A question to those of you who write copy professionally for others, what do you do about mailing lists or traffic generation?

Part of the success of copy is getting the message in the hands of interested people. Whether direct mail or online, you still need the right people to see it.

So when you write for others, if the person who hired you fails to send it to the right list or doesn't know how to drive traffic to the site, it might look to them, that you failed to write strong copy.

When someone hires you to write, what do you tell them with regards to the mailing list or getting traffic? Do you include list or traffic generation services as part of the copywriting package?

I perfer to sell them on me writing for them but I also handle the strategy as far a list selection and traffic generation. That way I can charge more but also put the success of my copy in my hands.

MikeC

When I was doing more work with clients as opposed for myself I was not only doing the copywriting-- and selecting the list or media but I was also helping devise the offer. Because quite frankly without a good offer I don't care how good your list is or how good the copywriting is-- the marketing piece will not perform up to expectation.

Mr. Makepeace posted something in another thread ("The World's Highest Paid Copywriter" I do believe) where he covers what he looks for out of a professional relationship with a client-- and 1. Copywriting 2. List selection and 3. The offer were all mentioned.

Actually I think it's difficult to be "just a copywriter" because there are so many other factors that need to be considered in order to give a marketing piece the best chance of success, such as the list selection and the creation of an offer that is sure to attract interest.

Like Michael (and most profitable copywriters / marketers) I help clients with list selection, provide layout advice, and then go one step further ... I have relationships with printers and finishing houses to get the campaign out the door.

It depends on the sophistication of the client. Some of my clients have their own mail-shop relationships and all they really want is copy. Others already have campaigns that work with certain lists (or a house list) and only want copy.

As a copywriter it's your duty to offer access to all the services necessary to help clients get the results they expect. Since I'm coming from being a consultant, I still even sell for clients on a contract basis to fully understand their offer.

It's very important you can do all these things to insure a successful campaign (and of course, extend your value to a client).

Best,

Justin

I notice quite a few lists in the SRDS have commissions associated with them. The list broker/owner wants their cut of what you make.

Can you do lead generation with a list where the broker wants a commission? Should I even bother to call and inquire about the list? I just want to use it for lead generation, giving away a free widget.

MikeC

Their commission is part of the list rental fee. For you it's only important to consider your total cost including selects. This means if the list is $175 CPM, a title select is $25 CPM, and an age select is $25 CPM; your total list cost is $225 CPM.

While it's not impossible, I don't recall any list in my market asking for a percentage of sales. They tend to get their money upfront in usage fees. Most all lists will want to see your creative before you mail and have preset caps on usage (i.e. you either buy single use or multiple use upfront.)

You may also be able to rent lists from service providers who serve your same audience. Have you considered a joint venture mailing with someone who already reaches your buyers? I've done several and they can be very responsive.

Sincerely,

Justin