How Much Do Copywriters Make?

[jkhdsf]

I am at a crossroads in my life at the moment. It's a really fun opportunity and I love the possibilities. I have been looking into Copy Writing and I am fascinated by the psychology of it.

Now, I wonder, how much can I expect to make as a copywriter? (conservatively)

[Dietriffic]

If you're good, the sky is the limit.

If you're bad, don't give up the day job.

[JaRyCu]

I do it part time and I haven't made enough to go into it full-time yet. I started in May taking jobs off of vWorker, built a website to advertise my services (it's in my sig), and then started getting customers off of a private forum I'm in where I'm a lot more vocal than I am here. (I have almost 700 posts in 3 months and I'm the top poster in the forum, so a lot of people ask me questions and use my services.)

If I were to lose my job (or quit like I want to), I could probably average at least $100/day by taking work off of the different freelance sites, and that would be more than I'm making now at my 'real' job.

-- j

[arfasaira]

Originally Posted by JaRyCu

I do it part time and I haven't made enough to go into it full-time yet. I started in May taking jobs off of vWorker, built a website to advertise my services (it's in my sig), and then started getting customers off of a private forum I'm in where I'm a lot more vocal than I am here. (I have almost 700 posts in 3 months and I'm the top poster in the forum, so a lot of people ask me questions and use my services.)

If I were to lose my job (or quit like I want to), I could probably average at least $100/day by taking work off of the different freelance sites, and that would be more than I'm making now at my 'real' job.

-- j

Copywriting and article writing are NOT the same thing. How much you make depends on how hard you are willing to push yourself. I've had $4000 a month as my top month, and average between $2000 and $4000 a month working PART TIME.

Depends on how good you are and how well you market yourself. Do too little marketing and you'll fail. Do it right and you'll be booked months solid like many of the good copywriters in this forum.

[Mark Andrews]

I actually never look at it from my own perspective - how much I can make for myself in a given timeframe.

It's not my earnings that matter at the end of the day... it's what I can do for my clients that matters - how much money I can earn for them.

Do a very good job for them, get them the results they deserve - this is my entire focus.

If I do very well for them, the money naturally follows. But I personally don't worry about it. My sole concentration is on my clients gain, not my own.

Best,


Mark Andrews

[Homer Lasa Hood]

I agree on what Mr. Pete Walker said. If your passion is really on copywriting, money does not matter at all, and copywriting would be easy for any one who really had the interest and passion to write for their clients.

Yeah - money will naturally flow continuously - it is just a matter of loving your job.

[Mark Pescetti]

Originally Posted by Pete Walker

I actually never look at it from my own perspective - how much I can make for myself in a given timeframe.

It's not my earnings that matters at the end of the day... it's what I can do for my clients that matters - how much money I can earn for them.

Do a very good job for them, get them the results they deserve - this is my entire focus.

If I do very well for them, the money naturally follows. But I personally don't worry about it. My sole concentration is on my clients pain, not my own.

Best,


Pete Walker

I agree to a point.

The more you can help your clients, the more money EVERYONE makes.

The focus should always be on helping.

However, the whole martyr vibe is ridiculous.

And it does matter how much the copywriter makes.

There's no reason at all to break your own back if there isn't an appropriate exchange of energy = money for skill.

...Another aspect to making lots of money as a copywriter is only engaging in situations where there is a tangible expression of appreciation.

When appreciation is a constant during the collabrative client/copywriter process, there's much more passion and inspiration to draw from that translates into fantastic results.

In essence though, a copywriter makes about as much as he or she thinks they're worth.

When I first started this game, I would bring in about $2,000 a month - working with just one person at a time.

Now that I've converted for people and my confidence is up, I repositioned myself to work with more upscale/high-end entrepreneurs.

One JV alone brings in 5 figures a month.

There's no such thing as a hungry copywriter...

...right?

Your business model and positioning means everything.

How do you charge? (upfront? JV? Both?)

How do you exhibit your value?

How do you produce results - once hired?

[dee4d]

There is also this concept that has really worked for me, and which most of us bank on. Be an inbound internet marketer, it's not about what you want to do, but focus on the customer's want. Be a good listener, and solve people's problem. It will work well in copy writing and making money. And build your own brand name, based on your keywords and the service you are offering.

[Danielle Lynn]

If you want more in depth answers on what copywriters make - Marcia Y pointed out a couple books that cover that subject extensively in this thread.

Originally Posted by marciayudkin

Both Steve Slaunwhite and Chris Marlow sell copywriting pricing guides. They're both quite helpful.

Marcia Yudkin

Copywriter Pricing Guide...

The books are pricey, but worth it if you plan to go into the copywriting field and you want a good idea of actual quote ranges.

[Mark Andrews]

Originally Posted by Reflection Marketing

I agree to a point.

The more you can help your clients, the more money EVERYONE makes.

The focus should always be on helping.

However, the whole martyr vibe is ridiculous.

Where did I state my currency?

Martyr vibe? Pardon me? Come again. Whatever you just said there flew straight off over the top of my forehead. What has martyrdom got to do with anything?

A very strange and most odd comment.

Would you care to put your theory to me another way, to make whatever point your making, more easily understood please?

Thanks,


Mark Andrews...

[Mark Pescetti]

Originally Posted by Pete Walker

Where did I state my currency?

Martyr vibe? Pardon me? Come again. Whatever you just said there flew straight off over the top of my forehead. What has martyrdom got to do with anything?

A very strange and most odd comment.

Would you care to put your theory to me another way, to make whatever point your making, more easily understood please?

Thanks,


Pete

It was just how I felt affected by reading your post.

I'm sure it's important for you to create mutually financially beneficial relationships with your clients...

...I just got the "sacrifice" vibe.

I apologize for any offense...

However, I believe it's HUGELY important for any prospective clients observing these threads to realize that appropriately compensating your copywriter with money AND appreciation is an enormous ingredient for producing a successful campaign.

[Mark Andrews]

Originally Posted by Reflection Marketing

It was just how I felt affected by reading your post.

I'm sure it's important for you to create mutually financially beneficial relationships with your clients...

...I just got the "sacrifice" vibe.

I apologize for any offense...

However, I believe it's HUGELY important for any prospective clients observing these threads to realize that appropriately compensating your copywriter with money AND appreciation is an enormous ingredient for producing a successful campaign.

I'm not offended in the slightest. I'm simply more interested in the psychological interpretation of what's going on inside your mind to pick this up.

Naturally. I'm a copywriter.

Yes, money is important, but it's not the sole motivating factor in my case. And I suspect other copywriters have their own motivational factors too which don't always revolve around direct monetary gain.

Money afterall is just a means to pay for one thing in exchange for another. But it acts unto itself only for by itself it's actually quite a useless commodity and has no emotional worth on it's own merit. And that's precisely what I'm interested in the most...

Satisfying my clients emotions and needs and their target market wants and desires for a solution to a particular problem.

The journey is more important to me in other words than my own personal destination but the destination of my client and their customers has even greater importance.

Best,


Mark Andrews...

[Steve The Copywriter]

Money, money money - it's a fraught subject isn't it?

As Pete said it's just an "exchange" - you get some money - you give something back.

For me, I keep it as simple as I can.

I charge a fee, and work like hell to make sure the client gets the best possible response.

When that happens - the money isn't much of a problem.

And the more it happens - the more you make.

[suigeneris]

My best copywriter charges me $155 per page of copy. We specified a page as 500 words, and I usually never need more than 2 pages of copy. However I know copywriters who charge as little as $50, but you have to worry about their competency.

[bensonenterprise]

I agree that copywriting and article writing are not the same thing. I can write an article quickly and easily but it takes me hours to come up with a decent sales copy. Even then, I am never "quite" as happy with it as I would like to be so for me...I am sticking to article writing at least for now. I am studying sales copy and the psychology of it because you are right the sky is the limit if you can write great sales copy but it does take time to build that skill and if you rush into it too quickly you could crash and burn really fast.

My suggestion based on what I am doing, take the time to make sure you have it down. Read the books, take the courses, write test copy for yourself and work at it until you can put out a sales copy and do well on your own. I believe this is when you are ready to take on clients.

My thing is, if I wouldn't use it myself it just isn't good enough.

[dreamlife789]

I think there's a lot of prestige that comes with the job versus just getting paid.

[TracyNeedham]

Originally Posted by suigeneris

My best copywriter charges me $155 per page of copy. We specified a page as 500 words, and I usually never need more than 2 pages of copy. However I know copywriters who charge as little as $50, but you have to worry about their competency.

And the sales and affiliate pages that are linked in your signature look like they were written by a $155 copywriter--and I'm still probably giving them too much credit.

[Ansar Pasha]

suigeneris, if your copywriter wrote the "survival bible" copy, you're getting ripped off. (Like Tracy mentioned)...

Ansar

[jkhdsf]

Originally Posted by Reflection Marketing

I agree to a point.

The more you can help your clients, the more money EVERYONE makes.

The focus should always be on helping.

However, the whole martyr vibe is ridiculous.

And it does matter how much the copywriter makes.

There's no reason at all to break your own back if there isn't an appropriate exchange of energy = money for skill.

...Another aspect to making lots of money as a copywriter is only engaging in situations where there is a tangible expression of appreciation.

When appreciation is a constant during the collabrative client/copywriter process, there's much more passion and inspiration to draw from that translates into fantastic results.

In essence though, a copywriter makes about as much as he or she thinks they're worth.

When I first started this game, I would bring in about $2,000 a month - working with just one person at a time.

Now that I've converted for people and my confidence is up, I repositioned myself to work with more upscale/high-end entrepreneurs.

One JV alone brings in 5 figures a month.

There's no such thing as a hungry copywriter...

...right?

Your business model and positioning means everything.

How do you charge? (upfront? JV? Both?)

How do you exhibit your value?

How do you produce results - once hired?

Really great points here. Thanks for your valuable post

[JaRyCu]

Originally Posted by arfasaira

Copywriting and article writing are NOT the same thing. How much you make depends on how hard you are willing to push yourself. I've had $4000 a month as my top month, and average between $2000 and $4000 a month working PART TIME.

Depends on how good you are and how well you market yourself. Do too little marketing and you'll fail. Do it right and you'll be booked months solid like many of the good copywriters in this forum.

I took this the wrong way the first time I read it and got insulted, but then it gnawed at me and I realized you were making a point. I know that there's a difference in writing articles and writing copy for websites, but I'm not sure how to get into the copywriting side of the business.

Do you have any tips that you'd care to share that would help me (and anyone else reading this) get into it, or even let us know if we'd want to get into it?

-- j

[Julie M]

Originally Posted by Dietriffic

If you're good, the sky is the limit.

If you're bad, don't give up the day job.

That pretty much says it all

Do some good work on the cheap first to get results and feedback you can use to justify your prices. If you can bring the results, people will be happy to pay.

[Joe Ditzel]

Originally Posted by JaRyCu

I know that there's a difference in writing articles and writing copy for websites, but I'm not sure how to get into the copywriting side of the business.

Do you have any tips that you'd care to share that would help me (and anyone else reading this) get into it, or even let us know if we'd want to get into it?

-- j

JaRyCu, you'll find a goldmine of information in the archives of the forum. You can search it easily. But you'll also benefit from just browsing through and clicking various threads that look interesting. You'll find the answers to your questions and even questions you didn't know you had yet.

[MikeHumphreys]

Originally Posted by JaRyCu

I took this the wrong way the first time I read it and got insulted, but then it gnawed at me and I realized you were making a point. I know that there's a difference in writing articles and writing copy for websites, but I'm not sure how to get into the copywriting side of the business.

Do you have any tips that you'd care to share that would help me (and anyone else reading this) get into it, or even let us know if we'd want to get into it?

-- j

There's two routes to choose from:

Option #1: Self-study. See the sticky in this forum on recommended copywriting books. You can do a search on recommended home study courses for copywriting as well. Study them and practice what you learn until you have developed your copywriting skills to the point where you feel ready to start charging for your services.

Keep in mind, a big part of being a successful copywriter is your reputation. If you develop a reputation for delivering poor quality copy or copy that doesn't convert, then you will find it much harder to find clients.

Self-study is also an ongoing process. You will want to keep refining and honing your skills.

Option #2: Mentoring. You can do a search in this forum for recommended copywriting coaches. Mentoring is not cheap but you can get up to speed a lot faster than self-study this way. You can also get your specific questions answered from an experienced copywriter. You can get your copy critiqued by your coach who can tell you where it needs improvement or can be stronger.

Depending on the coach, they may or may not send you client leads.

One final point about being a professional copywriter... you need to develop a thick skin to criticism. The majority of copywriters I've ever met or talked to are big advocates of tough love.

If you think we're tough on people on here sometimes... then you should hear what clients will say if the copy you wrote bombs for them and they are down thousands of dollars in marketing/advertising expense.

When your copy converts well, it's champagne toasts all around. If your copy bombs, then the client may be sizing you up for a public lynching at high noon UNLESS you are able to quickly and calmly determine why it bombed and how it needs to be fixed FAST.

Be prepared to take your lumps early on because it will make you a stronger copywriter in the long run.

Best of luck,

Mike

P.S. If you do decide to become a professional copywriter, then you will definitely want to learn how to get clients for your business. That's the marketing side of the business that 99% of the copywriting books & courses out there don't cover. The A-List, frequently name-dropped top copywriters are all experts at marketing or promoting their services. It's not a coincidence either.

[arfasaira]

Originally Posted by JaRyCu

I took this the wrong way the first time I read it and got insulted, but then it gnawed at me and I realized you were making a point. I know that there's a difference in writing articles and writing copy for websites, but I'm not sure how to get into the copywriting side of the business.

Do you have any tips that you'd care to share that would help me (and anyone else reading this) get into it, or even let us know if we'd want to get into it?

-- j

Hi J,

Please don't be insulted - content and copywriting are worlds apart and I should know - I used to be a content writer! But I got sick of being paid peanuts. If you're really fed up of writing for content mills, stop.

Instead, get your teeth into real life ads and brochures and re-write the bad ones (you know the ones that go on forever about how great they are but give the customer no benefits?)

Offer local business owners a free re-write for their ads (and you'll find plenty in the local paper) for the sake of building credibility and your portfolio. Get yourself a website (there are tons of free ones like Wordpress and Weebly) and get your samples up.

You can easily write for local businesses - Last year I did a 6 hour project for a college which paid me $125 an hour - go figure! Commercial writing rates start between $50 and $125 an hour.

PM me for a copy of my Commercial freelancing guide - that will put some serious money in your pocket!

Writing for businesses can mean brochures (you can charge a LOT for these), leaflets, newsletters, reports, presentations, web content etc. Everything but the kitchen sink and NO cheap content writing in sight!

And when I did that for a while (I still do commercial freelancing alongside copywriting) I took a copywriting course with coaching (look up Paul Hancox - I have to say he is brilliant) and that's how I became a copywriter.

And remember to market yourself wisely. I did a one month marketing stint in December last year - I practically spent 4 weeks marketing and not much else...and was booked solid from January to April. Everytime I start to get a little less busy, I market myself that bit more.

I hope that helps!

[Jonathan 2.0]

Originally Posted by Dietriffic

If you're good, the sky is the limit.

If you're bad, don't give up the day job.

Or keep practicing until you're good. : ) Some people will find copywriting easier than others however.

[wvcopywriter]

I use to focus on making money because I really needed it. It was putting so much pressure on myself. I keep getting so aggravated with my writing that I often quit for weeks at a time thinking I was not good enough.


Some people thrive better when focusing on how many grands they can make. But for me it was a hindrance.


It took my focus off of honing my skills and took the joy of writing away. When I finally started to focus on doing a good job for whoever hired me, instead of how little pay I was getting, the joy is coming back and I'm getting better at it.


Grammar and I still don't get along but I'm better at it than I was.

[Cam Connor]

Originally Posted by Pete Walker

I'm not offended in the slightest. I'm simply more interested in the psychological interpretation of what's going on inside your mind to pick this up.

Reread your post, it should be pretty obvious where he got this.

[David Raybould]

Originally Posted by dreamlife789

I think there's a lot of prestige that comes with the job versus just getting paid.

Ha.

Yes, I often enjoy paying my
monthly bills with prestige.

My landlord loves it.

[pronetwriter]

Focus on developing your skills(i'm assuming you have some copywriting skills) and trust me,there's no roof over what you can make.You must also know how to market your services.

[kcfried]

As mentioned above, being intrigued by psychological factors of copy writing and being good at it are two different things. Personally I'd recommend dipping your toe in and going from there.

I got my first part time copy-writing gig being paid by the hour and then worked my way up from there.

[Daniel Scott]

Originally Posted by David Raybould

Ha.

Yes, I often enjoy paying my
monthly bills with prestige.

My landlord loves it.

While it's only peripherally related, your quote reminded me of this comic...



(pulled from Penny Arcade - Sometimes Things Cost Money)

[IdrisSG]

I am at a crossroads in my life at the moment. It's a really fun opportunity and I love the possibilities. I have been looking into Copy Writing and I am fascinated by the psychology of it.

Now, I wonder, how much can I expect to make as a copywriter? (conservatively)

You have to love writing/assembling copy.

No way around it.

The money is nice when you've finally reached a point where you can say "I'm a good copywriter" and mean it and have the proof to back it up.

Copywriting is NOT, i repeat NOT a "get rich quick" thing, in fact its a "get rich really slowly" thing.

And its a business, not something you do on the side unless you've got a stronger stream of income coming in.

I would classify it as a business/job because you've got clients to deal with, deadlines, stuff to create etc.

Unless you've got a whole gang of cool clients and you're writing for a niche you love than it becomes much more of a breeze.

But eventually, most copywriters dump all but a handful of clients and write for themselves.

Think about it this way...

Lets say "Vendor A" on Clickbank is making about $1,000,000 in sales, "The Copywriter" probably gets paid royalties (if the vendor doesn't pull a fast one) of up to 10% (if he's extremely lucky) which is $100,000

Quick question...

Who would you rather be?

Vendor A
or
The Copywriter

NOTE: At the moment I've got my feet wet in both sides of the pool. Product creator and copywriter for clients, that's my current flow for the moment.

Hope this helps...

P.S.: I'd say do more research on the subject, thorough research. Asking here on Warrior forum is a good start...

[MissPatty]

@Daniel,

your comic cracked me up!

That was undeniably one of the best arguments of this page!

- Patty

[CopyWriteHer]

Originally Posted by pronetwriter

Focus on developing your skills(i'm assuming you have some copywriting skills) and trust me,there's no roof over what you can make.You must also know how to market your services.

As someone just entering the copywriting field, marketing my services is the cloudy part. How do you recommend others learning the most viable method of marketing their services?

Thanks in advance.

[marco005]

Hy,

What is a googd copywriter?

What makes a copywriter good stand out from his competitor, to take charges from 15$ ore more for an 500-700 word article?

That he can good PLR rewritten? That he can good writig product reviews?
What is the point here, that clients make a deal with you?

Help to make money for his clients? but that is not the job for an copywriter, his job is to write good content for his clients. Not doing seo.

Write good content for adsense publishers, specifically pre sell content, high oinformative content.

When a copywriter write good informative high quality articles, google will love you, your user will love you and buy your product or click very well on google adsense on your site.

But what is the point here?

The content mus googd written high quality and unique. Writing for seo is a mistake.
Put first in the beginning of your article and in the end your keyword, not more is to do, there is no magic around this.

best wishes
marco005

[Verisimilitude]

Originally Posted by arfasaira

Hi J,

Please don't be insulted - content and copywriting are worlds apart and I should know - I used to be a content writer! But I got sick of being paid peanuts. If you're really fed up of writing for content mills, stop.

Instead, get your teeth into real life ads and brochures and re-write the bad ones (you know the ones that go on forever about how great they are but give the customer no benefits?)

Offer local business owners a free re-write for their ads (and you'll find plenty in the local paper) for the sake of building credibility and your portfolio. Get yourself a website (there are tons of free ones like Wordpress and Weebly) and get your samples up.

You can easily write for local businesses - Last year I did a 6 hour project for a college which paid me $125 an hour - go figure! Commercial writing rates start between $50 and $125 an hour.

PM me for a copy of my Commercial freelancing guide - that will put some serious money in your pocket!

Writing for businesses can mean brochures (you can charge a LOT for these), leaflets, newsletters, reports, presentations, web content etc. Everything but the kitchen sink and NO cheap content writing in sight!

And when I did that for a while (I still do commercial freelancing alongside copywriting) I took a copywriting course with coaching (look up Paul Hancox - I have to say he is brilliant) and that's how I became a copywriter.

And remember to market yourself wisely. I did a one month marketing stint in December last year - I practically spent 4 weeks marketing and not much else...and was booked solid from January to April. Everytime I start to get a little less busy, I market myself that bit more.

I hope that helps!

Best advice I've seen for beginning copywriters in a long time!

Listen to this person!

[DougHughes]

Okay, I'm not going to give you some far flung answer. I want to give you something you can sink your teeth into.

The pragmatic answer is most copywriters don't make much more than Journalists.

I work with the guy who did the $118/mm in three months ad for Susan Summers Thigh Master ad. He made great money but was scraping along for a while after Guthy Renker sent their business somewhere else.

There are copywriters who make above average incomes (myself included) but...I don't do brand copy and I don't know about it. I do direct response and I am a salesman. If you are hiring me or my ilk you will pay premium. Results demand it.

If you're an article writer or some other writer I hate to break it, but people like this are a dime-a-dozen.

I write one thing - sales copy. I stake my whole reputation and everything I have with each campaign (another reason why it pays to be picky).

Ask a sales manager what is a top salesman worth? If you've been in sales and done well, you know when you're at the top you make your own rules.

If you can sell you'll make money. If you understand this game you'll know how to find the people with the money willing to pay you good money. If not, you can plan on making writer's wages of like $30K/year.

Good luck.

[Bruce Wedding]

It's a pointless question that nobody can answer accurately.

How much does an actor make?
How many fish does a fisherman catch?
How much does a writer make?

The range for a copywriter, like every one of those other questions is, from $0 to $1 million or more

It's useless information.

[Alex Cohen]

Originally Posted by CopyWriteHer

As someone just entering the copywriting field, marketing my services is the cloudy part. How do you recommend others learning the most viable method of marketing their services?

Thanks in advance.

Here's one way...

1. Write up a sales page offering your services.

2. Drive paid, targeted traffic to it.

3. Have an effective follow-up system in place that closes potential clients who contact you.

Alex

[Dev!l]

Quite a vague question. It really depends on your skill-set. If you're a so-so copywriter you'd probably make less than a $1,000/month but if you're pretty good you could look at making over $10,000-15,000/month. There are a ton of other factors to take into consideration as well and this post would run into pages if I were to get into detail. I'm sure you get the drift though.

[power88]

Originally Posted by arfasaira

Copywriting and article writing are NOT the same thing. How much you make depends on how hard you are willing to push yourself. I've had $4000 a month as my top month, and average between $2000 and $4000 a month working PART TIME.

Depends on how good you are and how well you market yourself. Do too little marketing and you'll fail. Do it right and you'll be booked months solid like many of the good copywriters in this forum.

Pushing yourself has zip to do with anything. Most people suck as copywriters and they'll be shot out of the water. Those who are really good do not need to push themselves. They can work a few hours a week or a month and make a mint. Of course, it usually takes decades to get to that point. It is not an easy career. Most folks can't do it. Everything thinks he can.

[Ken_Caudill]

Originally Posted by marco005

Hy,

What is a googd copywriter?

What makes a copywriter good stand out from his competitor, to take charges from 15$ ore more for an 500-700 word article?

That he can good PLR rewritten? That he can good writig product reviews?
What is the point here, that clients make a deal with you?

Help to make money for his clients? but that is not the job for an copywriter, his job is to write good content for his clients. Not doing seo.

Write good content for adsense publishers, specifically pre sell content, high oinformative content.

When a copywriter write good informative high quality articles, google will love you, your user will love you and buy your product or click very well on google adsense on your site.

But what is the point here?

The content mus googd written high quality and unique. Writing for seo is a mistake.
Put first in the beginning of your article and in the end your keyword, not more is to do, there is no magic around this.

best wishes
marco005

Yeah, what he said.

I love this place.

[Bruce Wedding]

Originally Posted by jkhdsf

I am at a crossroads in my life at the moment. It's a really fun opportunity and I love the possibilities. I have been looking into Copy Writing and I am fascinated by the psychology of it.

Now, I wonder, how much can I expect to make as a copywriter? (conservatively)

The responses are really all over the place. Allow me to add to the confusion

How much can you expect to make? It depends.

It depends primarily on your copy writing skill and ability as well as your ability to market yourself. Honestly, I feel offended when some ordinary joe thinks, "Oh, I think I'll become a copywriter because I've got nothing better to do."

As if it's that simple.

It's not. Not even close.

I've read every book on copywriting, marketing, psychology and typography I can find. I'm speaking of more than 100 books. I've also devoured everything I can find on the web and still do to this day. It's a never ending education.

AFTER all the books, I started writing. I wrote more than 50 full sales letters under a mentor before I really felt I knew what I was doing.

What I'm trying to tell you is, this is not something you jump into half-assed. It's a lot of study and a lot of work. The only way to get good is to write. A lot!

AFTER all that, I attended numerous IM seminars to make contacts and get jobs. And one success follows the other. Then you bag a guru and you can really jack your rates if you perform well for him.

I no longer write much copy for others because I always viewed copywriting as a step on my journey, never a career. I'd prefer to emulate other great copywriters who realized that the best thing you can do with good copywriting skills are to use them to make yourself rich, not others.

Think about Frank Kern, Yanik Silver, Gary Halbert and others. All great copywriters but none of them for hire. They're too busy getting rich.

Ok, to answer your question, at my peak, while working a full-time engineering job, I did about $80,000 a year from copywriting. Right before I quit writing for others, I had a $36,000 month. But I was working my ass off and never had any weekends free.

The money is definitely there but you have to be able to walk the talk.

[absplittesters]

You shouldn't be asking how much you can make... You should ask how good your copy is.. the fact that you have to ask how much doesn't show much confidence in your copy skills...

You get paid what you are worth, if you can write copy that converts hotly, then you'll get paid high.. But as it's been mentioned already, you are better off to charge a lower upfront fee and then take a % on sales, IF the product looks quality.

M

[jessiepadgal]

Copywriters make the money. All of it.

Seriously though, copywriters are earning around $55 on the low end to $300 on the high end per hour, and you can assume 20 to 35 billable hours per week.

There are many surveys that share what copywriters are making.

The point is that you can make a living or a decent side income writing copy, so you gotta move past what others make and figure out what you need to make, and do what gets you there :-)

[Mark Andrews]

Originally Posted by arfasaira

Copywriting and article writing are NOT the same thing. How much you make depends on how hard you are willing to push yourself. I've had $4000 a month as my top month, and average between $2000 and $4000 a month working PART TIME.

Depends on how good you are and how well you market yourself. Do too little marketing and you'll fail. Do it right and you'll be booked months solid like many of the good copywriters in this forum.

Originally Posted by power88

Pushing yourself has zip to do with anything.

Care to explain this comment Power88 in your response to Arfa Saira?

Personally... I think your comment above is a load of piffle but there we go.

I'd like to see what your take is on this indepth?

Why is pushing yourself zip to do with anything?


Mark Andrews