***

They ask for it often: A quick paragraph. A small logo. Some web design ideas. A photo or two. On spec, so they can decide if you’re the right creative for them. And if you’re desperate enough for the work, or to “get in” with that client, you’ll do it. But if you’re not, here’s my answer.

Dear [Prospective Client],

Thank you for making contact with me, and for asking me to work on your copy. I’d love to. However, even though you asked nicely, I’m not able to write up some spec copy for you, as a sample, so you can decide whether or not you want to use me.

I completely understand that, as we’ve never collaborated before, you want to be 100% sure I understand your brand language and corporate ID, as well as your needs, before committing to use me as your service provider. I also understand that you want some guarantee of what I can do before you approve my quotation.

But I don’t work on “spec”.

And here are six reasons:

• Good copy is informed copy. And informed copy can only emerge from client input, because you know your audience best. I need to understand your objectives, criteria for success, brand personality, competitors and many other things in order to produce the right content for you. And this is a process.
• Good copy comes from partnership. It’s not about a copywriter having a moment of inspiration and producing a quick masterpiece. If I work in isolation I can’t hope to write the right copy – because it will only tell half the story.
• Good copy takes time. Intelligent, relevant, appropriate copy needs to emerge from a sound understanding of your target market. Until I can interact and empathise with your users, or until I can learn everything there is to know about them via you, I can produce nothing more than a superficial content solution.
• Spec copy is a pretty picture, not a meaningful conversation. A “best guess”, created upfront as a sales tactic, is never going to be good copy. Yes, it may “wow” you. It may impress. But will it express what you need it to? Unlikely.
• Web copy, in particular, is more technical than you think. The writing of web copy starts quite far down the line; after I’ve had a chance to get to know you, your business, your users and your competition. And after several hours of Google tools, research, reading, review and SEO analysis. It’s not something that can be done right at the start of a project, before I’ve been awarded the job.
• Spec work makes other work more costly. If I took on spec work, I’d have to charge higher fees to cover work I produced but didn’t win. You’d be paying for failed pitches, as well as the one piece of work you were interested in. And for that kind of money, you may as well use an agency, not cost-effective little me.

Because I am a freelancer and not a big advertising agency, I’m not in the business of acquiring as many retainers as I can. I’m in the business of writing clean and high-quality copy that hits all of the clients’ important notes and that I can be proud of.

I’ve spent 10 years in the business, so I know my stuff. But more than that, I love my work and I’m proud of the diversity of projects I’ve worked on. Every copy deck has been crafted with thought and research, and with respect for the client.

Finally, I put all of my resources into every client that engages me because I don’t need to save my best ideas to sell myself to potential new clients, on a spec basis.

So, where does that leave you? Well, I’ve worked on copy for [180 clients over the last 10 years] – many of them, in your industry or in similar environments to yours. Why not have a look at the client list on my website, and let me know whose copy you’d be interested in reviewing… If I need their permission, I’ll get it. How’s that?

Thank you.

Best regards,

[Your Hopeful Freelancer]

***

[Note from Tiffany: This letter, tongue-in-cheek as it is, is not intended to be a blanket condemnation of spec work and anyone who takes it on. It's merely an explanation of why I choose not to. Having said that, if I were a beginner writer without a piece to my name, I'd consider writing on spec if the prospective client a) seemed serious, b) had a clear idea of brief and c) appeared to have a solid reputation; if I could use the work elsewhere if they turned it down; and if the spec work seemed likely to lead to other assignments and writing opportunities.]

***

For the last three years, however, I’ve backed off. I send the quote through… and that’s that. If they want me to do the work, they’ll let me know. Eventually. And hopefully I’ll still be available.

Vanessa Clark wrote a fantastic column for Freelancentral, entitled ‘The Silent Treatment (or Zen and The Art of Stress-Free Pitching)‘ – inspired by Peter Bregman‘s similar piece: ‘When Your Voicemails and Emails Go Unanswered, What Should You Do?‘. So I checked out Peter’s piece, with which I agree wholeheartedly. His position?

“Follow up once, after the meeting, and the moment you send that follow up — not a week later but as soon as you hit send or hang up the phone — assume they’re not interested. They’ve said “no.” Close the book. Take the follow up off your to do list. Move on to the next thing. If they do call or email back, it will be a nice surprise and you can discuss how to proceed. If they don’t reach out, you haven’t stalled in your other work, knocked your head into a brick wall, or wasted any energy stressing about it. You can always send other information unrelated to the open issue — articles, updates, referrals — that might be of interest and deepen the relationship. But don’t follow up on the open issue.”

For many freelancers, this is an entirely new way of doing things. You may find it uncomfortable at first; even painful. But trust me – there’s a lot of power in making the move, confirming receipt once and once only and then taking that big step back, so that you can focus totally on what you’re currently busy with.

Needless to say, off I went to http://menwithpens.ca/, where I devoured Dean Rieck‘s piece – compellingly entitled, ‘WHY GOOD COPYWRITING GOES BAD: YOU’RE NOT STUPID. YOU’RE JUST IGNORANT.’ Here’s the intro:

“One of the worst mistakes copywriters make is to assume their job is about writing. It’s not. Now I know that sounds a bit odd. After all, the word “writing” is in the word “copywriting.” So it’s understandable why you might misunderstand. But writing and copywriting are two very different things. When you write a novel or a poem, readers want great words. They enjoy the rhythm, the imagery, the wordplay. People expect this kind of writing to deliver a certain art and beauty. When you write websites, ads, white papers, or other business materials, readers simply want information. They don’t care about the artistry. They aren’t looking for beauty. They just want to find out how to solve a problem or meet a need.”

And it just gets better from there. For the full version of this superb piece, please click here to be re-directed to Men with Pens. And if you’d like to check out Dean Rieck’s free copywriter’s cheat sheet, click here. It’s expialidocious.