Professional writing: What are you REALLY paying for?

So you have contacted a writer, gotten an estimate, and your first reaction is that you don’t understand what that money is paying for.  After all, it’s just writing right?  Well actually a lot goes on behind the scenes.  And when you hire a stellar writer who charges professional rates, you are getting a lot more than just writing for that investment.  Let’s do a comparison.

Cheap writers

Let’s start with the super cheap, below minimum wage writers.  You see them all over Craigslist and freelance sites like eLance or Guru.com, and their unbelievably low rates are very tempting.  Especially for growing organizations who don’t have a large budget. 

But what are you paying for when you hire a writer like that?  Well, you are likely getting someone who:

1. Has little or no experience.
2. Has no real understanding of the writing process.
3. Has little or no ability to write professionally or to a particular audience. 
4. Won’t conduct the research required to create solid writing.
5. Cannot produce quality documents because they can’t afford to at those rates, even if they have good skills.

Writers like this sacrifice quality and effectiveness for quantity and speed.  These subpar writers want to hook the client with a super cheap rate, deliver something quickly, collect the fee and then move on to the next prospect. 

Many of these writers, obviously, do not maintain repeat customers because of the poor writing quality they deliver.  So what you get is a writer who relies on his or her cheap rates – rather than client satisfaction – to continue to get work. 

Keep these things in mind when considering a writer of this type.  You may end up having to get the work fixed by a professional (I am often contacted for this reason), or if left untouched the work may actually decrease your revenue by tarnishing your image.  This will definitely cost your organization much more money in the end, and cause you additional headaches.

Professional writers

Now, let’s talk about a professional writer – a writer who charges real fees and who yes, will cost you a bit more up front.  But let’s look at what you get for those fees, and let’s talk about the case for going ahead and hiring a professional even if you are on a tight budget. 

When you hire a professional writer, you are getting someone who:

1. Has real writing experience and an ability to craft words into magic.
2. Takes the time to understand exactly what you need for your business, and to choose the wording carefully.
3. Fully researches the topic, industry and audience to create solid copy.
4. Goes through multiple drafts before delivering a finished product to you, because they know that most good writing requires at least 3 drafts before being polished enough to be considered final.
5. Will give you a fantastic return on investment for those professional fees.
   

Isn’t this a better option long term, when you think about how you are investing in your organization? 

Professional writers know their craft, they know what it takes to create something that meets your goals and objectives, and they take the time to produce quality because their rates ensure that they can.  They conduct themselves professionally and maintain a stable client base, because they deliver good work and provide prompt service for their customers.

Wouldn’t you rather pay $500 for something that will bring you $15,000 in revenue, than $50 for something that might only garner you $2000?  Think about what you are paying for and how you are investing your money when you hire a writer. 

And remember, you can always do a trial run with a small project if your budget is tight.  See if you like their work, if it increases your revenue, or ups your professional image.  If it does, you can move forward slowly with more projects as you get the funds. 

Need help growing your business or nonprofit organization?  Browse my website to learn about how I can help you with your particular needs.