New Idea: Copywriting crowdsourcing website

[fellipe]

New Idea: Copywriting crowdsourcing website

Imagine a 99designs to copywriting...

What you guys think?

 

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[RazvanRogoz]

Stupid idea.

Copywriting is a complicated process. It's not just putting words down on paper. You can't pick a headline from here and a guarantee from there.

It's 80% research and 20% writing.

And how do you plan to show the "designs"? Because in the end, compared to graphic design, copywriting is built around conversion.

Do you just pick the one with the most interested writing?

 

[fellipe]

are you saying you can't outsource copywriting?

 

[RazvanRogoz]

You can outsource copywriting.

That's what Elance.com is for. You can't show-case copywriting in a similar way to design.

 

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[fellipe]

what if you hire someone and don't like his job?

 

[RazvanRogoz]

When you're investing $10.000 in a sales page, you make sure he knows what he's doing.

(And the best copywriters are the worst writers possible. They are master sales people and psychologists, not writers.)

 

[fellipe]

Razvan, let's be realistic here.
the main public for this kind of crowdsourcing website is small business who can't afford 10k...

 

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[Crimson]

Great idea! I don't think the 99 designs format would work, but something like scriptlance which is a niche of outsourcing might be something to look into.

 

[fellipe]

Thanks Crimson...

Do you think this problem could be solved by asking a upfront payment?

 

[RazvanRogoz]

Felipe ...

Let me define you copywriting.

Copywriting is salesmanship in print. Salesmanship is a system.

You take a look at the market ...
You take a look at the product ...
You find the point of difference benefits ...

And then you write. In the last day of the deadline usually.

How can you showcase a service that it's 80% intangible? That 80% is grunt work, talking to clients, running surveys, reviewing Amazon products, brainstorming hooks.

By providing 3 paragraphs of copy? That's irrelevant. You can take a swipe file and copy it word by word.

The truth is that you can't showcase copywriting before it's done. And no one will do the job before he's paid unless you are called Agora or Boardroom.

And if you are Agora or Boardroom, you don't look for copywriters on such a website.

It's a bad idea, no matter how you turn it. If you would say a website for content writers, where the quality of the writing can be judged, as in articles, then yes, it may work.

But for salesmanship in print, I find it very unpractical.

 

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[fellipe]

I think it can be solved by posting detailed instructions from the job.

For example... I own a website that sells sushi's knives (LOL)... I could post a job with details of my business my main audience, and so on...

I don't think it's as complex as you're saying Razvan... Again, it won't cost 10k for a copy, so don't expect the level and quality of one.

 

[Crimson]

Thanks Crimson...

Do you think this problem could be solved by asking a upfront payment?

I don't understand your question?

Here are some quick bullet points on execution:

- This would be a commission site; look into elance's model, this is very basic. (Escrow, and then a percentage charged to the worker)

- Test market demand, find a domain name that's not taken and create a twitter handle of the same name

Then test the sales proposition. You can search for people on twitter and follow them. Search for copywriters for instance and see what your follow back rate is. If you're able to amass a high amount of followers then it might be something to look into. If not, then the idea's probably not worth following up on. (Note that you have to have your about me highlight your Value Proposition)

 

[Brander]

The problem is that copy-writing is something that needs A LOT of work and seat time. Every job is different even though you do have swipe files. Personally if I saw that the quality that came out of these "contests" was decent enough I would try it, the problem is would copywriters? Would they really all give their hard work away for free like that on a site in hope you pick them? Good ones, absolutely not, beginners, sure.

 

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[tommyturn]

Well there's definitely a market for hiring people for copywriting

Michael Ellsberg, author of the Education of Millionaires did some freelance work there

 

[DeletedUser2]

Stupid idea.

Copywriting is a complicated process. It's not just putting words down on paper. You can't pick a headline from here and a guarantee from there.

It's 80% research and 20% writing.

For longer copy, and mid sized copy, just wont work.
BoostCTR.com has a site where people compete on writing adwords copy, quick easy, already in the mix, and they don't get paid unless they increase conversions.

I hire copy writers, and I wont pay them a dime (Paid as low as 200 bucks and As high as 10K) unless I see previous work, talk to previous clients, and I know they have improved conversions.

If it were a 99 designs deal, there is nothing stopping someone from swiping all the copy that comes in, and cobble together a whole sales page. free.

now direct performance based copy/ad based pay, for someone comeing in and testing for you, is a cool idea, like boostctr. if I had someone who could come in, and do either landing pages, or graphics/copy for the ppv market, I would love to get people testing conversions on 100 click 1000 view type tests. where I am already testing against a control. that would rock. but getting copywriters to do A TON of work, for a huge chance of getting ripped off, no pay, and no work. prob not. besides the better copy writers are in pretty high demand, and most are with busy schedules now. I have to get 1-2 months advance notice before I get some people to write stuff I need.

that's my 2 cents anyway.

 

[77startup]

Im sure people would pay for it, but presenting and safeguarding your data would be pretty hard and the end result will most likely look different from the standard crowdsourcing model.

 

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[RazvanRogoz]

Exactly what ZD said.

A high paid copywriter would laugh at your idea of bidding for work. You can't determine the actual performance of a sales copy from the writing alone. And if someone sold $1.000.000 or $5.000.000 of products, he'll find this insulting.

For content writing it may work.

 

[77startup]

Exactly what ZD said.

A high paid copywriter would laugh at your idea of bidding for work. You can't determine the actual performance of a sales copy from the writing alone. And if someone sold $1.000.000 or $5.000.000 of products, he'll find this insulting.

For content writing it may work.

Yet copy writers bid for work all the time on odesk, freelancer, fiverr, etc. Copy writing isn't rocket science, anyone who understands nlp, and the 8 great influences in all human choices could spin out some mean copy after a little practice.

Copy writing isn't as expensive on the web as it used to be now that everyone has switched to video, audio, and shorter copy. Unless the goal is to crowd source a bunch of frank kerns I don't think getting the talent will be the hard part at all.

The problem is preventing the buyer from simply "stealing" the copy and not paying anyone.