Knowing when you shouldn’t hire a copywriter is just as important as knowing when you should.

If you don’t want to throw your money away, It’s probably even more important.

Skilled copywriters can spin words into gold. They can turn a trickle of sales into a torrential downpour of leads, customers, and new opportunities.

But as “magical” as we can be, there’s one thing that not even the best copywriter in the world can help his clients overcome…

In these situations, clients get frustrated when the copywriter they hired doesn’t deliver like they hoped. They waste time and money playing with words when they should be focused on something else. Something much more important.

Keep reading to see exactly what I mean… and how you can avoid it.

Copywriting Kryptonite: a Weak Offer

Here’s the deal. When I’m thinking about taking on a new client, I’m checking to see if you’re a good fit just like they’re doing with me. It’s a two-way street based on mutual respect.

The strength of a potential client’s offer is the one of the most important factors in my decision-making process. A lot of times I like the prospect, the project sounds interesting to me, the budget’s right, and so on. But I still have to turn people down because they have a weak offer.

And by “weak offer,” I don’t mean clients are offering me. I mean what they’re offering to their customers. What are they selling to people? Which problems do their products or services solve? And are they trying to fleece their customers, or are they giving them plenty of value in exchange?

Why Your Offer is Your Trump Card

Persuading people to buy with your words is tough enough as it is. Trying to pull it off when you aren’t selling something people find valuable puts you into “selling ice to eskimos” territory.

A lot of copywriters will take on clients in these types of situations because they’re eager for work. They’ll look past the mediocre offer and write the copy anyway. And when they don’t deliver the results their clients hoped for, these copywriters will blame the economy, the market, or whatever else. Anything but the real reason things went wrong; anything but the offer!

Great copywriting is like gasoline you pour onto an ember to turn it into a profit inferno. It’s an accelerant. It can fan the flames of your customers’ desire, but only if there’s a hint of desire in the first place.

Don’t Hire a Copywriter Unless…

What does this mean to you?

As powerful as copywriting can be, a solid offer is your trump card in building a sustainable business. Full stop.

That’s why I don’t recommend you hire a copywriter until after you’ve proven to yourself that your product or service is minimally viable. It doesn’t have to be perfect right now, and neither does the copy you use to promote it. Brush up on the basics first, make a few sales, and then think about hiring a copywriter to help you blow up.

If your product or service doesn’t sell, that’s okay! At least you didn’t waste time and money investing in a copywriter yet. You still have that money to change course and improve your product to better suit your customers’ needs.

An A-list copywriter might be able to pull a few rabbits out of the hat for you “selling ice to eskimos.” But it seems like a lot of wasted money to me. Wouldn’t you rather move to the Sahara, set up shop there, and then bring in your secret sales weapon?

Seems like a no-brainer to me…

Getting Your Foundation in Order

Great copywriting can be one of the fastest ways to expand your business…

But it only works if you have the foundation of a solid offer in place.

Get your product or service out there and make a few sales first. Got a conversion rate lower than you hoped for? Great! Hiring a copywriter will boost that and make your business more profitable.

But bringing in a copywriter when you have a conversion rate of zero is a recipe for disappointment. Especially when you could invest that time and money improving your offer. Do that first – develop a solid offer – and that’s where the true power of copywriting can shine.

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