Yesterday, I wrote a post on freelance writing and keyword articles. Today, I am going to move onto another type of writing that I do a lot of, sales letters. Although creating sales letters can be difficult, if you get good at these types of projects you will most definitely be able to find work. After all, every company in the world is trying to sell something. No, they do not all use sales letters, but a large number of them do.
What is a Sales Letter?
Generally speaking, a sales letter is exactly what it sounds like. This is a letter that you put together for a company that is trying to increase sales through direct mail or email. In many cases, you may even be asked to create one letter for a direct mail campaign and another for email marketing. This has happened to me more times than I ever imagined.
When writing a sales letter, the main thing that you need to keep in mind is that you are trying to push a product or service. In other words, this type of writing it not the same as a basic keyword article. Instead, you will turn into a salesman/freelance writer. Of course, you will be able to get direction from your client. Some clients tell me to go over the top with the sales pitch, and others tell me to keep things more laid back. Make sure that you gather as many details as possible from your client before starting.
Sales Letter Payment
Are you searching for freelance writing jobs that pay a lot of money? If so, sales letters will probably suit you just fine. When compared to other types of projects that I accept, sales letters are always among the highest paying. For a 500 to 750 word piece I have been paid in upwards of $1,000. And when this rate is compared to others in the industry, it is quite low. I know several top notch writers who charge $3,500 + for a single sales letter. I am not yet to that point, but as you can see, there is room for growth and big earnings.
How to Find Clients
If you are interested in writing sales letters, you need to find clients who hire writers for this task. Most will agree that this is the most difficult part of breaking into this niche. There are two things that I do to increase the amount of sales letter jobs that I bring in:
1. Cold call and cold email as many prospective clients as possible. Although I feel that cold calling is the better of the two options, I put time into both. Remember, you are going to get turned down time after time. But it only takes one client to get started and to make a nice chunk of change.
2. Network, network, network. If possible, network with business owners and high level executives. These are the people who hire writers for sales letters. Once you establish a reputation, your name will begin to make the rounds. I receive a lot of sales letter inquiries from people who have been referred by current clients. Get your name out there!
If you are looking for a way to increase your freelance writing income, consider getting involved with sales letters. As you can see, these pay good money and there is a demand for writers who can create quality letters that bring results.
Time after time I receive emails asking what type of freelance writing projects I take on. These emails come from other freelance writers as well as clients who are interested in hiring me. In order to get a better idea of the type of projects that are available to writers, I am going to put together a series of posts detailing some of the more common options.
Keyword Articles
What are keyword articles? These articles are general in nature but are based around a specific keyword. For instance, a client may ask you to write a 500 word article with the keyword of “web design†at a density of two percent. This means that they want the phrase web design to appear approximately 10 times in the article. Keyword density is something that every webmaster has a differing opinion on. Some will tell you that a low density, such as one percent, is best. On the other hand, I have had clients request a keyword density of up to 10 percent. As you can imagine, it can be difficult to naturally insert a keyword that many times into a relatively small article. That being said, I provide what the client wants; even if I don’t agree with it.
Keyword Article Payment
How much money can you earn writing keyword articles? Before I get to the answer of this question, you should know that these projects can be relatively easy to come by. One of the first good paying projects that I received was for 10 keyword articles on cancer. For each 400 word article, I was paid $20. This may not be a lot when compared to my current level of income, but back then I was ecstatic.
Now to the question of payment: the amount that you receive for writing a keyword article depends largely on the client you are working with. I have some clients that will pay $50 or more for a single keyword article of 500 words. At the same time, it is not uncommon to come across buyers who are not willing to spend more than $4-5 for one of these articles. By having a rate sheet, you will be able to avoid jobs and clients that do not suit you. For instance, you may set a rate of $25 for 500 words, $22.50 for 400 words, and $20 for 300 words. That is just an example; you will want to base your rates on your skills, how much work you are trying to bring in, your target audience, etc.
Freelance writers who are skilled at creating keyword articles can earn a lot of money. No, you are not going to get rich off of these articles, but you can increase your freelance writing income by adding these projects in addition to others.Â
Every so often, I speak with freelance writers who earn additional income through other business ventures. Although I am not the type to stray too far from the writing industry, there are several opportunities that present themselves time after time.
What types of services can you offer in addition to writing?
1. For one reason or the next, many freelance writers also dabble in photography. And from the ones that I have met, they are quite good at what they do. This is something that I have considered in the past, but up to this point have yet to move forward. Several years ago I took a few photography classes and fell in love with this creative activity. Unfortunately, I have yet to look into this because my freelance writing workload has been so heavy.
2. Blogging and freelance writing are natural partners. If you like to write there is a good chance that you will like to blog. As you can tell, this is something that I enjoy. Since starting this blog over a year ago, I have only missed posting on one day (from what I can remember).
3. In addition to ghost blogging for others, you can offer to manage blogs as well. I do this for many clients, and find it to be a lot of fun. What goes into managing a blog? This all depends on who you are working with, but it can include anything from uploading new posts and images to marketing and building a community.
By offering services in addition to writing, you will be able to increase your income while also adding some diversification to your life. Although I have yet to make any major leaps in this area, you never know what the rest of the year will bring.Â
