How to Negotiate Rates with a Freelance Copywriting Expert

Written by Dina Giolitto


Continued from page 1

Offer your writer a weekly rate. A project here, a project there... boy, those hourly fees add up fast! If you know there’s a crunch coming up and you have a trusted writer in mind, contractrepparttar job out "byrepparttar 108004 week." Askrepparttar 108005 writer if she’s willing to devote 40 hours a week to researching and writing marketing materials for your company. Define her expected responsibilities ahead of time, agree on a set fee for five consecutive days of work, and make sure she’s easily accessible by phone and email. Most freelancers are willing to accept a much lower rate of pay if they know they're guaranteed a steady gig. Get it in writing, and bam, you’ve hired your first temp and saved a ton of money inrepparttar 108006 process!

Hire someone to “clean up” your written materials. Don’t haverepparttar 108007 money to spend on a full-scale ad campaign? Dorepparttar 108008 work yourself, but have a seasoned writer critique it for you. Askrepparttar 108009 copywriter what his proofreading rates are, and then send a few drafts his way for a quick revamp. You won't believe how much better your ads can look when you spend just a few dollars on an expert proofreader.

Askrepparttar 108010 copywriter if she’ll give you a reduced rate for just one written draft. Lots of writers factor multiple draft revisions into their fees. But what if they knew going in that they only had to write one draft? The price would likely be considerably lower because of significantly less time spent onrepparttar 108011 work. When it comes to copy, do you like to “have it your way,” same as your Burger King? Then a single-draft copywriter might berepparttar 108012 way to go. You’ll save a ton of money on copy revisions, and you can use whatrepparttar 108013 writer creates and "make it your own."

Get a written estimation ofrepparttar 108014 time it will take to complete a project. What’s your biggest fear about copywriting jobs that are charged byrepparttar 108015 hour? Thatrepparttar 108016 writer will spend hours longer than you expected on it, and as a result, charge you an arm and a leg. Eliminate that fear by asking for an estimated project time up-front. The more clarification,repparttar 108017 better. Don’t just say, “I need 4 pages of website copy written” and expect her to know how long it will take. Instead, map outrepparttar 108018 work plan. Will she be responsible for research? Project outlines? Phone interviews? Multiple draft revisions? Knowingrepparttar 108019 process will help her figure out a fair price forrepparttar 108020 work. Inrepparttar 108021 end, you’ll both feel more comfortable settling on a price.

If there ever was a doubt in your mind about hiring a freelance copywriter, hopefully this article will allay your fears! Contracting work out to a specialist is one ofrepparttar 108022 best things you can do for your business and for your sanity. Negotiating with another sole proprietor is actually quite easy, and affords yourepparttar 108023 greatest control over project terms and spending. More often than not, other entrepreneurs are looking forrepparttar 108024 same things you are: intelligent, honest people willing to collaborate talent. So, what are you waiting for? Hire a writer who can help you grow your business!

Copyright 2005 Dina Giolitto. All rights reserved.

Dina Giolitto is a New-Jersey based Copywriting Consultant with nine years' industry experience. Her current focus is web content and web marketing for a multitude of products and services although the bulk of her experience lies in retail for big-name companies like Toys"R"Us.


An Editor Spins Her Thoughts about Web Content

Written by Linda Jay Geldens


Continued from page 1

How Working with an Editor Helps Your Business Maybe you think that copyediting and proofreading are luxury items in your publications budget. Or that nobody will notice if a few mistakes slip through in your Web site copy. But truthfully, copyediting is a necessity and not a luxury, because people will notice mistakes in your copy. Here are more ways in which a professional copyeditor can benefit your business, in addition to making suggestions about text additions, deletions, and clarifications: - An editor writes “zingier” headlines – so potential customers will be drawn into your Web site byrepparttar zinginess - An editor breaks up dense paragraphs – so potential customers will actually read your copy because it is easy to read - An editor introduces correct punctuation and good grammar – so potential customers will be convinced that your product or service is high quality, sincerepparttar 108003 copy that advertises it is high quality - An editor has ideas about when to italicize or boldface words or phrases – so potential customers will be interested in readingrepparttar 108004 text Web site text is different from magazine articles and book chapters. The pages are smaller,repparttar 108005 paragraphs are shorter, graphics or photographs often accompanyrepparttar 108006 text. Web site “visitors” are assumed to have a shorter attention span than book or magazine readers. This means that a reader spends just a few minutes readingrepparttar 108007 text at your Web site. It makes sense that you will want to present your company or services in as professional a light as possible. How to Hire a Copyeditor Copyeditors can be found through professional organizations such as Bay Area Editors’ Forum, Bookbuilders West, consulting and marketing organizations, directories of editorial professionals, ads in newspapers and magazines, and by looking up copyeditors on search engines. Employing a good copyeditor to shape up your Web site text will ensure that your message is conveyed beautifully – and that’s not just editorial spin!

Linda Jay Geldens is an experienced, versatile, lightning-fast copyeditor/proofreader/copywriter based in Marin County, near San Francisco. She “truly delights in, and has a passion for, working with words.” Her e-mail address is: LindaJay@aol.com, and her Web site URL (in progress) is: http://www.LindaJayGeldens.com.


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