From what I have read, as well as my own findings, there are two ways to look at the number of blogs or websites that you own. First off, you can attempt to start one or two “major players†and put all of your time and effort into them. Your other option is to start several websites, and build out from there.
Obviously, there are pros and cons to each way of doing things. Let’s take a look at owning one or two main sites. The nice thing about this is that you will not have to spend time updating an abundant amount of sites. To go along with this, you can concentrate all of your free time on one site. In turn, this focus should help success to come sooner rather than later. The downside of this, if you are interested in making money, is that you will have to turn one big site into your revenue generator. Many feel that starting one main revenue generating stream is more difficult than several smaller ones.
On the other side of things, managing a group of blogs or websites has its own set of benefits and drawbacks. The main benefit is that you can earn less with each one, and when added together it can make for a solid income. On the other side of things, do you really have enough time to update a network of sites? For instance, could you effectively manage 10 blogs? Some people say yes, and if this is their full-time job they may be right. But jumping from one site to the next, and keeping track of all the details, can make for a difficult time.
Personally, I am divided on this subject. At this time, I have less than 10 sites, but am quickly closing in on double digits as more and more of my projects get finished. This is not a huge problem because I feel that I have enough time to manage them. But at the same time, I suppose that drawing the line is in the near future.
With all of that in mind, how many blogs or websites do you manage?
If you want to earn a living as a copywriter, you need to learn how to approach business clients. In other words, you need to cold call on businesses as opposed to hoping that they find you; which very rarely happens. Luckily, there are a few things you can do that will make calling on potential business clients easier.
First things first, you need to make a list of the businesses that may need your service. Even more so, narrow down this list based on the industries that you are most comfortable serving. For instance, I do a lot of work within the insurance industries. Naturally, if I were to actively look for new work, I would start with insurance companies and agents in my area.
Moving on, you need to have samples to show potential clients. If a company is interested in hiring you, before they do anything they will ask for samples. This will not only show them your skills, but it will also give them an idea of what to expect. Remember, not all clients are going to know as much about copywriting as you do. In many cases they will want to see a few samples so that they know what to ask for, etc.
Finally, the actual approach is the most difficult part of this process. There are two routes that you can take; with one being considerably easier (and less effective) than the other. Most copywriters decide that email is the way to go. They find an email address online, compose a great letter, and hit the send button. There are three problems with doing this.
1. You never know if you sent your email to the right person. And if you didn’t, there is not a very good chance that it will get to the person in charge.
2. Many businesses do not like receiving unsolicited email from those trying to sell a service. In fact, they may see it as spam and become angered. This will pretty much kill any chance that you have of winning a new client.
3. Simply put, the response rate via email is much lower than when calling prospects on the phone. When you make a phone call you will at least be able to find out who you need to speak with. From there, it is up to you to get them on the phone and sell yourself. With an email, you will never have this chance.
From the above, you can probably tell that the other way to contact prospects is via the phone. Again, when you call instead of emailing you can be rest assured that you will at least learn who you need to speak with. This will allow you to leave a message for the appropriate party, or call them back at a later date.
It is safe to say that you will get to speak with more prospects when you use the phone. Although this may be intimidating at first, over time you will learn that cold calling is not that difficult.
As a copywriter, the more businesses that you approach the more success you will have. Just like any sales job, this is nothing more than a numbers game. Make a list of potential clients, put together a portfolio, and start calling!
By openly posting my freelance writing income, it always leads to questions of how much I charge clients, etc. When it comes to copywriting rates, there is really no standard to rely on. While I feel that I charge a fair amount for my copywriting services, I do not command nearly as much money as many others. Of course, there are others who are not charging as much as me.
With that being said, it is always good to see how much other copywriters are earning. Not only will this show you where to start, but it will definitely motivate you at the same time.
This year alone I have written in excess of 10 sales letters. A few of these have been used for direct mail, but most are for online purposes. Even though I try to charge a set amount for each job that I take, things rarely work out this way. For the above mentioned sales letters, I earned anywhere from $200 to $500 each. This work consisted of researching the topic at hand, and then putting together a compelling sales letter that would convert. Generally speaking, all of them fell between 500 and 1,000 words.
Let’s take a look at another common copywriting job: press releases. If you can collect some press release samples, and show that you are good at writing these, you will definitely be able to find work. Almost every business uses press releases to announce new products or services, etc. But guess what? Not all businesses have somebody on staff that can effectively put together a press release; this is where you come into play. While some copywriters charge up to $500 or more for a press release, I am much more reasonable. My rates usually range from $75 to $150. Could I earn more? Probably. And if I think the job will take more time, I definitely quote a higher price. But over the years I have found this range to be acceptable.
Keep in mind that your copywriting rates will be based largely on experience and skills. When I first started, I was not charging clients nearly as much. At that time, my main goal was to first build a portfolio. As far as skills are concerned, this usually comes with time. Even though you may be a good writer, it takes a bit of practice and patience to become a good copywriter. Once you have a solid portfolio, you can then use your past work to secure new clients.
Overall, every copywriter has their own rates. As you can see from some of the stats above, there is money to be made. Just make sure that you set your copywriting rates based on experience and skills. Remember, you can always make adjustments over time.
