In the previous lesson we talked about how to write a sales letter. But what if you don’t want to do your own copywriting?
No problem! You can outsource it…
(Watch this video…)
Main points:
1) Freelancer websites
Odesk, Rentacoder, Elance.com, Guru.com, etc.
Expect to pay $100 – $1000
Advantage = Cheap
Disadvantage = Lower quality
Tips for hiring a copywriter from a freelancer site:
-Use an English speaker from an English speaking country (or native to your language).
-Be very clear about what you need. (Idea: tell them to sign up for these lessons and watch #51)
-Get samples of sales letters they’ve written (not just writing samples).
-Check for plagiarism (www.google.com, www.copyscape.com, www.scanmyessay.com)
2) Hire a known copywriter
Expect to pay $300 to $25,000+
Gurus: John Carlton, Michel Fortin, Vin Montello, Ray Edwards, Mike Morgan, etc.
Some top Internet Marketing copywriters: Kevin Rogers, Jesse Forrest, David Raybould, Matthew O’Connor, John Hostler, Chris Elliott, Eric Holmlund 😉 and hundreds more.
Here is a list of copywriters from the Warrior Forum: Copywriter directory
UPDATE: Unfortunately, I am no longer recommending the copywriter mentioned in the video. Although his service seems to be a good value for the cost, I’ve received a few complaints about it, which were not resolved in a satisfactory manner. The old saying still holds true… you get what you pay for.
3) Find a good sales letter and ask who wrote it.
Look at well-ranked products on the Clickbank marketplace: http://www.clickbank.com/marketplace.htm
4) Partner with a copywriter
-Offer up to half of your profits.
-Works best if you’re an expert in your niche and you have a great product.
Recommended Resource:
Outsourcing for Internet Marketers
Action step:
1) Get your sales letter done.
Once you’ve got your sales letter done, it’s time to get it online and start making sales. We’ll be talking about payment solutions in the next lesson.
As always, you are welcome to post your questions and comments below.
Have a great day!
Man that is some good stuff , now I am gonna have to go back and start at the beginning, and review all these tips, ..to see where I am at,because I still do not have a site, or a domain or anything , DOH. !
Yeah too right, it is a lot harder then most people would think. Full credit to the guys that can get words selling, it is a great skill.
I have tried to write my own sales letters, but I have never been successful at it. It takes a lot of time to learn this skill, and since I’m Norwegian, and I write my sales letters (and everything else when it comes to Internet Marketing) in English, it’s even harder to get it right.
Therefore, I have outsourced my copywriting to a person I found at Elance. I’m very satisfied with this, the work is a lot cheaper than I expected, and the results have been awesome.
– Jens –
Hi Eric
Thanks for the tips and links. I have had a look at [redacted]’s site and realised ………….why am I stressing out about writing the copy! This is a low cost product I want to sell so why not use someone who comes recommended.The product is in the Dog niche and I will b e giving25% of the profits away so the sooner I get it done the quicker other people can benefit!!
Thanks again Eric
Best Wishes
Denise
Thanks for the mention, Eric.
Kevin
I agree with you that it is so important to have an English speaker from an ENGLISH SPEAKING COUNTRY.So often you will get writers from elance,rentacoder etc. whose native tongues are not English(even though they have good intentions)their quality of work will not be suitable..
Great Idea Eric,I am learning to do my own copywrite. I am trying to go it alone for now but if I do need help I know where I can get it now Thanx….
D.T.
{http://www.surefire88.com}
Hey Eric,
My budget does not allow me to outsourse yet. However when I’m ready I would definitely want to use someone that’s good at copy writing, it may cost more but my branding an reputation is also very important. I’ve started keeping a swipe file of sales letters that I like as a reference for later.
Thanks for the list of resources.
By the way did you write the sales copy for Push Button Marketer?
I know you mentioned in a previous lesson that long sales letters work well – are there draw backs to shorter more to the point letters. I’m finding that recently I’m just skimming the letter and scroll down to the price without reading all the copy
Thanks again Eric
Thanks for sharing your tips Eric. You are right that copyrighting is critical for online and offline sales success. Copyrighting is selling with words.
The area where I would caution new people to marketing is in the hiring of an outsourced person to write your copy.
Don’t expect miracles… You will need to do split-testing of the copy.
Sample process:
1) Get 2 different sales copy written
2) Load tracking software
3) Load rotating software
4) Send targeted paid traffic to copy
5) Measure ctr and sales conversions
6) Keep the winning copy as the control
7) Change the headline, images, sub-heads, etc of the new copy.
Make sure to budget sufficient funds to test the copy with paid ads.
Nothing new, I know … but what is new in marketing?
Cool! Thanks for sharing your experience at elance.
Absolutely, I would recommend you any day 🙂
Yes I wrote the copy for PBM and at least a dozen other 6-figure launches.
As far as long vs short, it really just depends on the product, the niche, and how well it is written. The only way to know what works best for any situation is to split test it. Traditionally, WELL WRITTEN long copy has always outperformed short copy. But remember, it’s not long for the sake of being long. It’s long because that’s just how much copy it takes to give the pitch, make a compelling offer, overcome objections, etc.
So if you can achieve those objectives through shorter copy, or through another medium (like video), then it’s worth a try. As The Death of the Sales Letter (see lesson 51) explains, Internet marketing seems to be gravitating away from long scrolling sales letters.
You are exactly right, and we will be doing a full lesson on split testing 🙂
Hi Eric,
How do you get a Johnson box for putting testimonials etc in?
If you’re coding it in HTML you would use a table, with your specified border preference, etc. You can copy someone else’s table properties by viewing their source code (do a right-click, view source). If you’re using an HTML editor or sitebuilder like XSite, you can pretty much just insert a box from the options.
Hi Guys,
At the age of 43 I went back to school and did my senior years and gained a uni schoolarship in english literature. There are ways!!
I bought a pair of decent glasses so I can read as well. “Now I see and speak much more better’er than I done before”
Simple tools, but useful.
Not sure if I agree with you here Eric about these crazy fees (50%?).
Better to learn how to write oneself. On the other hand, paying somebody $500 for a half decent letter one dresses up and split tests might be a good way to accelerate the process.
All this money squeezing copy should be going the way of the dodo soon. A real sales letter is basically just benefits + testimonials.
If it’s a JV deal, it kind of depends on what each person is bringing to the table. If the product creator is a newbie, and the copywriter is top notch, I think 50% is fair.
But let’s say the product creator is a celebrity in their niche and they’re going to bring a lot of marketing power to the launch. In that case, the copywriter might only warrant 10-20%. In cases where I’ve gotten 50% royalties on a product for being the copywriter, I’ve also helped get affiliates on board for the launch (which is a big asset).
hi Eric, so u think info product killer , that u have posted ahead of this lesson, would b a good moneymaker, and would i have time to get it going, to take advantage of chrismas? another question Eric, pro trading system has alot of material with it, is the basic concept simple, still interrested. thz
I used one of the copywriters recommended in the blog and was not happy with the results.
The copywriter had a CLEAR guarantee, it said:
“30 day UNCONDITIONAL Guarantee”
“A full refund if you are not 100% happy”
Well . . . I wasn’t happy – conversions actually went DOWN (I am not a bad copywriter – but I though I might try a pro recommended by the newsletter).
When I ask for a refund – so far it has been REFUSED and conditions have been stated – in spite of the UNCONDITIONAL refund.
I think it is important that people who read Eric’s newsletter be careful and that Eric himself pay attention to whether people he recommends follow their guarantee policies OR NOT. If not – they should NOT be recommended. Period.
I will continue pursuing my refund – as the work, to me, was somewhat formulaic and did not well fit my market. I gave it a try and let it run for a couple weeks – only to see sales of my #1 product fall off dramatically.
So – beware the the recommendations made here and DON’T trust the guarantees that people paste on their websites and don’t really mean.
Ted
I should add that I wrote Eric about my concerns even before I asked for a refund – that I felt the copywriter did not listen to what I needed, but was only working for a sale.
An automated response came in reply – so I am not sure if Eric’s site cares either way.
Too bad that all of this is such a HUSTLE and no one is really interested in truly helping people help people.
Frustratedly yours,
Ted
Thanks for another great lesson. As english is my second language there is no way to do it all by my self.
Quite valuable content, learning a!
hi Eric, i went back to lesson 10 an ordered 247 list; messed up on my download is there anyway to send to my email to download. also got your trading pro system an the infroproduct killer product, i need to get this killer product up an going asap, pray for me. thz
I think 50% is a bit high. Learn to write one yourself, test it and if it doesn’t convert, pay someone to write it for you. Definitely worth trying
Hello Roy,
Thanks for letting us know. Will you please submit a quick support ticket at the helpdesk:
http://www.ericsupport.com/
We’ll be able to send you your downloads right away!
Ted, The copywriter did get in touch with me about this, and I told him that it was between you and him. I perceived it as a “he said vs. he said” argument, and it’s not my job to take sides even though I made the referral. I told him that I personally would not give a refund after spending the time to write a sales letter (and I explicitly state No Refunds on my sales letter offer). HOWEVER, I was not aware that he was offering an unconditional money-back guarantee. If that’s the case then he should honor it.
The copywriter did send me specific examples of how you had changed his copy… which led me to believe the copywriter can not be held liable for your conversion rate in this case. But that was before I read your comment above about the guarantee. If it was “unconditional” then basically his arguments are moot and he should refund it. You are right… unconditional means unconditional.
I absolutely do care if people I recommend follow through, and I will remove my recommendation if I believe it’s warranted.
Ted, I never heard from you… I’m assuming you opened a ticket at the helpdesk? If so, the initial automated reply is standard… it doesn’t mean I don’t care.
As far as infoproduct killer, it looks like a cool program to me, but I haven’t tried it. As you may know, I LIKE infoproducts, and they are a major focus of my business.
Trading Pro System has several basic concepts, but I won’t mince words: it does take a significant amount of time to really learn and practice it. It’s a very worthwhile investment of time for anyone who is trading in the market.
are those writers are for landing page or for blogging? pretty expensive for me …
It’s for sales pages…
Hi Eric and other visitors of ET(Eric’s tips),
NEED YOUR HELP!
I bought 3 affiliate websites with 1 yr hosting on ebay for 99c each basicaly to build my feed back to start selling on ebay. Now I don’t know what to do with them. How do I get people to see and possible buy from them. All are amazon websites. Can someone just list 5 simple ways to get these websites producing something for me. One is related to sports products, other with cell ph and last one with fragrances. Tks you all in advance
Great tips Eric. Thank you. I appreciate that you even gave the prices. But 25000+ for a copywriter, all I can say is WOW!
What is the difference between copywriter and a content writer? Is it a case of salesmanship.
I can only hope to be able to outsource my copy writing, eventually. For now I will have to be content with my own writing. But, then again, I tend to be very particular so that may be a blessing …for now.
Bill G
hi eric, you are great !!!!!!
Please, can you tell me what microphone do you use for your videos, i am trying to do capture screen videos but with my microphone i cant get good cuality voice, i can hear my air background. maybe it is because it is a cheap one , do you resomend i invest a bit more money on it .
regarding to this late lesson, its exelent information.
thank you eric
I use the Alesis Podcasting Kit, which cost me about $99 on Amazon
Ted,
Get a grip, take responsiblity for your own life; it’s called being an adult.
A
Awesome tips!
Another great piece of information. I simply can’t thank you enough for your help so far. Eric, you are a great dude!!!
Thanks for these infos and tips.
All the best,
Arne
I am not a native English speaker and was trying to earn a decent living from freelance writing. Are you suggesting that no matter how good the English quality of a non English speaker is, they will never ever suit the purpose?
Eric, thanks for the tip. I am heading to Alesis’ website
Not necessarily. There are certainly some exceptional non-native speakers who rise above the rest and reach a level of proficiency similar to that of a native. But in my experience the vast majority of non-native English speakers on the freelancer sites are not on par with the native speakers. Therefore it’s something for business owners to be aware of when they are hiring freelancers.
Also I have hired non-native speakers on many occasions to create articles, but generally not sales letters. Again there are exceptions. Some of the internet marketing gurus who are non-native speakers have become great copywiters in the English language.
Hi Eric,
Your lessons are very informative.However, in one of your lessons you recommended [redacted] ( a copywriter) from [redacted] who accepted my offer to produce 2 sales letters.
Unforunately he produced one letter,after a month, which I returned to him as it was not related to my project.Since than he is playing games and making excuses which are typical of a conman.
Please provide copies of his letters written for you as you highly speak of him and his services.
I am affraid his actions are nothing but a day light robbery.
Whoever is reading this and needs a copywriter beware of [redacted] as he is nothing but a dishonest persona.
I will be creating a blog about his deception very soon and will provide you with full details.
We do not need dishonest people in the industry and it is integrity that counts not the backs.
I do not believe [redacted] is running a scam (at least I hope not). My impression is that he frequently gets himself in over his head with his work. He has done a small amount of work for me, and has done work for other ET subscribers. However, it seems that he is not providing a satisfactory service. This is the 3rd complaint I have received now, which has not been resolved, so I will remove my endorsement of him. I’m sorry about the bad experience, and thanks for the update.
UPDATE: After receiving a couple more complaints, I have removed my endorsement of this copywriter.
Eric… Didn’t really rate this one, got the impression that all the work involved meanth you might as well do it yourself!
i have been trying to get something going but it is tough for me.i came to el salvador from tx. now im stuck here i had all my id stolen no bank account no credit card no drivers license im 70 yrs old have to try to start over again is there anything i can do to make money on line and how would i get paid with no id
I’ m pretty sure a Guru copywriter would make a great job, but who can afford those prices?