I need an experienced sales copywriter

I second this notion.

I see that you are or already have your MBA. Congrats. Let me explain the bachelors in copywriting that I have.

1. I don't care that you have done research and no that won't lower the price. See I have to look at your research, gather my own, and then find out about your market, your top competitors, proof whatever you're selling works, the best way to sell it, what to offer it to people to make them buy, etc.

2. I don't sell copy by the word. I am a copywriter, not an article writer. If I need 24 pages to make it work great, if I need 2 - even better. I don't get paid per the word of the page, I get paid for the value of doing #1.

3. I don't know what your products are or even the category they are in. Look I love sports but if you're selling a field hockey guide I can't help you. Want to talk about childbirth through your belly button - I'm not your guy. Sorry.

If I had to guess you seem like the type of client who wants these 5 things written for no more than $127 and all of them done yesterday. Then when they fail, you'll blame it all on me - why - cause I didn't do #1.

So I am afraid I'm booked. Best of luck.

Tim

Not to be a dick...

But most of the time... you're too close to your own project to do accurate, objective research.

So 9 times out of ten we need to do our own research ANYWAY.

And if we go with yours... the project will bomb.

I've worked with a couple of guys who knew their markets really well... but not many.

Secondly... 1000 words isn't much "space" to write killer, persuasive sales copy. It depends on the product and the niche... but most of the time my letters are 5000 words plus.

Probably something that don't teach you during your MBA, sadly.

Just some things I've picked up that might help you.

-Dan

I second Matthew's & Jesse's reply.

It happens often here that people get personal and make personal comments on threads which is why I don't post here often. The OP has a right to post his requirements.

Though Tim is right in his own way, I think there could've been a softer approach to helping the client out.

I often get pissed off with clients who think they get copywriters for peanuts so I understand what Tim feels perfectly. We often end up wasting our time replying to a client who thinks, he can get a great price irrespective of quality. It is essential for clients to know market rates as well.

Copywriters are hired for quality reasons. It is imperative for copywriters to deliver "results".

I think there must be made a sticky for people to post their budgets while they want to hire a sales copywriter here. Else, it will become a mess here like it often happens. I've seen countless number of posts made by top copywriters like Mike Humphrey's & many more asking the OP to post their budgets & give more information on their requirements. Why can't we get a rule here?

Something like a sticky that tells buyers to post their budgets and detailed information in an organized manner will do good. Certainly.

There is one - Right Here (Post #3 specifically)

And I thought I wasn't going to post another thread lol

You might be able to find a brand spanking new copywriter or someone that is considering to start into copywriting... with those numbers there will be little pressure to perform.

If you have a writer that you like and that is experienced with your niche I would ask them to stretch their muscles into a more sales oriented way.

Unfortunately the bottom line is you are well below the price required for 99% of copywriters. And sales copy is copywriting.

This has been said before and it is all over the forum but, let me just walk you through the logic one more time. And please - don't take offense...

Think about what you want the copy to do. You want it to sell a product right? You want it to cause an action on the part of your reader? That's what a sales copy is, that is what copywriting is.

A good sales page will bring in...you guessed it...sales. Think of it as giving your copywriter a cut of your profits before you make them. Similar to the commission we give to affiliates - you simply would not make the sale without the help of the copywriter. However he needs to do all the work ahead of time and therefore needs to be paid ahead of time.

Another option is to hire a content/article writer and ask them to put a sales slant to the writing. Persuasive writing is something a lot of article/content writers will do. It will not have the same results of a copywriter's sales page...but you get what you pay for.

I have been asked to do similar projects in the past and I always make it perfectly clear that I am not a copywriter. I explain to the client what my limitations are as a writer be it time, preference or whatever... More often than not the client will disregard my warnings and come crying to me months later that their product didn't fly off the shelves. It is then that I remind them of my previous warnings. Which is just one reason I seldom take on these type of projects anymore. Yet I am sure there are a lot of people around that will.

You might also consider a JV type deal, but that comes with its own headaches. There are a lot of copywriters willing to JV - just be nice and offer them a decent cut.

I really hope this helps

cgcmarketing - A couple of others have tried to explain why copywriters charge differently from content writers, so I won't go over that.

However, if a "copywriter" quotes you a per-word amount for writing "sales copy" you had best clutch your wallet to your chest and run like hell. Because that is either (a) a content writer (someone who does NOT specialize in response-getting copy), or (b) someone who has no idea how to write response-getting copy, yet sez, "You want copywriter? I are one! I can haz job now?"

Either way, if you look at per-words quotes, you are looking in entirely the wrong direction if you seek sales copy that gives you a chance of accomplishing your goals.

The current pricing in this field - sales copy - will range from @ $500 - $5,000 <. (These are "open market" prices, not WSOs or the like).

At the low end of the scale, you can/should expect to find someone who has some sample copy to show you so you can get an idea of their style/skill competency. If they're actually gotten verifiable results from any of this copy - that's a bonus.

You CAN find a diamond-in-the-rough at the low end of the scale. That would be someone who has the potential, but who is inexperienced and untried. You just have to accept that you may have to work with the copywriter over several (maybe many) tests to find a letter that works.

You also have to accept that the copywriter will be learning on your dime. And that it may cost you some early profits during this stage. If you're cool with that, and if that's what your budget can handle, then give one of those beginning copywriters a try. Everybody has to start somewhere.

As for comparing the pricing of your e-book writer to others - that's apples to oranges. An e-book or content writer charges by the word (and should) because the length of the content is what matters. For example, the writer would be crazy to charge the same for writing a 100-page e-book, as they would for writing a 10-page e-book. Because writing content is mostly an output-based proposition. Content is an information product; it doesn't have to generate a response to be good content

On the other hand, writing sales copy is a results-based proposition. If sales copy doesn't generate a response, it's not good sales copy. No matter how long it is. (Nike sold billions of pairs of shoes using just three words.)

As for research - it's great that you've already sourced a lot of information and your copywriter will find that tremendously helpful. But here's the thing...

When it comes to finding the "hook" - that special "thing" that sets your product or service apart and convinces prospects they simply cannot live without it - the copywriter may have to go well beyond your provided sources.

Let me give you an example: I recently wrote a sales letter for a "re-launch" of an existing self-help product. The product had done OK in the beginning, mostly from back-of-the-room sales, but now sales had flatlined for more than a year.

The product owners were using a very specific factual health claim in their appeal. They wanted to continue using that same angle. All well and good, except...

They had no evidence to back up "the facts". They sent me a huge file of testimonials from users, only 2 of which referred to any health benefit of using the product. Of course, they sent me the product, but that had nothing in it to back up the health angle, either.

So I hit the research trail. It took me most of a day and a half to comb through medical journals to find the studies I needed. But I found them. The re-launch converted at @ 16% to a new list. We tweaked the letter post-launch, and it's still converting.

The product owners thought they already had all the information I would need. But they didn't. As a copywriter, I immediately spotted that. They didn't, because they're not copywriters. So they really didn't know what I needed to get the response they wanted. In fact, most of what they gave me was virtually useless, for my purposes. I had to do my own research to get what I needed.

The fact that you have some information to give your copywriter is a great start. However, your copywriter may need to do much more to find the most effective angle for your product. So any copywriter who knows what they're doing would not include your materials as "no research needed" in their quote. They don't know if no research is needed until they review what you have. And they won't review what you have until after they've started the job.

I hope this helps you in your search.

I purchased one of the WSO's with Eugene's sales copy, I'm going to read one a day for inspiration, and write my own sales copy. It seems that I don't have the time or energy to deal with a lot of the copywriters here, nor do I really want to based on the rude nature of the responses. Congratulations to everyone who responded that has written sales copy that made other people rich, and I mean that sincerely.

Scott, I had wondered that myself. How can a poor copywriter make that kind of guarantee when there are those other factors? That kind of guarantee would make me seriously wonder just what the copywriter's experience was.