible) and can do what it says it can do... of course, I agree with gjabiz about being careful what you claim when selling in the US.. and I know Europe is even more strenuious in their skin care regulations. :-)

gjabiz Yes, as a Licensed Esthetician, there are a lot of regulations for FDA products when working in the Master Esthetics field (Medical)... But, the product being touted is NOT something that would be used in our field as there are no harsh chemicals that reach or affect below the top layer (Stratum Corneum)... therefore, would not be subjected to an FDA warning. Or at least, that is what my understanding of my studies was... hence, the reason we were taught a full semester on creating our own remedies that were all natural and were able to sell them as treatments right in our clinic to the public... all we had to state was the ingredients and warn that if any of our clients were allergic to the ingredients, they were not to request it and could not hold us at fault if they did.

However, in this instance, this is a product that is claiming to be pure therefore can be labled under Vitamins and Supplements and as long as the product has the ingredients listed, has a warning that there are possible alergies to using natural based products AND it states that the product has not been approved by the FDA... again, legal counsel and approval is necessary before even stating any of this on your product. But, I agree, research is necessary before putting ANY product on the market that is designed for inside and outside health. I would also make sure that if I was making a commercial stating that it is completely edible, then I would be sure to state... Not designed for ingestation or whatever is the right term.

In conclusion, trendi80, if you are looking to make a US presence, definitely do your homework... since you have mentioned you have been doing a lot of research earlier in your posts, it would be my belief that you HAVE done your research and understand US regulations concerning FDA guidelines in selling products AND that the reason you are on here is that you are looking for help in writing a compelling headline to help sell such product to a US Market.

Stating that I have a license was only meant to show I have an understanding of your industry... not that I can present legal counsel in any shape or form... that is up to you :-)

Regardless, I do wish you WELL and look forward to testing your products one day here in the US...

Donna

[trendi80]

Hey, quite a conversation on this topic

let me serve you some info about the products...

They are all done under skilled pharmaceutical control, passed all governmental regulations, full lab tests and they're all good to sell through every country in EU.

Zero microbiological infections found(ive posted a scanned copy of the tests on my etsy page with a government seal of approval. Yes, i know Bulgaria may sound far away land to you, but we're in EU and the laws that are acting in France, Germany or UK, are the laws i comply with)

Zero preservatives used to achieve that

14 of the ingredients are vegetable oils, which are really close to the human skin and it's constistency, thus they are hypoallergenic. part of my ingredients are : safflower, olive, grapeseed, sesame...Oils that are also used in COOKING! But, even then, those oils determined for culinary use differ from the unrefined used in cosmetics. They are purer, taken with only the technology of cold-pressing(lol, there's no technology at all here). So i can say, they are healthier than your regular oil used for frying, even if it's marked as Organic

Yes, the consistency is oily, not much suitable for people with oily skin type, but!...the grapeseed oil i mentioned before works really well for regulating the skin secretion and balancing it. And if used as overnight cream by women/ men with oily skin it'll help them without clogging the pores, but it's unusable in the day as a base by them(not untill the grapeseed oil takes care of the secretion)

As i said earlier, the production process doesn't harm in any way the ingredients, every single vitamin, mineral, polyunsaturated fat, are still there. No heating over **(secret ) degrees used. Hell, even if there was a bacterial infection it could be there too . But that's what the lab tests are for

the 15th ingredient, are the bees products. the bees products themselves contain 4 products(not sure their names in english), and yes, people can have allergies to bees or honey, or beeswax...That's why the INCI is for...no sane woman or man with such an allergy would use it before reading. There's a pic of a bee cell in the front side of the box, but you're all right. I should write it with big letters.

Liability insurance is too on its way. i've heard enough of the US court system. thank you

For the edible part...I won't recommend it at all of course. A face cream is not invented to be eaten. It is just for advertisement use.

And Donna, please give me your coordinates : email or something. I'd really like to send you a free sample

P.S.
For the US insurance to take effect i've ran the same tests in US lab. The microbiological infections tested for presence are exactly the same as here in EU. No molds, yeasts, E.Coli, staphylococcus aureus, heterotrophic mesophilic micro flora, enterobacteriaceae...

It is pure

P.S. 2

I have many clients allergic to all kinds of cosmetics. With rashes, inflammated skin... they're so scared of everything that they could never buy anything out of a cosmetic store. When i try to convince them(they're usually friends or friends of friends) i recommend them to test the cream for 24hrs on the wrists or the inner side of the elbow, where the skin is the most sensitive. All of them became die-hard fans

[dlkiefer]

Originally Posted by trendi80

Hey, quite a conversation on this topic
And Donna, please give me your coordinates : email or something. I'd really like to send you a free sample

Thank you for the offer!! I would be honored to test your product and provide an honest review. I currently have a loyal following of clients still and will also request they try the product. Please provide me with a dozen or so of your Business Cards that have your Etsy Store Front so they may purchase the product directly.

You can find my Etsy Store Front by typing in Vintage Art Prints in the Store Name Search. There, you can convo me so that I might send you my mailing address. If you wish, I can just order your product via Etsy... funny, I was going to mention Etsy to be a simple solution for selling minimal products, has a LARGE audience and you do not have to invest in an eCommerce site at this moment. AND, I can vouch that the Impressions DOES work... I use VERY minimal keywords.. test them for a few days, check to see what is being searched the most... then remove and add new keywords and test... etc... you get the pic... after a few weeks, I have a pretty clear understanding of what product keywords are being searched the most and just stick with those so I do not waste my impressions...

Okay... sorry for the book.. unfortunately, I have not posted enough posts to do a PM. :-) My apologies to all who have to read this other than the intended party. :-)

Regards,

Donna

[gjabiz]

Originally Posted by Steve Hill

But in freelance situations, you raise some important points. It may come down to splitting legal hairs in how the contract is worded and who actually owns the copy being used, and if a work-for-hire agreement is in place to assign copyright to the copywriting. It's certainly something to be aware of when working in regulated areas.

Steve,

It isn't a question of ownership, the copywriter must be aware of a sneaky little clause which is put into many contracts for good reason too. So let me say, you should run your contract by an attorney of course.

If you INDEMNIFY your work, you are putting your butt on the line.

This is mostly to prevent any plagiarism claims against you, but you just have to be careful and most companies have an attorney who tries to "gut" your copy anyhow.

This being said, best to consult an attorney who specializes in IP.

My experience has been Copywriters who write in the Supplement and Skin Care fields have taken the time to study and know how the regulatory agencies operate and what they look for.

One only has to do a little research of FTC/FDA complaints and judgements against marketers, and even if they can't prove the marketer did something wrong, it could be costly...I think it was Joe Sugarman who had a nightmare of a case, ended up paying a million bux (as I remember) just to be done with it and was never "convicted" of anything.

It is the nature of Remote Direct Marketing or Direct Response if you prefer.

But when you deal with ingestibles and/or skin applications, you're dealing with people who get wide eyed at the thought of making a name for themselves.

Just be aware of what you are writing for and keep the claims provable.

gjabiz

PS Even a claim which can be proved may call the kind of attention to the product which invites the alphabet to keep an eye on it.

OH, and just because a product may not require the FDA label, ALL products sold which are ingestible or rubbed on the skin are still scrutinized for the protection of society in general. The good news they are woefully understaffed, it would have to be a significant number of sales...so most marketers are good up to about 10 million in sales in MY opinion, with exceptions of course.

[gjabiz]

Hey trendi80,
Why not LICENSE the product, controlling the manufacturing process yourself and let an established marketer sell your product?

Of course, you want to maintain control of the manufacturing process but it seems to me, your product would be great for Home Shopping and QVC and there are many marketers who could create an infomercial and/or ads which could allow you to sell millions of units.

But, that may not be your goal.

Just tossing it out for your consideration.

Gordon Jay Alexander gjabiz

PS. In case you may be, my email is gjabiz@yahoo.com


Hey

Originally Posted by trendi80

Heya guys

I'm a small cosmetics producer from the EU. I've been in the natural and bio cosmetics business for 2 years now and i have been selling mostly offline in EU. Recently i got in the IM thing and learnt a lot of new stuff(basic stuff mostly, but it's an achievement for me =) )

I've decided to launch my products in US and Canada, but since im not a native english speaker, nor i am a brilliant IM, i find it hard to make a good looking and compelling sales page. By reading forums such as this one, i can clearly see that even 2k UV/day are worth 0, if you don't offer your customers/viewers nicely written review/resumée.

Haven't really used that kind of service before so i'm not sure about my budget. I'm not sure either if this is the place to ask for such a service

Take a look here : www . getantiwrinklecream . com

It's a really young website, doesn't have any backlinking done or any other type of advertisement, so it's the perfect time for editing

Thanks in advance

[trendi80]

You can find my Etsy Store Front by typing in Vintage Art Prints in the Store Name Search. There, you can convo me so that I might send you my mailing address

today i mailed the wrong person...and the store name is exactly the same(or it was the owner with that name, not sure) so please, there's the link to mine, send a message pls : Natural cosmetics made with care and love by Biograzia on Etsy

@gjabiz

Really appreciate your offer, It's most interesting, who doesn't want their product to have million sales?
But, in my case, it just can't happen...At the moment i have a limited production. the shelf life of the product itself is quite short, compared to other cosmetics, my return policy could litteraly ruin me, if sales aren't going as planned , the storage requirements and shipping terms are not the kind every seller would agree to...you see, lots of obstacles for a distribution of giant proportions...
For the time i'd prefer to stay as a completely independent manufacturer(those contracts could kill my small company). But hey, let's keep the converstion open if possible, everyone wants to be a millionaire

[gjabiz]

For now, get your web site up and running and if I can be of any help, for FREE, I'd be glad to write and/or help with the site.

Good luck,

gjabiz

Originally Posted by trendi80

today i mailed the wrong person...and the store name is exactly the same(or it was the owner with that name, not sure) so please, there's the link to mine, send a message pls : Natural cosmetics made with care and love by Biograzia on Etsy

@gjabiz

Really appreciate your offer, It's most interesting, who doesn't want their product to have million sales?
But, in my case, it just can't happen...At the moment i have a limited production. the shelf life of the product itself is quite short, compared to other cosmetics, my return policy could litteraly ruin me, if sales aren't going as planned , the storage requirements and shipping terms are not the kind every seller would agree to...you see, lots of obstacles for a distribution of giant proportions...
For the time i'd prefer to stay as a completely independent manufacturer(those contracts could kill my small company). But hey, let's keep the converstion open if possible, everyone wants to be a millionaire