Most copywriters are aware of these freebie seekers; so if you are not serious about hiring a copywriter you should respect his time. This is the ethical thing to do. Often potential clients will send information for you to look over, materials to read and ask your opinion on different aspects of their business only to hire another writer or none at all. You can filtering out these free loaders by asking for the down payment before you give any “free consultations”.
Ask your clients to fill out a questionnaire before you start working on the copy. The purpose of this questionnaire is to get the client focused on what they are really selling and also to provide ample information for you to work from. There is no substitute to product knowledge when you are selling anything. A copywriter can never know too much information on the product he is trying to sell. Usually the more you tell; the more you sell.
Give the copywriter his space to work. If you are promised the salescopy in three weeks, don’t call or write in two weeks to find out how he is getting along. Writing is already a mentally taxing exercise, so the added pressure of your frequent inquiries will not help at all. So if you called half way through the time period that writer promised you the copy the answer will be that the writer hasn’t finished as yet. Remember that you are involved in a partnership with your copywriter so you will want to keep this relationship as smooth as possible.
Samples of the copywriter’s work should be available for your review but each assignment is different so you can only get a ‘feel’ for the writing style here. Go with your gut feeling. If the copywriter is familiar with the industry, jargon and language of your product category then your customers will be better able to identify with his writing. He will appear to be a part of the group. This is why you should look for the ‘specialist’ in your product market.
Copywriting is only one number in your sales equation. There are other factors other than the effectiveness of your copy that will determine how successful your sales are. Bad copy can sell a great product but great copy cannot sell a bad product. So don’t be too quick to blame your copywriter. Some copywriters will not take on your project if they think that your product will not sell. This lack of sale may be a result of a saturated market, heavy competition, bad timing, a low perceived value of your product and a bunch of other possibilities. If you carefully performed your market research before you created your product or service then this shouldn’t be a problem. But just be aware of it.
There is bad copy and good copywriting services, and knowing the difference between the two can mean success or failure for your business. For best results, you should always hire or consult with a professional SEO copywriter working in the field.
