FAQ's
Q: What sets you apart from other copywriters?
A: I have acquired a wide range of skills over the course of my career. As an educator, as a Director of Teacher Training, and also as Director of Homeland Security Initiatives at the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA), I have written and published many types of innovative literature and copy. Some examples are training course manuals, sales copy, PowerPoint scripts and presentations, grant proposals, white papers, media scripts, business letters, advertising copy, press releases, briefings, blog postings, and articles. I can write pretty much anything that you may require, and to a consistently high standard.
As an educator, I have an extensive knowledge of grammar, sentence structure, spelling and of creative writing techniques. One of my clients, who published a quarterly Association journal (and who had an on-staff copy editor) described me as “the best copy editor he knows”.
In the Emergency Services sector, my experience as an NSA staffer has brought me into contact with nationally recognized experts from diverse fields, from bomb disposal to crowd control, from facility security to jail management. I have also worked with personnel from the many branches of our military. Together, we have developed a variety of educational, sales, industry-specific, and community service materials.
Q: What can I expect from working with you?
A: You can expect honesty and integrity. You can expect excellent communication directed towards providing you with a top-quality product. You can expect that I will go as many extra miles as are needed to create the material that you need. I hold myself to the highest of standards, and my objective is to exceed your expectations, on time or before the agreed delivery time. I am not just working to provide you with an excellent product for your current order.
Q: You say you guarantee my satisfaction with your copy. How does that guarantee work?
A: My clients are generally extremely pleased with my copy when they receive it. But if you are not, I will rewrite it according to your specific comments, entirely at my expense. You will see (in the “Prices” section of my website) that the purchase order or letter of authority that activates your project specifies that you can request two rewrites, which I will make in consultation with you and based upon your written directions. The updates will be made with reference to the provisions of the original project. These rewrites are made free of charge. Revisions that are outside the parameters of the original project description will attract an additional fee.
Q: Do you guarantee that your copy will get the sales results I want?
A: I can and do guarantee your satisfaction with my copy before you test it, and I am confident that you will be extremely pleased by all that I write for you and your company. I cannot provide a guarantee that my copy will generate more sales, however, because your sales depend upon many more factors than just my sales copy. These factors include the condition of the market at the time, the price that you set, consumer demand & preferences, product design, and current events. These factors are not within my control. I therefore cannot guarantee specific results. All that I can guarantee is top class copy written to your specifications, based upon my research, my communications with you and your staff, and also based upon my wide range of skills, knowledge, creativity and expertise.
Q: Do you do the work yourself or outsource?
A: I do the writing myself. If a particular project can be enriched by outsourcing (for webpage design, for example), I will call upon experts in the field involved. If a particular project is urgent, I may outsource some elements – Research and fact-checking, for example. Should I outsource any of the writing itself (and this is something that occurs only on rare occasions) I review, edit and revise the copy that is received to ensure that it meets the high standards set for every Emergency Services Copywriting project.
Q: You’re not in my state/country – Can we still work together?
A: I’m set up to work with anyone, from anywhere in the world. E-mail communication is certainly enough for us to begin our work together. Other online communication technologies, such as Skype or Zoom, or GoToMeeting, or a telephone call, will be used for particular purposes and as needed. I recommend that we use any and all communication options that will best support our work together.
Q: What is the best way to reach you? How should we communicate?
A: You can reach me by e-mail at emergencyservicescopywriting@gmail.com, via my website at https://emergencyservicescopywriting.com/(“Contact Us” tab), or by phone at (USA) 240-304-0275. I respond to all e-mails within 24 hours (and generally much sooner). I pick up my phone when called unless I am in a meeting. I check voice mail regularly each day, and can generally respond same-day to messages received. So please leave a voice mail if I’m unable to answer your call immediately. If you would prefer that we use alternative communication lines to these, I’m happy to do so, with the proviso that these alternative communication systems allow me to proceed with the project efficiently.
Q: Will you coordinate with my staff?
A: This is crucial if I am to create the optimum copy for you. I will need to coordinate with them, and in many cases I will need to interview them (sometimes more than once) as I do my research and familiarize myself with your organization and product/s.
Q: What kind of turnaround time can I expect?
A: This depends upon the type and scope of your project. Once we have agreed on the parameters of the project, I will provide you with an optimum timeline, which will be tailored to your requirements. We may modify this timeline as the project is discussed further. When you are happy with the turnaround time, and I am confident that I can complete the work within the time allowed, I will ask you to provide a purchase order or letter of authority that will initiate my work.
Q: I have a tight deadline to meet. Can you start on my copywriting project right away?
A: My daily schedule is generally full, and I tend to be booked in advance by existing clients. If you have an urgent project, I can generally adjust my schedule to accommodate the tight deadline, but this will depend upon the scope of the job. There may be a higher fee involved, as the adjustments generally mean that I must work through the night, or through multiple nights.
Q: I work in a highly technical field. Do you understand enough about my industry to write about it?
A: Successful sales copy relies on specific composition frameworks and upon the creativity of the copywriter. This is the science and art of copywriting. Where specific facts and information are required, I will make sure that I have them at my fingertips, through research and through my work with you and your company. I have provided copy for many industries, some highly technical in nature. I always do background research before embarking upon the writing project itself, and I will also spend time with you and your expert staff to ensure that my work is accurate and up to date.
Q: What if I want to make revisions?
A: The purchase order or letter of authority that activates your project specifies that you can request two rewrites, which I will make in consultation with you and based upon your written directions, with reference to the provisions of the original project. These rewrites are made free of charge. Revisions that are outside the parameters of the original project description will attract an additional fee.
Q: If you write a promotion for me and I need occasional tweaks, or want to do some headline tests, will you write that for me at no extra charge?
A: If the promotion is currently in use, and I am being paid a royalty or mailing fee, I will make those tweaks and create those headlines at no charge. Under these conditions, I have a financial interest in keeping my copy as your winning control. If the promotion was fee- based, without any royalty/mailing fee provisions, there is an additional charge for new copywriting as it represents work beyond what was originally contracted for.
Q: What are your specialties?
A: My specialties include article writing (on any topic), blog posts, newsletter copy, e-mail and autoresponder copywriting, “how-to” copy that really works, web page copy, and marketing/sales copy. I am also in demand to copy edit and rewrite material produced by someone else. As my career demonstrates, I am more than competent in a wide range of writing fields and genres.
Q: How do I hire you? Do I have to sign a contract?
A: If you decide to go proceed with a project, I will ask that you provide a purchase order or a letter of authority that documents specifics of the project and the fees involved. This, effectively, is the contract between us. I will work with you to formulate this agreement. Alternatively, I can provide you with a contract, if this is your preference.
Q: What are your fees?
A: My fees depend upon the project and its scope. See the “Prices” page of my website for an overview of fees. I will quote you a specific fee (which may be less than or greater than those published) when I have assessed the project that you have in mind.
Q: Do you ask for money up front?
A: I ask for 50% of the total fee up front, the balance upon delivery of your order.
Q: Do you offer discounts for multiple projects and/or for regular customers.
A: I certainly do! I look forward to discussing this with you as our business relationship continues.
Q: Will you write copy for me for nothing up front but a nice share of the profits if your copy works?
A: No. Every job requires an advance retainer, and I do not begin work without it. However, I will most certainly negotiate a lower retainer and overall fee in return for a royalty consideration.
Q: Why would a client pay you an up-front fee PLUS a royalty?
A: The up-front fee will be appreciably lower if a royalty is involved in the agreement. It is required because, even if I do the work, a client may elect not to use it. I will as a consequence receive no payment for my work. This is not a financially sound way to operate any business. So the up-front, lower fee gets the work done (and it will be excellent work). The royalty gives me an on-going financial incentive to think about your product after the copy is written. I will be looking for ways to improve the copy on an ongoing basis, so that it continues to generate a profitable response. I will provide minor revisions to the original copy, free of charge, as I identify potential improvements that promise an improved response.