Which Things To Know While Hiring Any CopyWriter?

This is not a hiring thread..

Kindly give me some insight of how people hire good, efficient, professional, cheap (not dirt cheap and but not $1 per character too ) copywriters. Which things to look for while hiring.. i mean beside their pricing. i have idea of getting somebody on per project basis.. will that do? how to check their efficiency and professionalism while dealing em online?

Give some input plz !

 

Here are things you can look into:

1. Their portfolio. Gives you a feel of their writing, can show you their field of expertise.
2. Their overall website. Can they sell themselves to you? If they can, chances are they know how to write copy that sells.
3. Find out how they work. Some copywriters shows prospects the process of working with them.
4. Their clients. Could also tell you how much they charge. Big names often require big money.

I hope that helps.

 

Checking their portfolio and / or client list first is always a good idea. It will give you a clue as to whether or not their style works for you, and whether or not they're experienced working with companies similar to yours. I'd lean against any copywriter who doesn't have their own professional site (that's essentially the first sample you'll see - if they can't sell their own services effectively, they may not be capable of selling yours, assuming you mean marketing or sales copy and not simply articles).

Something else you could try is sending them some details about your project and asking for a quote if their rates aren't already publicly available. See how they respond. Are they more interested in making a quick buck, or does their response show they spent some time on your site (they're asking questions, making suggestions for an approach to your project, etc.).

 

I agree with the things stated above.

Check out the portfolio and client list of the copywriter and maybe ask if he/she has any testimonials.

 

one specific thing you should look for is whether they are comfortable writing about your topics. with basic topics like celebrities, yoga, child-rearing, there are innumerable people willing to write for you... but if you have something slightly technical, then you have to make sure that the writer you are considering can handle your task. in other words, almost any writer can write about basic topics, but only a few can tackle technical/mechanical/financial/legal ones.

 

Aside from the above answers, keep this in mind, if he seeks 0.01 - 0.02 per word and says he's an American/British - that's a LIE. Also, try to chat with him/her, you can gauge their knowledge of English thru that.

 

This isn't true, actually. For website content (so SEO or marketing/sales) I charge $0.02 per word, because I tend to end up taking large orders. It ends up coming to $10 per 500 words, based on articles that are almost always about the same topic the whole way through. Research is limited, and the same information is generally rewritten in new ways.

$0.02 per word is fair in my opinion for this type of service, and it is a lower end of a standard that some writers use. I even have offered sales where I charge $7.50 per article in a certain number of orders, like recently when I came off of maternity leave, and so turnaround was slow.

All of this is from a US-based writer, born, raised, and educated in America.

 

I myself am an article writer.

Whenever i offer my services, i ensure i cover every question that could possibly be asked by the potential customer.

If i was hiring myself, what would i like to know??

References and examples!!

You cant argue with proof!!

 

Portfolio and work samples are primary things you need to watch out for before hiring a person. That takes care of 50% work and for the rest 50% assurance, chat with the guy whom you wish to hire before making a final decision.

 

Firstly, they should have the capability to think out of the box, i.e.,they should be innovative and also have the ability to present it logically. Secondly, they always should think like a laymen or consumer. This is a basic rule and should not be ignored as you can easily make your idea popular and liked by all with the help of this. Thirdly, they should know the liking of the client as to how he wants to see the product or service.

 

Definitely, first you should always check out their portfolio and their clients. If hiring on this forum, you can always refer back to the iTraders, which will give you a clear insight about the writers ability. Another point which you can keep in mind is that, you should always go for niche writers and not general writers, as the quality of articles much better.

 

I think samples are the best way to know whether a copywriter can do a brilliant job or not. Other than that, if they have a testimonial or they can provide you with their website address, that may make a lot of sense.

Do you know, not many copywriters who offer sales copy can write sales letters so well?

Therefore, if you are looking for quality then you must find someone who can offer you a quality guarantee as most copywriters will charge you for the work done irrespective of whether it is useful to you or not. You may end up losing your money if you can't find someone who can definitely give you copy that is worthwhile.

If someone is offering you a quality guarantee or your money back (you can't use the copy if you ask for a refund), then that means that the copywriter has the confidence to offer you quality. At most times, it won't be good to ask for refunds if a professional copywriter has wasted a lot of time writing a sales letter for your target audience.

Last but not the least, all you can do is pay 50 % advance to the copywriter so if it doesn't work out, atleast you don't lose the whole amount. You could pay up like the rest 50% at the first revision. Sale copywriting is an art and a science and not every one can write copy that sells. Writing copy that sells is indeed something very important and very few copywriters are really great at it. .

If you're looking for website content, you must try out the writer first before you ask the person to deliver each and every page. This way you're sure that your work will be done with great level of concentration, that its hits your target niche audience and it makes your prospective clients think of asking you further for your product details to hit a definite sale.

If it's article writing, one must find a niche based copywriter who knows the niche well enough so that they can attract the 'right' kind of traffic to your website. If you want quality, you got to pay for it. Each of the niches have to be specific in their writing style focusing on the target audience's niche-based needs.

 

iTrader actually tells you almost nothing. Some of the worst writers here have a large amount of positive iTrader feedback. That's because A) many buyers can't recognize grammatical and spelling errors so they can't judge the quality accurately, and B) if they leave negative iTrader the writer may do the same (no one wants negative reciprocal iTrader).

Writers focusing on direct response copy should absolutely have a history of conversions to demonstrate that they know what they're doing, but that doesn't mean they'll offer a money-back guarantee. They're also smart enough to know that copy alone is not enough - you could write the best copy in the world, and it won't convert if the client doesn't do their job and drive traffic to it for example (and well-targeted traffic at that). In that case, a money-back guarantee would be foolish without extremely detailed requirements to account for those other factors, especially if it's a new sales letter with no existing traffic or past conversions to compare it to. Something many copywriters actually do instead is charge an up front payment (smaller than if they were charging just a one-time payment), and then a percentage of sales or other incentive based on conversions.

 

Thanks Jenn for this input. I actually didn't see it from this angle.

 

and If I may add, always remember this "Fast, Good and Cheap, and pick any two"

 

True, I currently write articles, not copy, from 10$ to 50$ pr. 500 words. Obviously the 10$ articles are of a different quality than the 50$ articles. It's really a reflection of the time I put in to research and write the article. Because I know my niches very well, I don't need to spend a lot of time researching so it basically comes down to putting the words on the sheet. For a 50$ article that is something else entirely, in that case I deliver unique content that will stand apart from 99% of internet content.

It's flexible pricing - Why try to sell something to people that you know they can't afford?

When it comes to sales copy though I don't charge pr. word but pr. project.

 

Gocali - when you're an "expert" in the subject matter (meaning you can write from experience, and possibly faster on a topic), you should generally charge more rather than less. That knowledge comes at a premium precisely because you can finish the project quickly without a lot of generic research.

Why try to sell something to people that you know they can't afford?

If they can't afford it, you don't lower prices. You find someone who can. #1 mistake I see with freelance writers: they don't properly target their markets, so they end up earning less than they could be (exception of course being those who can't actually write, who wouldn't be able to sell anyone on the higher rates).

 

Hi

Thanks for your advice..

I am relatively new to writing and only have a few clients who have proper budgets, which is why I pickup these low paying jobs from time to time. It's a question of paying the bills or not.

I do agree, that it is devaluing your product to write for these clients at these low rates, but until I find more clients in the target group, it's something that has to be done.

As I complete more better paying offers, I plan to phase out these projects entirely!

Any suggestions on how to grow a client base?

 

I'm not sure how others do it here, but here's how it works for me:

1. Get a client through various means (referrals from former colleagues, my site, PMs here at DP, cold contacting, etc.)
2. Exceed their expectations in your delivery of the project
3. Rinse and repeat

Overly simplistic, I know. It takes time and a lot of effort to really grow your client base.

Hope that helps.

 

Start building your platform and your network. That's how you not only find higher paying work, but it finds you.

If your current higher-paying clients are happy with your work, ask them for referrals. Chances are good that they're networked with others who may be able to hire you.

Visit blogs and forums for writers, and start networking with other writers. Your colleagues are also good people to get referrals through.

When you're approached about work you don't do, be sure to refer someone who can handle the job well. You'll not only make the other writer happy, increasing your chances they'll do the same someday, but it can impress the client if that writer does a good job, and they do often come back to you then when they have a project in your specialty area.

Start your own blog. Publish a short report or e-book of interest to your target market. Release a white paper. Make sure you have a professional site set up, and have a portfolio available. If you don't already have your rates published on your site, try making them public. I've found it weeds out clients who can't afford you very effectively - they just don't contact you, so you don't waste time trying to justify rates to people who won't hire you. If you're not comfortable listing standard rates, list a range.

There are a lot of things you can do. In the end, it's about building visibility. It won't happen immediately, but it also doesn't have to take very long. But it's up to you - keep taking lower-paying jobs to fill in the "holes," or get busy building a platform with some of that time. It's a bit tougher up front, but it pays off and can get you where you want to be much more quickly than taking those low-paying jobs. It's about investing some of that time back into your own career.