To make more money as a freelance writer, you can simply raise your project fees or hourly rate. As you can imagine, when you begin to charge more you will begin to earn more as well. Of course, there are some things to keep in mind when it comes to raising freelance writing rates.
1. Never increase your rates too much. In my opinion, anything more than a 10 percent increase at a time is probably too much. Could you get away with more? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. But in the interest of not annoying clients, you do not want to get out of control.
2. You cannot get away with increasing your rates every month. Instead, make sure that you only do so once a year at the most. Many freelance writers have a set month each year when they consider raising their rates. For the most part, the best month of the year to do this is January; but it is up to you.
3. When current clients ask why your rates have increased, make sure that you have a good answer. You can’t say, “Because I felt like it.†If you are rude to clients who ask this question, they may decide to move onto another writer.
4. What will you do when a client says that your new rates are too high for them? Will you cut them a break, or stick to your guns? Remember, if you immediately offer them the old rate just to keep their business, they will think that they are not subject to any changes in the future. This is not to say that you should never negotiate, but be very careful with what you say and do.
5. Before you raise your rates, research the industry as well as what other freelance writers are charging. Even if you are a great writer, charging more than everybody else may not get you very far. When your rates are among the highest of the high, you can only attract a special type of clientele.
Simply put, when you raise your freelance writing rates you will see an increase in income. The only way that this will not work out is if your current clients begin to drop you because you have asked for too much. Keep the above tips in mind so that you can increase your rates each year without putting anybody off.Â
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.
