How To Tell Which Copywriting Clients Are Worth Dealing With...And Which Ones Aren't

By: Ben Settle
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:43:24
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If you are a copywriter who gets paid on commission -- instead of or in addition to taking an up-front fee -- then please read this article very carefully.

Doing so can make you a ton of money while saving you a ton of time.

Back when I was just starting out as a copywriter, to get some "real world" experience, I did copywriting jobs on just pure commission.

The idea was to get some good experience and make some decent money...all while removing the risk from the client.

And it worked great...on paper.

Unfortunately, in reality, it didn't work well at all (as far as making a lot of money).

Why?

Because while the ads I wrote were pretty good, and did well when they ran, many of my clients were not motivated to do what was necessary to monetize the copy to the fullest extent.

Why weren't they motivated?

I don't know.

But the fact they didn't pay me any money up front probably had something to do with it. After all, people rarely give value to things they get free.

Now, "flash forward" a couple years when I ran into a marketer who explained how to make absolutely sure you never waste time on a "do nothing" client:

"Don't work with anyone who is not as excited about the project making money as you are."

Boom.

That one sentence hit me like a ton of bricks -- and all that flakey client behavior actually made sense.

You see, while it's true a lot of people want good copy, few of them are willing to exploit that copy and nab every dollar they can from it. Even if it will make them a lot of money, and even if they think your copy is the next best thing since sliced bread.

I know that sounds strange but it's true.

Some people are just like that.

Now, if you're writing on a straight fee -- and no commission -- then this is no big deal. I mean, if you already got paid, who cares?

But if you are ever in a position where you're offered a chance to write an ad where you get paid based on sales -- then I highly suggest not working with that client unless they can prove they're as motivated to make money as you are.

Otherwise, just walk away from it.

Seriously.

Because all you're going to do is bust your chops on an ad that will never be exploited properly...or may not even run at all.

And unless you take an upfront fee, that means you're out all that time, energy and effort.

Ben Settle is a direct response copywriter and author of "The Copywriter's Cheat Sheet" -- which contains over 300 pages of advanced copywriting secrets and rare swipe file ads not easily found anywhere else. You can get a free copy of his book and read his latest copywriting ideas and tactics at http://bensettle.com

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