Comments on: Hire an Expensive Copywriter—and Start Saving Money

By: Peter

Peter — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 09:25:15 +0000

a very nice article…I agree with all your points..10/10…

By: Matthew Stibbe (Bad Language blog)

Matthew Stibbe (Bad Language blog) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 09:58:09 +0000

Spot on. There are two types of marketing professional in the world: those that understand the value of good copy that doesn’t need a ton of rework or hours of briefing, delivered on time and on budget. And those that don’t. The most expensive thing about cheap copy is the amount of time that people need to spend briefing it in and editing it when it’s delivered. Also, since writing is such a small fraction of the cost of a website or campaign, tolerating weak copy is a hugely expensive mistake. It’s like building an ICBM and then using a hand grenade as the payload.

By: Viviane Bauquet Farre / food & style

Viviane Bauquet Farre / food & style — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 02:44:02 +0000

Lorraine! Wonderful article… My husband is a copywriter by day and musician by night! I’m forwarding him your piece. I think he will agree on all your points! There’s hope for Anish

By: Lorraine Thompson

Lorraine Thompson — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 21:17:52 +0000

@Sean: Thanks for providing an excellent example of strategic “added value” copywriting. : >

@Spork: Thanks for your kind comment. Re: Pronouns–I was aiming for equal opportunity pronoun reference. Meant to alternate “he” and “she” in each point–but looks like I got off-count starting with #6. Sigh.

By: Spork in the Road

Spork in the Road — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 01:40:48 +0000

I also love the article. From a male perspective, it’s always interesting to see what it feels like when a writer uses feminine pronouns as the default. I confess that I’m curious, though, why you switched to the masculine “he’s” in the last sentence of the fifth point.

Thanks again for the article. I think it will go a long way toward helping good copywriters justify their positions and fees.

By: Sean Lyden

Sean Lyden — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 02:48:04 +0000

Hi Lorraine:

Once again…Well done.

Point #4 is especially critical to attracting higher pay. I’ve seen copywriters operate as “order takers.” If a prospective client asks for a press release, they say, “Sure! I’m on it!” But they really don’t know whether what the client is asking them to do is in the client’s best interest.

A strategic copywriter, however, asks, “What are you looking to accomplish with this press release? What are your expectations that would define success for that press release?” ….What if these expectations are unrealistic? What if another marketing tool is actually a better fit to fulfilling the client’s expectations? The strategic copywriter can then counsel the client to align the right marketing tool and copy with the objective the client seeks to achieve.