After reading my post about Internet Marketing on Life Support, a reader sent me a private email. He writes:

As copywriters do we (as a profession) play a part in the current situation? People buy (are lured) into bad situations with these scammers based on what they read on the sales page… which nine times out of ten is written by a copywriter. (A high level IM “goo-roo” is going to go to a high level wordsmith to create the most persuasive sales letter possible.)

Are we guilty of creating the hype by virtue of what we write?

Do we as a profession need to be more conscientious about who we do business with? Should we be asking for proof that the client can provide the backup to the persuasive story we create?

Would love to hear your opinions. Love the blog and keep up the good work.

I must confess: I’ve had similar thoughts myself. How much responsibility do copywriters share for the current state of Internet marketing — and advertising in general?

Certainly, copywriters have helped the market along. Copywriters have stoked the fires of desire. Copywriters have helped sell products of dubious value.

But are copywriters to blame?

Well, here’s my perspective:

Scenario #1: Client Defrauds Customers

If I write copy for a product that is still in development, the client uses my copy to start taking orders, and then fails to deliver the product to his customers… that’s not my problem.

Certainly, I’d be upset if this happened to me. But it’s beyond my control. I can’t know in advance whether or not my client is going to follow through with product creation and fulfillment.

Obviously, the best thing to do in this case is to stop writing for a client like this once you discover his true colors.

Scenario #2: Client Lies to the Copywriter

If I use a client’s story to help make the sale, but my client has lied about his story, then that is not my problem.

The reader asked if we should be asking for proof of what a client tells us. In theory, it sounds like a good idea. But it’s hard to put into practice.

First of all, there has to be an element of trust between the copywriter and the client. If this trust isn’t there to begin with, then that’s a problem.

Secondly, what kind of proof could a client offer to prove his story?

Assume for a moment I was your client, and I told you that I began my freelance copywriting career on June 13, 2005. How would I prove that to you? It’s not like I have a notarized letter saying that that’s the day I began freelance copywriting.

Anyway, my point is that you have to trust your clients and that they’re telling you the truth. It’s a requirement for a good business relationship. And most life experiences don’t come with supporting documentation — so it would be hard to prove a client’s story anyway.

Scenario #3: Business Shenanigans

If I write sales copy that accurately reflects the product I’m selling, but there are shenanigans going on behind the scenes (for instance, affiliates not being paid, speakers not being paid, lawsuits between partners, etc.), that’s not my problem either.

My job as a copywriter is to write copy that sells without being deceptive. Half the time, clients intentionally keep copywriters in the dark about problems happening inside the business.

I’ve experienced this firsthand. It wasn’t until later — sometimes much later — that I discovered the extent of the problems.

Again, the best thing to do when you discover there are unethical business practices is to simply move on. (For extra credit, you might want to privately warn other copywriters about the bad apples you’ve had the misfortune of dealing with.)

Scenario #4: Willful Promotion of Crap

If I write sales copy for a product or service that I know up front is crap… or if I write copy for a client who I know in advance is neither honest nor ethical… then that is definitely a problem. In a way, this makes me an accomplice.

Of course, every copywriter is going to have a different definition of “crap” and “unethical.” For instance, I have personal beliefs that inform what I think is good, bad, etc. But everybody’s moral compass has a slightly different true north.

What I consider bad, another copywriter may consider good. And vice versa. The key, I think, is to only promote products or services you believe are genuinely valuable to the target market.

What Do You Think?

At the end of the day, copywriters are hired guns. We’re hired to complete a specific task: write persuasive sales copy.

We have a measure of control over what products we’ll promote and which clients we’ll work for. But what the client chooses to do after the copy is written is really out of our control.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and let me know.

-Ryan M. Healy

If you’re an entrepreneur, chances are you’re a control freak like me. One of those guys who wants to do everything himself.

Say it with me: “I’m a control freak.”

There. Feel better?

I do.

While I can appreciate the desire to do everything yourself… the desire to make sure everything is “just right”… I’ve also learned the value of paying for expert help.

Not every outsourcing experience has been perfect (they rarely are), but I can definitely say that outsourcing and paying for outside advice can be worth far more than you pay for it.

For instance, this past fall I hired a business coach to dig into my business and tell me what needed fixing. He called up my past clients to get objective feedback about my performance and the value of working with me.

When he was done, he compiled his discoveries and spent a good amount of time going over them with me.

Some of the things I learned I had only suspected — and the research confirmed my suspicions. Other things I didn’t expect at all — and the research uncovered new information.

Fortunately, all of it was valuable to me. Now I have much greater clarity about what I need to do to improve my business. And it’s clarity that I could not have achieved on my own, apart from the help of an expert.

That’s one of the problems of being a solopreneur. It can often be difficult to be objective about your own business because you’re so close to it. It can be even harder to find time to work on your business instead of working in it.

Copywriting Myopia

If you’re writing and editing your own copy, you can run into the same problems as a solopreneur does.

After looking at your copy for days, weeks, or even months, you can develop a form of copywriting myopia that prevents you from seeing the big picture — from correctly diagnosing what’s wrong with your copy and how to improve it.

Let’s face it. It’s next to impossible to be objective about our own work once we’ve invested so much of ourselves into it. And even though I’m a professional copywriter, I still get other copywriters to critique my work.

Sometimes all it takes is a new headline, or a subtle tweak, to make your sales copy really “pop.” And usually it’s the guy who’s not emotionally invested in the copy who can come up with the big insight that makes the difference.

Right now, I’m offering copy critiques at a discounted rate for the next 8 clients only. One spot was claimed yesterday. I expect more spots to be claimed before the end of the week — maybe all of them.

If you have some sales copy that needs a second set of eyes, then click here to claim one of the remaining copy critiques now.

-Ryan M. Healy