How to get optimal results from the copywriter?

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I will need a lot of articles and press releases on a regular bases. I need to find good writers and I want to learn the best way to approach this project.

So far, I ordered one article on Fiverr and it didn't even sound like it was in English. It was a total rip-off. (my English is not perfect, it's my second language so it would never occur to me to write articles for a living but apparently this doesn't stop a lot of people from doing this. )

I have a couple of questions:

First of all, where do I find the best writers? (I realize that it's probably not Fiverr)

If/when I find good writers, what is the best way to communicate to the potential writer what I want. If I don't give the writer enough details on what I want, of course, they won't be able to write sufficient content. On the other hand, if I set out to write all the details, so the writer can fully understand the subject, then I end up writing the article my self.

I asked this question from one of the writers on Fiverr and this is the answer I got: "A lot of the time my job turns into formatting the release into the correct format, changing the tone, and deleting unnecessary or repetitive information. For some people paying $5 or $10 for that is worth it."

This makes sense but this is not really what I need. I would love to find writers who can write great articles with very little info provided because they are specialized in the particular subject the article is about.

An other issue is how do I make sure the writers do not steal the content. If I have a great idea, something substantial like an e-book, how do I protect my self.

I would really appreciate some advise with this.

Thanks.
#copywriting #copywriter #optimal #results
  • Joe,

    Please read the sticky: http://www.warriorforum.com/copywrit...le-writer.html
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    • [1] reply
    • Ok, I got it, I shouldn't have posted this here, although, in addition to the articles and press releases, I also need sales copies.

      In any case, I didn't post here because I am trying to find a writer, I just wanted to get some advise from writers.

      I now realize that I should have posted this in the main internet marketing discussion forum. That said, if anyone have any good advise, I will appreciate it.
  • Read this too: http://www.warriorforum.com/copywrit...pywriters.html
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    • You seemed to have missed this. I'll bring it up again.

      1) if you want a content writer, this is not really the place. But there are some principles that overlap, and Seth covered that beautifully.

      2) if you want a copywriter - read Rick's post. Until you understand what a good writer needs from YOU in order to provide you with great work, you'll always be spinning your wheels.

      I'll give you an example from my day job:

      My team was recently tasked with concepting a campaign. From day one, we were under the impression that the sky was the limit and the client was looking for several options to present to her bosses.

      Unfortunately, she had specific ideas and direction from her bosses that was never communicated to us. This led to 4 rounds of concepting and a LOT of frustration on our part.

      We were pretty pissed at having to redo work over and over again.

      And the thing is, if she'd shared what was in her head from the onset, we could have talked pros and cons and figured out how to proceed and likely come up with something stellar in the first round, thus sparing everyone the aggravation of multiple rounds.

      This is a problem that MANY clients, like you, share. Not knowing what is vital info vs. trivial, not knowing when to get out of the way of your hired gun and let them do what they do.

      And this is a learning curve, much the same way that starting and running a business is.

      You have to learn to be a great client before you can attract great freelance talent.
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  • 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.
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    • Key phrase, "if it is really great.."

      In my experience, more than 99% of the clients who are paranoid about being ripped off have a distorted perception of how innovative their "idea" really is. Most of the time, it's not even original enough to qualify for becoming a protected concept.

      Not to mention that if you're really that worried, you should get an attorney to answer that question. No one on this forum should be advising on legal topics anyway.
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  • 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)
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  • 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.
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  • 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.
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  • 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.
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  • Banned
    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.
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  • 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!
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
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    How to get optimal results from the copywriter?

    I will need a lot of articles and press releases on a regular bases. I need to find good writers and I want to learn the best way to approach this project. So far, I ordered one article on Fiverr and it didn't even sound like it was in English. It was a total rip-off. (my English is not perfect, it's my second language so it would never occur to me to write articles for a living but apparently this doesn't stop a lot of people from doing this. )