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How to tell an organization that their turd needs polished?

by Neezle
5 replies
Hi there, all! VERY brief background, since this is my first "real" post:

I'm a Certified Vet Tech that has been (unknowingly) writing copy for businesses for years. It wasn't until recently that I realized I'm being milked for a talent that has potential to make major changes in my lifestyle. Goal: Turn copywriting into my main source of income. Someday. I must learn.

To my question: Our practice recently accepted an invitation to participate in a lifelong study for a breed type seeking to learn more about cancer in dogs.

Included in the registration process was a media/press release template encouraging others with this breed to enroll their dogs in the study. And it SUCKS. It's wordy and redundant, to say the least. I rewrote it for use on our website, but I'd like to offer my copy to the foundation.

Problem being, I'm unsure how to approach them without giving my revisions away for free. Do I send them a side-by-side of just one paragraph as a teaser?

Thanks for your thoughts - I've been lurking long enough to know how high the brilliance meter reads around here!

Stephanie
#approach clients #organization #polished #press release #rewrite #turd
  • Profile picture of the author Steve B
    Stephanie,

    Do the re-write for them for free. Tell them all you want out of it is a glowing testimonial and consideration for other projects from them in the future. Do the same thing for 6 or 8 others over the next few weeks.

    You'll have case studies to talk about on your web site, experience in dealing with clients, time to put up a web site to sell your copywriting service, and some testimonials as social proof that you do an excellent job.

    Once you have all that, you're in business and can charge whatever the market will bear.

    Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author spearce000
    Difficult situation. Instead of simply sending the new PR template, tell them what's wrong with the old one, offer to fix it (for a fee, obviously) and send them one rewritten paragraph so they can see that you know what you're talking about.
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  • Profile picture of the author moneymagneto
    Instead of choosing Madison Avenue you chose being a Vet Tech. Not exactly sure what that entails but it doesn't sound like Advertising to me.

    If you want to build a small Ad Copy biz you need to create a site, build a brand/image and get lots of testimonials. Maybe do some stuff on Fiverr to get reviews. It will take a year or 2 to build this.
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    • Profile picture of the author Neezle
      Thank you for your guidance. I hadn't considered using the testimonial in exchange, but that's obviously worthwhile in backing my work.

      As for choosing a career as a vet tech... no, it's not advertising. But it's an amazingly rewarding field. It pays pennies, though. The income is NOT worth the student loans that got me here. Last time I checked with Sallie Mae, they advised me that they don't accept payment in the form of self-fulfillment.

      Hence my sights set on change. Placing I.V. catheters and administering anesthesia have not given me much towards selling. But working one-on-one with pet owners, and recommending products and services that benefit their pets' health - that has been worthwhile. My invoices are higher than my peers not because I shove everything down their throat, but because I educate our clients. In turn, they buy. I DO know how to sell, which gives me confidence in this new venture.
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  • Profile picture of the author Barry Unruh
    Originally Posted by Neezle View Post

    I rewrote it for use on our website, but I'd like to offer my copy to the foundation.

    Problem being, I'm unsure how to approach them without giving my revisions away for free. Do I send them a side-by-side of just one paragraph as a teaser?
    You have one problem and one opportunity, from the way I see it.

    #1 - The Problem - You rewrote it for use on "our website", which indicates you no longer have ownership of the copy. That copy is now the property of your employer, especially if at the bottom of the site there is that wonderful little copyright logo.

    #2 - Opportunity - I would not try to earn money on this one. I'd suggest you contact someone at the office and offer to rewrite the copy to make it fantabulous for free. Tell them you are offering this to introduce your service, but would be happy to write their future campaigns at a reasonable price.

    Since you are just getting started, you need to build a portfolio to share with potential clients. This is a great opportunity to build a case study showing off your talent in a "before and after" situation.

    Your employer would probably be willing to let you share the new copy with the organization, if you are not making money, but otherwise might frown on you "selling" copy you produced for their website on their time and dime.
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