I've heard some people like Michel Fortin charge upwards of $10K
for a single job (depending on the length of the letter). I've also
heard legend that some sales letters cost $100K or more..

I usually write most of my sales copy myself, but am considering
outsourcing to save some time since I'm very busy right now.

What's the most you've paid for copywriting? Was it worth it?
Did the copywriter offer any sort of guarantee that their copy
would convert at a certain rate?

Cheers

If a writer tried to sell me text content and promised a certain percent of people who saw it would buy my product, I would find a different writer. If anybody ever promises you something they can't deliver, they're wasting your time.

But if they're promising, you have a get-out clause in case they don't
deliver.

If I could find a writer willing to stand behind their work 100% and offer
me a guarantee, I've got nothing to lose, so I'd always give them a try
first.

If it doesn't work out, I've lost nothing and then I can get my wallet out.

Well it's a little more complicated than that. Although he makes some generalizations, Learning Newbie is basically right here. Text is one thing that could influence a "conversion" ( ie the visitor doing something that profits you ), but only one. How that text is presented, will determine how many people even read it. When you ask for your money back, the writer could say things didn't work because you chose the wrong font/color.

I've read a lot about copywriters on the internet selling the same content to everyone who will buy it. The pay seems too low for original writing. Google doesn't punish duplicate content, but if that content already exists, it won't help either. Now I don't know that all writers do this, and it would be pretty silly to assume they do ... price might be a good indicator.

If you don't want to / can't write the content yourself, then that's a pretty good reason to hire someone to do it for you. Nothing at all wrong with that. But I have to agree with the Newbie here, in that the writer really has no control over whether your visitors decide to buy something or give you their email address. I would personally see a writer promising an X% conversion rate the same way I'd see somebody promising that if I take this job, traffic along I-5 at 9 am will be minimal.

"... the writer really has no control over whether your visitors decide to buy something or give you their email address ..."

So why not do it all ourselves? Why do people pay tens of thousands
of dollars to get the best in the business to do their writing?

The writer obviously has some control, and yes, presentation does
count for something, but a writer who's not prepared to stand behind
his skills and offer to rework copy a few times and advise on presentation
is a poor choice for hiring IMO.

Anyway.. back to the original question

What's the most you've ever spent on copy?

Unless the writer has shown up on the New York Times Best Seller's list I wouldn't pay thousands of dollars. A good writer should have a portfolio of previous work and the results that came from it, as well as references. A good marketing letter should cost around $25 to $50.

In my experience, a letter that is around 500 words takes about 30 minutes to write. That's a pretty nice profit, even after you take into account revisions (and the writer should provide at least two).

Zero. I've never paid anyone to write copy for me, and I can't imagine a situation in which I would.

This forum, devoted to copy writing, may prove useful to you: http://www.highrankings.com/forum/in...p?showforum=15

Also, if you give us more details you may find someone with a talent for writing here?

Still, your product is going to have far more to do with vistors' decision whether to buy something or not, and your price will determine whether they're interested in buying from you. If you're hoping for good copy to overcome other problems, you may be disappointed.

try buying the book "call to action" these guys have worked with all the big dogs like dell and others....copy writing requires some effort and testing.

Some things to ponder:

where are people leaving your site? How many steps does it take to convert traffic on your site? View users as looking for an excuse to click out of your site. Avoid long drawn out complicated language...sell benefits not features...you need to create an emotional connection with a specific desired action.

You need to know your market and give the user what they are looking for....don't "sell" them what you want them to buy, know etc. Give the user the exact information he/she is looking for to make that buying decision.

The book is a good start and also Malcom Gladwell's "tipping Point" and "blink" are also necessary reads, in my opinion