Is the Copywriting Market Saturated: How To Distinguish a Pro from an Amateur Writer
Tuesday, August 9th, 2011Article by Alexandria Marx
Whether you’re a buyer or a seller, the status of the copywriting market affects your ability to enjoy life. Here’s why.Online, the copy on your web pages, ads and emails influence a favorable reaction or not. So as a seller who publishes copy on websites, classified ads and email blasts, you make money with the right copy. As a buyer, you rest easy buying a service or product when the copy you read is persuasive. You feel confident, and when you’re confident, you order. You improve your status quo. The nation’s #1 Sales Trainer, Tom Hopkins in his book titled “How to Master the Art of Selling”, says that sales people have a responsibility to help people own what they need. I’m paraphrasing, but if you have a great product that can improve someone’s life, you need to do all you can to help them own the benefits.That’s a win win. But what happens when the copy doesn’t convert visitors to buyers? Most, turn to a professional copywriter. But if the marketplace is as saturated with new copywriters as it is with website designers, how do you find copywriting services from a writer who delivers that win win?We did a survey and what it revealed may surprise you. Would you believe that out of 1000 responses who claimed to be online copywriters, 36 percent had only started writing copy professionally in the last three months, and of those remaining 96 percent jumped online in the last year. Now, there’s a chance that these new freelance writers know how to convert, but it is a risk for people willing to fork out their hard earned money to get highly converting sales copy. Why count on someone who may not realize all that goes into writing copy for new technologies? A seasoned web writer knows the ins and outs from experience. Trial and error. Testing. Doing it over and over for a hundred different industries, thousands of clients and even millions of direct response results. That brings up the mountainous hurdle that hundreds face who want to make money online. How do you tell the amateur from the copy pro?The benchmark is as obvious as running water. The savvy ones, the copywriters who have earned their stripes after long and arduous labor, these guys have the right to charge higher fees. It’s that old adage that goes something like this. When you hire a plumber to fix a leak, and he fixes it in 10 seconds, most people wonder why the bill is still 0. The answer, of course, is… when you’ve done it 1000 times, it doesn’t take as long to get it right. It’s the same with a copywriting pro. When you know what you’re doing as a writer, you get it right and you want to be compensated for speed, accuracy and results. Some of the greatest writers, such as the legendary David Ogilvy, Dan Kennedy, Mark Joyner, Brian Tracy and Tony Robbins may charge ,000 or more for their services. These guys not only have expertise, but fame and recognition. Good news! There are plenty of not-so-famous copy writers who have a high level of expertise and the consequent lower fee. In fact, there are many top writers with excellent skills who still accept new clients. Fees might range from per hour to 0 per hour. But, hey, would you want to pay to get back… or would it be better to pay and get back. Think about it.Why pay high fees for copywriting services?One of the unfortunate circumstances for many people who need a professional business writer is that the fee is hard to swallow. It’s a mountainous hurdle that clouds their judgement and often sends people running straight for the amateur. What happens 9 times out of 10 is that “make money” outcome from an amateur writer is less than profitable. Sales continue to be sluggish. And the person who needed the good copy is left full of disappointment. Instead of blaming the amateur copywriter who I’m sure tried his best, this employer needs to understand that you get what you pay for. What’s even funnier is that an acquaintance did a rough inquiry of something like 150 web owners, some with a high Alexa ranking and some with a ranking in the millions. What he discovered is that the more desperate a web page seller is, the less he is willing to pay for help. Not just copywriting help, but web redesign and online marketing help, too. Go figure?So… is the copywriting market saturated. Absolutely, which makes it pretty challenging for people who need highly converting sales copy. How can you tell the difference between an amateur and a copy pro? Check the fee. It’s a gauge that’s more revealing than reviewing copy and checking references — and the reasons why are best suited for another article. Sorry.
About the Author
Alexandria Marx is a professional advertising copywriter, web designer and Internet marketer with two decades of experience helping small business people succeed on the Internet. Working with over a thousand clients while facing injury and illness, Marx writes about overcoming challenges in business, as well as, at home to make life the best it can be. Visit DM-Creative.com for help with Web Design and Hosting. Discover Marx’s personal perspective about life’s challenges on her blog Being Grand.