Cheap, Fast, Good - Pick TWO

August 9, 2007

Did you know that there are more neurosurgeons than professional copywriters in this country? Barry Gluck does. And he does a good job of explaining just why copywriters should be paid and paid well.

Not convinced? Then maybe a leading expert in the area of neurodevelopment can convince you. Here’s what Dr. Mel Levine had to say about the art of writing in his book, The Myth of Laziness:

Why is writing such a stringent test of output capacity during the school years? I suspect it’s because there’s no other requirement that demands the coordination and integration of so many different neurodevelopmental functions and academic subskills. Just think about it: writing requires you to generate good ideas, organize your thoughts, encode your ideas into clear language, remember many things at once (such as spelling, rules of punctuation, facts, and instructions), coordinate your fingers so they can keyboard or form letters, plan and monitor the quality of your work, and marshal the materials you need (pencils, reference books, or computer equipment) and your time. Writing also requires a great deal of concentration and mental effort. It takes energy and fortitude to complete a term paper. Intense focus is called for in answering an essay question well. All of those simultaneous demands must then be smoothly integrated and synchronized to achieve writing success.

Too often, copywriters are not properly compensated for their output. And no where is it perhaps more ridiculous than it is for web content. I’ve seen such pathetic offers as $15 for a page. Or $5 for a blog post on a site that attracts 10,000 readers a day!

Often in life you get what you pay for. Are these paltry prices what you’re willing to offer for pages that you need to convert into action or sales?

I think too many people are comparing typing to writing. Good copy involves strategy, planning, and careful editing. Kenneth Davis blogged that the actual drafting takes the least amount of time. I agree.

You may be tempted to think “Well, neurosurgeons should get paid a lot. Your life is at stake.” Well, cheap friend, copywriters should get paid well - because your business is at stake!

Are you BOLD enough to pay for great copy?

via Write Ideas 

Technorati Tags: copywriting, business, neurosurgeons, mel levine, writing, copy, seo copy, online custom publishing

Posted in Online Custom Publishing by Nathania Johnson