10 Things To Consider When Choosing A Copywriter
While many business owners understand the importance of good sales messages to their business, most of them dont just know how to choose qualified copywriters to craft those winning messages.
A recent study shows that a lot of marketers and business owners make the mistake of hiring copywriters because of their appealing sales pitches. But they forget that its possible that the sales pitch that seduced them was not written by the copywriter himself.
Funny but true, I have been asked by a couple upcoming copywriters to write sales pitches for them. What would you expect if you hire this kind of copywriters? A crappy copy that is not worth your time even if it was written for free!
Other people choose copywriters based on their CVs, and at the end, they receive what looks like winning sales messages but generate nothing in actual sales!
But it shouldnt be that way. Every marketer deserves a sizzling hot sales copy to be able to make money from his business. To help you choose a good copywriter who will write this kind of copy for you (and to help upcoming copywriters present themselves as good copywriters to potential clients), I have listed and explained what you should consider before hiring a copywriter.
They include:
(1). Price/Rate
Copywriters are the highest paid professionals in the whole internet marketing world. With this in mind, one of the first questions you should ask a copywriter before hiring him is his rate. This will help you determine whether or not he is worth hiring.
Now, heres my advice: dont ever think of hiring a cheap copywriter. If you do, what you will get is a cheap copy that will give you poor results.
By this, I dont mean that you should start chasing after world class copywriters like Dan Kennedy, Daniel Gallapo or Ben Seattle. Some of these top copywriters will not even agree to write for you if you are an average marketer who is not yet doing at least $10m in sales per year. Apart from that, they hardly accept new clients.
What you should do is look for B level copywriters with good track record of writing good copies and who charge moderate fees of about $500 - $1000. If you dont have money to pay such copywriters, look for someone who will agree to write for you in return for a certain percentage of a stipulated number of sales of your product/service.
Another option is to look for copywriters with excellent reviews in elance, guru.com, or warrior forum. You should get good copywriters in these freelance websites for as low as $500 per copy.
(2). Experience
Writing good copies is not what one can learn in a day or two. It takes a lot of time, effort and practice to become any good at it. That is why it is very important that you ask any copywriter you want to hire about his experience before engaging him.
If you ask a copywriter and find out that he is new in the game, flee from him. It is better to hire people with at least two years of copywriting experience.
I am not trying to say that no upcoming copywriter with less than two years experience can write good copies. No! Some of them write well but I would advice you to go for those who have spent more time writing because the more a copywriter writes, the better he becomes.
(3). Samples/Portfolio
Before hiring a copywriter, ask him to show you some of the copies he has written before. This is the only way you can find out how well he writes or what you can expect to get when you hire him.
Most copywriters have a portfolio page on their website where they showcase samples of their work. This way, you can see their writing styles without even asking them for samples.
Should you ask a copywriter to write specific samples for you? I have come across many people who ask me to write samples for them before they can consider hiring me, but I always decline. Theres too much demand for every good copywriters services to justify working for free. So dont even make that pitiful mistake, unless you are ready to pay for the sample.
(4). Website
Any copywriter who has no website shouldnt be trusted. If you hire him, he can take your money and disappear into the thin air. So always find out whether or not a copywriter has a website before hiring him.
But dont get me wrong; Im not saying that you should trust every copywriter who has a website. It is very important to look at a copywriters website critically before trusting him. Some of the things to ask yourself include but not limited to: how professional is this website? Did it spell out the Terms and Conditions of working with the owner clearly?
Another part of a copywriters website you may want to check out is his blog. Anybody can buy a $50 hosting space from hosgator and a $9 domain name from name cheap, put up a static wordpress website and call himself a copywriter. However the only thing that differentiates experienced copywriters who know their stuff from newbies is their blog. By dropping on a copywriters blog, you will be able to find how he thinks and his level of knowledge about what he does.
(5). Specialty
Although some copywriters are good at writing different kinds of sales copies (sales letter, promotional emails, adverts, opt in pages etc) for different industries, I have never seen a good copywriter who does all kinds of writing (i.e sales copywriting, content writing, technical writing and creative writing).
While I dont advise people to hire only specialist copywriters, I know from experience that anybody who claims to know how to write everything is not worth hiring. Such jacks-of-all-trade-but-masters-of-none are either copy and paste copywriters or people looking for jobs to outsource, so flee from them.
Now, do you know the trick you should use next time you want to hire a copywriter? Tell him that you have a whole lot of jobs to be done ranging from ebooks, articles, product descriptions, sales letters, landing pages, blog posts, press release, PPC adverts, social media posts etc. If he says that he can do all of them, simply look for another person.
(6). Testimonials/Reviews
What are people saying about the copywriter you want to hire? Does he write well? What results did his previous clients get from the copies he wrote for them?
It is very important that you check the testimonials and reviews a copywriter has even before contacting him for a quote. This is because whatever a copywriter says about himself is bragging but what his clients say about him are proofs.
However, I would advise you to look beyond the testimonials on a copywriters website as they might have been edited or even fake. Bear in mind that its not only copywriters that use fake and edited testimonials but also people that sell other kinds of products and services online. I know this because many people have contacted me to write or record fake video testimonials for them.
The best way to get real, unedited and unbiased reviews about people and their services is to check them out on crowd sourced review websites like Yelp, Free Index etc. If you cant find the copywriter you want to hire on any crowd sourced review website, ask him to give you his username on freelance websites like Fiverr, Elance, Guru etc. Then check what people are saying about him there.
(7). Clients
Before hiring a copywriter, ask him the clients he has worked for before. The idea here is not to find and hire those who have written for large fortunate companies, popular individuals or government agencies before, but to make sure that you arent hiring someone who has no experience.
Let me explain this further: If you want to travel to your office through a very busy highway, would you ask someone who has never driven a car before to take you there? Certainly no!
The same thing applies whenever you want to hire a copywriter. Dont ever hire someone who has not written for at least 5 clients before.
(8). Information Required
The information a copywriter requires from you to write your sales copy will go a long way in telling you what kind of copywriter he is.
A good copywriter will need a lot of information from you to be able to understand your product and your target audience so as to write a powerful copy. On the other hand, a beginner in his haste to get the gig, will ask you only the type of product you are selling and then rush to modify his swipe file and send to you.
Below is a list of some of the information a qualified copywriter may require from you.
Dont forget to ask a copywriter his turnaround before hiring him. And when he gives you a short time, flee from him because he is not a qualified copywriter.
If you are confused about this, then ask a professional copywriter and he will tell you that even to come up with a good headline can take days. But try to enquire from an unqualified copywriter what his turnaround time is and he will tell you that he can finish any job within 12 hours. Some of these copy and paste copywriters will not even ask you the kind of copy you need before giving you this answer.
Truth is: to write an effective copy, a good copywriter has to relax and take his time. Even if he is accepting a rush order, it does not mean that he will deliver within 24 hours. It only means that he will break his normal first-come-first served rule to place your job next in the queue and push all other jobs that came before yours down the line. This way, he will start your job once he finishes the one he was working on at the time of your request.
Generally, turnaround time for qualified copywriters depend on availability, type of copy you need, size of your project and the number of jobs he has in queue.
(10). Guaranty
Always ask a copywriter his guarantee but never hire someone who guarantees specific results.
Since they are not intimately involved in your business and cannot control how you intend to use the copy they write for you, professional copywriters dont guarantee specific results, like a certain number of sales or a specific percentage increase in conversion rate. There are too many variables to make such a predictive commitment. What they can tell you is the results they have helped their previous clients achieve.
However, wanna be copywriters will give you such guarantees just to get the gig.
To recap, here are the 10 most important questions to ask a copywriter before hiring him:
A recent study shows that a lot of marketers and business owners make the mistake of hiring copywriters because of their appealing sales pitches. But they forget that its possible that the sales pitch that seduced them was not written by the copywriter himself.
Funny but true, I have been asked by a couple upcoming copywriters to write sales pitches for them. What would you expect if you hire this kind of copywriters? A crappy copy that is not worth your time even if it was written for free!
Other people choose copywriters based on their CVs, and at the end, they receive what looks like winning sales messages but generate nothing in actual sales!
But it shouldnt be that way. Every marketer deserves a sizzling hot sales copy to be able to make money from his business. To help you choose a good copywriter who will write this kind of copy for you (and to help upcoming copywriters present themselves as good copywriters to potential clients), I have listed and explained what you should consider before hiring a copywriter.
They include:
(1). Price/Rate
Copywriters are the highest paid professionals in the whole internet marketing world. With this in mind, one of the first questions you should ask a copywriter before hiring him is his rate. This will help you determine whether or not he is worth hiring.
Now, heres my advice: dont ever think of hiring a cheap copywriter. If you do, what you will get is a cheap copy that will give you poor results.
By this, I dont mean that you should start chasing after world class copywriters like Dan Kennedy, Daniel Gallapo or Ben Seattle. Some of these top copywriters will not even agree to write for you if you are an average marketer who is not yet doing at least $10m in sales per year. Apart from that, they hardly accept new clients.
What you should do is look for B level copywriters with good track record of writing good copies and who charge moderate fees of about $500 - $1000. If you dont have money to pay such copywriters, look for someone who will agree to write for you in return for a certain percentage of a stipulated number of sales of your product/service.
Another option is to look for copywriters with excellent reviews in elance, guru.com, or warrior forum. You should get good copywriters in these freelance websites for as low as $500 per copy.
(2). Experience
Writing good copies is not what one can learn in a day or two. It takes a lot of time, effort and practice to become any good at it. That is why it is very important that you ask any copywriter you want to hire about his experience before engaging him.
If you ask a copywriter and find out that he is new in the game, flee from him. It is better to hire people with at least two years of copywriting experience.
I am not trying to say that no upcoming copywriter with less than two years experience can write good copies. No! Some of them write well but I would advice you to go for those who have spent more time writing because the more a copywriter writes, the better he becomes.
(3). Samples/Portfolio
Before hiring a copywriter, ask him to show you some of the copies he has written before. This is the only way you can find out how well he writes or what you can expect to get when you hire him.
Most copywriters have a portfolio page on their website where they showcase samples of their work. This way, you can see their writing styles without even asking them for samples.
Should you ask a copywriter to write specific samples for you? I have come across many people who ask me to write samples for them before they can consider hiring me, but I always decline. Theres too much demand for every good copywriters services to justify working for free. So dont even make that pitiful mistake, unless you are ready to pay for the sample.
(4). Website
Any copywriter who has no website shouldnt be trusted. If you hire him, he can take your money and disappear into the thin air. So always find out whether or not a copywriter has a website before hiring him.
But dont get me wrong; Im not saying that you should trust every copywriter who has a website. It is very important to look at a copywriters website critically before trusting him. Some of the things to ask yourself include but not limited to: how professional is this website? Did it spell out the Terms and Conditions of working with the owner clearly?
Another part of a copywriters website you may want to check out is his blog. Anybody can buy a $50 hosting space from hosgator and a $9 domain name from name cheap, put up a static wordpress website and call himself a copywriter. However the only thing that differentiates experienced copywriters who know their stuff from newbies is their blog. By dropping on a copywriters blog, you will be able to find how he thinks and his level of knowledge about what he does.
(5). Specialty
Although some copywriters are good at writing different kinds of sales copies (sales letter, promotional emails, adverts, opt in pages etc) for different industries, I have never seen a good copywriter who does all kinds of writing (i.e sales copywriting, content writing, technical writing and creative writing).
While I dont advise people to hire only specialist copywriters, I know from experience that anybody who claims to know how to write everything is not worth hiring. Such jacks-of-all-trade-but-masters-of-none are either copy and paste copywriters or people looking for jobs to outsource, so flee from them.
Now, do you know the trick you should use next time you want to hire a copywriter? Tell him that you have a whole lot of jobs to be done ranging from ebooks, articles, product descriptions, sales letters, landing pages, blog posts, press release, PPC adverts, social media posts etc. If he says that he can do all of them, simply look for another person.
(6). Testimonials/Reviews
What are people saying about the copywriter you want to hire? Does he write well? What results did his previous clients get from the copies he wrote for them?
It is very important that you check the testimonials and reviews a copywriter has even before contacting him for a quote. This is because whatever a copywriter says about himself is bragging but what his clients say about him are proofs.
However, I would advise you to look beyond the testimonials on a copywriters website as they might have been edited or even fake. Bear in mind that its not only copywriters that use fake and edited testimonials but also people that sell other kinds of products and services online. I know this because many people have contacted me to write or record fake video testimonials for them.
The best way to get real, unedited and unbiased reviews about people and their services is to check them out on crowd sourced review websites like Yelp, Free Index etc. If you cant find the copywriter you want to hire on any crowd sourced review website, ask him to give you his username on freelance websites like Fiverr, Elance, Guru etc. Then check what people are saying about him there.
(7). Clients
Before hiring a copywriter, ask him the clients he has worked for before. The idea here is not to find and hire those who have written for large fortunate companies, popular individuals or government agencies before, but to make sure that you arent hiring someone who has no experience.
Let me explain this further: If you want to travel to your office through a very busy highway, would you ask someone who has never driven a car before to take you there? Certainly no!
The same thing applies whenever you want to hire a copywriter. Dont ever hire someone who has not written for at least 5 clients before.
(8). Information Required
The information a copywriter requires from you to write your sales copy will go a long way in telling you what kind of copywriter he is.
A good copywriter will need a lot of information from you to be able to understand your product and your target audience so as to write a powerful copy. On the other hand, a beginner in his haste to get the gig, will ask you only the type of product you are selling and then rush to modify his swipe file and send to you.
Below is a list of some of the information a qualified copywriter may require from you.
- The type of copywriting service you need ( Writing new copy or Editing and rewriting your copy)
- The type of copy you need? ( sales letter, Advert, autorespnder series, landing page, direct mail piece, radio/TV scripts, video sales letter scripts etc)
- What your product, service or offer is/ Description of what the copy will promote.
- What your project goal is (To generate sales, To generate inquiries, To generate referrals, To generate subscribers, To generate affiliates, To transmit information, To announce new products, To answer inquires, To build awareness, To introduce new products/services, To convey news/information, or To build company image etc)
- How long the copy will be (i.e. number of words, pages, emails, seconds or minutes)?
- Who your target audience is/Description of a typical user, prospect, customer or client.
- Any supporting document you have.
Dont forget to ask a copywriter his turnaround before hiring him. And when he gives you a short time, flee from him because he is not a qualified copywriter.
If you are confused about this, then ask a professional copywriter and he will tell you that even to come up with a good headline can take days. But try to enquire from an unqualified copywriter what his turnaround time is and he will tell you that he can finish any job within 12 hours. Some of these copy and paste copywriters will not even ask you the kind of copy you need before giving you this answer.
Truth is: to write an effective copy, a good copywriter has to relax and take his time. Even if he is accepting a rush order, it does not mean that he will deliver within 24 hours. It only means that he will break his normal first-come-first served rule to place your job next in the queue and push all other jobs that came before yours down the line. This way, he will start your job once he finishes the one he was working on at the time of your request.
Generally, turnaround time for qualified copywriters depend on availability, type of copy you need, size of your project and the number of jobs he has in queue.
(10). Guaranty
Always ask a copywriter his guarantee but never hire someone who guarantees specific results.
Since they are not intimately involved in your business and cannot control how you intend to use the copy they write for you, professional copywriters dont guarantee specific results, like a certain number of sales or a specific percentage increase in conversion rate. There are too many variables to make such a predictive commitment. What they can tell you is the results they have helped their previous clients achieve.
However, wanna be copywriters will give you such guarantees just to get the gig.
To recap, here are the 10 most important questions to ask a copywriter before hiring him:
- What is your price/rate?
- What experience do you have in copywriting?
- Can I see your samples/portfolio?
- Can I take a look at your website?
- Whats type of writing do you specialize in?/I need a sales letter, squeeze page, articles, a short ebook, blog posts etc. Which ones can you write?
- Can I see your clients testimonials/reviews?
- What information do you need from me too write my sales copy?
- What is your guarantee concerning the type of results/number of sales I will get from the copy you will write?
- What clients have you worked with before?
- What is your turnaround time/how soon can you finish my project?
Lightin' fuses is for blowin' stuff togethah.
Lightin' fuses is for blowin' stuff togethah.
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