How To Know If Sales Letter Is Good

While AnarchyAds is probably trustworthy --

I think his request -- certainly a public request -- to basically open up your whole business to him is not one I would readily accede to -- no matter how good the offer.

While I sometimes get involved in intimate details of my clients' businesses, it's certainly not anything I would even reveal that I'm asking in public or let people know what I know about someone else's business. It's none of anyone's damn business what goes between my client and me.

Personally, there's psychological effects of paying, and being paid, for copy that advantages both parties. When I write copy, I want my client to be committed to it's success. If they don't pay anything for it, it's too easy for them to set up circumstances -- consciously or unconsciously -- that will sabotage the success of the sales letter. The client has no skin in the game -- and this can work to the disadvantage of the copywriter -- including such things as not providing needed information in a timely manner.

And it's too easy to "hire" someone who will work for free, bypassing other checks on the copywriter that one might otherwise make. It's easy, as the client, to think -- "What have I got to lose?" Well -- time. Opportunity cost. If you are running an AdWords campaign, you lose the time, effort and money to run it. Not to mention the potential negative effects that poor results might have on the consideration of your overall AdWords account's "quality".

And the copywriter? They don't have much skin in the game either. It's too easy to slough it off saying "well, it's free". Or for the copywriter to string along the person they are writing copy for -- such as has happened to someone else on this board -- who even PAID for copy and has been trouble getting it. How much more so if you are not paying anything?

While I think it has the potential to be a good offer -- the public airing of the offer is somewhat disturbing to me, because I think most negotiations (especially of the amount and detail of information requested) should be private.

It's easy to jump at something called "free" -- but few things are truly free -- there is always a cost. It's important to measure the costs.

Live JoyFully!

Judy Kettenhofen, Profit Strategist/Copywriter
NextDay Copy