The Marketing Director’s Guide To Getting Hired (As A Copywriter)
“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
No doubt, copy is king. As a copywriter, you have the power to make the difference between good and great results just by virtue of your ability to write top-notch sales copy. So you might be surprised to learn that the quality of your writing is only one reason that a potential client might hire you. Knowing what marketing directors are looking for in their copywriters can help you get a leg up on your competition.
Throughout my career, I have done thousands of direct-response marketing campaigns, incorporating all channels, including direct mail, e-mail, telesales, television, print ads, radio, Web, and inserts. Through it all, 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. Based on my experience, I’ve developed a checklist of seven crucial characteristics I look for when hiring a copywriter.
* Lack of experience isn’t a deal breaker. You don’t need to have years of experience under your belt to get a marketing director to notice you. What you lack in experience, you should make up for with your understanding of direct-response marketing fundamentals and how to sell, and a willingness to really understand the client’s niche market. Ability to consistently meet deadlines and general intelligence is also a big part of what I look for in a copywriter, and you can bet that these things will matter to almost any client.
* Be prepared to provide samples of your work. Put together a portfolio of your best copywriting work for a potential client. If you don’t have samples, you can always write a sales letter, lift note, welcome letter, etc. for an imaginary client just so you can show off your writing skills and grasp of copywriting techniques.
But whether you have samples or not, be prepared to take a quick writing test. Testing is something I do regularly. If a copywriter doesn’t have any samples in my specific niche, I pick a single product, show him past promotions, let him speak with the creator or editor of that product, and ask him for a headline and lead within 24 hours. This test will give you a chance to demonstrate your writing skill and instincts. No matter what, don’t refuse to take the test. A copywriter who’s not willing to take the test is a copywriter I’m not going to hire.
* Know the results of your previous campaigns with past clients. If a copywriter tells me that her client could not supply them “because their computer system could not track them” – I won’t go any further. Any copywriter who does not care about results is not worth working with.
* Have faith in your abilities – ask for royalties. If a copywriter 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.)
* Team up with a graphic artist to make sure your sales letter looks as good as it reads. This is another deal breaker for me. If a copywriter does not insist on working with my artist to provide graphic direction – I’m not going to hire her. Yes, copy is king – but readability is queen. And if no one can read the sales letter, it doesn’t really matter how good the copy is.
* Even when you’re working as a freelance copywriter, express interest in being part of the internal team. I’ve had the best results when I’ve treated copywriters like a member of the “family.” If your client is developing a new product, for instance, ask if you can join in the product-development session. If your client is brainstorming a new promotion, ask if you can be present. This way, you’ll get a better sense of your client’s needs and you’ll get a deeper understanding of the product you’ll be promoting.
* Understand the incredible value of testing. I make it a rule to hire copywriters who know how important it is to test, test, test. Make sure you can come up with ideas for tests that scream, not whisper. This means you test ideas that will increase 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.
Master these inside tips for making marketers happy, and you should have no trouble landing even the toughest of clients.
MaryEllen Tribby Guest Contributor THE TOTAL PACKAGE™
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