The Marketing Director’s Guide to Working With Freelance Copywriters

Issue #2118

WEALTHY: 3 simple ways to supercharge your career (Michael Masterson)
HEALTHY: Is there such a thing as eating too much salmon? (Jon Herring)
WISE: Kiana Tom on hiring the right people

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:

9 ways to get the most out of your copywriter (MaryEllen Tribby)
Why settle for just one vacation destination? (Lori Allen)
It’s Fun to Know… about really high-speed Internet
Add "encomium" to your vocabulary

== Highly Recommended ==

Revealed: Probably the Biggest Red Herring in History!

While the world’s been stock watching (and losing!), the elite quietly play a different game with different rules…

Feeling cheated and disillusioned by the stock market? Sure, you may have made a good trade here… but then lost on another. The people dutifully pour their hard-earned cash into investment banks to put into the stock market for them… and those investment banks gladly oblige, for a fat fee… which they invest somewhere else! I’m no conspiracy theorist, but in my opinion the stock market is really a diversion for the masses… a distraction from where the BIG and consistent money is made… in the world’s money mountain. And when I say “Money Mountain,” I speak quite literally… the BIGGEST mountain of money on the planet. Click here to read more…

Don’t Underestimate the Importance of Developing Business Relationships

By Michael Masterson

To make the most and quickest progress in business, do the following three things:

Cultivate business friendships. Have at least a dozen friendly relationships with peers – in your immediate business, in your industry, and in other, related businesses. Don’t try to exploit those relationships. Do the opposite: Always try to extend the first helping hand.
Develop at least three mentor relationships. That is, get on a first-name basis with three people who are smarter, better connected, more knowledgeable, and generally more advanced than you.
Create relationships for the longer-term future. Make contact with people you’d like to know when you reach your career goal – the lawyers or teachers or congressmen who will be helpful to you then. Again, develop the relationship now as one in which you are the giver.

The secret is to be seen as someone who is likeable, helpful, and useful. If you can fill up your Rolodex with people who have such an impression of you, you’ll have plenty of loyal friends out there watching your back and pushing you along.

"When I meet successful people I ask 100 questions as to what they attribute their success to. It is usually the same: persistence, hard work, and hiring good people."

Kiana Tom

The Marketing Director’s Guide to Working With Freelance Copywriters

By MaryEllen Tribby

Throughout my career, I have done thousands of direct-response marketing campaigns, incorporating all channels (i.e., media), including direct mail, e-mail, telesales, television, print ads, radio, Web, and inserts. Billions of consumers have read, heard, or seen these campaigns. And during the 21 years I have been doing them, I have seen new formats, tactics, and strategies. Virtually everything in this industry is continually changing.

Well, not everything. There is one thing and one thing only that has remained the same over the years – and that is "Copy Is King."

Don’t get me wrong, the media you purchase is the most important element as far as your campaign’s ultimate success. But it is your sales message that is going to make the difference between good and great results.

Here’s an example of just how important your sales copy is…

We were very proud of a natural-resource investment service we had just created. We had found a top-notch editor with a five-year verifiable track record. We spent hours researching and working on the sales promotion for this service. But right before we were ready to send the sales letter out to our prospective subscribers, we all had a nagging feeling that something about the copy was off… but we couldn’t quite put our fingers on it. So we took the promotion down to Michael Masterson, who immediately saw the problem.

The copy was breaking a critical rule. Throughout the entire sales letter, we were telling the reader why this service was so great when we should have been showing him!

For example, we were saying "Dr. Russell McDougal has a very successful track record of investing in natural-resource companies" [telling], instead of saying something like this: "Dr. McDougal’s success speaks for itself. In fact, just last year five of the stocks he purchased shot up more than 200%" [showing].

Another example: We were saying "Dr. McDougal has excellent contacts in the natural-resources industry" [telling], instead of saying something like this: "Dr. McDougal is on a first-name basis with the CEOs of dozens of mining companies, and these inside contacts have paid off time and time again. In fact, after a recent conversation with the president of a gold-exploration company, he became so certain of the company’s success that he doubled his own position. Sure enough, just months later the company struck pay dirt and the stock soared in value" [showing].

The copywriter went back to work and changed some of the copy, making sure he was showing just how the service would benefit the reader.

Because we had a strong offer and had purchased the proper media, the original sales letter most likely would have done okay had we not made those changes. But by making sure that the sales copy was as strong as possible, we were able to exceed our expected results.

Having done thousands of direct-response campaigns, I have had the pleasure of working with some of the very best copywriters in the world. I have also had the pleasure of working with some of the very worst copywriters in the world. Yes, I said "pleasure" – because my experiences with the worst copywriters made me appreciate the best … and helped me learn how to work with all levels of copywriters.

There are three basic levels of copywriters: A, B, and C. Each of these levels has sub-levels of pluses and minuses. There are only about five A+ copywriters in the world, including Michael Masterson, Paul Hollingshead, and Bill Bonner. (I’ll keep you guessing on the others.) But you will most likely never get these gentlemen to write for you, for several reasons. Primarily, they don’t need to. Plus, they would rather spend their time teaching their proteges the art of copywriting, knowing that doing this will continue to build their own businesses.

Regardless of what level a copywriter is at, they all have one thing in common. They all believe that they are the most important and greatest asset to your bottom line. Sure, many times they are right. But just as often they are way off. However, once you have contracted with a freelance copywriter for a specific project, you need to follow some guidelines.

Here are my top nine rules for working with freelance copywriters:

Lack of experience isn’t a deal breaker. Working with an inexperienced copywriter is fine as long as she understands direct-response marketing fundamentals and how to sell, is smart, and is willing to really understand your niche market. Sometimes, hiring new copywriters works out to your advantage, because they are the ones who meet deadlines more consistently and will want to prove their value.
Before you hire your copywriter, ask for samples of his work. If he doesn’t have any samples in your specific niche, give him a test. (This is something I do regardless of the samples.) Testing a copywriter is easy. I pick a single product, show the copywriter past promotions, let him speak with the creator or editor of that product, and ask him for a headline and lead within 24 hours. You aren’t going to get something you can immediately use when you ask for a 24-hour turnaround, but this test will give you a good indication of a copywriter’s instincts. If he is not willing to take the test, go no further with him.
Before you hire a copywriter, ask for results of previous campaigns with past clients. If she tells you her client could not supply them "because their computer system could not track them" – go no further. Any copywriter who does not care about results is not worth working with.
If the copywriter asks only for an upfront fee and no royalties – go no further. If he doesn’t think his copy is worth royalties, it’s probably not. Now I’m not saying I would agree to pay royalties to a fairly inexperienced writer – but I certainly want to know that he thinks his copy is worthy of them. (And I can work out a royalty agreement with him later, once the campaign has met a certain benchmark.)
If the copywriter does not insist on working with your artist to provide graphic direction – go no further. Yes, copy is king – but readability is queen. And if you cannot read the sales letter, it doesn’t really matter how good the copy is.
Always put on your marketing director hat when dealing with copywriters. You may be the publisher, COO, and marketing director (not to mention product developer and janitor), but it is the marketing director who needs to provide vision and guidance to the copywriter.
Once you have hired a freelance copywriter, treat her like part of your internal team. This sounds easy, but it can actually be very difficult to work with outside copywriters. The marketing director needs to set the example for the entire internal team by making the copywriter feel like a member of the "family." If you are developing a new product, for instance, ask the copywriter to be part of the product-development session. If you are brainstorming a new promotion, your copywriter should always be present.
Never let operational people talk to your copywriter. Years ago, I had a COO say that we should stop marketing altogether during a time when our sales copy just wasn’t working. Any savvy marketing person will tell you that this is a time when you need to continue marketing and testing, not stop. Operations people are usually the ones who have all the excuses for why things "can’t" be done. And such negative talk can destroy the copywriter’s enthusiasm and energy … which will make your advertising campaign suffer.
TEST, TEST, TEST. (Did I mention TEST?) Always hire copywriters who understand the value of testing. And you want someone who has ideas for tests that scream not whisper. This means you test ideas that will increase your response rates by 25 percent instead of a measly five percent. (If you want to test your price, for instance, you’d want to raise or lower it by 50 percent rather than by five percent, which would have a much smaller effect on response.) My favorite thing to test is the headline (especially with online copy). The headline is the key component to grabbing someone’s attention. The remainder of the promotion can stay the same. With very little additional work, you can expand the life of a promotion and add incremental dollars to your bottom line.

Learning how to hire and work with freelance copywriters is crucial to making sure your customers sit up and take notice of the products and services your business has to offer.

[Ed. Note: MaryEllen Tribby, ETR's Publisher and CEO, has over two decades of business, publishing, and marketing expertise. She'll be sharing more of her strategies for building and growing a profitable business and staking your claim in "The Other Side of the Internet" this fall at ETR's Info Marketing Bootcamp. Sign up today.]

== Highly Recommended ==

Make Over 541% from the Silver Supply Crunch!

If you can spot which commodities are undergoing huge supply shortages, you’re on track to make huge gains. Consider:

Uranium Prices soared over 1,200% in the past five years as new nuclear power plants went online.
Copper prices have zoomed over 426% as world demand hits unprecedented levels.

But had you owned resource companies that took advantage of these supply crunches, you could’ve made MUCH more.

Click here right now to learn the name of one company poised to make early investors over 541% from the silver supply crunch.

Why JS Should Avoid Farm-Raised Salmon (and Why You Should Too)

By Jon Herring

Last week, I received an e-mail from an ETR reader helps to illustrate a few important points. JS writes:

"First, I would like to congratulate you on an excellent newsletter. I know you’re busy, so I will get straight to the point. I eat [Brand X] Pink Salmon every day. Basically, I want to know is it dangerous to eat that much?"

There should be nothing unhealthy about eating a lot of salmon. However, you shouldn’t eat any food EVERY day. It can cause an allergy to that food. In fact, doctors specializing in food allergies report that many people are allergic to their favorite foods for this very reason.

But there is a bigger issue here: JS is eating a brand of salmon that I am fairly certain is farm-raised. And that could very well be detrimental to his health. According to laboratory tests commissioned by Environmental Working Group, farmed salmon is the most PCB-contaminated source of protein in the U.S. food supply. These fish are also known to have harmful levels of mercury, DDT, and dioxin.

And that’s not all. Farmed salmon are fed corn and soy meal (not exactly the natural diet of a salmon). Because of this unnatural diet, these fish have far more unhealthy omega-6 fatty acids and fewer healthy omega-3s than wild salmon. And it has been shown that farmed salmon consume more antibiotics by weight than any other livestock.

So, instead of farm-raised salmon, be sure to insist on wild Alaskan salmon. These fish live in some of the most pristine waters on earth. They have extremely low levels (usually not a trace) of mercury and PCBs. And they are rich in heart-healthy and brain-boosting omega-3s. You can find canned wild Alaskan salmon in most grocery stores, and most health food markets will have fresh fillets. Or, you can visit Vital Choice online.

[Ed. Note: An investment in your health is the single most important investment you can make. And it can be surprisingly easy. Sign up for ETR's FREE natural health e-letter to discover practical strategies and real-world scientific discoveries that can help you melt off the pounds, pack on muscle, and eliminate the underlying causes of disease.]

Itinerary Tips for Round-the-World Travel

By Lori Allen

Round-the-world airline tickets (also known as RTW fares) are becoming more and more popular. In fact, they’re sometimes cheaper than roundtrip tickets when you’re traveling clear across the globe.

For our honeymoon, my husband and I booked two round-the-world tickets with stops in Lake Como, Dubai, Shanghai, and Tokyo. Because we used frequent flier miles for one ticket (250,000 miles on Delta in business class), we had to pay sticker price for the other one. But Bootsnall.com publishes fares that start at $1,199 in coach, and business-class trips that include Los Angeles, Taipei, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Bangalore, Bombay, Delhi, Frankfurt, and Los Angeles for under $4,000.

Here are three ways to make your round-the-world trip as enjoyable as possible:

Do your research. Search online for "round the world tickets" and check out the airline alliances that offer them, including skyteam.com, oneworld.com, staralliance.com.
Let the weather be your guide. Choose destinations with similar temperatures so you don’t have to pack extra clothes. Also be aware of hurricane season, monsoon season, rainy season, etc. during the months you’re traveling, and adjust your itinerary accordingly.
DO upgrade to business class, but DON’T bother with first class. Most airlines only have business and coach class seats, so don’t pay for first class when you’ll get the same seat as those of us in business. You should, however, choose business class over coach. In addition to more leg room, a seat that fully reclines, better meals, and on-demand movies, business- and first-class cabins get access to airport lounges. You’ll get free wi-fi and food. And if your flight is delayed (which it almost always is), you’ll have a quiet place to relax and even shower if you need to.

[Ed. Note: Lori Allen is Director of AWAI's Travel Division. For more tips, sign up for AWAI Travel's free e-letter, The Right Way to Travel.]

It’s Fun to Know: Really High-Speed Internet

Think your fancy cable modem or DSL connection is high-speed Internet? You’re surfing the Web at a snail’s pace compared to the many thousand times faster 40-gigabits-per-second fiber-optic connection that a 75-year-old Swedish woman has installed in her home. Billed as the fastest residential Internet connection in the world (a feature-length movie can be downloaded in two seconds), it was put together by the woman’s son, a computer networking expert who was eager to demonstrate the new technology… and impress other networking experts. There are no immediate plans to release this equipment to a wider audience.

(Source: Associated Press)

== Highly Recommended ==

Your Computer Sucks

No, I’m not being impolite. I mean your computer sucks your time, your money and your life away from you.

Drip drip drip… out it goes.

But now there’s a way to turn that flow around… to stop GIVING all the time and start GETTING!

Join hundreds of your fellow ETR readers who are making the switch over to The “Other Side” of the Internet.

- Patrick Coffey

Word to the Wise: Encomium

An "encomium" (en-KOH-mee-um) – from the Greek for "revel" – is a formal expression of high praise.

Example (as used by Jeremy Treglown in Romancing: the Life and Work of Henry Green): "The giant throws the butler into the lake, whereupon Charles delivers the perfunctory encomium, ‘Wickham was a good servant.’"

[Ed. Note: Become a more persuasive writer and speaker ... build your self-confidence and intellect ... increase your attractiveness to others ... just by spending 10 VERY enjoyable minutes a day with ETR's new Words to the Wise CD Library.]

The Marketing Director’s Guide to Working With Freelance Copywriters

Revealed: Probably the Biggest Red Herring in History!

Don’t Underestimate the Importance of Developing Business Relationships

The Marketing Director’s Guide to Working With Freelance Copywriters

Make Over 541% from the Silver Supply Crunch!

Why JS Should Avoid Farm-Raised Salmon (and Why You Should Too)

Itinerary Tips for Round-the-World Travel

It’s Fun to Know: Really High-Speed Internet

Your Computer Sucks

Word to the Wise: Encomium

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