Secrets of buying-in freelance
copywriting expertise.
Generally speaking I advise business owners NOT to buy in freelance copywriting services, because I think you generally get better service, and ultimately better results, if you learn to do it yourself. You can see here for the reasons I say this.
Yet there usually comes a time in most business owners’ marketing when they do decide to give a professional copywriter a try. And there can be some very good reasons for this. Maybe you really can’t get the hang of copywriting yourself, or you can, but you hate doing it so much, it’s simply too painful. Or perhaps you’ve reached the limit of your own skills and you want to see if you can take a successful marketing campaign to even higher levels.
But for whatever reason you have decided to take your chances and give freelance copywriting a try, here are a few questions you can ask freelance copywriting experts when they are putting themselves forward for the job:
- 1
- How many projects have you had great results with? They’ll be only too glad to tell you this. In fact, they’ll probably tell you this even if you don’t ask - it’s in their interests for you to see their freelance copywriting services results in the best possible light. This isn’t dishonest - it’s just good business sense.
- 2
- How many freelance copywriting projects have you had where you didn’t get results? This is a question they won’t have been asked before, and they probably won’t like. But it’s important you do ask it, because the number of great wins they’ve had doesn’t mean anything unless you can see it in context of the total number of projects they’ve undertaken. For example, if they’re very successful with as little as 10% of their projects, don’t be too disheartened; but if they win big maybe once in every 100 projects, then that’s a different story.
- 3
- Ask to see samples of all types of copywriting including online copywrighting but don’t be put off if you don’t “like” the work they show you. Your not liking the work isn’t important - what’s important is the results it got. The samples should broadly follow good copywriting principles and have a history of good results. Don’t be too quick to dismiss someone whose copy doesn’t necessarily press your hot buttons: you are not your customer. And consider this: if their own promotional work drew you to them, then that’s a sign they can write copy you “like” when they need to.
- 4
- Ask for permission to contact the people who gave them the testimonials they show you for their freelance or agency copywriting work. There is no reason for them to object to this, although they may ask you to wait for a day or so while they ask the other party if they mind. Respect this: your freelancer depends on his clients for his livelihood and wants to protect them from hassle and inconvenience. Occasionally you will find they tell you they have clients whom they cannot name. This is fair and reasonable and is rarely anything for you to worry about - a lot of “big players” don’t want it known they don’t write their own copy.
- 5
- Ask them how they will deliver the copy and what happens with copywriting editing. If you just want the words in a raw Microsoft Word document, then that’s fine; if you want it all laid out as a camera-ready PDF sent direct to the printer or fulfilment house, be prepared to pay more. The best copywriters to work with are the ones who not only get you results but who are also willing and able to take on the task of getting the whole job done from start to finish, leaving you with only the tasks of approving things and paying the bill. If you can find one like this, it’s worth paying a premium to work with them because it makes your life so much easier.
Have a look around the rest of this site and see some of the specific copywriting strategies you can use to increase your profits starting TODAY!
Happy Copywriting!
Chris Cardell
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