How to get optimal results from the copywriter?

Joe,

Please read the sticky: http://www.warriorforum.com/copywrit...le-writer.html

Read this too: http://www.warriorforum.com/copywrit...pywriters.html

Provide a detailed outline on what you want from your writer(s). Tone of the article, estimated length, keywords, and so on.


Then don't expect them to write for cheap.

Going by your first post, it sounds as if you want gourmet meals at fast food prices.

Have you ever heard of the phrase "Pay peanuts and you get monkeys"?


Smartass answer: Don't hire unprofessional douchebags. Seriously, no writer worth their table salt would DARE steal your stuff --- because that kind of rep would be near-impossible to overcome.

Basic answer: If you're still worried, go Legal Beagle on everyone you hire. NDAs. Non-competes. Scary-looking contracts. That sort of stuff.

Or at least get an account at CopyScape or iThenticate.

Oh yeah, and you can't copyright an idea... but it's still a good idea to hide it if it really is great.

Hope that helps ya some, Joe.

Chillheart is right, you can't expect a good writer to do a great job, meet all your expectation and work for free as well. That doesn't work.

If you don't trust Fiverr, then go to Elance or oDesk, describe your needs and wait for the writers to come to you. Choose the one you think is best for you and be ready to pay them what they deserve.
There are many good writers on Fiverr as well, but they will not write you a full length quality article for only $5. Look for those who offer extras (those who charge $5 for a short article, and more for longer ones because they know their time is worth more than that)

I say you write 5-7 articles how you want them, then have them write two for testing. If they copy you to closely and don't give you anything unique, no-go. If they are able to pick out all of the points you want and understand your game, then you have a winner.


You don't even have to write them perfect, just close to what you desire.


Let them do the figuring it out work.


Elance, odesk, post on the "Warriors wanted" section. Even go on craigslist.


Always ask for portfolios and see if they could outline everything you want by reading justone of your articles.


When looking on elance, look at their profile. You can easily tell how good their English is. I see a lot of people proving how good their English is good and how good of writing they will produce. Their proper English gives them away.

Everything chilliheart said. Especially the NDA. Let them know you're accessible for questions. If you don't like writing out instructions, maybe do a screen recording and send it to them? Also, let the know how accessible you are for quick questions on Skype.

Is what you want consistent with what you're willing/able to pay?

That's the most important question. And to answer it, you have to understand that paying for writing isn't the same thing as paying for content.

Most people who hire writers are thoroughly confused about that. They think they're only paying the writer to write. They ignore the fact that the actual writing is only a small percentage of the actual work involved, yet that's all they expect to pay for.

Writing a good article, or blog, requires time and creative energy. You have to find something of substance to write about AND come up with an interesting angle to approach it from.

If you're willing to do your own research, to come up with a good angle and to create and structure the content yourself, you simply need someone to flesh out the idea. Then, you're simply paying someone to write. You can probably find someone to pull that off for about $.10 to $.50 a word.

But if you're not able, or willing, to do those things, you have to decide what you're willing to give up until you have the money to pay for what you want. Those are the facts, regardless of what those $5 per article chumps say on Fiverr, Elance, or in the Warriors for hire section.

So again, is what you want consistent with what you're willing/able to pay for?

If it's not, or If you think $50 to $100 per article sounds like too much, you're underestimating what it takes to create good content and until you get past that, you're always going to struggle with hiring content writers.

Take a course, or find a copywriter who really knows what they're doing, and can help you what creates in resulting quality copy.

Or, find someone with a reputation as an established copywriter, or was demonstrated that they can deliver quality copy, and who will be willing to work with you to write yours.

Either way, if you hire a random article writer, who just goes out every day and writes articles, you don't even know that they've ever had any experience writing sales copy a day in their life, their training, or that they have any idea what they're doing.

You need to find someone passionate who actually enjoys writing, and you can create a quality material for you, Plus another problem is you need people who know your niche; Nobody knows how to write coffee like you do, which is why the strongest thing I can suggest is that you learn the fundamentals yourself and create copy yourself.

I am a good writer. My advice to you is: first know what kind of writer you need. E.g., although I am a good writer, I do not consider myself a copywriter. I see a lot of people get confused about this.

I think a good indication of a good writer is the amount he/she charges, whether they are native English speaking, and whether they can provide samples of their work. I often work with people who can hardly speak English, and hardly give me a brief of their requirements. I would then compile content for them and they can give me feedback based on that content.

You can find good writers - with portfolios, ratings and feedback of previous work, on Elance, PeoplePerHour, etc.

Hope this is helpful. Good luck!