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Why Buyers Need to Learn the Value of a Copywriter

Discussion in 'Copywriting' started by Tudi, Jan 3, 2008.

  1. drc4417

    drc4417 Peon

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    #21
    Copy, just like any marketing on the internet is becoming more and more about who you know. I have only been writing copy for a couple months and I already have alot of work solely becuase I know a lot of pretty big marketers that always need work.

    Oh and I guess my copy converts well too ;) thats a biggie :-p
     
    drc4417, Jan 5, 2008 IP
  2. euanb21

    euanb21 Peon

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    #22
    People in business are always taught to be their own best marketers A good example of this is that in Introduction to Business courses, run on both sides of the Atlantic, they stress the importance of a good "elevator speech". The rationale behind this is that as a business owner, you should know your business on a deeper level than anyone.

    I think a lot of this spills into business owners when it comes to having copy written for their site.

    I've worked with clients who'd gladly pay £10K+ ($5k+) for a half page advert in the local press that lasts the day it is published (plus how ever long it takes the paper to be thrown out) but wouldn't pay around £100 ($50) to have some quality content written for their site that promotes the business to a greater audience and for a longer period.

    When I do Project Management work, I often absorb the cost of a good copyrighter into my quote, knowing full well that the client will see the benefit, meaning they're happy with me and come back with more business.

    Developers AND clients need to be aware of the benefits of good copy.
     
    euanb21, Jan 5, 2008 IP
  3. Tudi

    Tudi Peon

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    #23
    Spot on. I have the same problem when attracting SEO customers locally. Marketers have no clue about SEO here in Romania, so when I tell them that site traffic wise, $1,000 spent in SEO are way better than $5,000 in some weekly or monthly ads, I get raised eyebrows.

    I think it's because conventional methods like paper ads are "tried and tested" over time, whereas traffic coming in from the search engines through quality content is viewed as somewhat of a risk. It's all about educating the buyers on what they're buying.
     
    Tudi, Jan 5, 2008 IP
  4. latoya

    latoya Active Member

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    #24
    The frustrating thing is that there's a great demand for web content. You see all these requests for articles and think about how much you could make if only those buyers would pay your rates. I guess that would make the business too easy...

    A lot of people in the web business are simply ignorant about what it takes to be successful. You'll drive yourself crazy trying to convey the value of good copy and content to the webmaster population. Some get it and some don't. Your time will be better spent finding the ones that get it rather than trying to change the minds of those that don't.
     
    latoya, Jan 5, 2008 IP
  5. Tudi

    Tudi Peon

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    #25
    Yep. Those "Make Money Online With a $10 Investment" E-books aren't helping us either :)

    I like your sales page on the PLR site Latoya. But the title was slightly confusing, after reading what you just said in the post above :)
     
    Tudi, Jan 5, 2008 IP
  6. The Emirates Gallastico

    The Emirates Gallastico Banned

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    #26
    Actually... writing eBooks is probably hands on the easiest way for writers to make money online :)
     
  7. EternalSonata

    EternalSonata Banned

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    #27
    Yea the low rates are really making me mad but I take them now because I need to make $40 fast. If you can tell me were your getting these $15 an article jobs could you tell me.
     
    EternalSonata, Jan 5, 2008 IP
  8. latoya

    latoya Active Member

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    #28
    Thanks, I think. :) At the end of the day, there are buyers who don't want to pay a lot for content, we've established that. Buyers can't have it all - low price, good writing, and full rights. So rather than try to change their minds, I offer a quality product that competes on price with a compromise on ownership. A lot of buyers are interested in purchasing content from me, but aren't willing to pay my rates for original content. Rather than lower my rates just for the extra business, I say, "You can purchase content from me and I'll allow you to share the cost with other buyers. You'll be sharing reprint rights with those other buyers, too." PLR is a "if you can't beat em, join em" kind of solution. So I guess I am playing in the "those that don't (understand the value of good content)" market a little.
     
    latoya, Jan 6, 2008 IP
  9. WriterMLH

    WriterMLH Peon

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    #29
    I started with bidding sites paying low for articles because I was able to get clients who then paid me more after they were impressed with my work. I usually only bid on projects that closely relate to my niche because I can market myself better. Once that project is completed, those clients usually contact me afterwards to do more work and then I tell them my "real" rate range. It's kind of like a bait tactic. :)

    But I agree with you, it is ashame how undervalued we are and how others who are willing to work so low are driving this low priced article market. But like others have said, you get what you pay for. If you want to pay low prices you get low quality. I wish people would understand that unique high quality content can benefit them so much more!
     
    WriterMLH, Jan 6, 2008 IP
  10. Tudi

    Tudi Peon

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    #30
    I give them the first article free and put a lot of work in it to make it shine. That's my bait. Some clients will just take the free article and never call me back, but 9 out of 10 will come back impressed and ask for more. That's my baiting tactic.
     
    Tudi, Jan 6, 2008 IP
  11. YoungSmeagol

    YoungSmeagol Well-Known Member

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    #31
    In the past I've had quite a few decent articles written for $.01-$.02 per word (none of them were from DP though).

    The articles for the most part don't have any grammatical or spelling errors but it's not the best web copy. The copy is basically dull. Suprisingly, my articles are better than most of my competition (probably because my niche has lots of spammers and affiliates with no content at all).

    I need something that pops like the way your (the OP) World of Warcraft site is written. However, when I try to express this to the writers they don't understand. They just continue writing the same way. I've gone up to $.03 per word and it's the same.

    So $15/500 is actually a good deal for that kind of writing.
     
    YoungSmeagol, Jan 9, 2008 IP
  12. Tudi

    Tudi Peon

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    #32
    I'm glad you enjoyed the content I wrote on my site. PM me with the subjects you need content on, I might be able to make them pop :)
     
    Tudi, Jan 9, 2008 IP
  13. Soccerplayur012

    Soccerplayur012 Peon

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    #33
    Myself and others have been on a campaign to help the lower cost writers find that they're actually worth more than that -- and hopefully encouraging them to raise their rates to humanly levels.
     
    Soccerplayur012, Jan 9, 2008 IP
  14. Tudi

    Tudi Peon

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    #34
    Add me to the list Soccerplayur. I was hoping this thread would work in that sense as well.
     
    Tudi, Jan 9, 2008 IP
  15. SteveTaylor

    SteveTaylor Active Member

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    #35
    Ladies and Gentle, I share your concerns.

    By no mean do I claim to be a professional writer. However I have always written my own content on my sites and only recently started looking at outsourcing. As such, I know the time and effort required in trying to write a decent article. The value of a well written 500 word article IS far more than the $15 a good writer wants.

    With that said, I am interested in having some health articles written for couple of my websites. If anyone is interested, please PM me. I will provide the "keyword", you will supply the article.

    Payment is negotiable.

    Thank you and keep up the good work.
     
    SteveTaylor, Jan 10, 2008 IP
  16. cmoylan

    cmoylan Peon

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    #36
    Very sad, I suppose. However, if two people get together and decide $3 per article is fair, I can see that this would cause problems on both sides. The writer will not want to do re-writes if the customer is not satisfied. They may lose out on repeat work too. The customer will end up with work that is shoddy, at best, and have to find someone else to fix it. You get what you pay for.
     
    cmoylan, Jan 17, 2008 IP
  17. Tudi

    Tudi Peon

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    #37
    Yeah, in those situations, re-writing, editing and correcting usually costs more than actually having the stuff written. Where's the logic in that?
     
    Tudi, Jan 17, 2008 IP
  18. eFYI

    eFYI Peon

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    #38
    I am well paid for my work. When things are slow I sometimes help other writers with their deadlines for fees lower than I am accustomed to, but that is my choice. I do not rewrite for below my rate articles.

    I agree with cool copy, that we are responsible for what we get paid for our writing. If our writing is good and we can't obtain the pay we think is fair then we must be deficient in marketing or some other area.

    Love your English Tudi.
     
    eFYI, Jan 20, 2008 IP
  19. Tudi

    Tudi Peon

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    #39
    Thanks :)

    DP really helped me a lot in this sense, although I'm still new to these forums. Back in the day, I used to go into a bid with a negotiation in mind, now I just pop my rates and if the buyer doesn't agree, I won't budge a dime lower. There are plenty of bigger fish out there, we just need to change the lure from time to time :)
     
    Tudi, Jan 20, 2008 IP
    Will.Spencer likes this.
  20. webgal

    webgal Peon

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    #40
    But you have to consider that writers are not always great marketers. But I do agree with this. I've just ventured into this. I have a lot of knowledge so why not share it. However, not everyone wants to take the time to do something right until they've failed a few times.
     
    webgal, Jan 20, 2008 IP