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“Choosing
the right writer!”
Ever made a decision that you really wish
you hadn't? We all have, so, you're in good company, but when it
comes to copywriters, what company do you want to keep?
There are a lot of writers out there. The strange thing is that
there are an awful lot of inexperienced writers out there who have:
- An over inflated sense of their own value
- A severely impaired sense of their own ability
- A wholly inadequate business knowledge
- A plain daft charging structure!
I can see you're smiling! That tells me that you've either met them,
come across them, or worse - you’ve actually hired them!
After 25 years as a copywriter covering the whole spectrum literally
from A-Z, I think I have earned the right to ask … why?
But how can you spot them and avoid them? How do you judge what's
good, bad and simply awful?
1. Read their website… carefully
Is it littered with spelling mistakes, or does it make daft claims
about their wives' expensive habits? Does it ring with hyperbole
- ultimate, fantastic, superb, unbelievable - and other such claims
that are simply hard to swallow?
2. Are they promising results?
Does the writer promise results? If they do, run away, as fast as
your fingers can carry you. Nobody, but nobody, can guarantee you
any sort of result because no one knows what will happen, or why.
All you can ever do is make intelligent decisions based on the best
evidence.
3. Look closely at the structure of their website
What they are presenting and how they sell themselves is exactly
what you are hiring them to do for you. Does their website work?
If it's confusing, there’s every chance their thinking will
be just as muddled and confused.
4. Is it easy to communicate with the writer?
The art of communication is exactly about what copywriting is all
about. If the writer can't get you to respond and doesn't make it
easy for you, what chance does your product, service or solution
stand in that writer’s hands?
5. Take a long look at the writer's headline
This is where the initial promise is made and it has to hit home
hard. In a few words - not more than 8-10 - you have to know what
this writer is offering. If writers can't write great headlines
to sell themselves they are not likely to be able to write one for
you, either!
6. What sort of experience is the writer offering?
Does the writer have a broad span of experience that covers pretty
much everything? If they are freelance and offering to sell you
a service then they should be offering the wealth of experience
that justifies the price they are looking to charge.
7. Sort out a sensible price!
Copy is both a skill and a saleable service, just like any other.
Just like you, a copywriter is in business to make money - to cover
costs and make a profit.
There is nothing wrong with profit. That's what business is all
about. But there is a lot wrong with obscene profiteering. You should
be able to hire the services of a genuinely good writer for £250-450
GBP ($450-650 US) a day.
In the end…
You want a writer with great experience, an inquisitive mind and
huge talent with words.
You want someone who understands the human psyche and knows just
what triggers to pull and in what sequence.
You want someone with whom you can build a longterm relationship.
Someone that understands your business and, to a degree, understands
you too!
You want someone who can bring something different to the table
- innovation, imagination, creativity, flair, style, experience
and knowledge. Preferably, it's someone with solid direct response
experience under their belt that can help you to drive things through.
Treat them with a proper professional respect and ask no more of
them than you would ask of yourself and your business will have
uncovered a real gem and one of the very best allies it could ever
hope to find.
It's really not such a tall order - if you know exactly what to
look for!
With every best wish
John Beavis
Words that matter, from ideas that
count.
PS: If you want to
make your words sing and dance, sign up now to receive my 10 hot
tips! They’re absolutely free - you won’t be
pestered, no salesman will call and no one will badger you on the
phone! Just enter your first name and primary email address in the
box below then press the red button and they'll be with you in a
few short minutes from now.
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