So You've Decided to Hire a Freelance Copywriter - A Guide to the Collaboration Process

Written by Jenny Brown


Whether you're an executive or a small business owner, chances are you will have to hire a writer somewhere alongrepparttar line to create your marketing material. Here is some insight intorepparttar 142318 process, what is expected of you, and how to getrepparttar 142319 most out of your investment.

But before we start…

All your written background material please! Rather than set up a meeting,repparttar 142320 most efficient way to get started is to send all previously written material to your writer. This includes brochures, business plans, press releases, articles, reports and whatever else you can find. The writer will then spend a few days to a week, depending onrepparttar 142321 assignment, taking a crash course on your business. Much like cramming for finals. Then…

Letrepparttar 142322 questions begin! (and there will be lots!)

You arerepparttar 142323 expert, so it's your job to fill inrepparttar 142324 blanks thatrepparttar 142325 material doesn't cover. Some questions may seem redundant to you. But remember, in order to create strong selling copy,repparttar 142326 writer must write with authority about your product or service. And specifics are where it's at.

Here are a few standard questions:

1.Who is your target audience? (age, income, gender) 2.What arerepparttar 142327 characteristics of your audience? 3.What isrepparttar 142328 tone ofrepparttar 142329 piece? (friendly, formal, excited) 4.What arerepparttar 142330 features and benefits of your product or service? 5.Who is your competition?

Collaboration

The more open and communicative you are duringrepparttar 142331 process,repparttar 142332 better your copy will be. Hopefully your writer will have nailed down exactly what you envisioned onrepparttar 142333 first draft. But we're not mind readers! Business writing is still an art form and your writer's interpretation won't always be right onrepparttar 142334 mark (although hopefully close to it if they have any talent or listening skills). This is where revisions start. When going overrepparttar 142335 first draft together, it's best to be specific about what areas you need altered. An example of constructive feedback would be "I like this paragraph, but let's emphasize this benefit more". Or, "I want to changerepparttar 142336 tone of this section". Byrepparttar 142337 second or third revision it should be 100%.

Trust your copywriter!

You may look at your copy and decide you could have written it yourself. Or you may want to take over half way throughrepparttar 142338 process. After all, anyone can write - right? This is a common misconception. You are probably a fabulous salesperson out there withrepparttar 142339 customers. Butrepparttar 142340 actual writing part is a different discipline. If you start playing around with a section here and a section there, you risk sabotagingrepparttar 142341 flow and structure your copywriter has toiled over to enticerepparttar 142342 reader into takingrepparttar 142343 desired action. Your writer will know which key words sell, how to write attention grabbing headlines and basicallyrepparttar 142344 difference between copy that sells and copy that sounds clever but is really just a load of hot air. And how will they have created such irresistibly, compelling copy? By lots of…

Storytelling for Fun and Profit

Written by Alvah Parker


Storytelling for Fun and Profit

Storytelling - It’s a hot topic these days. What do I mean by storytelling? One website says that it is “a narrative account of a real or imagined event or events” That same website (http://www.eldrbarry.net/roos/st_defn.htm) says “Stories connect us with our humanness and link past, present, and future by teaching us to anticipaterepparttar possible consequences of our actions.”

Once a month I read to a local first grade. The children get very excited when they see me because they know we will spend a wonderful hour together using our imaginations. We do that by looking atrepparttar 142317 pictures inrepparttar 142318 book and then making up a story to go with them. Sometimes I stop inrepparttar 142319 middle ofrepparttar 142320 story and ask them what they think is going to happen. When I readrepparttar 142321 poem Casey atrepparttar 142322 Bat, they preferred their ending with Casey hitting a home run!

Aside from its entertainment value stories help us to connect to others. There is a certain amount of shared intimacy when one person shares a story with another. In addition to that some stories help a person to learn something new. Business leaders are just beginning to see storytelling as a way to deal with change. It can be used to produce a practical outcome that changes an individual, a community and/or an organization.

A story is told about a student and his master. Everydayrepparttar 142323 student spent learning from his master. The student noticed thatrepparttar 142324 master always taught him through stories so one day he askedrepparttar 142325 master if it wouldn’t be faster ifrepparttar 142326 master taught him directly. The master responded by askingrepparttar 142327 student to bring him some water. The student thought this response was odd but dutifully got a pot and filled it with water for his master. Seeingrepparttar 142328 pot of water,repparttar 142329 master askedrepparttar 142330 student why he brought himrepparttar 142331 pot when all he asked for was water.

To me that story says so much more than a direct answer and that is justrepparttar 142332 point ofrepparttar 142333 story, isn’t it?

How does one gainrepparttar 142334 insight necessary to find justrepparttar 142335 right story? I always envy musicians and actors in their ability to improvise. A jazz musician for example can pick uprepparttar 142336 melody and improvise wonderful variations. Actors inrepparttar 142337 same way can getrepparttar 142338 barest of facts and then create a monologue or dialogue right inrepparttar 142339 moment. To me improvisation is amazing! I am in awe of those who do it.

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