Wanna Be Copywriters...Be Careful What You Wish For

But now you'll always be known and respected for yet one more thing. And I've got to imagine that that can never hurt your prices anywhere.

Very cool.

I have never thought writing copy for others was as lucrative as writing copy for yourself. In my mind the difference is one of commitment.

When I write copy for others I start and finish and then don't have any responsibilities until I take another client/

When I write copy for myself I feel a need to maintain a website, put out emails to my email list, etc. It's much more like "running a business."

Sure you can delegate those things, but only as much as you have trained people who can be trusted to work on your business unsupervised. That isn't as easy as hiring some Philippine VA for $40/wk. Finding qualified people you can trust and afford to run things is a long-term job.

Hi Steve,

Let's say you went to college today and got out in four years with an accounting degree. Would you expect to immediately earn the top salary for accountants?

Or think back to when you first started in IM -- you made peanuts while you were learning.

Same thing here.

It seems like very little money for a whole lot of work. If you never raised your prices... well then yeah, writing copy for others would totally blow.

But get some letters under your belt, raise your prices, start pulling royalties... and suddenly your "hourly wage" for writing copy is going to look a whole lot more attractive.


***

Of course, as mentioned, writing copy for yourself is great too (and more profitable at this point). I'm just saying that writing copy for others CAN be profitable... once you get past the learning stage.

Cheers,
Becky

"Clients Suck" - Gary Halbert

Between prospecting for clients and then doing the actual work, yeah, this whole copywriting thing isn't easy sometimes. Add a ton of pressure to perform and it gets pretty stressful.

Here's a few things I've learned since I started freelancing to make sure my clients don't suck...

1. If I can't talk to a prospect like I can a friend, we won't work out. This morning, talked to a prospective client. By the end of the call we're both joking around and got along great. If I ever sense that a client wants to micro-manage me, or we just don't "jive" on a certain level, it's not worth the stress.

2. I always let them know how I work. I will disappear, and I will do my own thing. I'll meet the deadline, but I won't be updating you every hour of the day. If you want to talk to me, that's fine, but give me at least 24 hours to get back to you. I'll turn the copy in when it's ready, and I'll answer any questions you have.

3. I only work in niches that I already know well, or that I'm very interested in learning. I'm about to dive head first into a niche I've never written for, but it's something I've wanted to learn about for awhile. Getting paid to learn about a subject I want to learn about anyway is fun. Anytime this job isn't fun, it's not worth it.

4. I like product launches, but I tend to like websites with existing traffic better. If they have a sales letter I know I can beat, I'm confident going into the job. And I can get feedback on conversions within hours of it going live. For product launches, I like working with guys who have experience driving traffic.

5. Repeat clients rock. The entire conversation can be "here's the product, here's the payment, talk to you in a month."

6. Don't let clients owe you money, especially a lot of it. I generally ask for 100% upfront. Sometimes with new clients I'll do 50%. 100% saves a lot of headaches and time.

Some of that, especially #2, may sound a little cocky. It's not. Just because a client is paying me doesn't mean they can call me up on my cell to chat 24/7. I used to be a lot more available than I am now. It cost me time and money, and clients still get 100% out of me.

Having said all of that, I agree... For me, freelancing is most likely a temporary gig.

I do enjoy it, however it's stressful, and technically it's still a J.O.B., trading hours for dollars.

Craig Garber told me "Those who understand marketing strategy get rich, those who write good copy keep getting paid to write good copy."

I think that's a good way to sum it up. I don't dislike freelancing, I usually love it. But I see myself focusing on my own stuff in the very near future.

-Scott

I am just now starting out in my freelance carrier. I am glad that most of you on here only write for yourself, believe me I have done this for the last 5 years (for myself).

To get paid $2,500 or more for doing what I love anyway, for someone else and know what they are up to... it's cream and a know brainer.

Nowadays practically everyone thinks they can write copy because they read a book.

Just because you read a book on boxing doesn't mean you have any boxing skills.