Is a Copy Critique Right for You?

A Copywriting Critique Is a Check Up to Get Your Sales Up. Here’s How to Tell If You Need One…

Copy critiques are probably one of the least sexy, most under-advertised ways of increasing online sales. And yet a good copywriting critique can pay off in spades — both in lower costs to acquire new customers, as well as healthier profits.

Here are three questions to ask yourself to see if you’ll benefit from a copy critique:

1. Do you have sales copy that is already converting traffic into customers?
2. Are you tracking your results (your conversion rate, your cost to acquire a customer, etc.)?
3. And would you like your sales copy to perform better than it is currently performing?

If you answered “no” to any of these questions, you may not be ready for copywriting critique. But if you answered “yes” to all three questions, then a copy critique will probably be a worthwhile investment for you.

Do You Suffer from “Entrepreneurial ADD”?

Here’s what happens to many online business owners.

They write a sales letter, put it up on a web site, see they’re getting some sales… and then move on to the next thing.

They rarely ever go back and revisit the old sales copy to see how they can improve it. They’re too busy launching new projects. It’s what I call “entrepreneurial ADD” — and it’s actually pretty common.

But here’s a little secret… The best opportunities to make more money are often hidden in projects that are already making money.

Which means: If you can figure out a way to reposition your product… or improve your offer… or come up with a new advertising angle, you can be enjoying more sales and more profits — sometimes in a matter of hours.

• Maybe you’ve got a letter that’s working — but you haven’t looked at it in forever, and you know it could be improved.

• Or maybe you’ve been staring at the same copy so long, you can’t see the forest for the trees — and you need pair of fresh eyes.

• Or maybe you just recognize the leverage of hiring a professional copywriter to give your copy an in-depth evaluation.

No matter what category you fall into, chances are you’ll want to follow your instinct and hire out a copy critique pronto.

Copy Critique Results…

I actually haven’t done many paid copy critiques because up until now I’ve only advertised them to customers who bought a copy of the book I co-authored, Million Dollar Marketing Secrets.

One of the few people who have hired me for a copy critique is Terry Dean. When I finally remembered to follow-up with him months after I’d finished the critique, here is what he said:

I hired Ryan Healy for a copy critique on a sales piece I’m using in my business. I’d already tested multiple items in it, and it was converting extremely well. Yet I hired him because I knew it could do more.

Ryan gave me more than expected with several great ideas that improved conversions, including a new headline (the big winner when tested against mine) along with several other elements I incorporated throughout the website. Amazing results for an already tested letter I worked hard to write myself.

The reason I originally hired him is because I’ve hired other copywriters in the past, and I couldn’t use their suggestions because they were at least borderline dishonest. I knew Ryan could give me ideas without taking the low road. He did exactly what I expected!

-Terry Dean, Dunnellon, FL

Another person who hired me to do a copy critique is Jimmy Sweeney, the creator of the HONESTeOnline web seal. Here is what he said:

My split-test results look like I have another clear winner from your efforts. So hiring you will pay for itself many times over.

-Jimmy Sweeney, Calabasas, CA

And here’s one from Ricky Breslin, a guy who runs a very successful info-publishing business in a market I didn’t even know existed until I met him. (The work I did for Ricky was one step above a critique with more rewriting than I normally do. So he paid more than my critique fee.)

“Ryan this is perfect and you’ve done a great job, I really appreciate you taking the time to do everything for me!”

-Ricky Breslin, Charleston, SC

Eric Voth hired me after finding this page through a Google search. When I sent my critique to Eric, he wrote this:

It looks like I picked the right guy to help me with this project: You!

I just looked over the re-write you did for my sales letter. My first bit of self-talk was “Wow! This guy really over-delivered!”

In other words, your efforts greatly exceeded my expectations. Thank you!

Ryan, I know you put a lot of time and effort into this project. Further, I think it’s a “plus” that you seem to have an innate and intimate understanding of my target market: Baby Boomer business owners.

I’ll work to incorporate as many of your suggestions as I’m comfortable with into Version 1 (or I guess it’s now Version 2 or 3!) of my letter.

I’m not often asked by colleagues for the name of a super copywriter, but given the opportunity I have no hesitation in recommending you.

Again, thanks for your help.

-Eric Voth, Humble, TX

The feedback from Eric was a pleasant surprise since I hadn’t asked him for a testimonial. Naturally, my goal in helping you is to create a similar “wow” experience.

And although I can’t predict how well my copy suggestions will improve your results, I expect that much of what I provide in your critique will strengthen your copy and help you sell more online.

How the Copy Critique Process Works

When you hire me for a copy critique, here is what will happen.

First, you’ll pay me. (Don’t worry, it’s more affordable than you think. More on that in a minute.)

Second, you’ll email me your sales copy either in a Word document or as a link to a web page.

Third, you’ll answer a few simple questions via email so I have a more complete understanding of your market, your product, and your advertising methods.

Fourth, I’ll actually do the critique.

What I like to do is insert comments, make edits, and write new copy ideas right in the Word document. I will have “Track Changes” turned on so you can easily see what I’ve done. (If you send me a link to a web page, I will copy and paste it into a Word doc first.)

While every critique is different, I will often provide you with new headline ideas, new copy angles to use, and suggestions for how to make the copy flow better.

And I will sometimes write copy for you — writing new transitions, sentences, or even whole paragraphs to make your copy stronger.

Turnaround time on copy critiques is 14 days or less. (If you’re working against a deadline and need faster turnaround, please let me know in advance.)

The Ultimate Leverage: Low Cost, High Pay-off

I am routinely paid thousands of dollars to write long-copy sales letters. This is because I have a 9-year history of writing copy that sells.

Fortunately, copy critiques don’t cost nearly as much because you’ve already done all the heavy lifting by writing the sales copy yourself.

My job is to tap into 9 years of direct response experience to give you the most targeted, most insightful, and most profitable advice I possibly can.

This is much easier than writing a sales letter from scratch. Therefore, you get a significant price break.

The cost to hire me for a copy critique is relatively affordable at $599 $495. Not cheap, but not out of reach either.

(And if $599 $495 is going to break the bank or compromise your ability to pay your bills, please do NOT hire me.)

Some Simple Math

Can I use some simple math to show you how good a value this is?

Let’s assume you sell a $50 digital product. And let’s assume you also spend 25% of your sales price on advertising, leaving you with $37.50 profit per sale.

If you get just 16 extra sales you would not have gotten otherwise, the critique will pay for itself. After that, any extra sales would be pure gravy.

If you sell a $100 digital product, then just 8 extra sales covers your cost.

And if you sell a $300+ product or service, then just 3 extra sales this month (or year) will easily put you in the black.

Obviously, if you sell any product or service priced at $1,000 or more, then just one extra sale more than covers your investment.

But the value you’re getting is even better than what I’ve lead you to believe because…

For a Limited Time, I’m Going to Make You a “Crazy” Offer!

For a limited time only, I will also give you 3 post-critique “emergency emails” to ask me anything you want.

Maybe you have a design question… or a question about your advertising… or even a video script. Just shoot me a quick email and I’ll answer it within 48 hours (assuming it’s not the weekend).

And the best part is you’ll get to take advantage of 3 of these “emergency emails” anytime within the 4 months following your completed critique. Since I bill my time at $250 an hour, this is an extra value of approximately $250 to $500 — yours free if you hire me for a copy critique before this offer expires.

Please Note! The first special offer I did was for just 8 people. That special offer SOLD OUT. The last special offer I did was for 3 people. That special offer SOLD OUT, too. The same will be true in this case — once it’s gone, it’s gone!

Plus, You’ll Get My Clients-Only Newsletter

In September 2010, I started sending out a clients-only newsletter. This is a 4-page full-color newsletter I mail out to past and current clients.

The only way to get this newsletter is to become a client. And, right now, hiring me for a copy critique is the most affordable way to become a client.

I can’t legally say what the value of this newsletter is because I don’t sell it separately anywhere else, so I’ll leave that up to you to decide. But this newsletter WILL be mailed to you on a regular basis once you hire me to do a copy critique.

Why I’m Making This Special Offer

I’m making this special offer for a few simple reasons:

Reason #1: I would like to get more positive feedback — more testimonials — that I can use to sell more copy critiques.

Reason #2: A copy critique is a great low-risk way to get familiar with me and my work. And my hope is that at least one person who hires me for a copy critique will hire me for a bigger writing project down the road.

So that’s it. I’ve shown you my hand.

And I’m giving you 3 free “emergency emails” just for taking advantage of this offer NOW instead of later.

But don’t dilly-dally. This offer could be gone by the end of the week.

All you have to do is say yes and click the PayPal button below to secure your spot on my schedule. (You can pay with your PayPal balance or a credit card.)

To Better Conversions & Higher Profits,

-Ryan M. Healy

P.S. #1 – If you’re already selling products or services on the Internet, then you won’t find a better value for your money. And of all the services I offer, this may have the highest ROI of all.

P.S. #2 – I recently discovered that one of my competitors charges $4,450 for a critique. Another one charges $1,500. Of course, I wondered, “Am I grossly underpricing my copywriting critique service?” Based on this, my copy critique fee may be going up in 2012. So if you want the lowest price I can offer, please schedule your critique now.

P.S. #3 – All critiques are completed within 14 days of receiving all the materials I need to get started (sales letter plus written answers to a few basic questions). Your critique can be claimed anytime within 6 months of your purchase date.

About Ryan M. Healy

Ryan Healy is a direct response copywriter. Since 2002, he has worked with scores of clients, including BoostCTR, Alex Mandossian, Terry Dean, and Pulte Homes. He writes a popular blog about copywriting, advertising, and business growth, has been featured in publications like Feed Front magazine, and is a regular contributor to WordStream.com, BoostCTR.com, and MarketingForSuccess.com.

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