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At some point, you may find yourself needing the services of a freelance writer. Maybe you need someone to create sales copy for your website or brochure. Or maybe you need a blogger to create a few posts each week. Or you could even need an article writer if you’re still relying on article distribution as an internet marketing strategy.

Whatever the case may be, one of the first things you’ll need to do is decide how much you’re going to pay a freelance writer for the project. Now, if you’re like a lot of people, you may want to know just how little you can get away with paying to get the job done. After all, the less you have to pay, the better, right?

Wrong.

Here are 5 reasons you shouldn’t hire a cheap writer.

1. Quality will almost always suffer—There’s an old saying that applies perfectly—“You get what you pay for.” If you’re going to hire a cheap writer at rates far below the industry average, you’re almost certainly going to get work that’s well below the industry average in terms of quality. If you want good work, you have to pay competitive prices. It’s that simple.
2. You may not get original work—How are some writers able to produce content for just a few bucks a pop? It might be because they’re actually stealing the content from somebody else. That’s right. Many companies have been burned by cheap writers who simply stole content off the web, maybe spun it a little bit, and passed it off as fresh and original.
3. Cheap writers often lack experience—Think about this. If a freelance writer was good and experienced at their job, would they be scouring the job boards looking for work at dirt cheap rates? I didn’t think so.
4. Cheap writers may also lack professionalism—If you’ve ever dealt with a bad freelance writer, you know how much of a nightmare it can be. They promise to deliver the work by a certain date, and then miss the deadline. They drop off the face of the earth and stop responding to emails for days or weeks at a time. They come up with insane excuses about why they’re behind on their work. Spend a little more money so you can hire a true professional.
5. Good writing takes time—Writing anything takes time. It takes time to do the research, outline a plan, create a draft, edit the draft, and rewrite the content until it’s just right. When you’re paying someone a dirt cheap rate to write something, they’re not going to spend as much time on it as they should. Time is money.

Have you ever hired a cheap writer? How did things turn out for you?

As a copywriter, I regularly get clients who want me to critique and rewrite their underperforming landing pages. Having taken on more of these projects than I can remember at this point, I’ve noticed that many people make the same mistakes on their landing pages, causing their conversion rates to plummet.

The good news is that these 5 common landing page mistakes are easy to fix once you recognize them.

1. Headlines that lack benefits—There are many different elements that go into writing a great headline for a landing page. The headline needs to pique the interest of the reader, be clear and easy to understand, and relate to the ad that brought the visitor to your landing page. But most importantly of all, your headline needs to be benefit-driven. How will your product or service improve the lives of your customers? What needs does it meet? What do you provide that no one else can match? Focus on creating a headline that answers these types of questions.
2. Conflicting formats—There are many different types of landing pages you can create, from sales letters to upsell landing pages. I’ve noticed that some landing pages try to blend formats, and the result is often an unfocused mess. Figure out a format for your landing page, and stick with it throughout the entire page to keep a consistent style.
3. Hidden call to action—If you’re trying to get conversions on your landing page, you need to have a prominent call to action. Internet users spend 80% of their time looking at content above the fold. In other words, they don’t like scrolling down the page. That means you need a strong call to action placed above the fold in a spot where visitors can’t miss it.
4. No strong offer—You have to make your visitors an offer they can’t refuse. Just telling them to fill out a form or sign up for your email list isn’t going to work. You need to have a strong offer, and you need to make it clear why they can’t afford to pass up your offer. Benefits. Benefits. Benefits.
5. Nothing to establish credibility—Consumers have become increasingly cautious when shopping online. They know the internet is full of shady companies looking to make a quick buck, so it’s your job to earn their trust. Your landing page needs to establish credibility. One way to do this is by including testimonials from satisfied customers. Another thing you can do is to compare your product side-by-side with competing products to show exactly why it’s better.

What are some of the biggest landing page mistakes you’ve seen? Share them by leaving a comment below.

I’m a copywriter, but any type of freelancer knows about spec work. Whenever potential clients ask you to try your services first before deciding whether or not to hire you, that’s spec work.

I refuse to do spec work. Here’s why.

• I’m a professional, and expect to be paid like one—You wouldn’t ask your doctor to give you a free diagnosis, would you? You wouldn’t expect a mechanic to work on your car for free. Why anyone would expect anything differently of a copywriter or designer has never made sense to me. I’m a professional. This is my business. If you want to tap into my expertise, you’re going to have to pay for it. Period.
• There’s always paid work to be done—I never have a shortage of paid work, and for that, I’m truly grateful. So, why would I spend my time on something I’m not going to get paid for when I could be working for clients who actually will pay me? It just doesn’t make good business sense.
• My portfolio speaks for itself—Clients that ask for spec work claim that they do so because they want to make sure the writer or designer can produce work that meets their quality standards. I have literally thousands of samples of my work. If you can’t tell if I’m the right copywriter for you by looking over my samples, you’re not paying attention and you just want something for nothing.
• It helps me keep my prices reasonable—As a freelancer, I get paid for my time. Whenever I’m not doing paid work, I’m not making money. So, if I spend time on spec work, I’d have to make up that lost money somehow, and the only realistic way to do that would be to raise my rates on paid projects.
• Most asking for spec work are low quality clients—Let’s be honest, the type of clients that ask freelancers for spec work probably aren’t the highest caliber of clients. Even if you get the gig, they’ll likely be disloyal and leave you whenever they find a cheaper service provider. And their “something for nothing” mentality will drive them to have impossibly high standards you’re always struggling to meet.

Do you ever take on spec work? Why or why not?

Want to instantly improve your sales copy? Whether you’re writing a landing page or an email, here are 5 questions you need to ask yourself before you write a single word of sales copy.

1. What am I selling? No, I’m not just talking about the name of the product or service you’re selling. I’m talking about what you’re selling on an emotional level. How does your product benefit the customer? What does it make them feel? Are you selling happiness? Self-confidence? Comfort? Pride? Safety? Buying is an emotional decision, so you need to understand what you’re really selling.
2. Who am I selling it to? Who do you think you’d have an easier time trying to persuade: someone you’ve never met and that you know nothing about or someone who you know every single detail about them, from the way they think to their likes and dislikes? The better you know your target audience, the more precisely you can tailor your sales copy, allowing you to connect with the reader more effectively. Check out this post I wrote about defining your target audience.
3. What objections might the reader have? It’s rare that someone instantly decides to buy something without having at least some initial doubts. Consumers are more skeptical than ever before. They have their objections…those things that cause them to hesitate when considering making a purchase. It’s your job to anticipate these objections and to address them head on in your sales copy, so you can turn every “no” into a “yes.”
4. What questions might the reader have? I don’t know about you, but before I make almost any purchase, I have some questions that I need answered. It could be a question about which features the product has, or it might be about the company’s money-back guarantee. You need to do your best to address any questions customer might have about your products, because questions can lead to second thoughts about doing business with you.
5. What do I want the reader to do? This is the most important question you can ask. If you don’t motivate your readers to take action, your sales copy serves no purpose. It’s just a waste of words. You have to figure out where the customer is at in the buying cycle and tailor your sales copy accordingly. If they’re still researching the products, you may just wish to have them contact you for more information. If they’re at the point that they’re considering making a purchase, the next logical step would be to encourage them to place an order now. Figure out what you want the reader to do, and tell them to do so as clearly as possible.

Are there any other questions you like to ask before writing sales copy?

One of the biggest copywriting mistakes you can make is to get your copy off to a bad start. If you don’t hook the customer right away, they’re not going to keep reading forward. There’s no time to get warmed up. You have to come off the starting block quickly and smoothly.

Here’s an example of what I mean. You’ve probably come across copy that reads like the following:

Cosmetic Dentistry Services

ABC Cosmetic Dentistry has been serving the Houston community since 1990. We offer a full range of cosmetic dentistry services, including teeth whitening, dental implants, and porcelain crowns and bridges. You’ll get the beautiful smile you’ve always wanted, helping you be more confident as you look your very best. And with our advanced technology, you can see results in just one office visit.

What’s wrong with this copy? It takes too long to get to the important stuff—the true benefits customers care about. Sure, it’s necessary to mention that the office has experience and to detail some of the services offered, but that’s not what’s going to suck readers in and get them excited.

The important part of that opening paragraph is at the end: “You’ll get the beautiful smile you’ve always wanted, helping you be more confident as you look your very best. And with our advanced technology, you can see results in just one office visit.”

The copy should lead off with those points. Here’s an example of a reworked version that is more effective.

Get the Confident, Beautiful Smile You Deserve

Are you tired of hiding your smile because you’re unhappy with your teeth? A beautiful smile increases your confidence and self-image. With just one office visit to ABC Cosmetic Dentistry, you can get the smile you’ve always wanted. For more than 20 years, we’ve helped Houstonians smile confidently with our cosmetic dentistry services. Whether you need to brighten your smile with our teeth whitening solutions or you have a broken tooth that needs to be replaced, we’ll give your smile the care and attention it deserves.

The difference is that this reworked version addresses the needs of the readers’ right away. It gives them something they can relate to, causing them to get sucked in and keep reading.

When writing copy, you have to start with the most important information. If you don’t get to the point, you’ll lose readers and never get more sales.