An Open Letter To Copywriters
So it seems we’ve been ruffling a few feathers in the copywriting fraternity recently. Apparently, a few people have taken exception to the amount we pay and how we pay. So in the interests of a fair and open dialogue, I have decided to write this letter to all of those who have taken the time and the trouble to leave us feedback and respond to some of your comments.
My name is Martin Harrison and I look after the creative side of things at Copify. The concept of the site was my idea and it may shock many of you to learn that I am in fact a copywriter by trade. Let me start by saying that it is certainly not our intention to cheapen or undermine the profession. After all, why would it be in my interests to do that?
Our intention is to provide a service for agencies who are more single minded about cost and turnaround time than any other factor. Unfortunately, this is a fact of life I’m afraid. In my last desk job at an online marketing agency, I was expected to produce around 2-3000 words a day on a pretty average salary, so the costs we are quoting are to reflect what people, in my experience, are willing to pay.
At the same time, we are offering what we feel is a pretty good opportunity to certain copywriters, particularly those who are starting out or looking to earn a bit of extra cash. Surely you can remember a time when you were starting out and had to work for little or no money? I know I can! Yes, the copy is cheap by comparison to what some freelancers may charge, but then again, for many of our clients it is a leap of faith which is something we have to factor into the equation.
When we launched the site, we approached literally hundreds of copywriters and in hindsight, we should have perhaps screened these more carefully. It has never been our intention to offend or upset people which is unfortunately what we have done in some cases.
Many people seem to be dwelling on our strategy of charging and paying for jobs by the word. Believe me when I tell you that this is the only realistic and sensible way of doing things on the platform we operate. In a lot of ways it is ironic that we have been having the debate over quantity and quality with so many of you. As a copywriter, I have always championed the cause of succinct copy as opposed to reams and reams of meaningless text. Unfortunately, many people within the marketing world (specifically online marketing) do not share this view and we have to cater to their needs and offer cost per word as a standardised way of doing things.
Rightly or wrongly, there is a demand for the service we are offering and there are plenty of people who still feel that earning £20 for an hour or so of work (approximately 500 words at ‘professional’ level) is not a bad price. I certainly don’t, as this has been my hourly rate for the past 6 months.
As ever, we welcome any reasonable feedback you may have.
Best Wishes.
Martin
Creative Director
martin@copify.com
February 9th, 2010 at 3:11 pm
Thank you Martin for taking the trouble to write this blog post. I can see what you are trying to do and I think the model is a good one in principle but I have to take issue with you on a couple fo points. As the owner of a PR consultancy I do use freelancers to supplement the team as and when the need occurs. Of course cost and turnaround time are issues for us but we also appreciate that producing a piece of copy isnt just about the writing – it’s also about the research and the planning – and that time should be paid for. I spent many years freelancing before setting up BlueSky and never had to work for this sort of rate. I want people who are going to take the time to really fulfil the brief by researching and planning fully before they write – not a production line of people who trot out something in half an hour because its only paying twenty quid! Call me naive if you like but to me that’s just a false economy – or perhaps I am just more client focused than some of you other users?
February 9th, 2010 at 3:21 pm
Hi Tracey,
Thanks for your comment. I don’t agree that just because we are cheaper than some freelancers, the quality of the work will necessarily be any lower. All of our writers are fully screened before we approve them, and so far all of the feedback on completed jobs has been positive. It is a fact of life that some people are willing to work for less than others and this is not necessarily in direct correlation with their ability.
Martin.
February 9th, 2010 at 3:42 pm
Perhaps you could clarify that your service will be undertaken by people who are not professional copywriters, but who are simply good writers vetted by you for their skills. They may be seeking work experience, or to build up a portfolio.
I know no copywriters who would work for such low rates, so I imagine you will have inexperienced or non-professional writers signing up, who may (hopefully) be able to write well to order, but who can’t devote the kind of research/relationship-building time or offer the kind of strategic marketing advice that a professional copywriter would provide in order to guarantee copy that gets the best results possible for the client.
I’m sure that you’d still get business from clients wanting fast or cheap words, but who aren’t bothered about getting the additional benefits that a true copywriter would bring to the table. As you’ve said, there is clearly a market that you’re tapping into.
However, you are running the risk of offending many professional copywriters who feel that their work and reputation are being undermined and cheapened by your claim that you are offering professional copywriting services, which are by implication on a level with what they provide.
From the tone you have taken during this debate, it seems that you do not wish to offend and that you are open to advice and opinion on the subject. I hope you will consider mine.
February 9th, 2010 at 4:14 pm
Hi Row,
Perhaps a clearer definition of what we term ‘professional copywriters’ is in order. These are people who have produced a number of high quality samples which I have personally reviewed. They will also have a CV and references to prove that they have the necessary work experience to understand the varied needs of our clients. This proves to us that they have what it takes to produce a consistently high standard of work. As I have mentioned before, the feedback we have had on work completed has been 100% positive, which proves for us that the system works. This is a very salient point that many people appear to have missed.
I agree with you that there isn’t a great deal in terms of copywriter/client relationship, but this is why we place such a heavy emphasis on writing a detailed brief. In a lot of ways, this negates the need for this relationship. Given how rude some of the copywriters I have spoken to have been, for some people this could be seen as a blessing!
I am personally a copywriter with approx 3 years experience in the industry and I have previously charged £20 an hour to a host of very happy clients. Have I undersold myself? Perhaps, but then I have been inundated with work ever since going freelance, one of the main reasons I decided to introduce Copify. Different people charge different amounts and many people are prepared to work for our rates, whether it be to expand their portfolio or for a quick and convenient way of supplementing their income. Many people feel that they are worth more than what we are offering and those people are free to charge whatever they like, and do so with our best wishes.
I can only re-iterate the point that I am not intending to offend anybody. For the life of me, I can’t understand the viewpoint of those who have taken such exception to us approaching them, surely they should be flattered? The only conclusion I can come to is that they feel threatened, which is, if anything, a compliment to us.
February 9th, 2010 at 4:56 pm
I think writing 500 words in one hour is entirely possible – but fitting proper planning and research into that time is not.
Nor is working with the client in order to create a suitable brief for the job within the context of a joined-up marketing strategy that we can advise on; nor is offering different samples of copy in advance in order to select a tone and style that is appropriate to the audience/marketing medium, and preferred by the client.
Obviously, those latter two points are the kinds of extras that working directly with a copywriter can bring. However, you’re acting as the middle man and cutting out those extras in order to ensure cheaper costs for your clients – and, as you point out, it’s entirely up to your clients as to whether or not they want that kind of service, which prioritises convenience above all else.
As professional copywriters, it’s our job to demonstrate to clients that we have a lot more to offer them than this basic service. It’s not always an easy task – so that may explain a lot of the ill feeling you’ve been subject to.
February 10th, 2010 at 5:53 am
Martin, I appreciate the effort you and your partners are making to respond to your critics. It’s good that this hasn’t turned into too much of a witch hunt and your decision to respond directly is a big reason for that.
However, in my opinion, your responses, particularly this one, aggravate the situation because they do not at all justify the rates or terms you offer to copywriters and they are at odds with the information that is, or was, on your site. Your reasoning does not work on any level and if you expect us to accept it, it’s insulting.
Your main argument in this blog post literally does not add up. On one hand, you justify the per word rate you offer based on writing 500 words per hour, but, unless you only worked your desk job for 4 – 6 hours a day, by your own admission you did not write 500 words an hour.
The problem is compounded when we consider that you must have been somewhat experienced to get the desk job. Generally speaking, the newer writers you target would not be able to write as fast as you.
Here’s where the numbers fall apart. You are right, £20 is not bad for an hour’s work. Your best clip seems to be 375 words an hour (already we are down to £15). Your target seems to be mostly inexperienced writers. For argument’s sake and to keep the mathematics simple, let’s say an inexperienced writer can do 300 words (I am an experienced writer and I would sweat commas to write 300 words an hour – definitely not with research, etc.) at your Standard writer rate of 2p/word that’s £6/hr (at best). Oh yes, that’s if they actually get paid for the job.
Clues to an intent that is different from what you outline here are all over your site.
“Copify is going to change the way people think about copywriting. Our aim is to make life easier for organizations who require the services of the copywriter.” This appears on every page of the Copify site. Quite right, you will change the way people think of copywriting, negatively, and that affects every writer. It’s also true you will make it easier for organizations who need copywriting – by offering cut-rate copy produced by an online sweatshop.
Other parts of your site are simply misleading. You write that the Copify offer is a good opportunity for new copywriters “to earn a bit of extra cash”, yet your call to action for writers isn’t “earn a bit of extra cash”, which may be accurate, but “Find a Job”, which is definitely not.
OK, this is getting way too long. But I must point out one more poor argument you make above. To your first point, that you are a copywriter, so why would you cheapen the profession, well, pirates are sailors too, but that doesn’t justify piracy.
ABSOLUTELY my last point: question actually – why are your writers given Prisoner-like numbers like “Copifier137″ instead of using personal or business names, which would give them the benefit of raising their internet profile? Are you “Copifier1″?!
February 10th, 2010 at 10:38 am
Hi Stephen,
Thanks for taking the time to comment. If you’ll allow me, I would like to address each of your points one by one.
First of all, allow me to re-visit the issue of our costs vs. an in-house role. As you rightly point out, a 7-8 hour working day doesn’t amount to 2-3000 words if you are producing 500 words every hour. This was a rough approximation, and as a copywriter you will know, no 2 days are the same as the amount of research and time taken to write each piece will vary. Regardless, even if you work on the premise that an in house copywriter would be expected to churn out 7×500 word units a day (unrealistic as this may be) our prices compare favourably.
To address the point you have mentioned further down, re: words per hour. Again, we have acknowledged that no 2 hours are the same and this is reflected in our policy of charging per word and not per hour. This is not intended to turn words into a commodity, it is intended to offer standardisation for our customers. Try and put yourself in the shoes of a customer who has ordered 2 articles and receives one which is 200 words and the other 500 words for the same amount. Would you really be happy with that?
You are right in your assertion that I do have experience. I have worked for several agencies, so I know exactly what people are and aren’t willing to pay. We have taken a completely customer-centric approach. You’re a copywriter, you can understand that, right? This is something which I would suggest that many of our cynics have failed to do, otherwise they would be busy with work, instead of spending their time writing elaborate blog posts and Twitter protests.
For many agencies these days, it is a fact of life that copy is not the greatest priority and the budget that is allocated to it is set accordingly. We are simply supplying this demand. Sure, you will find many agencies and businesses who will prize words over all else and be willing to pay top dollar and to those businesses and the copywriters who serve them we say good luck! That isn’t to say the service we offer is poor, as I continue to point out, the feedback we have consistently had from agencies has been very positive.
What is insulting to us is that we are being widely condemned for the quality of the work that the site produces. A bit rich, considering that none of you have actually read any of this work. The assertion that our writers are inexperienced is also inaccurate. Take a look at some of the mugshots in the ‘latest copifiers’ section of the site and read some of the profiles. I have personally screened each and every one of these CVs and seen samples to prove that they have the knowledge and experience to do a decent job. Otherwise, why would I have put them on the site and run the risk of them submitting substandard work?
Your point about us giving copywriting a bad name, again unfounded. Come back to us with this argument in 6 months when we have had complaints from our customers, then maybe you might have a case. Sweatshop? A bit strong don’t you think. Even if (between complaining about how hard done to you are) you could muster 200 words an hour, this is still what most people in the service industry, or even a junior copywriter would consider a decent wage.
Calls to action…where to start on this one? There are plenty of calls to action across the site, can we really be criticised for this? You raise issue with the term ‘find a job’, this leads to page with jobs on it. What exactly is wrong with that??
On to piracy. What makes us pirates? We are not selling bootlegged DVDs out of a suitcase. We are providing a budget service and servicing a demand for quality copy at a reasonable price, simple as that.
The site is a learning curve, an experimentation and no we don’t have all of the answers, we have held our hands up to that. However, we are trying our best to give our side of the story in an objective and reasoned manner. What the equation simply boils down to is this. Copywriting, like many other professions isn’t rocket science. It is something that most people with a basic grasp of literary conventions and a decent dose of common sense are capable of. We have acknowledged this. Some people are willing to work for less than others and some people are willing to pay more than others. That is simple economics.
Yes, there will be copywriters who will claim that they are the masters of the universe and that they deserve much more than we pay. To those people we say fair play, we’re not standing in your way.
The only people complaining about the site are the copywriters who have taken the high ground because they feel they are worth more than what we are offering. Not the clients, nor the dozens of writers who have signed up for the site. Again a point many of you would do well to realise.
Let me finish by asking you and the rest of our cynics a few questions:
Why are you so concerned about Copify? If you are so confident that what you offer is so much better than what we do the surely you have no reason to worry?
Why don’t you all disclose your rates? Then maybe we could see what you regard as fair pricing…