How to choose a copywriter, when they are all seemingly lying to you?
Here’s a big risk you can take in your career: Not lying. The thing is, the best ones lie. I lie. You lie. Everybody lies.
And yet, lies can turn sour very quickly. And when you are wondering how to choose a copywriter, the lies can compromise your business. A lot.
So I decided to make this article and expose myself, in a way. Since I am a copywriter that believes in transparency, as my About page explains, these are the lies your average copywriter will tell you. Because let’s be honest, you must have heard one of these at least once.
Well, let’s not waste any time. By the end of this article, you will learn how to choose a copywriter based on the lies they tell you.
1) I have a flat rate of $50
The mother of all lies. Every copywriter that actually knows what they are doing knows that prices vary depending on the customer they are talking with.
I have made this great article discussing how prices can change depending on what content writer you are talking to. And in a very, very similar fashion, copywriters will have the same rules.
Choose a copywriter that will talk to you directly BEFORE negotiating a price.
We charge for every individual project. Never trust flat rates.
2) I am super cheap!
So, here’s an ad for a content writing job I found on Facebook:
Yes, you read that right. 25 articles a month, 2000 words each, 5 years of experience, and a whopping pay of $170 a month. Assuming that a 1000 article takes an experienced copywriter 2 hours to write, that is a minimum of 40 hours a month, AKA about $4.25 an hour as the MAXIMUM you can make by working in this amazing opportunity.
And don’t forget, you need to have AT LEAST 5 years of experience to work for this guy.
Now, let’s look at the comments and who applied for this exciting, life-changing copywriting gig.
I don’t know, but none of these comments really inspire me with confidence. How likely is it that guy that can “write on any niche include the complex ones” will write you a quality article meant to promote your business further? Most importantly, what is this guy even thinking?
Don’t get me wrong. I am not mocking this guy’s English skills. But let’s be honest, it’s like buying a ton of rat poison just because it’s cheap..
Further reading: How much should I pay a content writer?
Pay your writers what they deserve. Low prices = low quality.
3) This article is the best you can get
Unfortunately, writing content is a very subjective topic. What I think is great may suck in your opinion.
Further reading: Universal concepts of good writing by Writing Cooperative.
There’s no good or bad in copywriting. There’s just the copywriter that listens to the customer, and the one that just rolls with what they think is cool.
4) I know everything already
Research is king. The reason why your freelancer may be asking for a week or so to do a seemingly easy job is that they will likely spend a bunch of time researching the topic in detail. To quote Abraham Lincoln:
“If I only had an hour to chop down a tree, I would spend the first 45 minutes sharpening my ax.”.
Is your copywriter sharpening their ax, or are they saving themselves some time?
5) I can do it in 24 hours
You know the adage, “Rome wasn’t built in a day”?
Rome was the product of visionaries, architects, soldiers, farmers, and more. In the same way, great copy is the product of research, passion, time, and creativity.
Don’t expect something great if you don’t let the copywriter incubate their ideas and develop new, exciting pieces.
6) This looks like a great project
“This looks like an amazing project” is the business equivalent of being told by your mum that you are the most handsome boy in your class.
Unless you were really that handsome – unfortunately, I wasn’t gifted with great looks, so I can’t relate -, you AND your mum both knew it was complete BS.
Am I saying that your project sucks?
No. But it’s a lie copywriters tell to make you convinced they are excited to work on your project and you just struck gold with this one.
Don’t get me wrong, many projects are super exciting. But saying “I am excited to work with you” kinda grows boring after a while. It’s learning more about your industry that excites me. Conveying the message as it should be conveyed excites me.
Forget about the money and the project. It’s your message that excites me. Choose a copywriter that falls in love with your story.
7) Just trust me.
I used to say “Trust me, I can do this and that” a bit too much, at the start of my career.
Trust me, my work is good.
Trust me, I have worked on this before.
Alas, there’s nothing to back up my claims. Of course, my greatest achievements as a wordsmith come in the form of results. For example, I grew particularly fond of this project, where my copy sold a house worth half a million within a couple of days. Or this other project, where I built the content for an entire website in 3 days for their big launch day.
Don’t trust your copywriter. Trust their portfolio – or lack of -. Sometimes, most of the gems copywriters write do not get published or are thrown in the “we’ll publish them later” pile.
For example, you can ask me about a folder with all of my unpublished work. We are talking about 3 years’ worth of unpublished content, so tread carefully.
Up to the challenge? Here is the folder of unpublished work, then.
Always check your writer’s portfolio or past work. Let results that you see speak for themselves.
8) I have plenty of customers
No, I don’t. Contact me today. Please.
Alright, jokes aside, so many copywriters will try to overcharge you by claiming they have many, many other clients and their schedule is pretty full.
The thing is, they don’t.
I mean, don’t get me wrong, having many, many clients is awesome, but quality copywriting is far from being a numbers game. It’s a job and a responsibility that requires a great deal of brainstorming, and therefore, overloading myself with clients would just lead me to burnout and embarrassing pieces of copy (I am guilty of some big screw-ups in the past, I will be honest).
What do you do when you have too many customers? You simply don’t take any other onboard, or slightly increase your current price so that supply meets demand.
There is no shortage of customers or talent. There’s a shortage of integrity. Choose a copywriter that will be straight up with you.
9) I am qualified because I have a degree in English Literature
I wish I could have gotten a penny for every copywriter I have met that paid for a university course – or worse, an English Literature degree.
There’s nothing wrong with studying English Literature. To be honest, I often take inspiration from classic Shakespearean stories when creating fictional stories. However, this is copywriting. Marketing. It’s all about making money, and telling a story is just part of a bigger process.
An exceptional copywriter doesn’t need a degree. To be honest, anyone can become a copywriter – it’s just a matter of thinking outside the box, having a passion for words, and conveying messages.
However, that’s not enough to be an excellent copywriter.
The secret to great copy is great researching skills, not a degree in English Literature.
10) This will sell to anyone
The thing is… It won’t. Nothing sells to everyone. Take a look at this quick piece of copy I wrote and follow the instructions:
Aren’t you tired of looking at your Analytics and seeing zero visitors every day? You have poured all of your energy into your business, and now it’s just not selling.
Hold on, someone is knocking on your door. That’s right, it’s me. Yes, me.
With over 4 years in the copywriting industry, I have accrued some significant accomplishments and landed some serious contracts along the way. But my goal remains the same: Getting you the content you deserve.
Content that gets customers ringing at your doorbell just like that. Content that elevates your authority, SEO optimized content meant to go viral.
It’s easier than you think. Contact me today, and let’s get that sorted for you.
So, did the piece of copy sell me? If you think it did, click on the link up above, that nice blue word saying “Contact me”. If you think that my copy sucked, then click this link instead. It’s fine to be honest with your copywriter – if you don’t like something they have written, then feedback is appreciated, to say the least.
Choose a copywriter that will be honest with you.