What Do Copywriters Do at Focus Groups? Part 1

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What Do Copywriters Do at Focus Groups? Part 1

This question comes up a lot. “What do copywriters do at focus groups?” And the answer is actually pretty involved.

But first, an advertising focus group primer.

Focus groups are gatherings of ‘very ordinary people’ who are paid a small amount of money (usually or so) for a few hours of their time to come to some very ordinary industrial park location in the middle of pretty much nowhere to share their feelings about advertising ideas BEFORE THEY ARE PRODUCED.

This is to make sure no HUGE mistakes are made. This is to make sure people keep their jobs…by and large.

Focus groups happen all over, but usually take place in certain places in the country that are considered good ‘litmus tests’ for the rest of the country. Meaning these are the people who are collectively supposed to give the ‘popular opinion’ as to whether the advertising ideas they will see are going to get them to buy the product or not.

And if not, WHY?

Big responsibility, no doubt.

In the groups, a moderator will usually get the people talking about advertising in general. He or she (usually a she) is hired to get to the bottom of what people really think. And to do that, some pre-group banter happens. All the while, the moderator is very clear to point out that she is INDEPENDENT of anything and any brand.

Eventually, she will show the creative ideas for the proposed campaign. (This is the point where everyone in the back behind the two-way mirror usually STOPS eating the M&M’s and pays attention!) This is the moment of truth. People back at the agency and back at the client headquarters have paid a lot of money for this next part. So all talk ceases.

“Shhh. She’s showing the boards!”

At the point where the creative work is shown, the moderator can either present the television ideas herself (usually poorly) or she can ask the copywriter to come out from behind the mirror and present the ideas to the group.

It then becomes the copywriters’ job to present the work objectively, as if he or she is NOT the creator of the ideas being presented. Meanwhile, he or she IS. In fact, good moderators usually go FAR out of their way to make the people at the focus group feel that they can be ULTRA HONEST about the ideas, even in front of the copywriter.

It can be brutal. Or it can be the best ego massage you could ever imagine. That’s the thing about advertising focus groups, they usually end either very, very poorly or pretty well (clients will always be suspicious of the ads that do well. It’s their jobs to be.)

So, what do copywriters do at focus group?

They pray. Mostly they pray.

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Failed Agreements: What Copywriters Must Know About Negotiation

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Failed Agreements: What Copywriters Must Know About Negotiation

There are two financially ruinous negotiating tactics often made by beginning copywriters.

An example of financially ruinous negotiating tactic #1 comes from a successful book author who is adding copywriting to his writing skill set. Here, paraphrased, is a comment he made to me:

“My client seems unhappy with the work. I’m thinking of telling her she doesn’t have to pay the final 50 percent.”

My response: Copywriting is part science and part “art.” And it’s the subjective aspect of assessing copy that leads writers to feel responsible when a client is not happy.

However, time (and expertise) is all the copywriter has to sell. A client contracts for that time and uses it, and must respect it with the agreed-upon pay.

Is the copywriter always right to demand payment when a client’s satisfaction is unrewarded?

If the copy is indeed poor, then of course the client shouldn’t have to pay anything at all. But in the case of my student, a Creative Brief was used, and in fact, filled out by the client herself.

Thanks to the Creative Brief, the Web site copy was “on target,” and since I reviewed it as a “copy chief,” I know that the first draft copy was very good.

However, the client’s email noted that the “voice” was not sufficiently hers, that she did not feel that her positioning as a “rural GP” came through strongly enough, that her bio seemed overly altruistic, and that it was clear that she would have to take the copy “in house” to finish.

When a copywriter gets this kind of feedback, his immediate response is often one of confusion, and sometimes deep insecurity. These emotions cause him to react defensively, instead of studying the response.

Rather than throw in the towel and lose half the copywriting fee, I advised this writer to call the client and offer to add what she perceived to be missing from the copy.

Unless the copy is way off mark — and it shouldn’t be if the writer used a Creative Brief — the solution is to make changes and edit until the work is acceptable and meets expectations.

The take-away: DON’T offer refunds or partial payments. DON’T get defensive. Instead, study and analyze a client’s response. Get a clear picture of what the client is complaining about, then fix it.

If the client can’t specifically tell you what’s wrong, then it becomes obvious to both parties that it’s the client who is failing in the communication process. Revisions, refinements, and editing are a natural part of the copywriting process and their function is to “fix what’s wrong” and perfect the piece.

(In this case, the small two-person operation exhibited characteristics typical of small business…they were unsophisticated about marketing and its processes, and unclear about the value of copywriting. They confirm my timeworn advice to avoid small businesses and seek work from more marketing-savvy mid-size and large companies.)

An example of financially ruinous negotiating tactic #2 comes from one of my recently “graduated” coaching students.

She asks: “Do you always quote based on your time or do you quote based on the value the project has to the client?”

The answer is to always quote based on the value to the client. If your work makes the client many thousands of dollars, or more, then you should be fairly compensated.

In cases where your work is directly linked to leads or sales, it helps to view yourself not so much as a “copywriter” but as a sales pro. Get the fact that you’re a writer out of your head and see yourself in a different light.

Who are the most important individuals in any for-profit entity? Those who bring in the business! Everyone else’s salary depends on them. That’s why they’re usually paid more than anyone else. YOU are in that category.

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Fatal Negotiation Mistakes Copywriters Make, and How To Avoid Them

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Fatal Negotiation Mistakes Copywriters Make, and How To Avoid Them

In this article I’ll share two financially ruinous negotiating tactics often made by beginning copywriters. Both came from my coaching students just this week.

Financially ruinous negotiating tactic #1 comes from a successful book author who is adding copywriting to his writing skill set. Here, paraphrased, is a comment he made to me on Monday:

“My client seems unhappy with the work. I’m thinking of telling her she doesn’t have to pay the final 50 percent.”

My response:

Copywriting is part science and part “art.” And it’s the subjective aspect of assessing copy that leads writers to feel responsible when a client is not happy.

However, time (and expertise) is all the copywriter has to sell. A client contracts for that time and uses it, and must respect it with the agreed-upon pay.

Is the copywriter always right to demand payment when a
client’s satisfaction is unrewarded?

If the copy is indeed poor, then of course the client shouldn’t have to pay anything at all. But in the case of my student, a Creative Brief was used, and in fact, filled out by the client herself.

Thanks to the Creative Brief, the Web site copy was “on target,” and since I reviewed it as a “copy chief,” I know that first draft copy was very good.

However, the client’s email noted that the “voice” was not sufficiently hers, that she did not feel that her positioning as a “rural GP” came through strongly enough, that her bio seemed overly altruistic, and that it was clear that she would have to take the copy “in house” to finish.

When a copywriter gets this kind of feedback, his immediate response is often one of confusion, and sometimes deep insecurity. These emotions cause him to react defensively, instead of studying the response.

Rather than throw in the towel and lose half the copywriting fee, I advised my student to call the client and offer to add what she perceived to be missing from the copy.

Unless the copy is way off mark, and it shouldn’t be if the writer used a Creative Brief, the solution is to make changes and edit until the work is acceptable and meets expectations.

The take-away: DON’T offer refunds or partial payments. DON’T get defensive. Instead, study and analyze a client’s response. Get a clear picture of what the client is complaining about, then fix it.

If the client can’t specifically tell you what’s wrong, then it becomes obvious to both parties that it’s the client who is failing in the communication process. Revisions, refinements, and editing are a natural part of the copywriting process and their function is to “fix what’s wrong” and perfect the piece.

(In this case, the small two-person operation exhibited characteristics typical of small business…they were unsophisticated about marketing and its processes, and unclear about the value of copywriting. They confirm my timeworn advice to avoid small businesses and seek work from more marketing-savvy mid-size and large companies.)

Financially ruinous negotiating tactic #2 comes from one of my recently “graduated” coaching students.

She asks: “Do you always quote based on your time or do
you quote based on the value the project has to the client?”

The answer is to always quote based on the value to the client. If your work makes the client many thousands of dollars, or more, then you should be fairly compensated.

In cases where your work is directly linked to leads or sales, it helps to view yourself not so much as a “copywriter” but as a sales pro. Get the fact that you’re a writer out of your head and see yourself in a different light.

Who are the most important individuals in any for-profit entity? Those who bring in the business! Everyone else’s salary depends on them. That’s why they’re usually paid more than anyone else. YOU are in that category.

Two Common Negotiating Mistakes Copywriters Make, and How to Avoid Them

admin    Web Marketing     Avoid, Common, Copywriters, Mistakes, Negotiating, Them

Two Common Negotiating Mistakes Copywriters Make, and How to Avoid Them

This month I’ll share two financially ruinous negotiating tactics often made by beginning copywriters. Both recently came from my coaching students.

Financially ruinous negotiating tactic #1 comes from a successful book author who is adding copywriting to his writing skill set. Here, paraphrased, is a comment he made to me:

“My client seems unhappy with the work. I’m thinking of telling her she doesn’t have to pay the final 50 percent.”

My response:

Copywriting is part science and part art. And the subjective aspect of assessing copy often leads writers to feel responsible when a client is not happy.

However, time and expertise is all the copywriter has to sell. A client contracts for that time and uses it and must respect it with the agreed-upon pay.

Is the copywriter always right to demand payment when a client’s satisfaction is unrewarded?

If the copy is indeed poor, then of course the client shouldn’t have to pay anything at all. But in the case of my student, a Creative Brief was used, and in fact, filled out by the client herself.

Thanks to the Creative Brief, the Web site copy was on target, and since I reviewed it as a copy chief, I know that first draft copy was very good.

However, the client’s email noted that the “voice” was not sufficiently hers, that she did not feel that her positioning as a “rural GP” came through strongly enough, that her bio seemed overly altruistic, and that it was clear that she would have to take the copy in house to finish.

When a copywriter gets this kind of feedback, his immediate response is often one of confusion, and sometimes deep insecurity. These emotions cause him to react defensively,instead of studying the response.

Rather than throw in the towel and lose half the copywriting fee, I advised my student to call the client and offer to add what she perceived to be missing from the copy.

Unless the copy is way off mark,and it shouldn’t be if the writer used a Creative Brief,the solution is to make changes and edit until the work is acceptable and meets expectations.

The take-away: DON’T offer refunds or partial payments. DON’T get defensive. Instead, study and analyze a client’s response. Get a clear picture of what the client is complaining about, then fix it.

If the client can’t specifically tell you what’s wrong, then it becomes obvious to both parties that it’s the client who is failing in the communication process. Revisions, refinements, and editing are a natural part of the copywriting process. In this case, the small two-person operation exhibited characteristics typical of small business. They were unsophisticated about marketing and its processes and unclear about the value of copywriting. They confirm my timeworn advice to avoid small businesses and seek work from more marketing-savvy mid-size and large companies.

Financially ruinous negotiating tactic #2 comes from one of my recently “graduated” coaching students.

She asks: “Do you always quote based on your time or do you quote based on the value the project has to the client?”

The answer is to always quote based on the value to the client. If your work makes the client many thousands of dollars, or more, then you should be fairly compensated.

In cases where your work is directly linked to leads or sales, it helps to view yourself not so much as a copywriter but as a sales pro. Get the fact that you’re a writer out of your head and see yourself in a different light.

Who are the most important individuals in any for-profit entity? Those who bring in the business! Everyone else’s salary depends on them. That’s why they’re usually paid more than anyone else. YOU are in that category.

Common Copywriting Mistakes That Even Expert Copywriters Make

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Common Copywriting Mistakes That Even Expert Copywriters Make

None of us are perfect. As the old saying goes, even monkeys fall out of trees sometimes. And even an expert copywriter may make a mistake from time to time. Here are some mistakes every copywriter has made at one time or another.

1.    Forgetting your audience. When you are copywriting, you are writing it for someone. That person may be your client, but ultimately the audience is the person you want to act based on what they have read. It does no good to write to make a particular client happy if the audience will not respond to what you have written. Hopefully you have found yourself a client who knows the audience he is trying to reach.

2.    Not knowing your product. When you are trying to write about something that you do not know, it shows. Nothing is worse than reading about a product when it is clear that the author did not know what they were talking about! Not every writing job can be in your most knowledgeable subject field, but you must take the time to know something about the product you are writing about.

3.    Too much detail, or not enough. It is sometimes hard to know just how much detail to write about. You have to give the audience enough information to grab their attention, but not so much information that they feel overwhelmed.

4.    You write too much. People today do not have a lot of time to read, so if you can not capture their attention with your message quickly, you will lose out on your chance. You need to make sure your first words are attention grabbing and then the reader will stay to see what you have to say to them.

5.    You do not make it easy for people to do what you want them to do. If you want someone to buy something from you, you have to make it easy for them to find the price of your product, and buy it. If you want someone to subscribe to your newsletter, you have to offer them an easy way to subscribe, hopefully more than one way. If you really want someone to do something, make it easy for them to do it.

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Copywriters – How to Promote your Copywriting Business Online

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Copywriters – How to Promote your Copywriting Business Online

Are you a copywriter who runs a copywriting business? Do you need to find more clients? Do you want your target customers finding your web site online and contacting you through your web site to hire you? You can accomplish this if you have an effective online marketing system for your copywriting business.

Here is how you can create a marketing plan for your business to get more clients and make more money online:

- Find a target market for your copywriting business. It is extremely important to know who your target market is when you start marketing it. If you do not know who your target market is, you will not be able to promote your business online effectively.

- Create a professional web site for your business. When people hire a copywriter, they hire a professional. Therefore, if you want to get clients online for your business, you need to present a professional business image.

Your web site should have professional look and feel and it should have information about your business and the products and services that you offer to your customers. It should be easy for your potential customers to contact you through your web site.

- Use your web site to explain what you do. Copywriters can perform different services. Some ghostwrite. Others write articles. Yet others write web copy only.

Make sure that you discuss the copywriting that you do on your web site. This way your potential clients can read this information and decide whether they need your services or not.

- Publish a newsletter for potential customers. Your customers might not hire you immediately. Therefore, you need to be able to keep in touch with your potential customers, so that when they are ready to outsource copywriting, they can hire you.

Publishing a newsletter is the best way to keep in touch with your potential customers and let them know about your business.

- Publish your articles online. You are a copywriter, so you should be able to write articles for publishing them online. You should do that because publishing articles is a great way to promote your expertise and get more web site traffic.

Your articles are great for getting links to your web site. Getting links to your web site is extremely valuable in online marketing, because they help drive additional traffic to your web site.

If you need more clients for your copywriting business, use the online marketing techniques we discuss in this article.

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The Politics Of Internet Copywriters.

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The Politics Of Internet Copywriters.

There have been times when the subject has come up that Internet copy writers were in fact, duplicating different websites. The unfortunate truth was that they were in fact some Internet copywriters duplicating web sites.

This made it difficult fort the web sites who had the work done for them by these copywriters. In one instance digg was involved. However that problem was at least resolved in a timely and considerate manner.

The importance of Internet copywriters doing the advertisements for web sites and not to copy the web advertisements from other web sites is because it is in fact illegal. They can argue that it is not. However, it is illegal regardless.

After this incident, it was decided that as far as the politics of Internet copywriters were concerned they must abide by the rules and regulations of the Internet just as everyone else does. If not their web site could be removed, or they could be fined. The worst case scenario was to have the Internet copywriter pronounced as no longer being able to be an Internet copywriter.

The entire concept of individual web sites is based on what Internet copywriters put in their advertisements. If they are duplicating material then web sites suffer. This causes conflict of what the web site itself, in the sense that words that sound the same on two web sites also using the identical key words can make the search engine optimization results harder on both web sites.

And to top it all off, the web sites that do come up with the results would then be in competition with each other. When in fact if different keywords were used per site, this might not happen. Now, that’s not to say that websites don’t have some keywords that are identical however, they are not identical word for word.

So with the politics of Internet copywriters, those who are figuring this act of doing wrong out, are confronting it and taking action against it.

Individual web site creators in some cases are making lists and sending them around, while others simply do research and find out which ones have been literally duplicating the words on certain websites, and do not use them.

The best advice that could be given to you as a web site creator yourself, is to stay away from these Internet copywriters that are in fact doing this.

Instead do a search on Internet copywriters and you’ll find that there are many that will come up in the search results. After you have done this, find out which sites they have done advertisements and keywords for if its possible, and compare them to another that they have done. If they are the same you know you have found an Internet copywriter that is duplicating their work.

Find another one and go through the same process there are many Internet copywriters that do not duplicate their work. They use unique keywords, and offer you the best possible advertisement for you web site as possible. They will find out about your products on the web site and also in most cases use the search engine optimization system to generate traffic to your web site as well.

Knowing About Freelance Web Copywriters

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Knowing About Freelance Web Copywriters

You have started a web site and now you are in the search or the need for a web copywriter. There are so many you can choose from you have no idea which one to go with. You put the words into the search bar and it comes up with page after page listings of them.

Well, have you ever heard of freelance web copywriters? Most of these freelance copywriters are much less expensive and can give you pretty reasonable results as well. Some are familiar with the search engine optimization system while others are not, all you have to do is ask them.

These freelance web copywriters offer solutions to help you build your web site, By offering a versatile variety of doing web sites on various products and informative sites as well. There are those who are new at doing freelance web copywriting so it is better to get one that has been doing it for a while. However, those who have been doing it for some time will assist you in any way they possibly can, in order to get your web site in order the way you want it to be.

Using whatever is on your web site such as information or products they basically come up with an outline of what or how you want your web site to be. Then, they use the use of words to design your advertisement for the web site. Freelance web copywriters can be as efficient as those who are higher priced. They know that the use of text and putting as many as the keywords as possible into the advertisement is the key to it all.

This causes the generation of traffic, customers, and those just browsing your website, in which by the way are usually caught up in the freelance web copywriters writing that the one that is browsing your web site continues on your web site, checking out your products and various things they might find on it. The freelance web copywriters that are aware of search engine optimization, also know that through the text, there will be even more traffic to your web site, simply because every time a keyword they have placed in the advertisement for your web site will ultimately appear with the search results.

In a lot of cases, freelance web copywriters can be more thorough with your web site on a personal level as well. They choose unique keywords that are specifically designed to direct traffic to your web site.

Being on a more personal level gives them the advantage with working with you on a one on one basis and figuring out exactly how your web site should be, Some bigger copywriting agencies have many contracts to do web site advertising so they don’t have the time, to put their absolute best into the web site.

However, freelance web copywriters are becoming more and more heard of and used by different web site creators.
Considering all the web sites that are created everyday, there are a lot of advertisements that need to be done for the web sites.

Freelance web copywriters get the job done as quickly as possible however they also get the job done as professionally as possible too. They know that through their advertisement and the description that they put forth on your web site basically is like painting a picture without the use of brushes or paint. Yet, through the use of wording they can lure even the best customers to your web site.

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How Important Is It For Copywriters To Have An Agency Quality Website?

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How Important Is It For Copywriters To Have An Agency Quality Website?

Over the years, I’ve had several copywriters ask me how important it is to have an “agency quality” website. My answer is always the same: it’s very important if you are prospecting other than locally.

When you prospect locally, the client can meet you personally. But when you prospect nationally, your website, “telephone” personality, and marketing materials form the basis of your prospective client’s impression of you.

Fortunately, it’s not difficult to find a designer/webmaster who can help you build a high quality site at a reasonable cost. And some of my students do a very nice job of creating a quality site themselves.

Because I’ve found national prospecting to be far more profitable than working with local business, I encourage my coaching students to prospect nationally (and sometimes internationally), and create a website that supports a sophisticated positioning.

What, exactly, constitutes an “agency quality” website?

Here are five pointers for creating a website that convinces quality clients that you are the right copywriter for them (plus two common mistakes to avoid):

1. Make sure your website has a “you” orientation. The Home page should not talk about “you” except in the context of what you can offer a client.

2. Have a “unique selling proposition” (USP), or positioning statement. Why are you “the best” choice? Do you serve a particular niche? Are you an expert at some important element of copywriting (e.g., offer development, headlines, concepting, etc.)? Make sure your USP “shines through” on your Home page.

3. View your entire site as a lead-generating tool. If you write a direct response package, you first try to get your prospect into the envelope. Once inside, you attempt to lead your prospect through the package, with the end destination the reply card or order device.

Use the same principle in designing your website and its navigation. Always send your prospect to the “contact me” page, or the page where you offer more information. As with any lead-generation effort, your only goal is to get your website visitor to respond.

4. Create an offer, and offer it on your website. Unlike general advertising, direct marketing is defined by the offer. If you don’t have an offer, you’re not employing the most fundamental rule of marketing, and it will cost you responses.

5. Pay attention to look and feel. Copywriters have the right and responsibility to make sure the end product produces leads or sales.

This means that the copywriter should offer the art director some level of direction on look and feel (without overstepping bounds, of course).

A clean, well-organized website that exhibits a “professional finish” will offer a sophisticated client some level of assurance that contacting you will not be a waste of their time.

What NOT to do on your website:

First and foremost, don’t “preach to the choir.” Because the world of copywriting is new to new copywriters, they have a tendency to “tell what they know” on their website.

But a quality client (usually mid-size to large companies and organizations), doesn’t want to know why copywriting will help him. He already knows that, even if he doesn’t know how to write copy himself.

What he’s looking for is validation that you could be the right copywriter for him.

Websites that attempt to “teach” generally attract clients who need teaching (oftentimes small business with a low appreciation of what good copywriting can do for them, and an even lower threshold for paying reasonable fees).

The second mistake I see is mentioning price on the Home page (or anywhere in the site, for that matter).

Quality clients do not put price first, and any discussion of price usually comes after the copywriter has a complete picture of the marketing problem that needs to be solved.

Not long ago, one of my coaching students complained that his prospects seemed fixated on price. After going to his website I noticed that his Home page positioned him as more attractively priced than other copywriters.

This positioning inadvertently created a USP based on “low price” — something we copywriters should always avoid.

Bringing up the subject of price on your website will actually cause your prospect to put it front and center. Best to let pricing discussions occur “naturally” in the process of landing a job.

Conquering Insecurity: Every Copywriter’s Hobgoblin

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Conquering Insecurity: Every Copywriter’s Hobgoblin

In my work as a copywriter’s coach I often talk with new and even seasoned copywriters who express their deeply hidden yet oft-nagging fear of “not measuring up.”

I explain that every copywriter has to go through this (sometimes long) phase, and tell my own story of crippling insecurity.

My worst moment was shortly after I was hired by Rosen/Brown Direct, a highly respected direct response agency in Portland, Oregon.

I was expected to write copy for Dell Computer…but I had never written copy for technology before, and knew that I was finally to be exposed as an impostor.

It was the only time in my 20-plus years of copywriting that I had writer’s block. I sat at a blank screen all day until the account executive assigned to Dell came over and asked (with some alarm) why I’d produced nothing.

I said “It must be all the noise in the room, I’ll take my computer into the conference room.” And I did. The next thing I remember was putting my fingers on the keyboard. Several hours later the piece was done. I handed it in and spent the next three days waiting for the inevitable firing.

When the copy came back from the client, it had only minor edits! I could not believe it. And I remember my next thought was, “Wow, now I’m a technology copywriter!”

Had that single event not happened, I may never have niched in software…I certainly had no confidence I could write for something so “smart.”

Other Proof That Insecurity Is Unnecessary

In a small file deep in my filing cabinet I also have samples of my very earliest copywriting work. Some of it is ghastly, yet I was paid for it! By my own standards at the time, I thought it was wonderful.

And I guess because of my own enthusiasm, so did my clients. Most of my early clients were small business, and it may be that they weren’t that sophisticated either.

At any rate, they had a need and I filled it. We both won and we were both happy (most of the time).

Tools That Ease Uncertainty

Because copywriting is subjective, I’ve found that using business tools goes a long way toward building confidence, getting rid of insecurities about copywriting skills, the value of your work, and your own propensity to “price downward.”

In my Copywriter’s Pricing Workshop teleseminar, I shared the three pricing tools I’ve developed over the years to build my own confidence, present myself as a contractor of value, and ensure a level of respect for both parties (especially me:)

These three tools include:

1. An hourly rate worksheet: A formula for determining what your hourly rate should be, taking into account your level of skill and region (the first thing any freelancer must know is what their hourly rate should be).

2. A Client Questionnaire: The questions you must ask the client before you can accurately determine your true value to his direct response project, plus the formula for determining your value.

3. A Fee Agreement: This powerful document shows you how to present what you will be doing for the client in a way that helps the client see how valuable your work is (so you can price “up,” not down).

Add A Full Hour Of Additional Pricing Info

After two months of prodding by Workshop attendees, I has the teleseminar mp3 transcribed, and created the world’s first Pricing Toolkit for Copywriters. Therefore, the two additional tools include:

4. A full written transcript of my Copywriter’s Pricing Workshop

5. The downloadable mp3 of same

In addition, for my Workshop attendees, I secured a 20 percent discount on my favorite timekeeping software, which helped me learn how long it really takes me to do things, so I can price my work more accurately.

Using these tools gave me the confidence I needed to stay strong during negotiations and end my pattern of coming in too low, then hating myself for my weakness, and every minute of the job as well.

(By letting your insecurity get the best of you, and underpricing, you also unwittingly set the new client/copywriter relationship up for failure.)

So look at the tools you use in your pricing and negotiation. Could they use improvement? Do they help you obtain your financial goals? If not, the best thing you can do is drop what you’re doing and get your pricing tools in order. You’ll be glad you did. And you’ll reap the benefits the very next time you price a job!

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