Becoming a freelance copy-writer

Content
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I really enjoy writing, on a variety of topics, and am thinking of pursuing a freelance career as a copy writer.

I don’t mean a “$10 for 400 words” kind of writer who churns out articles stacked with keywords over and over again. I mean a high quality writer, who includes some personality and wit within my writing.

I’ve quite a portfolio of work already, however to be honest I really don’t feel that a portfolio helps to ‘sell’ one’s copy-writing skills - who really has time to sit down and analyse your previous work anyway?

I’m after some ideas how I would ‘set up my copywriting businesss’ and to find appropriate projects to sink my teeth into, that are priced at a reasonable level (a minimum of 20c per word would be ideal). I have several niche interests, including tshirts, internet marketing, surfing, and music, and would love to write articles that include these topics if possible.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on how I can enter the copy-writing industry with a vengeance!

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You’re still not talking about copywriting. Copy is writing with one purpose – to sell. Consequently the vast majority don’t charge by the word, they charge for results. That’s why even newbies can charge $250 per page. Word count is purely incidental to results.

If you are interested in copywriting, get a commission sales job. Sell. Then write.

Kanoodling with a keyboard? For “this is the internet, we don’t ‘do’ sales …sales just sorta happen” copy-writing? I wouldn’t even know what to tell you.

I do know, when there’s absolutely no connection to sales, no ROI, no call to action, no distinction between features and benefits, no copywriter’s formula, then the word “branding” happens to come in handy. Apparently the term branding is used as a “Get Out of Responsibility for Everything – FREE” card.

You can do horrible things to clients when branding is the excuse. And clients will thank you for it.

I really don’t feel that a portfolio helps to ‘sell’ one’s copy-writing skills

Copywriting is sales. That’s what clients are (supposed) to be coming to you to find out.

However, you are on to something. Portfolios don’t ‘sell.’ They force the reader to do all the heavy lifting of figuring out why they should hire you. Properly constructed case histories – with sales figures – Sell What Potential Clients Are Buying.

Isn’t it a little odd how copy, with the only job to make the cash register ring, glosses over the mere hint of results?

Even the misguided “webified” distortion of copy-writing isn’t about your personality coming through in the written word – it’s about developing an identifiable client personality. Specifically a business identity desirable to customers.

In the meantime, you may want to figure out what your content writing actually does to benefit a business person. Your hint can be found in one of the linked articles.

Related:

AIDA - The Copywriter’s ABCs

[URL=“http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/showthread.php?t=485021”]
Well-Written Business Websites

Writing for Cult Brand Status

Communicating Expertise / Inner Circle Status

King Maker Content - Study Carl Rove

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Thanks very much for taking the time to consider and challenge my initial thoughts on copy writing.

You are completely right - I haven’t thought this over anywhere near as much as I need to. I know I enjoy writing, but I hadn’t considered there were so many different styles…after reading the resources you have sent through, I have re-assembled my thoughts and realized that there are several different genres of copy-writing.

i) A sales copy-writer - where my role would be to sell through artfully crafted paragraphs that convince a reader that they ‘need’ to take action thus resulting in a ‘conversion’ for the client
ii) An SEO copy-writer - whereby I first undertake the appropriate keyword research, then write articles that gracefully incorporate these keywords
iii) A creative writer - almost akin to writing poetry, being very artistic with wording and phrasing based on the brief of a cleint
iv) A subject matter expert - obviously this particular style of writing requires knowledge of specific topics (for example t-shirts), and is written more as an editorial or informative piece.

I believe I have the experience and adaptability to undertake any or all of these styles, but I’m curious to know how I would find clients for each individual style? Any idea would be appreciated!

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Very good analysis and synthesis. For what you want to accomplish you’ll also have to add the role of content strategist, which also suggests a natural alliance.

One way to find clients is to hook up with a web shop. Both the traditional and CMS installer shops should be interested in what’s called content writing, however you’d never know it. Your pitch should be about your benefits to them for upsell potential and what being the “one stop shop” does for them when they try to sell their clients.

You can go directly to clients. Offer an analysis of their site for whatever deficiencies causing whichever painful problems. Hints abound in the articles I linked. There are different schools of thought on copy, with image advertisers a natural target for creative writing. The evidence-based, A/B Split run test crazy direct marketing clients prefer AIDA and direct response copywriting.

Each type of prospective client has telltale signs to look for. Most all will have content poor sites, because that’s just the way people approach the web – technology first, content never.

How do you do it? Given your experience and adaptability to do any of these, you write copy …then you deliver it to a target prospect. Make your offer compelling and show the benefits. Develop a USP while you’re at it.

Related:

A List Apart Calling All Designers: Learn to Write! Designers would rather chew off a leg than have anything to do with content. You will have to remind them websites are delivery vehicles for content, not an end unto themselves devoid of purpose, target user, or competitive strategy. It will not be easy.

Rarely could you identify an idea or purpose behind the site, or name a possible user goal the site was intended to facilitate. There was no flow, no legibility, no usability. It wasn’t so much that the designers had contempt for their users as that they seemed never to have been taught to think about users at all.

– Web Development Guru Jeffrey Zeldman

A List Apart, a leading voice in web development, offers a way to remind developers the letters C.M.S. actually stand for words which make an alliance with a writer almost fathomable.

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Thank you so much for taking the time to challenge my way of thinking and steer me in the right direction. It’s becoming clearer to me that I need to strategise properly before throwing my hat into the copy-writing ring…however your comments are also making me hungry to succeed!

Very good analysis and synthesis. For what you want to accomplish you’ll also have to add the role of content strategist, which also suggests a natural alliance.

What do you suggest the role of a content strategist is? Is sounds to me a bit like a ‘branding’ expert (i.e. you can get away with deeming almost anything to be a ‘strategy’ because often strategy documents are neglected or completely forgotten by clients relatively quickly.)

One way to find clients is to hook up with a web shop. Both the traditional and CMS installer shops should be interested in what’s called content writing, however you’d never know it. Your pitch should be about your benefits to them for upsell potential and what being the “one stop shop” does for them when they try to sell their clients.
I assume that what you are suggesting, is approaching web development agencies? If this is the case, I’ll need to go in with a price point and a rigid set of rules (“price is for a maximum of 500 words, and includes 1 revision based on client feedback”, for example). Have you any pearls of wisdom on the best way to approach these web development agencies?

You can go directly to clients. Offer an analysis of their site for whatever deficiencies causing whichever painful problems.
This errs on the side of website usability, as well as copy-writing. Do you think the two disciplines go hand in hand, or are they chalk and cheese?

The evidence-based, A/B Split run test crazy direct marketing clients prefer AIDA and direct response copywriting.
Sorry, but what exactly is AIDA? And can you give me some examples of direct marketing clients, and direct response clients (sorry for the barrage of requests, but you really seem to know your stuff and I very much respect your opinions!)

Each type of prospective client has telltale signs to look for. Most all will have content poor sites, because that’s just the way people approach the web – technology first, content never.
I totally agree - my day job is as an Account Manager for an “Online Solutions” provider - all clients seem to care about is pretty pictures (and they wonder why they never rank well in SERPs).

How do you do it? Given your experience and adaptability to do any of these, you write copy …then you deliver it to a target prospect.
Are you suggesting I approach clients ‘cold’, with some ‘teaser’ copy - and use that as my approach?

Make your offer compelling and show the benefits.
This is the part I’m still struggling with. To me, good copy, is good copy… and bad copy is easily spotted. But how do I point this out to someone who does not have natural inclinations to recognize the good versus the bad?

Develop a USP while you’re at it.
You make it sound so easy…like a USP is a simple one-liner that will instantly make people go “Wow, this guy is good!”. I’m sure a USP is more than that…isn’t it?

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You’ve got your basic “plan” in breaking down writing into groups. As a content strategist, you pick which is going to work for achieving a client goal.

Unlike branding, content strategy goals can be tested and proven. There are a wealth of analytics, and testing tools, such as A/B split run tests.

This is in contrast to the way most web sites are designed.

Rarely could you identify an idea or purpose behind the site, or name a possible user goal the site was intended to facilitate. There was no flow, no legibility, no usability. It wasn’t so much that the designers had contempt for their users as that they seemed never to have been taught to think about users at all.

– Jeffrey Zeldman

Never Get Involved in a Land War in Asia (or Build a Website for No Reason) is an introduction as to why content strategy is important.

This errs on the side of website usability, as well as copy-writing. Do you think the two disciplines go hand in hand, or are they chalk and cheese?

Your call to make. This is part and parcel of your USP and how you want to tie it together.

To me, good copy, is good copy… and bad copy is easily spotted.

How do your shoes get tied? You’re going to have to get very self aware. Real quick.

You make it sound so easy…like a USP is a simple one-liner that will instantly make people go “Wow, this guy is good!”. I’m sure a USP is more than that…isn’t it?

Nope. You want “Wow, I need you to work with me” or “How do you do that, do you have a web site?” A USP is supposed to be a compelling competitive advantage. Not a quip, a bon mot, or snappy slogan.

It is part of what a content strategist finds second nature. This isn’t school. Don’t look for the answer in the back of the book. You write the book – remember.

“Online marketing commentary and analysis.” Indeed. Perhaps you need to look into writing a series of blog posts on unique selling propositions.

You’re asking me to do what clients are supposed to be coming to you for.

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“Online marketing commentary and analysis.” Indeed. Perhaps you need to look into writing a series of blog posts on unique selling propositions.

You’re asking me to do what clients are supposed to be coming to you for.

Thanks so much once again for all of your comments. I feel a slight air of animosity from the above comment - sorry if I have asked one too many questions, but I really do just enjoy hearing what you have to say since you are very experienced in the copy writing industry.

PS. I don’t think blog posts on ‘unique selling propositions’ will help my cause at all. Bread Milk Digital is hardly a popular blog worthy of dedicating large amount of energy to, it is just means of letting me share one of my passions with anyone who is unfortunate enough to stumble across the site :slight_smile:

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On a slightly different bent: you might find Georgina’s posts on SitePoint to be of interest, since she’s a professional writer and editor who’s freelancing.

Are you in Brisvegas right now? Check out the QLD government’s temporary employment register for littler writing jobs. There is a massive market for writers to write stuff that isn’t bent towards selling. Bodies like government agencies, hospitals or schools don’t need to sell in the $$ sense, but they DO need to ‘sell’ the concept with text that’s easy to read.

Look for the small ones if you’re going to hit up CMS folks. Thinking of the larger ones, they often work with clients who have the resources/etc to do their own writing and have their own content strategists, so demand is not always too high.

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For me when hiring a writer, it takes a little warming up. A good writer someone I get to know through their writing, and reading their articles is similar to meeting a person that I like and want to learn about, whether it be their personality or their intellect.

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freelance work is very lucrative, less time consuming and very educative. I recommended to people who are having hard time in making money online. Job look into yourself identify your talent or abilities offer it as a service, if you don’t have any acquire some.

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Too write grate copy you would probly need to write really good stuff and keep it not to long but as well not to short and it will also need to be really really really great too read for everyone who wants to read it. Because great copy is great if its been done really well by a professionel.

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Hey Jake,

If you want to learn more real copywriting (writing to sell)…USPs and AIDA etc…I’d highly recommend the free tutorials found at http://www.adcopywriting.com/Articles_Index.htm and the now free, “Make Your Words Sell”.

Cheers,

Steve

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:rofl::lol: well played, sir

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Interesting thread, and some great advice. What I would like to do one day, sometime, when we have the time is to approach site owners with potentially great content, but pathetic language useage, and offer to tart and tittivate their content.

Not copywriting I know, but it could be a good source of an extra few Rands, er Dollars, every month.

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Would be a great use for the “Find & Replace” tool in MS Word :slight_smile:

Thanks for your comments - I’m going to read a few of the resources suggested above and then come back with some further thoughts and info.