As most subjective of subjects, language leaves room for misinterpretation. Bad writing is like driving a car on an empty tank of gas, in complete wrong direction. Without a solid vocabulary, one can’t harness language. If one lacks sense of what to say when, where, and to whom, to produce a desired response; someone, somewhere, will be laughing. That someone might be me.

A strategic writer organizes carefully. This is where all that stuff you learned in fourth grade English class comes in. That old schoolmarm wasn’t drawing sentence diagrams on board to torture you. She was trying to show you that words take different forms depending on their logical function within a sentence. This is how we employ order and organization to make meaning understood. “He’s so dumb he can’t even form a sentence.” Hey, many people of above-average intelligence really can’t form a sentence! It’s one of reasons people hire professional writers.

Someone might see something like poorly written web copy and think, "That don’t impress me much" (because today, poor grammar even finds its way into song titles). And maybe they won’t know why they’re not impressed... but I’ll know! It will be due to flagrant disregard for English language, and outright disrespect for poetry in motion that is good advertising.

If you’re an accomplished writer, then God bless! Fight good fight, little soldier, for I’m backing you all way. If you’re a destroyer of quality writing: do us humble wordsmiths a favor and back away from pen. We love to hear you talk, we really do! Your expertise make us who we are because you confirm what we say. You’re proof in our pudding; our real, live reference book! We love to listen and learn from you, and we love to pass your information along. We won’t take your credit. We promise! I’m your copy cosmetician, and I’m here to make you look beautiful.

Now, please - just give me back my pen!

How did these brands come to be households name that they are? Consistency. If you want to build a solid reputation for your company, you must stand firm in your philosophy. You must develop an actual physical image that people recognize (think of Golden Arches). And above all, you must always speak to same people in same way. When people know that they can count on you for predictable behavior, they'll begin to trust you. Customers who trust in your brand always come back.

As a copywriter, I'm your Branding Watchdog. I'll make sure you never fall off branding wagon and start talking like somebody you're not. You should never have to tell your writer, "Let's work on branding," because it's something that gets factored in automatically. Branding is part of package, and you won't be a smashing success until backbone of your brand is firmly in place.

4. What if I don't care for what you've written?

Clients with a tight budget usually ask me this question. The answer that always pops into my mind is this: "Do you walk into a restaurant and ask, 'What if I don't like food?'" Of course not, because you understand that there's always a small amount of risk. "Let Buyer Beware!" is famous cliche that still rings true. Even so: if I want to keep you as a customer, I'm going to do best job possible to ensure your satisfaction.

I'm like guy who runs a restaurant. He makes sure your food is prepared just right way, so you'll enjoy it and return again. Likewise, I prepare your copy just right way, in hope that you'll absolutely love it and want to return to my website for some repeat business.

My sole purpose is to create writing materials that reflect your brand intelligently and professionally. You pay me to represent you, so I make your needs priority one. That means I provide rewrites until you're happy with end result. Copywriters with a true passion for their work will welcome this challenge, and they won't stop until you're completely thrilled by what they've created for you. I truly feel this way, and I promise that once we work together, you'll "catch creative fever," too.

5. How long will this project take to complete?

I'll be perfectly honest: to provide you with most accurate assessment, I need your feedback. Give your copywriter a helping hand, and volunteer as much information as possible. How many words/pages? Will this be a kit that contains multiple elements, or a quick 500-word article? Will this project require in-depth research? All of this affects time it will take to do a quality job. And while quantity is important, quality is more important. I refuse to hand in sloppy work because you wanted job done yesterday.

Additionally: less certain you are of what you want, longer I'll spend doing "test drafts" that you'll read and give feedback on. This is quite all right by me, but I will warn you that it may lengthen time it takes to finish project. On other hand, if you know exactly what you want and can express it in a detailed way, your website copy could take less than a week to create!

I hope I've been able to address your concerns as a potential copywriting client, as well as shed some light on copywriting process itself. I truly love what I do, and nothing gives me greater pleasure than putting my creative skill to work helping you build an empire of wealth and success. If you're thinking of starting your own business, now's a great time. I wish you all luck in world! And if you ever need a copywriter... you know who to call. ;)

Copyright 2005 Dina Giolitto. All rights reserved.