How To Spot (And Write) Million-Dollar Copy

As a MarketingforSuccess.com reader, you probably already know how important good copy is. Good copy is a 24-7 salesperson, constantly driving leads, sales, and profits. Over the life of your business, one great sales letter could easily pay for itself 100…500…even 1000 times over.

But there’s just one problem: good copy ain’t cheap.For instance, if you want to hire someone who’s good—not great—at copywriting, you can expect to pay at least $2000 for a sales letter or long form web copy. And you should get that money back—many times over—within 3-6 months, assuming you’ve done your marketing homework.

Now, if you want to hire a really good (still not great) copywriter, you can expect to pay $3000…$4000…or $5000+ for a sales letter.

That’s because really good copywriters are worth their weight in gold. They’ve proven that they can make sales skyrocket-or else they wouldn’t be getting those rates. And in many cases, they’re booked 30-60 days in advance…because past clients are clamoring for a spot on their schedule.

And if you want to hire someone who’s copywriting skills are A-list—the guys like Clayton Makepeace, John Carlton, or Parris Lampropulous—you’ll have to plunk down a cool $15,000-$25,000 upfront…plus a piece of the profits on the backend. Over time, a top copywriter can earn millions in royalties from a single promotion. And their clients will make much, much more.

But if you’re a small business owner—or you’re just starting out—even “good copywriter” prices can be too steep.

Now, I’m not going to try to sell you on why you should shell out money for copywriting. But I am here to warn you about a dangerous trap many business owners fall into.

You see, when it comes to copywriting—like most of things in life—you get what you pay for. You may be tempted to hire a copywriter who’s willing to work for peanuts.

And, in some cases, you find a talented newbie copy cub who really “gets it”. They understand your market, they’re clear on your pitch, and they come up with a great hook. And they knock it out of the park.

But that’s not what usually happens. What usually happens is that you discover—after you’ve spent your hard-earned money—that a $250 sales letter ends up costing you a lot more in lost sales. And good luck getting that newbie to re-write it.

So if you can’t afford $2000-$5000 for a sales letter, and you don’t want to take the risk of hiring the wrong copywriter, what can you do?

Simple. Become very well educated on what makes for good copy.

You see, when you really get the underlying mechanics of good copy, you can spot it a mile away. That makes choosing a good copywriter easy. If they don’t follow the rules laid out in those books…well, they’re probably not very good.

Luckily, there’s a simple way to get really good at spotting great copy. And it should only take about a week!

All you have to do is read a few short, easy-to-read books by the old-school masters of copywriting:

“How to Write a Good Advertisement” by Victor Schwab

“Tested Advertising Methods” by John Caples

“Scientific Advertising/My Life in Advertising” by Claude Hopkins

You may have heard of these books before. You may have even read them. If so…read them again. I read each one at least once a year—usually more. And each time I come away with something new.

So if you can’t quite swing hiring a good (or great) copywriter yet, these books are your ticket to success.

When you apply the lessons from these advertising classics, you’ll be able to spot good (and great) copy from a mile away. And you’ll avoid wasting your hard-earned money on copywriting that doesn’t deliver.

And you might get good—really good—at copywriting yourself. In fact, when you apply what you learn in these books, you can’t help but write solid, money-making copy!

And when you combine those new copywriting skills with your passion for your business and your knowledge about your prospects…the sky’s the limit!

In most cases, the copy you write will be far superior to anything a newbie or even “good” copywriter can produce. And you won’t have to pay anyone else a dime.

Now if you really want to make that new copy of yours shine, you can always ask an experienced copy pro for a critique. Some copywriters don’t like to do this. Personally, I love reading other people’s copy, especially if it’s a business owner’s copy. There’s usually a great energy to it that most copy lacks. And after a few tweaks, it becomes even more successful. It creates a win-win situation; the business owner is happy and makes more money. Next thing you know, they’re too busy taking orders to write…so they hire me. Everyone wins!