Tweaking your way to copywriting hell

About once a week, someone contacts me with a letter or ad they want me to “tweak.”

Definition of tweak: “I read a book on copywriting over the weekend and wrote my own copy. It sucks. I desperately need your help, but I’m too cheap to pay you to write something for me.”

This, my friends, is a no-win situation for a highly paid copywriter.

If you tell the prospect their copy sucks, you’ll insult them. If you quote them your full price, you won’t get the job. If you take the job and do it on the cheap, you’ll have a hard time because a) you’ll have to rewrite the copy without it appearing that you rewrote it or b) you’ll have to start from scratch and get paid a fraction of what the work is worth.

How you handle a tweaker is up to you, but here’s what I do:

I ask to look at the copy before I say anything else. If the copy really isn’t that bad, I play along and agree to a rewrite. If the copy is bad, I say so. I quote my price for new copy and let the chips fall.

Will this result in a loss of business? Yes and no. Yes, because if you charge high fees, any time you give a quote, you’ll lose business from someone not willing to pay what you charge. No, because if someone can’t afford your fees, that’s not a client you want anyway. You really aren’t losing anything by not working for those who do not fit your client description.

What if you’re just starting out and need the money? Take the job. Early on, you need experience more than anything. And you won’t have to deal with the “opportunity cost” of working for less than your standard fees because you probably don’t have work queued up for weeks or months anyway as do many top copywriters.

Takeaway: Beware the tweak. For some copywriters, this means more trouble than it’s worth.

I’m curious, do designers and other freelancers experience the tweak too? Are there similar situations in other businesses?

The $64,000 self-promotion letter

Most people who get into the freelance copywriting business do so because they love to write compelling copy. They seldom do it because they want to spend time finding clients.

However, to survive as a freelancer, you DO have to find clients. It’s just part of the profession.

Recently, I ran across a unique resource called “The Freelance Copywriter’s $64,000 Direct Mail Self-Promotion Package.” It’s written by Pete Savage, a copywriter in Canada.

Now I’ve been around a while and have seen all sorts of e-books and reports that promise to give you the “secret” for success in this business. Most, frankly, are full of tripe and nonsense from people who don’t actually earn a living as a copywriter.

Pete’s book is different. For one thing, Pete really does earn a living writing copy. For another, it’s very specific and practical. It’s not just “how-to,” it’s “here’s exactly how-to.” Read more

Freelance success begins with mindset

Henry Ford is quoted as saying, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – either way you’re right.”

It’s one of those quotes that make you think before you understand what it means. But when you finally get it, it’s one of those “Ah ha!” moments.

What Ford was talking about was “mindset.” It’s the idea that the way you think affects the way you act and, therefore, what you are able to accomplish. This is directly related to being a freelance copywriter or designer.

If you think you can’t make much money as a freelancer, you won’t. If you think no one will believe in your skills, they won’t. If you think you can’t leave your job because you’re just not good enough to make it on your own, then you’ll never even try.

Perception is reality. Read more

The Dunning-Kruger Effect and the secret for coping with the incompetents around you

There’s nothing more exasperating than being an expert and having to deal with someone who isn’t but is quite certain he or she is. I experience this frequently and I know you do too. And guess what? There’s actually a name for it: the Dunning-Kruger Effect.

Wikipedia defines the Dunning-Kruger Effect like this: “… the phenomenon wherein people who have little knowledge think that they know more than others who have much more knowledge.”

Sound familiar?

Here’s a good example. Long ago I was interviewing for an ad agency job in Las Vegas. When the guy who owned the small agency found out I was interested in direct response, he began explaining to me that no headline should ever, EVER, be more than seven words. Seven was the magic number. And the magic number was seven. Six, maybe. Sometimes five. But never eight. And certainly not nine. 10 was right out.

When I asked him why, he took on the air of superiority that I didn’t have a name for then and repeated that seven words were magic.

Yup, Dunning-Kruger Effect. Read more

10 obvious ideas for spectacular success

They say, “There’s a sucker born every minute.” And it must be true. Because there’s no end to people who think there are shortcuts to success.

There aren’t. Sorry.

The keys to success are the same today as in years past. The most important being “have something people want.” (Which ironically includes get rich quick schemes. Am I evil for thinking that’s funny?)

Obvious? Sure. So are all the other keys to success. Like “be persistent.” Or “don’t be afraid to fail.”

I got to thinking about this recently when I read a list of 10 ways to get ink at 37signals, which provides basic ideas for getting people to notice you or your product. It’s a nice little list of things to do if you want to be successful.

Why are such obvious ideas so often ignored? I have a few ideas about this, but I’m curious about what you think. Why do people seek the miraculous when the obvious is right in front of them?

← Previous Page

• Recently Written

  • How Technology Has Changed Creativity in the Ad Business
  • HootSuite: How to do a week of social media marketing in just 20 minutes!
  • Wise, witty quotes from the advertising masters
  • Do you sell “things” or experiences?
  • How to explain what you do for a living
  • Copywriting blogs you should be reading today
  • 99 old-fangled tips to goose your direct mail
  • Free shipping: Does it actually boost sales?
  • How to set up a Facebook fan page that works
  • Email Marketing Best Practices 101

• Categories

  • Advertising
  • B2B
  • Book Reviews
  • Branding
  • Copywriting
  • Creativity
  • Design
  • Direct Mail
  • Direct Marketing
  • Direct Response
  • E-Mail Marketing
  • Fundraising
  • Interviews
  • Lead Generation
  • Miscellaneous
  • Online Marketing
  • Print Ads
  • Radio Ads
  • Selling Psychology
  • Social Media
  • Success
  • Television Ads
  • Web Sites

• Blogroll

  • A List Apart
  • B2B Lead Generation Blog
  • Ballantine Blog
  • Click to Client
  • Copyblogger
  • Copywriter Underground
  • Copywriting Maven
  • Direct Marketing Blog
  • Duct Tape Marketing
  • Email Marketing Reports
  • Freelance Folder
  • Golden Pencil
  • Graphic Design Blog
  • MarketingProfs
  • Naked Idea
  • ProFreelancing
  • Seth Godin’s Blog
  • Ted Grigg’s Reflections
  • Wealthy Freelancer
  • Web Shop’s Best Practices
  • Write to Done

Copyright © 2007-2009 Direct Creative • Design based on theme by Brian Gardner