Developing the right mindset

1. In order to become a successful online copywriter you have to develop the right mindset. The copywriting business is not a get rich quick scheme. It won’t make you a millionaire overnight. But if you follow a few relatively simple steps you could set yourself on the road to financial independence and possibly great wealth!

Action Planning

2. According to online marketing guru Steve Wagenheim, in an ereport entitled The Mindset Of The Successful Marketer , 95% of the people who try to run an online business fail. This is because, they have no plan and they have no idea of what they are doing. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail, and this could spell disaster for your earning potential as a copywriter.

3. Avoid this problem by focusing on a particular area of copywriting. Nick Usborne writes in The Top Ten Mistakes Made by Freelance Writers and Copywriters that it is “far better that you establish a clear niche, an area in which you specialise and then become an expert”.

4. In order to decide on which area of copywriting to specialise in you may want to refer to sites which provide detailed information on the different types of copywriting opportunities available. Business Planning

5. All successful online business owners have developed a realistic business plan for their ventures. Business planning will give you a clear sense of direction and enable you to measure success within your copywriting business. The Business Link website provides a template for writing a business plan in addition to clear guidelines on what information to provide in each section.

Goalsetting

6. Write down how you would like to develop your business within the next 6 months, 12 months, 18 months and so on. As a newcomer you might set yourself a financial goal to make at least £6,000 in the first year of your copywriting career.

7. Using Robert Bly’s calculations in 10 Ways to make a 6-Figure Income as a Freelance Writer, you will have to make £120 a week for 50 weeks. To achieve your weekly target you might plan to do two assignments a week at £60 each. Focus on Quality

8. Dr. Ken Evoy, creator of Site Sell Inc emphasises the importance of offering your customer high quality information. In doing so, you become a trusted expert and many customers will want to work with you. As a result, your income will actually soar. Once the word gets round you will establish credibility for yourself and you will be able to command higher fees.

Market Your Services

9. Go to copywriting internet forums such as Google groups and Yahoo Groups. Post an ad stating that you are offering a free copywriting service. Some online marketers will give your free service a try. Make sure you obtain testimonials for each project you complete.

10. Build a website to promote your copywriting services. Assemble the free copywriting assignments into a portfolio and provide a statement reflecting your work. Don’t forget to include the testimonials received from your customers.

You can drive traffic to your site in many ways:

* Consider delivering informative content for free article directories such as Go Articles and Ezine Articles. Don’t forget to include a hook to your website.

* Write a blog about your business using Blogger or WordPress.

* Send out news releases * Network on discussion boards get to know people in the community and swap services with other members

You can expand your work opportunities by signing up to a freelance writing agency such as Academic Knowledge.

From a copywriter’s point of view, it would be great if clients had a crystal ball that they could use to see which copywriter best suits their project. There are different types of writing and first-hand experience proves that only a handful of people really know there’s a difference. To digress for a moment, we’ve even come across clients who think that web designers are supposed to write the copy for their web pages. Most don’t. It makes sense. Web designers design. Web developers develop or write code, html or php, and build the structure of your site. So… that leaves you with your web content. Who writes your copy, and how do you publish web content that is going to attract web traffic and then persuade your web visitors to buy?

It seems so obvious, but the fact of the matter is, it isn’t. A few years ago, I fellow I met said to me, “What does anyone need a copywriter for?” It’s true. Copywriters were invisible, a behind-the-scene professional. Ad agencies used to be one of the only places you could find copywriters working, or at least working steadily. Look at Hollywood. For years and years, writers were not even recognized. Now, writers are not only recognized, but celebs go the extra mile to praise the writer associated with their project. This change in attitude toward screenwriters — along with the Internet — puts the spotlight on the value writers bring to a project.

When it comes to the Internet, I am happy to report that a professional copywriter is in high demand. The Internet is all about copy. Whether for web pages, email marketing, pay-per-click advertising, banner ads or autoresponders, the words you publish make or break the entire investment. Big companies with inhouse marketing departments and agencies know when and why to call on the copy writer. But, here’s the cause that no one talks about driving small business people to the professional writer. Everyone and anyone sees the words on your website. The world knows if the words on your home page are junk! How embarrassing is that.

With all this, there still comes the novice client who doesn’t have a clue what the value of a good writer is. So from a copywriter’s point of view, I have some tips on when and how to hire a copywriter.

A. When to hire a professional copywriter or scriptwriter

1) When you are in business

2) When you can’t write and might be embarrassed publishing poorly composed text

3) When you don’t have anyone working in your company that is a professional writer

4) When you expect a response

5) When you publish text on the Internet

B. How to hire a professional copywriter or scriptwriter

1) The first step is to hire the right writer for the project. If you want a writer to work on a software manual, look for a technical writer. If you want a news release, find a writer who specializes in public relations. If you want to sell, engage the services of an advertising copywriter or a commercial scriptwriter. By the way, the top two writers in business and industry are the direct mail writer and the scriptwriter.

A writer who is a jack-of-all types of writings is a writer who probably isn’t an expert in the type of writing you’re looking for. After all, even the profession of copywriting includes less than capable writers. Rely on that old adage, if you can write anything, you are good at nothing.

Look for a copywriter who concentrates on one objective and because of that, the writing skills are honed to perfection. Sales copywriting does include several formats, such as direct response advertising, direct mail, mail order, web site pages, email marketing, video scriptwriting – all formats intended to sell – and that’s the domain of the sales copywriter — also known as an advertising copywriter or business writer or just writer.

Advertising copywriters generally don’t accept writing assignments for manuals, directories, books, news releases or short stories. Advertising copywriters write to sell!

2) Review writing samples, but keep in mind that copy is sometimes subjective. What’s good for one may not suit another, but the project was still a huge success. Copywriting samples are not the end all for deciding who is a good writer. They serve to prove that the writer is a professional writer with several projects completed. The goal is to check that the writer has actually done work on the type of format you need. For example, a writer with a portfolio full of short stories is probably a good writer, but may not have the mindset or skills to write a direct mail letter.

3) Calling references is probably not going to bear much fruit either. I’ve made a few calls myself and have never heard one bad word. Actually, I can’t think of one writer who would name a reference unless they weren’t absolutely sure the referral would say glowing things about the writer and the work. But you can look over the company name. When a writer has a Fortune 100 company in their referral list, you’ve hit the jackpot unless writing fees are too high. And that brings me to the topic fees.

4) The thing about fees is that with copywriting like any other service, you get what you pay for. Low fees generally mean inexperience. Top writers are in demand and don’t need to work for $15 an hour. If you want quality copy writing, higher fees are the price. But, that said, consider that in the ‘high fee’ category, there is generally a range. Top copywriter fees may vary from $30 – $120 per hour. The quality of writing may be the same, but the difference might be an independent writer with no overhead, as opposed to a writer who works for an ad agency with hefty overhead. Weigh all factors when considering your investment in an advertising copywriter.

5) Finally, learn about the writer. I don’t mean pry into their personal life. Find out who they’ve done work for. Review a client list. Ask about previous employment if the writer is independent. Where did the writer get the experience.

When you find a copywriter that suits your needs, treat your writer like a valued part of your team. I’m adding this because I have experienced a few demanding clients who exceeded good will. Who hasn’t? Your copywriter is a top salesperson, and should be treated with respect. Provide detailed feedback. Promptly. Pay on time. What you get in return is the best outcome possible.

If you do a web search on how to find a good freelance b-to-b copywriter, you will get dozens of results purporting to give you good advice. Many of them, however, seem to just list some boilerplate answers without really going deeper into the issue. This story may give you a slightly different angle.

Do your homework

First, determine what you want. Make sure you have enough background and clear objectives set before contacting potential copywriter candidates. Remember, you’re looking for professionals, and professionals hate a waste of their time just as much as you do.

Also, if you have a well-prepared backgrounder and a fixed target, it will position you as a client higher on the copywriter’s “most wanted clients” list than someone who makes the first contact empty-handed. Professionals like to work with professionals.

Forget your prejudices

With the World Wide Web, you are really operating worldwide. If your opinion is that you absolutely have to have a fellow New Yorker to do your job or “I can’t imagine working with a foreigner” or you couldn’t possibly consider anyone who hasn’t written anything for X Corporation, you might want to think again. Widening your perspectives may give you higher commitment, lower cost and better results you ever imagined.

Search, query, find out

Unfortunately, this is the most tedious part of your quest. Depending on how you formulate your search term — “b2b copywriter”, “b-to-b copywriter”, “business-to-business copywriter”, “freelance copywriter” etc — you will, in any case, get hundreds of thousands of results on Google, so some sifting, and thus putting in hours of work, is unavoidable.

Having accepted the workload, look at the copywriters’ websites. Are they structured logically? Do they give you enough information on their expertise, specialities, work process? Is their self-promotion text free from grammatical errors? Does it flow naturally? If there are testimonials on their websites, are they plausible? Call some of the people who signed the testimonials and check if they remember giving such a testimonial.

Do the people portray an easy-going, client-oriented image of themselves or do you get a feeling they are stuffy and conceited? Trust your instinct, your first impression is probably right.

Questions tell more than answers

No matter how well you have prepared your backgrounder, it will not answer all of a good copywriter’s questions. Don’t worry, that’s the way it should be. The important thing is to analyse how they get back to you. Are they asking relevant, specifying questions or boldly announcing that they can do the job? Be more interested in the people who ask questions than in those who provide answers off the cuff.

What, no samples or portfolio?

Many of the boilerplate answers to finding a b2b copywriter tell you to look for online writing samples. Smart copywriters who know their job, however, seldom put up writing samples on their sites. There are a number of reasons for that.

First and foremost, every client’s needs are specific. Even though the copywriter may have written copy for your industry, it is impossible to give all the background and the targets set for the piece accurately enough to give you a full picture of why the copy is like it is. The smart copywriter does not want to be judged on false premises.

There are also jobs that, while not being exactly secret, are not meant to be publicised outside the target audience, and the copywriter may have chosen not to place them on his or her site for the whole world to see.

You will do better if you contact your shortlist of copywriters and ask them to prove themselves. Give them your well-prepared backgrounder and then watch how quickly they respond to your query and whether they seem to understand what types of challenges your business faces. This is a better indication of their skills and commitment than an online sample which may or may not come close to what you’re looking for.

There are even copywriters who are willing to provide a free copy sample based on your brief if getting you as a client is important for them. Go ahead and ask boldly. This will give you a much better view of their capabilities of identifying your problem and their style of writing.

No need to jump in at the deep end

Many good copywriters offer a copy review service. Whether they call it copy review, copy critique, copy analysis or whatever, the point is: this service is a low-cost, risk-free way of finding out a lot more of the copywriter you’re interested in.

Give the shortlisted copywriters an existing marketing copy (of course not forgetting to state what it was supposed to achieve) and ask for a review. If you inform them that this is a competition that will result in choosing a long-term partner, you will probably get a very good price on the job, if not a free analysis.

Most good things in life are not free

Even if you don’t need to invest a lot of money in the project, finding your ideal b2b copywriter will take time, as pointed out above.

Being prepared to spend some money will help. If you’re really after a good, committed copywriter and building a long-term relationship, consider either the copy review route suggested above or offering every person on the list a small sum of money for a sample text. Within reason, of course. What you should aim at is a short landing page or a magazine ad, not expect them to provide a whole website for 100 dollars.

The benefit of investing a small sum of money will help both you and your copywriter candidates. You, because the sum is small. The potential copywriters, because you’re establishing a lot of credibility by being willing to pay for their effort.

To summarise: if you’re willing to put in a little time and perhaps even some money, your research will produce results. Honest, open-minded professionals feel comfortable with honest, open-minded clients. For a long-term partnership, a real win-win situation.

You need something written to sell your product or service. You turn to the Internet, tap the word ‘copywriter’ into Google and search. Bingo!

Thousands of results, plus a swag of Google Ads to boot. So who do you choose? Is the best copywriter the one who’s at the top of the search pile?

Not necessarily. What they are good at – or someone who’s affiliated with them is good at – is Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). They know the techniques and tricks to get their website to the top of the search engine rankings. These copywriters are called, quite naturally, SEO copywriters.

Do you need a SEO Copywriter?

If you have a website and need it to climb the search engine rankings, you should consider the services of a SEO copywriter.

The SEO copywriter writes your web page text so that it includes specific search terms, known as keywords. He or she will aim for a keyword density of 3-5 per cent. So for every 100 words, your keyword should appear at least 3 times. The art of SEO copywriting is to make it all read smoothly and, more importantly, persuade the reader that your site is worth staying at until they do whatever it is you want them to do.

In addition to writing the text, a good SEO copywriter ensures that other page elements are optimised for search engines. This includes the Title, Description and Keyword tags, as well as alt text and headings.

All this will help your website climb the ranks. But it’s only part of the solution. A major factor in search engine rankings is the number of links around the Internet that lead to your site. There are several strategies to help you achieve this – but that’s another story.

What about a Direct Mail Copywriter?

A Direct Mail Copywriter is more accurately described as a Direct Response Copywriter. This copywriter can produce not only mailings, but also copy for most mediums, whether it be print, TV or radio. Everything he or she writes should be crafted to get a response from the reader, viewer or listener.

Take a look at any successful direct response advertising and you’ll find the copywriter has followed a formula, often referred to as AIDA, which stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, Action. Adding Conviction after Desire can make the advertising work harder.

Building your brand is not the prime focus of the Direct Response Copywriter. But an element of branding can and should be put into all direct response communications, even if it’s only your tag line.

Or do you need a specialist Brand Copywriter?

If you have a recognised brand or intend to build one, the Brand Copywriter can create the kind of ideas and copy that strikes an emotional appeal in the consumer’s mind.

Most global and national brands are built with the help of full service advertising agencies. An agency gives the kind of total approach – planning, strategy, research, media, creative, production – needed to build a brand.

However, hiring a freelance Brand Copywriter can be far more cost-effective. Before the Brand Copywriter starts work, he needs to know exactly what you want your brand to convey. That’s not a problem if your brand already exists, but if you want to create one you’ll need to have done your research.

In addition – and this goes for all advertising – you need to know your proposition for the job your hired copywriter is going to work on. Your proposition is a short statement that gives the single most compelling reason as to why someone should buy your product or service. Failure to produce a well-conceived proposition is the major reason much advertising fails to produce the desired results.

Don’t forget Technical Copywriters

If your product or service is of a highly technical nature then you’ll need a Technical Copywriter to convey its benefits to your target audience. That could mean communicating to other technically literate people, or else turning the techno-language into everyday speak for a wider audience.

When you know what type of copywriter you want, you then need to find one that’s good in his or her particular field. Check copywriting samples first. Any copywriter of merit will have at least a couple of well-known brand names in their portfolio. Does the copy read well? Does it persuade? If so, ring them up and talk to them. If you feel a rapport developing, that’s a good sign you’ve got the right copywriter.

True story:

Not too long ago I was approached by a marketer who had a product idea — just the idea mind you.

And he wanted to hire me to develop it… market it… sell it… and everything in-between.

The reason being — he didn’t have the time to do it himself.

My first thought was… now here’s a man after my own heart — lazy as the day is long, and dying to be rich and famous without lifting a finger.

Seriously, if I could take a pill to give me muscles like the Governator’s (in his prime)… play tennis like Federer… and attract women like Pitt — I’d order a life-time supply as fast as yesterday!

Anyway, I was up for the challenge… even though there are more than enough products like his already on the market (which is actually a good thing).

So… I cracked open my secret black book of sales and marketing pros and considered which “Mission Impossible Team” would be perfect to attack this beachhead.

Then, I sent the marketer my proposal… including my fee.

He was totally impressed. He told me I had brass balls (I think that was a compliment)… and then told me to get real.

He said he already had copywriters lined up to do it all for under $2,000 — flat fee, no percentage.

Yeah, right!

But, you know what… I bet he can find a copywriter to do it all for under $2,000 — and, boy, what a job he’ll do — he’ll even throw in the Brooklyn Bridge and shares of Enron at no extra charge!

Anyway, I checked back with him a few weeks later, and asked how the project was coming along… and… heh, heh… he still hadn’t hired a copywriter.

Moral of the story (sorta)… you can hire a copywriter to do practically anything for you… but if you’re not willing to pay the price for delegation, abdication and sloth — better to work together, following these simple “save money and make money” guidelines:

Ask Not What a Copywriter Can Do for You—Ask What You Can Do for Your Copywriter!

As Hemmingway said, writing is easy… all you’ve got to do is open a vein and bleed all over the page.

And yet, copywriters are actually more than just writers, they’re… ta dah!… Super Salesmen!

Copywriters aren’t hired to entertain, or dazzle the reader with unparalleled wordsmithing…

They’re hired to sell the client’s product (or generate a qualified lead).

And if they can’t do that — it doesn’t matter if they can write a poem like Frost, a play like Shakespeare, a thriller like King or a humor column like Barry (not me, the other Barry, Dave Barry).

But… if they can sell in print — does it matter if they employ broken English, fragmented sentences or any other type of grammatically dysfunctional construction, intentionally or not?

The only measure of a copywriter’s talent… is how much and how fast he can sell his client’s product!

But… since the product is not the copywriter’s brainchild… he neither conceived it, nurtured it in its embryonic stages, delivered it into actuality nor surrounded it with a supportive family… that’s never an easy thing to do (to sell to a stranger off the page and for maximum dollars, too!)

So he needs your help.

He needs research… background and market info, access to data and the ability to conduct interviews, etc. Indeed, there are tens of questions that need to be answered.

(For a comprehensive list of questions that always need to be answered, click here: Questions)

Now, as the baby’s parents, aka the marketer, you can leave the copywriter to discover all the answers on his own.

But first understand one thing — a copywriter typically makes a living by selling time — his time. And time equals writing, which equals money.

So if he has to spend time doing research — he ain’t writing, and therefore he ain’t making money.

So in light of that, copywriters will charge for research (it’s factored into your over-all cost — that’s why you’ll never get a separate bill).

And, depending on the complexity of the product and the intricacies of your targeted market — plus, the amount of research the copywriter must do on his own — research can be quite expensive (regardless of whether the copywriter does the research himself or hires someone to do it for him).

Now a good copywriter is fairly expensive to begin with. A-level copywriters can command a $25,000 advance plus 10% of gross sales, minus fulfillment costs.

So unless you’ve got a bottomless bank account… well… need I say more?

The other option, of course, is for you to provide the copywriter with the research he needs to get the job done (which is to quickly make you a whole bunch of money).

Now, most marketers obviously opt for this latter approach — but, unfortunately, in a very casual, hap-hazard fashion.

Don’t Short-Change Yourself by Short-Changing Your Copywriter

Too many marketers feel they’re doing a copywriter a favor by providing research.

They’ll give the copywriter… oh, about five minutes of their time.

They’ll send him an email with a bunch of URLs to investigate, a couple of sentences about their target market, and a couple of words about the benefits and features of the product (though most times they get the two confused).

And then they’ll end by saying that they’re always available to answer any further questions… just call.

Needless to say… this isn’t much help to a copywriter — and that’s why typical turnaround time for the completion of a copywriting project is often quoted in weeks if not months.

Experienced and successful marketers, on the other hand, those in tune with the rigors and demands of writing a money-pulling promotion — and who, quite frequently, wrote copy themselves — will send a FedEx box packed with collateral and emails filled with megs and megs of info and data.

After all, you can never send too much background research to a copywriter.

In fact, I would estimate that the success of any promotion is directly proportional (times ten) to the depth of research done on the product and the targeted market.

Furthermore… you should recognize that the ability to conduct research is a talent in and of itself — a talent which many copywriters do not possess.

So my advice is this: share the hours, if not years of information, wisdom and knowledge you acquired while growing your business and developing your product — however much effort it may require.

And if you do this… your copywriter will not hesitate — indeed, he’ll be empowered — to open a vein and pour his blood, sweat, and money-sucking talent on to the page for you — just to make you rich.

–Barry

A copywriter is a person tasked to write the text used for advertisements in magazines, newspapers, television, radio and other kinds of media. A copywriter may also be assigned to come up with the words for press releases, informational or promotional pamphlets, and other promotional materials. A copywriter may also be tasked to rewrite or edit existing materials. Thus, a copywriter’s job is a very flexible and potentially exciting career in the wide world of advertising and marketing.

Where Does a Copywriter Work?

A copywriter usually works in advertising firms, retail stores, and marketing companies in a metropolitan area. The working environment of a copywriter is usually found to be quite hectic, which makes creativity under pressure necessary. Advertising is known to be a very fast-paced field where many crises can suddenly occur. A copywriter is usually pressured by short deadline and successive assignments daily. A copywriter is often asked for several revisions at the last minute. This job is therefore not for the weak-hearted or the unengaged.

How Fulfilling Is a Copywriter’s Job?

Novice and assistant copywriters usually start off with an annual salary of about $30,000 to $35,000 working it up to some $40,000 when they become full-pledged. A senior copywriter may eventually earn some $100,000 a year and about $125,000 if he or she becomes promoted as copywriting chief. A copywriter has the potential to later become creative director and earn as much as $200,000 annually.

A copywriter, like most other workers, is usually required to work 40 hours a week, but it is usually expected to have a lot of overtime in this career. Fortunately overtime is compensated accordingly. A copywriter becomes most busy during key times depending on the nature of their firm’s trade – department store copywriters work most during holiday and sale seasons, advertising copywriters work a lot during big advertising campaigns.

Many copywriters today are privileged with profit-sharing schemes afforded by their company. A copywriter also gets the usual benefits such as paid vacations and holidays, pension plans, health care, hospitalization insurance and life insurance. Copywriting can be quite a rewarding job.

How to Become a Copywriter?

A copywriter is expected to be skilled in coming up with great advertising ideas as well as putting them to paper in a very articulate and effective manner. A copywriter should also have a good grasp of layout and typography because visuals are also very important in advertising.

Most advertising agencies require aspiring copywriters to have a solid background in the field, preferably working for at least three years in the business. Copywriters are of course expected to have obtained a college degree, usually in liberal arts, communications, business management, and marketing. A lot of copywriters take college courses that combine creative writing with marketing and this prepares them well for a good copywriting career.

To get hired as a copywriter, one has to be able to combine a solid formal education with an active writing experience. Most copywriters not only had degrees in communications or business, but they actually wrote while studying whether in school publications or community newsletters. A good idea is to present well-written works such as essays and articles.

Are there Opportunities for Growth for a Copywriter?

There is much room for growth for a copywriter. Copywriters working in department stores can become chief of copywriting or fashion coordinator and work their way to become division manager and even advertising chief. Copywriters working in advertising agencies may be promoted as copy supervisor, advancing to copy chief, and then account executive, and ultimately to creative directorship. A copywriter’s job can indeed be quite fulfilling.

In the growing world of business and advertising a copywriter can find a great home with many opportunities for earning and career expansion. Some people undermine the work of copywriters merely because their job seems to be placed at the bottom of the bureaucracy. However a copywriter with the right determination and skill can definitely work his or her way to the top the way their more business-oriented peers do.

Copywriting can be a very fulfilling career for those who have the right skills for the job. If you are full of bright ideas and know how to write well then you might want to try out becoming a copywriter.