How to Get Your Money’s Worth From a Copywriter

If you’re thinking about hiring a copywriter, then this is one article you’ll definitely want to read.

That’s because the information in this article could save you thousands of dollars in wasted copy fees.  Not to mention the lost profits and missed opportunities poorly written copy can cost you.

Over the next few months, I’m going to outline exactly what you should look for in a copywriter.  I’ll show you how distinguish “average” copywriters and from “great “copywriters.  And I’ll tell you the right questions to ask to make sure you only hire the best of the best—regardless of your budget.

How to Weed Out the Amateurs
Thanks to the explosion of online copywriting courses, there’s a flood of inexperienced newbie copywriters flooding the market.

Now, I was once one of those wet-behind-the-ears copywriters.  There’s nothing wrong with being a newbie, as long as you understand that you need to pay your dues.  As John Carlton likes to say, “you need to get good before you get paid”.

But the problem is that many of these newbie copy cubs are convinced their work is worth top dollar.  And they’ll often charge clients high fees for substandard work.

Amazingly, they often get those fees.  That’s because there’s an entire cottage industry devoted to showing these wet-behind-the-ears copywriters how to negotiate top dollar for their services.  In fact, one copywriting “guru” actually shows new copywriters how to pressure you into paying an exorbitant fee. And then he tells his students to swipe a sales letter from another market and edit it just enough to avoid being sued.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with using a swipe file. I use mine every day. The problem is that a new copywriter doesn’t have the experience to know how to swipe the right way.  And that can put you in the hot seat.

You see, when a copywriter uses a swipe file, it’s not meant to be a “steal file”.  It’s an IDEA file.

Swiping an entire sales letter is stealing, plain and simple. The fact is that most companies copyright their sales materials. So if your copywriter steals someone else’s sales letter and doesn’t change it enough …and then you use that letter in your business… you can actually be sued for copyright infringement!

Worse, new copywriters often don’t understand the techniques “hidden” in copy.  Those master techniques are what make John Carlton’s headlines pull like crazy.  They make Gary Bencivenga’s copy hypnotic.  And they’re what make Clayton Makepeace’s emotional copy so powerful.

But those techniques are subtle.  You won’t learn them from a basic copywriting course.  So when a newbie copywriter swipes a letter—even a letter by one of the copywriting heavyweights above—they can destroy every single “master techniques” hidden in the copy.  And that means the promotion will probably fail miserably.

How to Make Sure You Don’t Get Ripped Off By a “Swipe File Superstar”

Why would you shell out your hard-earned money in return for bad copy that loses you money?  You wouldn’t. And you shouldn’t.

So here’s my first tip: before you hire a copywriter, ask to see some samples of their work.

Then, take the headlines from a few of those samples and type them into Google.

Do the same thing for the subheads.  And do the same thing for a few short paragraphs of the body copy.

If a similar letter pops up in multiple search results, that’s a big red flag.

Because when Google finds the same headline…subheads…and body copy in more than 2 or 3 places, that usually means the entire piece (or most of it) was swiped from somewhere else.

Now call up that copywriter and ask them about what you’ve discovered. If the copywriter is upfront about the fact that the sample is from a swipe, that’s one thing.  But if they try to claim the work is solely theirs…and that they would never steal someone else’s work…walk away.  You’re dealing with someone with…how should I say this…um, “less than ideal” business ethics.

That one tip could save you thousands of dollars in wasted copywriting fees,  legal hassles, and lost profits.

Remember, you’re the client.  You’re paying good money for great copy.  Don’t settle for anything less.  Do your research and make sure you’re hiring the right person for the job.

– Paul