Good Copywriters Don’t Take Your Money—They Make You Money   © 2018 Kris M. Smith

 

I’m frequently astounded when I visit freelance portals on the web where people are looking for copywriters. Most of the seekers seem to want to pay peanuts for evergreen copy and content that will serve them for years.

 

Perhaps it’s no wonder. In this global economy, third world providers are offering their services for much less than first world providers could begin to survive on.

 

But when you’re looking for a professional copywriter—a wordsmith who can turn browsers into buyers and Looky Lou’s into loyalists—third world providers rarely have the chops to deliver satisfactory results.

 

Most of them are taught rudimentary European (UK) English, so their spelling, idioms and more-reserved style doesn’t help build the crucial “know-like-trust” bond in the way a New World-trained writer can.

 

A copywriter’s job IS to make our client money

 

Unlike a content or features writer, whose goals are to inform and/or entertain, a copywriter’s job is to make sure that the words we write get the result our clients want—which is more money in their pockets by way of what we wrote for them—whether it was an ad, a landing page, a commercial, a video script, a brochure, a letter, or something else.

 

Instead of the price of a piece, think in terms of conversions

 

When hiring copywriters, don’t think in terms of the cost of their services, think in terms of how many conversions it will take to cover their costs –and then think of the additional years of conversions you’ll receive after you’ve paid them for their services. Evergreen copy (websites, flyers, brochures, video scripts, etc.) serves you for years; it rarely needs tweaking.

 

An analogy

When you consider buying a new car, you don’t think, “It only took a few thousand dollars in raw materials and forty-five minutes to build this on an assembly line, so why does it cost so much to buy?” You consider its long-term value as you compare it against the price you’re expected to pay for it.

 

You consider the vehicle’s reliability as it relates to getting you where you want to go more quickly and easily than walking or biking. It carries you to your workplace, where you make your money. It takes you on vacation, so you can recover from working as many hours as you do. It takes you to the store to buy what you need when you’re exhausted so you can get home as soon as possible and put your feet up… and the list goes on.

 

Great Copy Works for you 24/7/365

Unlike the vehicle you spent tens of thousands of dollars to buy, evergreen copy never gets parked in the garage or sits idle until you return. It works for you while you work, while you sleep, while you vacation, while you entertain or pursue entertainment. Evergreen copy is your eternal sales force.

 

So, the next time you balk at the price of a professional copywriter’s services in the United States or Canada, remember the value of what you’ll be getting and consider how few conversions the copy needs to make before you’ve paid for it, and I think you’ll find the cost far less off-putting than it might otherwise be.

 

Rule of thumb: hire a writer who is native to the nation your customers are in

If you’re selling your products, services, or cause in the U.S or Canada, your copywriter should be from the U.S. or Canada; if you’re selling to people in England, Australia or New Zealand, it’s best to find a native copywriter worth their salt in those locations.

 

If you can’t find a native whose copy examples you love…

 

be sure the writer you’re considering hiring can show you examples of copy they’ve written for clients in the location where your buyers are. If they can leap this hurdle, and you love the examples you’ve seen in their portfolios, and if their testimonial page is overflowing with compliments from happy customers, past and present, then pay them what they ask. Don’t dicker with them. Respect the time and devotion they spent honing their skills the way you would any other renowned artist.
When it comes to copywriting, you usually get what you pay for. Unless you want something fit only for lining the bottom of a bird cage, go with a pro. You’ll be glad you did!

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Kris M. Smith is a professional copywriter and the author of nine books. Find out more about Kris at YellowBalloonPublications.com and WordWhisperer.net. You can reach out to Kris at kris@wordwhisperer.net.

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