Copywriters - anyone any experience with them?

[TheBigCheese]

Hi everyone

I was wondering if anyone had any experience with copywriters - people who write content for your website etc.

I know there are a few of them on here but I'm more interested at the moment to hear about any experiences people have had from using their services.

I have a website that has had the same text on it for a few years and while it brings in custom it's not as much as I hoped...our website ranking also vary from being in the top 3 to mid 300s depending on the type of service the customer requires.

I wrote all the copy myself but found it to be a rather draining and stressful job and whenever I look at it now my mind just goes blank so I was wondering about the worth of having others do it.

As in any sector we have competitors that charge less than we do but do half the work for it, our work takes longer but produces a much better result and that's something that I want to explain to customers without pointing them to our competitors.

I would also like the copy to help with SEO whilst not appearing to push the customer into our services.

Not much to ask eh?

So...who has worked with copywriters and how have you found their services and prices?

Very many thanks in advance!

 

[TheBlogshop]

The problem you're likely to find is that because of the vast array of copywriters available, the initial prices you'll receive will seem cheap - but the end product is likely to reflect this.

I'm not saying that all cheap copywriters produce poor content (or conversely that all copywriters who charge higher rates produce fantastic content), but like with most things, the more you spend, the more you're going to get.

The other thing to keep in mind is that many people often underestimate the cost of writing content. As an example, to you, £50 might seem expensive for a page of website copy, but if it's around 500 words in length and the copywriter needs to research your organisation and industry, take into account time for initial editing and proofing, followed by any edits you request yourself and you could easily be looking at two hours work.

Yes, £25 per hour might be a lot better than many people earn, but keeping in mind a freelance copywriter has to pay at least their own tax and NI (let's say 22.5% to cover both of these), which takes you to £16.80 per hour, as well as any additional costs (think office space, electricity, internet, etc) and you could be well under the £15 per hour mark.

Just a few points to keep in mind - hope they help.

 

[Deleted member 120503]

Bit tricky to answer really.

A- list Copywriters can charge $25k upfront plus % and you wouldn't be able to hire them as they are in massive demand.

Obviously you don't need them and they wouldn't be interested in little old you.

What do you sell? What is your website? I'm not a copywriter so not touting for anything here just want to see what your site has on it.

Dan

PS: Just read the above. So to the OP define Copywriting. The above person is not describing what I call a Copywriter. (Salesman in print) Maybe you think the same as him and not me.

 

[BustersDogs]

I got a very good price for two short articles a month for my newsletter. I could do it myself, but have got to the stage where I've forgotten how much pet owners don't know so had to get someone else in to help me!

I don't think I'd want to pay for a whole website rewrite at once, but maybe have a couple of key pages done and see if there is any improvement?

I tend not to focus on what my competition do (or don't do) but stress (or try to) the benefits to the customers of using my service. This year I have had a lot of new clients come to me from other dog walkers because they have been let down in some way - rather than put on my website 'unlike other dog walkers we won't let you down' - I stress how reliable we are and why.

 

[PIngels]

I think it's a good idea to get an external copy writer to work on your text but it is very important that you get someone who knows what he is doing, understands the industry and who is creative. Don't buy on price. Read what they've written in the past for other similar types projects as yours. I have, in the past, had copy written for me that I had to completely re-write because it was so dull and missed the point of what I wanted to communicate.

 

[Baz Watkins]

If its blank page original copy, don't look at the cost, look at the work, check out their portfolio and if they can back it up, pay them what they ask.

If you need specialist SEO copy then go to a specialist, they will write copy that engages and generates an end result. Original content might cost a lot but it will deliver value and a definate ROI.

If its rewriting existing copy, it might be cheaper as there can be less work involved in tidying existing content, unless of course the original content is awful, at that point it basically becomes a complete rewrite, but a lot of time is still saved as the writer will be able to take cues from what went before.

Either way a good copywriter will write to the audience (and search engine), and that takes time, skill and experience.

 

[Scott-Copywriter]

Yes, £25 per hour might be a lot better than many people earn, but keeping in mind a freelance copywriter has to pay at least their own tax and NI (let's say 22.5% to cover both of these), which takes you to £16.80 per hour, as well as any additional costs (think office space, electricity, internet, etc) and you could be well under the £15 per hour mark.

Just a few points to keep in mind - hope they help.

£25 per hour is quite cheap for a good sales copywriter.

The copy a copywriter writes could represent a company for years or even decades to come. That one piece could be the first thing THOUSANDS of potential customers see. It takes sole responsibility for the first impression all these people will have of your business, and it takes sole responsibility for how many people it can convince that your product or service is the best of the best.

As a result, it can directly influence your sales levels by thousands or even millions of pounds.

Sales conversion rates also fluctuate massively. Two pieces of copy could look similar, but one piece could return a conversion rate of 0.5%, whilst another piece could return a rate of 5-10% or far more.

Bringing a copywriter on board who is capable of producing copy which makes such a difference really isn't cheap, and for good reason.

I personally remain affordable for most businesses, but some world class copywriters can charge £10,000 for a single sales letter at rates of hundreds of pounds per hour. However, when that sales letter is subsequently responsible for millions of pounds in extra sales, the ROI is massive.

You're not just paying for letters on a page, you're paying for results. If a new piece of copy permanently increases your sales conversion rate for the entire life of your business, how much is that worth to you?

The resulting extra sales you otherwise wouldn't have had can pay back the cost of the copy in a relatively short period of time and then eventually result in a massive long-term ROI. I've had clients where the copy has paid for itself in a single day, so they have pure extra profit to look forward to for months and years ahead.

That's why it needs a lot of time, a lot of effort, a lot of knowledge and very specialist skills. Someone needs to learn the copywriting techniques and also become very well versed in sales psychology. A lot of natural talent also plays a big part in it.

All in all, it takes years upon years to get to a level where you can confidently write a piece of sales copy which goes on a website's front page or spearheads a marketing campaign, as it's these pieces of copy which companies and businesses really rely on to get sales, pay wages and produce a profit.

PS: As for the work involved, I'd say about 50% of it actually involves writing. A large chunk of time is spent carefully researching the business, its aims and its target audience. There's then a lot of planning involved to figure out exactly how the piece will be put together for the best results.

 

[TheBlogshop]

£25 per hour is quite cheap for a good sales copywriter.

The copy a copywriter writes could represent a company for years or even decades to come. That one piece could be the first thing THOUSANDS of potential customers see. It takes sole responsibility for the first impression all these people will have of your business, and it takes sole responsibility for how many people it can convince that your product or service is the best of the best.

As a result, it can directly influence your sales levels by thousands or even millions of pounds.

Sales conversion rates also fluctuate massively. Two pieces of copy could look similar, but one piece could return a conversion rate of 0.5%, whilst another piece could return a rate of 5-10% or far more.

Bringing a copywriter on board who is capable of producing copy which makes such a difference really isn't cheap, and for good reason.

I personally remain affordable for most businesses, but some world class copywriters can charge £10,000 for a single sales letter at rates of hundreds of pounds per hour. However, when that sales letter is subsequently responsible for millions of pounds in extra sales, the ROI is massive.

You're not just paying for letters on a page, you're paying for results. If a new piece of copy permanently increases your sales conversion rate for the entire life of your business, how much is that worth to you?

The resulting extra sales you otherwise wouldn't have had can pay back the cost of the copy in a relatively short period of time and then eventually result in a massive long-term ROI. I've had clients where the copy has paid for itself in a single day, so they have pure extra profit to look forward to for months and years ahead.

That's why it needs a lot of time, a lot of effort, a lot of knowledge and very specialist skills. Someone needs to learn the copywriting techniques and also become very well versed in sales psychology. A lot of natural talent also plays a big part in it.

All in all, it takes years upon years to get to a level where you can confidently write a piece of sales copy which goes on a website's front page or spearheads a marketing campaign, as it's these pieces of copy which companies and businesses really rely on to get sales, pay wages and produce a profit.

PS: As for the work involved, I'd say about 50% of it actually involves writing. A large chunk of time is spent carefully researching the business, its aims and its target audience. There's then a lot of planning involved to figure out exactly how the piece will be put together for the best results.

Some great information here and completely agree with your £25 per hour rate point.

 

[cogo]

Hi everyone

I was wondering if anyone had any experience with copywriters - people who write content for your website etc.

I know there are a few of them on here but I'm more interested at the moment to hear about any experiences people have had from using their services.

I have a website that has had the same text on it for a few years and while it brings in custom it's not as much as I hoped...our website ranking also vary from being in the top 3 to mid 300s depending on the type of service the customer requires.

I wrote all the copy myself but found it to be a rather draining and stressful job and whenever I look at it now my mind just goes blank so I was wondering about the worth of having others do it.

As in any sector we have competitors that charge less than we do but do half the work for it, our work takes longer but produces a much better result and that's something that I want to explain to customers without pointing them to our competitors.

I would also like the copy to help with SEO whilst not appearing to push the customer into our services.

Not much to ask eh?

So...who has worked with copywriters and how have you found their services and prices?

Very many thanks in advance!

I've used cheap, fair and expensive copywriters. Right now I use a fair prices one as the quality is decent without breaking the bank. I've tried a cheap Indian copywriter, but this was terrible broken english. I also used a couple of expensive ones. One ended up being the same quality as what I'm paying right now, and the other was really well written. So it all just depends, you're going to have to experiment a little.

 

[paulstewart64]

I agree with Scott here.

There seems to be a mystique about SEO as though it's a magic formula you apply with a wand to your website. SEO is based on science in terms of identifying the key words or phrases your target market searches for.

Hiring a good copywriter is the equivalent of stacking the cards in your favour. There is a tremendous amount of background preparation before a copywriter begins writing for you. Additionally, they understand buying triggers and the importance of the credible story to weave into the copy.

The good copywriters charge a fortune for their services. Why? Simply because they have proved beyond doubt they achieve good results for their clients. And, at the end of the day, the only criteria you should be interested in is whether a copywriter will significantly improve your results.

I

 

[TheBigCheese]

Hi everyone

I'd like to thank you for your replies, it's been a very interesting and informative read, I had no idea it was such a complex area, or that the top ones could charge so much!

I think I need to have a really good think at where I want to go with the business and who and how I want to target, it's made for interesting reading and has given me lots to think about - more than I realised!

Finally, my apologies for the late reply, life has been a bit of a nightmare lately including dealing with a broken boiler...twice...I'm currently without hot water again...oh how you miss what you take for granted when it's removed, at least it's not cold weather!