Few copywriters would discuss the research that’s necessary to write great copy. But a persuasive sales letter doesn’t just jump into a copywriter’s head at will. It takes planning and a lot of research. In fact, I spend over 80% of my time in crafting a sales letter in this research stage and less than 20% doing the actual writing and editing.

Below are the steps a copywriter should take in preparing to write sales letters.

1. Research the market. There are many questions the copywriter has to answer at this step: What are the market needs? What other products have been selling well? Who make up the target market (demographics)? Are there any noticeable trends? The copywriter has to know more about the market than the market knows about itself. Surveys, marketing reports, buying trends and popular forums can all give very telling information about your target market.

2. Research the competition. How well are your competitors doing? What products are selling well for them? What marketing message and media is bringing in most of the profit? Where are they investing most of their advertising dollars? Before the advent of the internet you would have to pay a lot of money for this type of information. But with tools such as ClickBank Marketplace which do rankings of hundreds of websites you can quickly spy on your competition. The use of Google Adwords can also provide you with the marketing intelligence that will guide you in your letter writing.

3. Research your product. If you are selling a product or service then you should know more about this product than the average user. What are the benefits to the end user? How is this product superior to other products in the market? How is it made, distributed, and used? Is the product based on a new idea or old and improved idea? What have the beta users being saying about the product?

4. Plan your letter appeals and structure. Once all the research has been done then it’s now time to plan how all the new information you’ve gathered can best be used to communicate the strongest benefits of this product to the prospect. How would you get their attention? What is the best headline type to use? How should you structure the sales letter? Should you start with a story? How much do you need to educate the prospect within the letter itself? Which are your strongest testimonials? What is the best appeal or hook to use?

Like writing an essay in school, the copywriter should have a rough draft of the letter outline before he starts pounding away at the keyboard. The structure of the letter should depend on your market, the newness of your product and the demographics you are trying to appeal to. Are they very skeptical, accepting, frustrated, and burnt? The answer to these questions will help you choice an appropriate letter structure to use.

Needless to say, a lot of brainstorming goes into crafting the perfect sales letter. As you read and do your research be sure to write down every idea that comes to mind. Don’t depend on your memory to keep those flashes of inspiration; you would lose them just when you need them most.

Along with the preparation of the research materials the copywriter must also prepare himself mentally and emotionally to perform at his peak. A healthy body and outlook on life will tell on your writing style. Writing copy is a tedious job and need a body prepared physically and mentally in order to excel.

To fail to plan is to plan to fail.

When I first started offering online copywriting services I was faced with how I would price my work. Part of this research led me to the websites of other copywriters as to get an idea of the average other copywriters were charging for their services.
I also found a website that gave the industry averages based on research they did. They provided price scales from lowest to highest for different types of copywriting work. But then I was left with the question of where on the scale I should price my services, top, middle or bottom?

There are several different ways that product owners set prices but for copywriting it is done basically in two different ways: either by time or per project. Some copywriters quote you a price based on how many man hours it will take to complete the project. Other price based on a flat fee irrespective of the hours it will take to complete the job.

Apart from whether a royalty or commission will be charged, this base fee can vary a lot. I think that the best way for copywriters to price their work is price to value. Find out the value that you are offering the client and then let your price be based on that.

This may mean that different clients may be quoted different amounts for similar jobs but this is not a matter of equity but getting compensated for the value you are offering the client.

Now if a copywriter were to price according to hours then he will be setting a limit on the amount of money he can make. For example, a copywriter may charge $75 per hour as an hourly rate. If the writing project takes 10 hours then the copywriter simply multiply this by 10 times $75 and determines the bill.

Another copywriter talks to the client and determines the value he is offering the client and sets the fee accordingly. With this second model the client knows what he will pay upfront before the work is completed so there are no surprises in the end.

When the copywriter determines the value of the service he is providing then he may end up charging $10,000 for a 12 page sales letter and $3,000 for another 12 page sales letter. It is not the length of the letter he writes but the value he is offering. The first sales letter may be used to sell a $1,000 product while the second is used to sell a $27 ebook.

Now this may not seem ‘fair’ to the casual reader but this happens in selling physical products as well. For example, the same chemical used in a fingernail polish remover (acetone) is the very same chemical used in paint thinner. But guess which product cost the most in terms of dollar per unit quantity? The finger nail polish remover for sure.

Apart from the difference in quantities, (the paint thinner is bought in more bulk) the fingernail polish remover is used in the cosmetic industry while the paint thinner is used in the construction industry.

This is just one example but there are several cases where a product is sold for different prices depending on what it is used for, so why not a sales letter?

So why not use the price-for-value method when quoting your copywriting fees?

He who gives much should get much. It’s the fairest pricing principle there is.

If I got a penny for each time I was pitched to write
copy for below my normal rate because (as the person claims) I would
make a ton of money from the other jobs they have for me and from
the “royalty” from the product sales, then I would be rivaling Warren
Buffet for the #1 spot in Forbes Magazine richest people list.

I thought that I would make it easier for other people armed with
a good product but strapped for cash to make a successful pitch
to a copywriter worth his/her salt.

So first, what NOT to do:

1. Don’t try to sell a copywriter. Thinks about it: his job is
to sell so how can you ‘outsell’ him. Come direct.

2. Don’t offer 15% of the sales. If your affiliates get 75% why
do you think that 15% would make your copywriter titillated?

3. Don’t say that all your money was spent in product
development, it’s like telling your wife how many other women
you had before her. (So you thought about copywriting last huh?)

4. Don’t promise future jobs. It’s obvious if you like their work you’ll
give more jobs–it’s a stale selling point!

What to do:

1. Be prepared to show you have some marketing experience. If
this is your first product and you’ve never marketed before then
how will your product sell? XX% of 0 = 0. So have a marketing
plan to show how you are prepared to promote the product.

2. Show that you are familiar with the copywriter’s
work–stroke his ego. We are humans too. did you read their blog, (like
this one!) ebook, a sales letter they wrote, an interesting forum

post –show that you’ve been ‘checking them out’.

3. Have at least 20% of the normal rate to pay upfront. A
copywriter takes on a lot of risk when he writes on a retainer
basis, so don’t insult him by paying peanuts upfront. Show that
you are serious about moving forward.

4. Be prepared to show how you will ‘declare’ the sales
account so the copywriter can be sure you are not ripping him
off. Give access to a paypal account or give screen shots–but
treat the copywriter as you would any other JV partner.

5. Be civil through the whole process, you may have a business
partner for life!

You may truly have the next breakthrough ebook, software,
membership site on the drawing board but no large bank account to
draw from … and a copywriter could be the final piece in the
marketing puzzle to get your business to the next level .. if you
play your cards right.

Hope this helps …