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3 Steps To Better Sales Copywriting
Whether you’re wet-behind-the-ears or a seasoned copywriter, your craft will benefit by remembering one thing: You’re nothing more than a salesperson. There’s an old saying in the “business” that, “a copywriter is a salesperson sitting in front of...
How To Make Your Sales Letters Bullet Proof
I'm going to show you in the next few moments how to make your sales letters and direct mail several times more powerful. In fact, what I'm about to emphasize to you may enable you to eat more of your competitors market share. Every time before...
PROMISE-CRAFTING – The Heart of Copywriting
Different copywriters take different approaches to their creative process. But there’s one step that has to be included no matter what the process.
I call it Promise-crafting.
Why Promise-Crafting is Such a Key Copywriting Skill
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The Not-So-Mysterious Art of Getting Clients
Sure, you can print business cards and letterhead. Launch a web
site. And hang your shingle as a freelance copywriter.
That's easy.
But you're not really "in business" until you GET business. And
that means having at least one paying...
Why Copywriting Is The Secret To Your Online Success
Over the last decade, the number of companies selling their products and services on the Web or sharing information online with their target market has exploded. It's no longer frowned upon to conduct your business on the Web, and huge numbers of...
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How To Get 50% of Your Freelance Fee Up Front --And a Whole Lot More!
This is valuable content from my free online newsletter, the
FREELANCER'S BUSINESS BULLETIN. In the April 2004 issue I shared
with my subscribers the secret to getting at least 50% of your
freelance fee up front, plus a whole host of other important
requirements for your freelancer's business. It was FREELANCER'S
BUSINESS BULLETIN subscriber and copywriting expert Susan Fantle
who asked for a discussion of this topic because she had
recently encountered some difficulties with clients. In her own
words: "I've been in this business for 23 years and only in the
last two years do I finally see the need to have a contract with
new clients." Now I've seen a lot of contracts in my freelance
life, but none more complete or protective of a freelancer's
interests than my own. And I'll share its elements here so you
can create your own contract, or perhaps improve the one that
you use. But before we get started I'll make a couple of points:
The first concerns semantics: Somewhere along the line I read
that the word "contract" is negative and off-putting, and after
some thought, I had to agree. So I call my contract a "Fee
Agreement," which I think is friendlier and sets the tone for
the positive and equally respectful working relationship to
come. You might think about doing the same for your own
contract. Point two is that you should always, always use a Fee
Agreement and get it signed and faxed (or emailed) back before
starting any work. When you work with the proper forms you are
telling your client that you are a professional, and your client
will then treat you with the respect you deserve. Much of the
success of the freelancer/client relationship is built upon how
you conduct yourself in your financial transactions. In my Fee
Agreement I always make it clear that I will Invoice for half
the fee up front, upon receipt of the signed Fee Agreement. That
way the client has agreed to pay an up front fee of 50 percent.
Then I email the Invoice, which instructs the client to send the
check via FedEx or another overnight delivery service. Since I
tend to work with mid-size to large companies, I never have a
problem getting my up front fee or having it delivered over
night. My feeling is that clients are in a hurry to get their
copy and are at their most agreeable at this stage. However,
once they've received their copy, there is no incentive the rush
the check. So I send a final Invoice "due and payable upon
receipt," instructing the payment to be sent via regular mail.
Since I work directly with the client, this arrangement works
well for me, however you may need to be more flexible depending
on whom you work with, or what market you're
working in. For
instance, ad agencies may ask you to collect 100 percent at the
back end, especially if the job is small and fast. For very
large jobs, paying in thirds is also common. And small
businesses may prefer to pay in thirds if their budget is tight
(and it usually is). And then, of course, there are those pay
arrangements that include bonuses or royalties, which you will
most often find in the business-to-consumer side of direct
marketing, among very large mailers. More and more I'm seeing
commission arrangements -- a very good thing for the copywriter
who also can bring valuable marketing expertise to the table.
Does anyone ever get paid 100 percent up front? The answer is
yes, but I've seen it rarely. Recently one of my coaching
students was paid 100 percent up front for a very small job
worth $300. And another student was paid in the four figures
from a sole-proprietor entrepreneur, who obviously understood
that the copywriter realized the risk involved with working with
a risk-taking marketer. My advice is to try for 50 percent, and
if the client balks, proceed very carefully if you proceed at
all. If the client has problems paying you now, before you do
the work, it's a very serious red flag. You're better off to say
no, and spend your time marketing yourself to find a better
client. A Quick List of What Should Be in Your Contract if
You're a Copywriter or Other Business Freelancer: - A very
detailed description of the job, listing virtually everything
you will do - A deadline for the work to be completed - Revision
terms - Payment terms - Late payment terms - A description of
what will be included in your services - A description of what
will not be included (interviewing and creating testimonials,
for instance) - A policy on how change orders are handled (you
charge more if they make a significant change after work has
been done) - Ownership (you own the copyright until you've
received full payment) - Indemnity (a legal disclaimer holding
you harmless against any legal charges such as libel and
copyright infringement; you don't need to add false advertising
since you won't be doing that anyway) - An agreement for the
client to share work samples and results (so you can use them in
your promotions) Don't be so anxious to get the work that you
fail to get a signed Fee Agreement and payment up front. Getting
payment up front is an effective screen, and evidence that you
are a professional.
About the author:
Master copywriter and coach Chris Marlow publishes a free ezine
for copywriters who want to quickly build a profitable business.
Visit:
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Copywriting . Net |
Copywriting . Net. The Internet's copywriting service center for Web and print marketing communications. |
www.copywriting.net |
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Copywriting - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
As search-engine algorithms get smarter every day, this Search engine optimization (SEO) copywriting is more and more about writing for human visitors as ... |
en.wikipedia.org |
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Copywriting - SEO Copywriting - Learn copywriting |
Copywriting .com has just changed hands and will open its doors again in a few weeks. If you'd like to be notified when we launch, please send an email to: ... |
www.copywriting.com |
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Copywriting 101 | Copyblogger |
Copywriting 101 Tutorial Copywriting is one of the most essential ... Subscribe to Copyblogger to learn more about copywriting and online marketing. ... |
www.copyblogger.com |
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The Copywriting Site - Free information, tips, and tricks on ... |
The Copywriting Site: Here you get free information tips and tricks on copywriting that sells. - Marketing Writing. |
noriainternational.com |
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Copywriting courses. Become a copywriter. |
Copywriting courses for copywriters; plus tips on buying copy and hiring a copywriter. |
www.inst.org |
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Advertising & Online Copywriting, Search Engine Copywriting ... |
Advertising copywriting and search engine copywriting that impresses your visitors and the engines. |
www.marketingwords.com |
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Free tutorials on copywriting, web content, advertising, internet ... |
How to dramatically improve response from your Advertising, Internet marketing, Direct Mail and Web pages with powerful copywriting. |
www.adcopywriting.com |
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Copywriting: See what people are saying right now on Technorati |
See all blog posts tagged with copywriting on Technorati. |
www.technorati.com |
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Advertising Copywriter, Website Copywriter, SEO Copywriter ... |
Need a copywriter who can really grasp your business? Copywriting for websites, SEO, ads, brochures, articles... Elegant, no-fuss copywriting that really ... |
www.divinewrite.com |
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Copywriting |
Every advertising medium is different. And so is copywriting for each element. Business owners can find out what to look for when hiring a copywriter. |
advertising.about.com |
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Copywriting Secrets - Master Copywriter - Killer Copy Writing |
FREE E-Course Reveals The Latest Kick-Ass Copywriting Secrets You've Gotta Know! ... "Now You Can Grab The Latest No-BS Advanced Copywriting Secrets That ... |
www.websiteconversionexpert.com |
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Text Wizard® Copywriting - UK freelance copywriter, scriptwriter ... |
Plain English with fizz: copywriting that stays on brand and on your mind. UK copywriter. |
www.textwizard.com |
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Getting Real: Copywriting is interface design - Signal vs. Noise ... |
Copywriting isn’t something to be left to the guy on your team who writes long ... So, I’m considering adding copywriting to my list of responsibilities, ... |
www.37signals.com |
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Amazon.com: Persuasive Online Copywriting: How to Take Your Words ... |
Amazon.com: Persuasive Online Copywriting: How to Take Your Words to the Bank: Books: Bryan Eisenberg,Jeffrey Eisenberg,Lisa T. Davis by Bryan Eisenberg ... |
www.amazon.com |
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Michele PW |
Watch your business soar when you put the power of great copywriting, results-driven marketing solutions and amazing creativity to work for your business. |
www.writingusa.com |
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Pages tagged with "copywriting" on del.icio.us |
Good Copywriting: A blog about copywriting on the web ... Copywriting tips for online marketing success from Copyblogger · save this. copywriting blog ... |
del.icio.us |
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Online Copywriting: Subscribe to the Excess Voice Newsletter |
Online Copywriting: Nick Usborne's Excess Voice newsletter includes dozens of articles and a comprehensive list of resources and reviews for writers of ... |
www.excessvoice.com |
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Linda Westphal, Freelance Advertising Copywriter |
Experienced copywriter for direct marketing articles, and advertising tips. Citrus Heights, California. |
www.lindawestphal.com |
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Copywriting: Projects on Elance |
Copywriting, Between $250 and $500, 7, 11/29/2006 1:45 AM ... Copywriting, Prefer not to disclose, 0, 12/1/2006 2:41 PM, 6 d, 22 h+, Authentication Status ... |
www.elance.com |
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