You don't have to just take my word for it, there's plenty of proof around. Firstly, Russia's collection of Cannes Lions and other prestigious awards is almost non-existent. Secondly, local creatives themselves never miss a chance to criticize the overall level of Russian advertising in their Internet communities and forums and to ask for a thousandth time the rhetorical question: "When will we start making such award winning ads here?"
Who's to blame?
Everyone, naturally, has someone to blame, be it bosses, clients or TA. The site AdMe regularly invites prominent Western professionals to express their opinion on Russian advertising. Believe me, you don't want to be a Russian creative reading one of these reviews.
Western influences
It took me a while to understand why things are so bad for the Russian ad industry. I only came to a conclusion after spending thousands of hours creating ads for this market, talking to clients, tracking numerous campaigns - and not before I looked around Russia, at Belarus, Ukraine and the Baltic States. It allowed me to see a clear division: Russian and Belarussian advertising is awful, Ukrainian is much better and the three small Baltic States simply rock. Can the exact match with the politics be a coincidence? I mean, Russia and Belarus are experiencing a rollback to the totalitarian rule - and it happened before the westernization in these countries made any considerable progress. Ukraine had stumbled a few times on this rocky road but today its advance seems fast and secured. Meanwhile the Baltic States long ago become truly European.
Individualism vs. Collectivism
There's this fundamental division: Western individualism and humanism against totalitarian collectivism. In the West we put an individual in the center in every sense. We make it our idol. In my opinion, that's where the roots of modern Western advertising are. We cherish the individual and thus we are eager to learn his psychology, to understand his true needs, which, as we know, are more emotional than rational. Western advertising makes its progress constantly looking for even more subtle and advanced emotional insights and techniques. This is our path.
Blame the agencies?
Work rest and play!
But it is clearly not the case in Russia. They are just unwilling to dig deep enough. Talking to Russian creatives, I often sense their disregard or even contempt for that guy, the average consumer. You can't make good advertising that way. Of course, clients are plagued with the same problem. At the end we have ads that are coarse, arrogant and overall weird for the Western eye. Nothing alike the subtlety, warmth and wit that we see in today's Western advertising.
Blame the consumer?
Another problem is that the consumer him/herself is not ready yet for different advertising. It takes two to tango towards Western cultural codes. So the international advertiser who is trying to crack the Russian market faces a tough choice: to just adapt the copy or to create a standalone Russian campaign with one of the local agencies. Neither alternative seems ideal to me. Probably, the right thing to do would be to somehow make two agencies, the Western and the Russian, to work together - and to hope for the best.
Have you experience of advertising in Russia? What do you think? Or tell us about your experience of other national advertising markets.
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
IT IS TIME TO START MAKING AND COUNTING YOUR MONEY DAILY IN DOLLARS
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Copywriting Commandments: 3 Barriers To Readership And A Cult Like Following (And Easy Sales)
Readership (and its cousins viewership and listeners) is one of the most critical elements to successfully marketing your self, business, products and services. An ad writing legend Johan Caples said it best when he said
"If the headline doesn't stop people, the copy might as well be written in Greek."
Ogilvy's version of the same rule is "On the average, five times as many people read the headlines as read the body copy."
The reason that I start here is that your headline is the gateway into your advertising pieces. So having THE STRONGEST headline possible is a vital first step to creating readership and a cult like following.
Doesn't matter how good what you have to say is if nobody reads it.
For beginners use proven headline formulas. For those of you more advanced you should already know the principles of great headlines and be able to use them.
Take the extra time to get a headline as strong as possible.
There are barriers upstream and barriers downstream to creating a cult like following through readership.
Upstream - Getting what you have to say into the hands of those who are mostly likely to appreciate it.
Doesn't matter how good what you have to say is, if the person receiving it doesn't or isn't interested in what you have to say. Audience matters. Obama won both elections by focusing on getting his message to people that mattered: Swing voters in marginal states. He ignored the rest.
Where a small hinge could swing a big door for him, he didn't spend as heavily as in his safe states because they were that 'safe.' Get your message into the market that is most likely to respond and resonate.
Far too little emphasis is placed on this exact part of the puzzle because it is kind of boring and kind of difficult but it is absolutely vital to your ability to build and maintain readership.
Downstream - Have Something Worth Reading
Nothing destroys readership faster than being boring or not having anything worth saying. There is an old maxim in the world of copy:
"Copy can never be too long only too boring."
Be sure that what is coming out of your mouth, fingertips or wherever, is actually good. Nobody can stomach empty rhetoric for long without getting impatient, bored or disinterested. You are only a click, a button or a 'to hell with this' away from being sent to oblivion.
"If the headline doesn't stop people, the copy might as well be written in Greek."
Ogilvy's version of the same rule is "On the average, five times as many people read the headlines as read the body copy."
The reason that I start here is that your headline is the gateway into your advertising pieces. So having THE STRONGEST headline possible is a vital first step to creating readership and a cult like following.
Doesn't matter how good what you have to say is if nobody reads it.
For beginners use proven headline formulas. For those of you more advanced you should already know the principles of great headlines and be able to use them.
Take the extra time to get a headline as strong as possible.
There are barriers upstream and barriers downstream to creating a cult like following through readership.
Upstream - Getting what you have to say into the hands of those who are mostly likely to appreciate it.
Doesn't matter how good what you have to say is, if the person receiving it doesn't or isn't interested in what you have to say. Audience matters. Obama won both elections by focusing on getting his message to people that mattered: Swing voters in marginal states. He ignored the rest.
Where a small hinge could swing a big door for him, he didn't spend as heavily as in his safe states because they were that 'safe.' Get your message into the market that is most likely to respond and resonate.
Far too little emphasis is placed on this exact part of the puzzle because it is kind of boring and kind of difficult but it is absolutely vital to your ability to build and maintain readership.
Downstream - Have Something Worth Reading
Nothing destroys readership faster than being boring or not having anything worth saying. There is an old maxim in the world of copy:
"Copy can never be too long only too boring."
Be sure that what is coming out of your mouth, fingertips or wherever, is actually good. Nobody can stomach empty rhetoric for long without getting impatient, bored or disinterested. You are only a click, a button or a 'to hell with this' away from being sent to oblivion.
Copywriting and Direct Response Masterclass: Born To Write Copy?
In 1986 there were exactly six persistence hunters alive and hunting on the planet. A bunch of US researchers in various fields had postulated it was possible to run after an animal until it was too exhausted to run any more - an easy kill, and perhaps the only way humans could have gotten steady access to meat for the 1.8 million years before they developed weapons. The fossil record indicated a steady diet of meat for that entire time.
Their guess was it was a one in a billion chance that someone like this was alive.
Humans are the greatest endurance running machines ever created. No animal alive can out run us. Actually, no animal gathers to run between three and five hours for fun. Some people think marathons are fun.
Back to our six persistence hunters, Khalhari Bushmen that had rejected their traditional career path at the time - farm hand or bordello worker. They decided to maintain the way of their ancestors which included persistence hunting.
Lewis Liebenberg was a uni drop out who was interested in what caused the 'big bang of the human mind' he figured something out on the Savannah had triggered the human mind to be able to do maths physics, but also create humour, language and most importantly our imagination. He stumbled upon these six bushmen and managed to install himself in their tribe for years.
It wasn't until many years later that Liebenberg realised the significance of what he stumbled across to the evolution of mankind.
In order to run after an animal until it is too tired to run anymore you need to be able to track.
Liebenberg learned how to track, which he describes as so much more than reading marks in the sand. It requires imagination. You need to be able to imagine being the animal you are tracking in order to be able to hunt it. Feel what it feeling imagine why it is doing what it is doing. Sounds a lot like empathy for someone you have never met.
Now we are getting close to copywriting
Empathy is a distinctly human trait. We can imagine being someone else and understanding how they feel. In face to face selling this is easy. We have the emotional reactions of the person we are selling to as feedback. Writing copy doesn't provide us with the same feedback we need to be able to track how customers might respond to our words, so that we can navigate them to the sale.
There is a common misconception that copywriting is about knowing some 'word tricks' in order to get the sale. It isn't. It is about forging an emotional connection and then getting a buyer to want to take action.
This is why we can all pick good copy when we see it. There is the part of our brain from the good ole days when we ran down antelope by day and ate it by night that can empathise and knows that we are on the money.
Their guess was it was a one in a billion chance that someone like this was alive.
Humans are the greatest endurance running machines ever created. No animal alive can out run us. Actually, no animal gathers to run between three and five hours for fun. Some people think marathons are fun.
Back to our six persistence hunters, Khalhari Bushmen that had rejected their traditional career path at the time - farm hand or bordello worker. They decided to maintain the way of their ancestors which included persistence hunting.
Lewis Liebenberg was a uni drop out who was interested in what caused the 'big bang of the human mind' he figured something out on the Savannah had triggered the human mind to be able to do maths physics, but also create humour, language and most importantly our imagination. He stumbled upon these six bushmen and managed to install himself in their tribe for years.
It wasn't until many years later that Liebenberg realised the significance of what he stumbled across to the evolution of mankind.
In order to run after an animal until it is too tired to run anymore you need to be able to track.
Liebenberg learned how to track, which he describes as so much more than reading marks in the sand. It requires imagination. You need to be able to imagine being the animal you are tracking in order to be able to hunt it. Feel what it feeling imagine why it is doing what it is doing. Sounds a lot like empathy for someone you have never met.
Now we are getting close to copywriting
Empathy is a distinctly human trait. We can imagine being someone else and understanding how they feel. In face to face selling this is easy. We have the emotional reactions of the person we are selling to as feedback. Writing copy doesn't provide us with the same feedback we need to be able to track how customers might respond to our words, so that we can navigate them to the sale.
There is a common misconception that copywriting is about knowing some 'word tricks' in order to get the sale. It isn't. It is about forging an emotional connection and then getting a buyer to want to take action.
This is why we can all pick good copy when we see it. There is the part of our brain from the good ole days when we ran down antelope by day and ate it by night that can empathise and knows that we are on the money.
Should Freelancers Write Samples for Free?
I was recently negotiating with a prospect who was trying to start a company and he wanted some web copy created. His first request was this: "I want you to write a 200 word marketing piece for me based on the product description I give you." If you got that request from a prospect, how would you respond?
Well, here is how I responded. I politely said that I do not do work for free, although I do provide a free 30 minute consultation and I will happily send him some proprietary writing samples that are very similar to what he is wanting. I said that I also have testimonials and an extensive portfolio, and that this was all I could offer. I said that if he wanted a free writing sample then it would be best to look elsewhere, as I have sufficient samples to more than showcase my abilities.
He accepted the samples and agreed to continue with the consultation, during which he asked me to include in the project quote two random web pages with an undetermined definition or scope. I said that because those pages were undefined, how about we work with the pages that are defined and I can give him a quote, and once he defines the other two pages we can go from there.
He agreed, I created a quote that clearly outlined the 6 pages of content and how many revisions were included, and sent it off. The next day he declined the quote and said that he was uninterested, as the price was fine but in his opinion I was not willing to work with him. Was I surprised? Not really.
So I sat back and thought about these types of requests and what they mean, because honestly most of my prospects are large clients and do not conduct business this way. And what everything boiled down to was this: because I didn't provide free work or agree to a set price for work that had not been scoped yet, I was labeled as a bad businessperson.
And what I would say to that accusation is that it's actually the opposite. If you're a good businessperson, you value your time. You have sufficient samples to show your skills and you have people to vouch for the quality of your work. And you don't work for free. And similarly, you don't expect others to work for free.
That would be like going to a job interview where they tell you that while they appreciate that you have great experience and samples, they want you to create some marketing collateral for them before they will consider hiring you. And it's on some products that currently do not have any marketing content. So this honestly means that they can turn around and sell the free work you perform for them. And if they were really shady, they could bring people in for "interviews" and slowly get all of their marketing work done this way for free.
That doesn't sound ethical to me. Does it sound ethical to you? So why expect a freelancer or consultant to do the same thing?
Which brings me to my final thought on the subject, which is whether or not there are any situations where I would write for free. The answer? Maybe. Working on spec is much more normal for publications and books. And if I had a prospect that I was really interested in and I didn't have relevant work samples that fairly illustrated my abilities, then yes maybe I'd write something. But it would only be a few sentences or a paragraph. I'm not going to write a 200-300 word document for them. If I was being considered for an instructional design project, and they asked me to provide feedback on some scenarios and how I would design them (and it was clearly a "test" and not materials yet to be developed), yes I would do that to an extent. But beyond those things, my working for free stops there.
Well, here is how I responded. I politely said that I do not do work for free, although I do provide a free 30 minute consultation and I will happily send him some proprietary writing samples that are very similar to what he is wanting. I said that I also have testimonials and an extensive portfolio, and that this was all I could offer. I said that if he wanted a free writing sample then it would be best to look elsewhere, as I have sufficient samples to more than showcase my abilities.
He accepted the samples and agreed to continue with the consultation, during which he asked me to include in the project quote two random web pages with an undetermined definition or scope. I said that because those pages were undefined, how about we work with the pages that are defined and I can give him a quote, and once he defines the other two pages we can go from there.
He agreed, I created a quote that clearly outlined the 6 pages of content and how many revisions were included, and sent it off. The next day he declined the quote and said that he was uninterested, as the price was fine but in his opinion I was not willing to work with him. Was I surprised? Not really.
So I sat back and thought about these types of requests and what they mean, because honestly most of my prospects are large clients and do not conduct business this way. And what everything boiled down to was this: because I didn't provide free work or agree to a set price for work that had not been scoped yet, I was labeled as a bad businessperson.
And what I would say to that accusation is that it's actually the opposite. If you're a good businessperson, you value your time. You have sufficient samples to show your skills and you have people to vouch for the quality of your work. And you don't work for free. And similarly, you don't expect others to work for free.
That would be like going to a job interview where they tell you that while they appreciate that you have great experience and samples, they want you to create some marketing collateral for them before they will consider hiring you. And it's on some products that currently do not have any marketing content. So this honestly means that they can turn around and sell the free work you perform for them. And if they were really shady, they could bring people in for "interviews" and slowly get all of their marketing work done this way for free.
That doesn't sound ethical to me. Does it sound ethical to you? So why expect a freelancer or consultant to do the same thing?
Which brings me to my final thought on the subject, which is whether or not there are any situations where I would write for free. The answer? Maybe. Working on spec is much more normal for publications and books. And if I had a prospect that I was really interested in and I didn't have relevant work samples that fairly illustrated my abilities, then yes maybe I'd write something. But it would only be a few sentences or a paragraph. I'm not going to write a 200-300 word document for them. If I was being considered for an instructional design project, and they asked me to provide feedback on some scenarios and how I would design them (and it was clearly a "test" and not materials yet to be developed), yes I would do that to an extent. But beyond those things, my working for free stops there.
Proof Reading Tips - How to Reduce That Dreaded Thing Called Human Error
Proof reading isn't the most glamorous of tasks; however it is the most critical step in copywriting. The sheer pressure of getting it right just before a marketing communications piece gets published can be daunting.
Let's face it, we are only human and we do make mistakes. I will never forget one of my first jobs as a Marketing Assistant coordinating the design for a Crown Pokies (Slots) newsletter. At the time the Graphic Designer and I; a couple of rookies, were over the moon when we got our first job under our belts. All of the stake holders within the business had seen and approved the newsletter. Best of all we managed to get it to print on time, as this job was infamous for being constantly late.
When the samples had arrived, I proudly dropped them off to the head of the department. I asked her if she was happy with them. She took one look at it then looked at me and said. "It looks great, but there's one problem... there are 3 T's in word Newsletter on the front cover." At first I thought she was joking, but to my horror it was true. There it was, that third letter T peering up at me. I was absolutely mortified. "How could this have happened?" I said. "We all checked and signed it off!" But that was the point. Somehow five of us, including the department head had missed it. It was simply human error.
Ever since my first bungle, I vowed to find as many ways as possible to ensure that this wouldn't happen again. So here are my tips for effective proof reading:
Find somewhere quiet - With no interruptions you will less likely miss something.
Read your copy backwards - Doing this will ensure that you will focus on each individual word which will help you pick up on spelling errors.
Read your copy out loud - If you say it, hear it and it makes sense to you, then it is less likely to have a mistake.
Use a light box - A great trick for print jobs. Place the printer's print proof over the top of your graphic designer's print proof and place them over a light box. The light will show up anything that has dropped off in pre-press proof. This is old school, but very effective.
Print it out - Do you regularly proof read broadcast emails or websites? Proof reading on screen can cause you to just scan not read, which I have been guilty of. So print it out on paper so you can go through the contents thoroughly.
Punctuation please - Get back to basics and ensure that the punctuation in your copy is correct. This includes having commas, semicolons, full stops and so forth are where they should be. Also don't forget about capitalising the right words.
Watch your Homonyms! - No I'm not telling you off. These are words that have the same pronunciation or spelling but have a different meaning. Most common mistakes are the use of their and there as well as piece and peace. This goes for using apostrophes as well such as, its and it's or their or they're, which are also commonly misused.
A third party - Simply get another person that is not connected to your work to read it for you. You'd be surprised what a completely different perspective can pick up.
Have fresh eyes - Don't just read it over and over again at the same time. If your deadline permits, leave it overnight and read it again in the morning. If not, take a break from it and come back to it a couple of hours later. It's a great way to get a new perspective on an existing piece.
And my most important tip...
Don't beat yourself up if you do miss something - Downfalls as much as triumphs can contribute to your experience as a copywriter, so learn from it and move on.
So don't forget we are only human and we are prone to making the odd mistake, but hopefully these helpful tips will get you well on your way to producing more accurate copy.
Let's face it, we are only human and we do make mistakes. I will never forget one of my first jobs as a Marketing Assistant coordinating the design for a Crown Pokies (Slots) newsletter. At the time the Graphic Designer and I; a couple of rookies, were over the moon when we got our first job under our belts. All of the stake holders within the business had seen and approved the newsletter. Best of all we managed to get it to print on time, as this job was infamous for being constantly late.
When the samples had arrived, I proudly dropped them off to the head of the department. I asked her if she was happy with them. She took one look at it then looked at me and said. "It looks great, but there's one problem... there are 3 T's in word Newsletter on the front cover." At first I thought she was joking, but to my horror it was true. There it was, that third letter T peering up at me. I was absolutely mortified. "How could this have happened?" I said. "We all checked and signed it off!" But that was the point. Somehow five of us, including the department head had missed it. It was simply human error.
Ever since my first bungle, I vowed to find as many ways as possible to ensure that this wouldn't happen again. So here are my tips for effective proof reading:
Find somewhere quiet - With no interruptions you will less likely miss something.
Read your copy backwards - Doing this will ensure that you will focus on each individual word which will help you pick up on spelling errors.
Read your copy out loud - If you say it, hear it and it makes sense to you, then it is less likely to have a mistake.
Use a light box - A great trick for print jobs. Place the printer's print proof over the top of your graphic designer's print proof and place them over a light box. The light will show up anything that has dropped off in pre-press proof. This is old school, but very effective.
Print it out - Do you regularly proof read broadcast emails or websites? Proof reading on screen can cause you to just scan not read, which I have been guilty of. So print it out on paper so you can go through the contents thoroughly.
Punctuation please - Get back to basics and ensure that the punctuation in your copy is correct. This includes having commas, semicolons, full stops and so forth are where they should be. Also don't forget about capitalising the right words.
Watch your Homonyms! - No I'm not telling you off. These are words that have the same pronunciation or spelling but have a different meaning. Most common mistakes are the use of their and there as well as piece and peace. This goes for using apostrophes as well such as, its and it's or their or they're, which are also commonly misused.
A third party - Simply get another person that is not connected to your work to read it for you. You'd be surprised what a completely different perspective can pick up.
Have fresh eyes - Don't just read it over and over again at the same time. If your deadline permits, leave it overnight and read it again in the morning. If not, take a break from it and come back to it a couple of hours later. It's a great way to get a new perspective on an existing piece.
And my most important tip...
Don't beat yourself up if you do miss something - Downfalls as much as triumphs can contribute to your experience as a copywriter, so learn from it and move on.
So don't forget we are only human and we are prone to making the odd mistake, but hopefully these helpful tips will get you well on your way to producing more accurate copy.
Copywriting Advice: 12 Practical Headline Writing Tips
It doesn't matter if it's the title of your latest blog post, an
email subject line, a web page title or an online sales page you need to
create copy that compels a reader to have a closer look at what you are
writing about. Not sure if your headline is compelling enough to
motivate a reader to want to learn more? The following tips will help
you to create headlines that will engage your readers.
1. Ask a question in your headline, readers have a natural tendency to want the answer.
Example: "Do you have one of the nine signs of a poverty mindset?"
2. Appeal to your reader's emotions, strong feelings illicit interest and response. Example: "Is fear of failure holding you back?"
3. Use an Adjective: Adding an adjective to your headlines provides a simple benefit, as it makes the article sound more exciting and useful. Use these wisely and sparingly, remember: each adjective that you use is an unsubstantiated claim that might spark scepticism in your audience, especially if you overdo it.
4. Sell the benefits: A headline is a miniature sales statement, make sure the reader understands how the benefit of your product or service can assist them. Example "10 amazing ideas for sales letters" Becomes "10 amazing ideas for sales letters that will triple your conversion rates"
5. The celebrity factor: We live in a culture that focuses on celebrity, like it or not. So you might as well exploit this fact when applicable. Example: "Richard Branson uses this technique and so should you"
6. Create a sense of urgency: Curiosity may not be enough to compel your readers; sometimes an extra sense of urgency is needed. Example: "What you absolutely need to know before buying another insurance policy"
7. Keep it short.
9. Use the "How To" headline: This is similar to the question headline but provides tips and research and lets the reader know that they can expect to learn something from reading your material. Example: "How to increase your client base in 5 simple steps"
9. Break the Rules: Grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, sales tactics can all be forgotten about if it means getting your message across o your readers in a more effective and powerful way.
10. Turn your subheads into your headlines: Sometimes you can get bogged down with trying to create your headline. Write your sub-heads and body first. Quite often the meat of your message is in the subheads, try using these for your headline and create new subheads based on this.
11. Avoid clichés: Cheap and easy shortcuts are never a good substitute for creativity and innovation.
12. Use Numbers: Your readers want to easily understand information, numbers can help accomplish this. Example: "Top 10 methods to boost your immune system"
Use some or all of these tips to create headlines that capture your reader's attention. Compel them to learn more about what you have to say and communicate your message clearly.
1. Ask a question in your headline, readers have a natural tendency to want the answer.
Example: "Do you have one of the nine signs of a poverty mindset?"
2. Appeal to your reader's emotions, strong feelings illicit interest and response. Example: "Is fear of failure holding you back?"
3. Use an Adjective: Adding an adjective to your headlines provides a simple benefit, as it makes the article sound more exciting and useful. Use these wisely and sparingly, remember: each adjective that you use is an unsubstantiated claim that might spark scepticism in your audience, especially if you overdo it.
4. Sell the benefits: A headline is a miniature sales statement, make sure the reader understands how the benefit of your product or service can assist them. Example "10 amazing ideas for sales letters" Becomes "10 amazing ideas for sales letters that will triple your conversion rates"
5. The celebrity factor: We live in a culture that focuses on celebrity, like it or not. So you might as well exploit this fact when applicable. Example: "Richard Branson uses this technique and so should you"
6. Create a sense of urgency: Curiosity may not be enough to compel your readers; sometimes an extra sense of urgency is needed. Example: "What you absolutely need to know before buying another insurance policy"
7. Keep it short.
9. Use the "How To" headline: This is similar to the question headline but provides tips and research and lets the reader know that they can expect to learn something from reading your material. Example: "How to increase your client base in 5 simple steps"
9. Break the Rules: Grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, sales tactics can all be forgotten about if it means getting your message across o your readers in a more effective and powerful way.
10. Turn your subheads into your headlines: Sometimes you can get bogged down with trying to create your headline. Write your sub-heads and body first. Quite often the meat of your message is in the subheads, try using these for your headline and create new subheads based on this.
11. Avoid clichés: Cheap and easy shortcuts are never a good substitute for creativity and innovation.
12. Use Numbers: Your readers want to easily understand information, numbers can help accomplish this. Example: "Top 10 methods to boost your immune system"
Use some or all of these tips to create headlines that capture your reader's attention. Compel them to learn more about what you have to say and communicate your message clearly.
Want hot and juicy headline and general copywriting tips? Would you like to learn how to make your copywriting more persuasive? Head over to Magnetic Copywriting for great tips and advice.
How To Set Freelance Rates
There are millions of professional freelance writers across the globe. These are people who make their careers out of writing words for a living and selling those words to others. And to anyone working seriously in the writing profession, I would pose this question: Do you want to be valued as a professional, or do you want to be a commodity?
Content Mills
Content mills have portrayed writing as a laughable field requiring few skills, and only the basic ability to complete a sentence. The consequence of these mills is the perpetuation of the idea that writing is not worth paying for, and the false belief that it can be done by anyone who speaks English. If you don't believe me do a quick search on a site like Elance or Craigslist. You will find people offering (and expecting) to pay a measly $10 for a 500 word article, or maybe $100 for a 20,000 word manuscript. Or people who expect a robust, SEO optimized website with 20+ pages of content for the "fair" rate of $300 for the project.
Do the math on this (as all freelance writers have) and you will find that it's less than minimum wage. In fact, in some cases you're talking about making a dollar or two an hour. What's worse is you will find people actually accepting this pittance and performing the work, but then struggling to buy a loaf of bread and then bemoaning their circumstances.
Is This The Only Way?
Do you have to work for those rates in order to survive and thrive in a freelance marketplace? Is this the only way to compete? Many newbie (and some established) freelancers come from a place of fear. Fear that nobody will hire them, fear that they can't compete, or fear that their skills aren't good enough. And their answer to this question would likely be, "Well that's what I see out there, so that's what I have to take."
My answer is an emphatic and forceful, "No."
Know Your Worth
Knowing your worth as a writer means running your operation like the professional business that it is. You are offering a service to a person or company, and that service is often worth substantial money once it is put into place. The return can be enormous. And when you run your writing operation like a business - maintaining top notch customer service, providing error-free copy that meets deadlines, and really partnering with your clients to meet their needs - for you to not insist that those businesses pass a fair share of that ROI onto you is devaluing your profession. And yourself. Because the fact is, good writing makes businesses money. Period.
Knowing your worth as a writer means being firm with your rates and demanding compensation that is fair. It means requiring that potential clients pay you as the professional you are. Will it be harder to find work this way? Yes. But which would you rather be? The content writer working 10 hours a day, churning out lackluster content (because you simply don't have time to make it good), struggling to buy groceries, and building a portfolio of lackluster samples? Or the professional writer spending 4 hours a day with a handful of clients, writing stellar content that pays your bills and brings in hard cash for their business, and building your network and future opportunities in the time you aren't wasting writing for $2/hour?
Always remember that serious clients will recognize the value you provide and will pay you accordingly. You choose what type of writer you want to be. It's all up to you. I choose to be a professional. What's your choice?
Content Mills
Content mills have portrayed writing as a laughable field requiring few skills, and only the basic ability to complete a sentence. The consequence of these mills is the perpetuation of the idea that writing is not worth paying for, and the false belief that it can be done by anyone who speaks English. If you don't believe me do a quick search on a site like Elance or Craigslist. You will find people offering (and expecting) to pay a measly $10 for a 500 word article, or maybe $100 for a 20,000 word manuscript. Or people who expect a robust, SEO optimized website with 20+ pages of content for the "fair" rate of $300 for the project.
Do the math on this (as all freelance writers have) and you will find that it's less than minimum wage. In fact, in some cases you're talking about making a dollar or two an hour. What's worse is you will find people actually accepting this pittance and performing the work, but then struggling to buy a loaf of bread and then bemoaning their circumstances.
Is This The Only Way?
Do you have to work for those rates in order to survive and thrive in a freelance marketplace? Is this the only way to compete? Many newbie (and some established) freelancers come from a place of fear. Fear that nobody will hire them, fear that they can't compete, or fear that their skills aren't good enough. And their answer to this question would likely be, "Well that's what I see out there, so that's what I have to take."
My answer is an emphatic and forceful, "No."
Know Your Worth
Knowing your worth as a writer means running your operation like the professional business that it is. You are offering a service to a person or company, and that service is often worth substantial money once it is put into place. The return can be enormous. And when you run your writing operation like a business - maintaining top notch customer service, providing error-free copy that meets deadlines, and really partnering with your clients to meet their needs - for you to not insist that those businesses pass a fair share of that ROI onto you is devaluing your profession. And yourself. Because the fact is, good writing makes businesses money. Period.
Knowing your worth as a writer means being firm with your rates and demanding compensation that is fair. It means requiring that potential clients pay you as the professional you are. Will it be harder to find work this way? Yes. But which would you rather be? The content writer working 10 hours a day, churning out lackluster content (because you simply don't have time to make it good), struggling to buy groceries, and building a portfolio of lackluster samples? Or the professional writer spending 4 hours a day with a handful of clients, writing stellar content that pays your bills and brings in hard cash for their business, and building your network and future opportunities in the time you aren't wasting writing for $2/hour?
Always remember that serious clients will recognize the value you provide and will pay you accordingly. You choose what type of writer you want to be. It's all up to you. I choose to be a professional. What's your choice?
Suppose the English Language Died
Editors vs. Writers, The English Language, and Pulitzers
Suppose the English language died. Who would be left to save it?
It's not so crazy a concept. We've already set ourselves on that bumpy road spiraling downward into a grand canyon of sentence hackers, modifier kidnappers, and members of the anti-spellcheck alliance. Does anyone care about comma placement anymore? Have we completely abandoned correct spelling and word usage?
Still, nothing sings to me more than a strongly worded sentence or idea... a sentence that opens my mind to a new thought or a premise for a new way of thinking. Ah, the beauty of language.
I can tell when a writer has truly put all of himself or herself into a character, into every word they say, into every resulting action or inaction. This is the job of a writer: to use language to transport us into another world, to help us experience an adventure we would never face in our own lives, and to have that story change just the smallest part of us in the greatest way possible.
I can also tell when an editor has dutifully performed his/her work by tightening language, ensuring flow, and eliminating typos and misused words.
I was inspired by a recent online post by John E. McIntyre of The Baltimore Sun titled, "No Pulitzer for Editing." The article suggested that editors do all of the work trimming up a story, streamlining the lead, and attaching an oh-so-attention-grabbing headline, yet reporters/writers grab all of the glory. Sigh. Such is the life of an editor.
But those same writers would beg to differ in a huff, I am sure. After all, they executed the research, sweated out every word on the page, and, in the end, marveled at the completion of their work. Of course, they deserve all of the credit.
I understand. Both sides have validity. I know this because I have been on both sides.
I have worked as a reporter drumming out stories past midnight only to find them severely lacerated and utterly weakened (in my opinion) in the next morning's issue. I have written picture books for children and novels for YA (young adult) readers only to have editors suggest I do what? My main character would never do that! What does an editor know about my book anyway?
I have also worked as an editor for children's publications, for businesses, students, and, yes, even writers. I breathe life into those too-wordy sentences and hone them to succinct client communication. I find the holes in stories and suggest ways to pump them chock full so as not to leave a reader dangling unnecessarily. I even check the spelling of names and corporations, word use, and subject/verb agreement to avoid author embarrassment.
OK, so I don't get accosted at dinner parties for desperate answers to burning grammar questions much like a psychiatrist might be approached to interpret a recurring nightmare. No one hunts me down to resolve ongoing punctuation disputes much like a doctor might be asked about a strange health issue. Editing is quite certainly a solitary job performed very quietly and without a smidgen of accolade.
Editors return kidnapped (misplaced) modifiers to their rightful place in a sentence. Editors help writers quickly get to the point so as not to tire or abandon their readers. Editors act as a backup to spell-check, which catches only some errors all of the time and not all errors all of the time.
It's all part of revision: re-visioning a work or project. The only way that I look good is by making everybody else look good first. And if this job is performed behind closed doors with no Facebook fans, no Twitter followers, no televised award shows, then this job is as it should be.
And so long as editors walk the earth-and writers keep providing the material for us to edit-the English language will never die. We simply won't allow it.
Suppose the English language died. Who would be left to save it?
It's not so crazy a concept. We've already set ourselves on that bumpy road spiraling downward into a grand canyon of sentence hackers, modifier kidnappers, and members of the anti-spellcheck alliance. Does anyone care about comma placement anymore? Have we completely abandoned correct spelling and word usage?
Still, nothing sings to me more than a strongly worded sentence or idea... a sentence that opens my mind to a new thought or a premise for a new way of thinking. Ah, the beauty of language.
I can tell when a writer has truly put all of himself or herself into a character, into every word they say, into every resulting action or inaction. This is the job of a writer: to use language to transport us into another world, to help us experience an adventure we would never face in our own lives, and to have that story change just the smallest part of us in the greatest way possible.
I can also tell when an editor has dutifully performed his/her work by tightening language, ensuring flow, and eliminating typos and misused words.
I was inspired by a recent online post by John E. McIntyre of The Baltimore Sun titled, "No Pulitzer for Editing." The article suggested that editors do all of the work trimming up a story, streamlining the lead, and attaching an oh-so-attention-grabbing headline, yet reporters/writers grab all of the glory. Sigh. Such is the life of an editor.
But those same writers would beg to differ in a huff, I am sure. After all, they executed the research, sweated out every word on the page, and, in the end, marveled at the completion of their work. Of course, they deserve all of the credit.
I understand. Both sides have validity. I know this because I have been on both sides.
I have worked as a reporter drumming out stories past midnight only to find them severely lacerated and utterly weakened (in my opinion) in the next morning's issue. I have written picture books for children and novels for YA (young adult) readers only to have editors suggest I do what? My main character would never do that! What does an editor know about my book anyway?
I have also worked as an editor for children's publications, for businesses, students, and, yes, even writers. I breathe life into those too-wordy sentences and hone them to succinct client communication. I find the holes in stories and suggest ways to pump them chock full so as not to leave a reader dangling unnecessarily. I even check the spelling of names and corporations, word use, and subject/verb agreement to avoid author embarrassment.
OK, so I don't get accosted at dinner parties for desperate answers to burning grammar questions much like a psychiatrist might be approached to interpret a recurring nightmare. No one hunts me down to resolve ongoing punctuation disputes much like a doctor might be asked about a strange health issue. Editing is quite certainly a solitary job performed very quietly and without a smidgen of accolade.
Editors return kidnapped (misplaced) modifiers to their rightful place in a sentence. Editors help writers quickly get to the point so as not to tire or abandon their readers. Editors act as a backup to spell-check, which catches only some errors all of the time and not all errors all of the time.
It's all part of revision: re-visioning a work or project. The only way that I look good is by making everybody else look good first. And if this job is performed behind closed doors with no Facebook fans, no Twitter followers, no televised award shows, then this job is as it should be.
And so long as editors walk the earth-and writers keep providing the material for us to edit-the English language will never die. We simply won't allow it.
7 Simple Tips for Effective Copywriting
1. Headline
Your headline is the first impression you make on your reader. You need to have an attention-grabbing headline! On average, about 8 out of 10 people will read your headline and only 2 out of 10 people will continue reading your message. Your headline helps your reader decide if they want to stop or keep reading.
2. Problem
The first thing to do is address your reader's interests, needs, wants, fears or objections. If you start by addressing their problem, you are more likely to grab and hold your reader's attention. It's good to keep in mind that people usually buy things for emotional reasons like love, pride, guilt, fear or greed.
3. Benefits
People want benefits and solutions, not your product or service. Focus more on the benefits your customers will receive and less on the features of your product or service. Emphasize the benefits behind the features. Remember, you are selling problem-solving benefits, not a product or service. And if you promise something in your message, make sure you can deliver!
4. Credibility
You must show your reader that your message is believable. It is important to tell the truth. No product or service is perfect and everyone knows it. To establish credibility, you can reference success stories, include testimonials, offer a guarantee or cite a research study that supports your claim. You might want to consider asking an industry leader to give you an endorsement!
5. Offer
Think about what you want your reader to do. You must have a call to action that invites your reader to take the next step. Do you want them to subscribe to something, buy something, register for something or call you for more information? No matter what it is you want your reader to do, they probably won't do it unless you ask.
6. Style
Your copy should be very conversational, like you are talking to someone you know. It should be clear, concise and easy to understand. Read your copy out loud. Does it sound the way people normally talk? Do you make a connection with your reader? Add personality to your message to keep it interesting.
7. "You"
How many times do you use the words "I", "me", "we", or "us" in your message? How many times do you use the word "you"? Keep in mind that your reader doesn't want to hear about you. They want to hear about themselves. "You" is a very powerful word and it helps you build a strong connection with your reader.
Your headline is the first impression you make on your reader. You need to have an attention-grabbing headline! On average, about 8 out of 10 people will read your headline and only 2 out of 10 people will continue reading your message. Your headline helps your reader decide if they want to stop or keep reading.
2. Problem
The first thing to do is address your reader's interests, needs, wants, fears or objections. If you start by addressing their problem, you are more likely to grab and hold your reader's attention. It's good to keep in mind that people usually buy things for emotional reasons like love, pride, guilt, fear or greed.
3. Benefits
People want benefits and solutions, not your product or service. Focus more on the benefits your customers will receive and less on the features of your product or service. Emphasize the benefits behind the features. Remember, you are selling problem-solving benefits, not a product or service. And if you promise something in your message, make sure you can deliver!
4. Credibility
You must show your reader that your message is believable. It is important to tell the truth. No product or service is perfect and everyone knows it. To establish credibility, you can reference success stories, include testimonials, offer a guarantee or cite a research study that supports your claim. You might want to consider asking an industry leader to give you an endorsement!
5. Offer
Think about what you want your reader to do. You must have a call to action that invites your reader to take the next step. Do you want them to subscribe to something, buy something, register for something or call you for more information? No matter what it is you want your reader to do, they probably won't do it unless you ask.
6. Style
Your copy should be very conversational, like you are talking to someone you know. It should be clear, concise and easy to understand. Read your copy out loud. Does it sound the way people normally talk? Do you make a connection with your reader? Add personality to your message to keep it interesting.
7. "You"
How many times do you use the words "I", "me", "we", or "us" in your message? How many times do you use the word "you"? Keep in mind that your reader doesn't want to hear about you. They want to hear about themselves. "You" is a very powerful word and it helps you build a strong connection with your reader.
7 Simple Tips for Effective Copywriting
By Kim Essex Submitted On August 25, 2013
1. Headline
Your headline is the first impression you make on your reader. You need to have an attention-grabbing headline! On average, about 8 out of 10 people will read your headline and only 2 out of 10 people will continue reading your message. Your headline helps your reader decide if they want to stop or keep reading.
2. Problem
The first thing to do is address your reader's interests, needs, wants, fears or objections. If you start by addressing their problem, you are more likely to grab and hold your reader's attention. It's good to keep in mind that people usually buy things for emotional reasons like love, pride, guilt, fear or greed.
3. Benefits
People want benefits and solutions, not your product or service. Focus more on the benefits your customers will receive and less on the features of your product or service. Emphasize the benefits behind the features. Remember, you are selling problem-solving benefits, not a product or service. And if you promise something in your message, make sure you can deliver!
4. Credibility
You must show your reader that your message is believable. It is important to tell the truth. No product or service is perfect and everyone knows it. To establish credibility, you can reference success stories, include testimonials, offer a guarantee or cite a research study that supports your claim. You might want to consider asking an industry leader to give you an endorsement!
5. Offer
Think about what you want your reader to do. You must have a call to action that invites your reader to take the next step. Do you want them to subscribe to something, buy something, register for something or call you for more information? No matter what it is you want your reader to do, they probably won't do it unless you ask.
6. Style
Your copy should be very conversational, like you are talking to someone you know. It should be clear, concise and easy to understand. Read your copy out loud. Does it sound the way people normally talk? Do you make a connection with your reader? Add personality to your message to keep it interesting.
7. "You"
How many times do you use the words "I", "me", "we", or "us" in your message? How many times do you use the word "you"? Keep in mind that your reader doesn't want to hear about you. They want to hear about themselves. "You" is a very powerful word and it helps you build a strong connection with your reader.
Your headline is the first impression you make on your reader. You need to have an attention-grabbing headline! On average, about 8 out of 10 people will read your headline and only 2 out of 10 people will continue reading your message. Your headline helps your reader decide if they want to stop or keep reading.
2. Problem
The first thing to do is address your reader's interests, needs, wants, fears or objections. If you start by addressing their problem, you are more likely to grab and hold your reader's attention. It's good to keep in mind that people usually buy things for emotional reasons like love, pride, guilt, fear or greed.
3. Benefits
People want benefits and solutions, not your product or service. Focus more on the benefits your customers will receive and less on the features of your product or service. Emphasize the benefits behind the features. Remember, you are selling problem-solving benefits, not a product or service. And if you promise something in your message, make sure you can deliver!
4. Credibility
You must show your reader that your message is believable. It is important to tell the truth. No product or service is perfect and everyone knows it. To establish credibility, you can reference success stories, include testimonials, offer a guarantee or cite a research study that supports your claim. You might want to consider asking an industry leader to give you an endorsement!
5. Offer
Think about what you want your reader to do. You must have a call to action that invites your reader to take the next step. Do you want them to subscribe to something, buy something, register for something or call you for more information? No matter what it is you want your reader to do, they probably won't do it unless you ask.
6. Style
Your copy should be very conversational, like you are talking to someone you know. It should be clear, concise and easy to understand. Read your copy out loud. Does it sound the way people normally talk? Do you make a connection with your reader? Add personality to your message to keep it interesting.
7. "You"
How many times do you use the words "I", "me", "we", or "us" in your message? How many times do you use the word "you"? Keep in mind that your reader doesn't want to hear about you. They want to hear about themselves. "You" is a very powerful word and it helps you build a strong connection with your reader.
Copywriting Tip: Create a Swipe File
So what's a swipe file and why should you use one? A swipe file is simply a collection of writing that serves as a reference file. This could be a collection of headlines, opening statements, calls to action or any other form of writing that you can model in your own work.
You might be thinking that this sounds a little like plagiarism. Swipe files aren't meant to be copied and reused word for word. Though quite often writers resort to this measure. Instead they should be used for inspiration and as a source of ideas.
Think about someone interested in remodelling their kitchen. One of the first things they do is gather photos of kitchens from design magazines and create a scrap book of design elements which helps them develop a clearer idea of how their finished project might look. In the design world this is called mood boarding. The same principle applies to swipe files for copywriters.
It's a good idea to develop your own swipe file and continue to update it. This allows you to analyse the work of other writers, determine what works and why.
Depending on the type of writing that you are involved with the content of your swipe file can vary. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Headlines: Sales pages, magazines, newspapers, popular blogs and print advertisements can all be good sources of headlines to add to your swipe file. You might even want to segment your headline collection into distinct styles or approaches, such as subtle persuasion and attentions grabbers for instance.
Sales copy: A well crafted sales page can be a thing of beauty. Think about how some writer's transition from telling a story to making a sales pitch so seamlessly and smoothly that the reader is barely aware that they are being sold to. Seek sales pages like this to add to your file. Look for sales copy that takes the opposite approach or those that play on a variety of other tactics but are equally effective. Don't be afraid to look outside of your industry for material
Stories: Stories are powerful and compelling. Don't overlook a good story for inclusion in your file.
Quotes, Facts and Useless Trivia: Research material may be a separate entity than a swipe file but why not start collecting interesting quotes and facts that can serve as fodder in your writing. Many top copywriters research a wide range of topics simply to learn how those in various industries approach and use the written word.
The amount of material in your swipe file is completely up to you as is the manner in which you maintain it. Whether you use a word processing program to save your material or glue clippings to a spiral bound notebook, hardly matters. What's important is that you start keeping a collection of writing sample that can serve as inspiration in the future.
You might be thinking that this sounds a little like plagiarism. Swipe files aren't meant to be copied and reused word for word. Though quite often writers resort to this measure. Instead they should be used for inspiration and as a source of ideas.
Think about someone interested in remodelling their kitchen. One of the first things they do is gather photos of kitchens from design magazines and create a scrap book of design elements which helps them develop a clearer idea of how their finished project might look. In the design world this is called mood boarding. The same principle applies to swipe files for copywriters.
It's a good idea to develop your own swipe file and continue to update it. This allows you to analyse the work of other writers, determine what works and why.
Depending on the type of writing that you are involved with the content of your swipe file can vary. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Headlines: Sales pages, magazines, newspapers, popular blogs and print advertisements can all be good sources of headlines to add to your swipe file. You might even want to segment your headline collection into distinct styles or approaches, such as subtle persuasion and attentions grabbers for instance.
Sales copy: A well crafted sales page can be a thing of beauty. Think about how some writer's transition from telling a story to making a sales pitch so seamlessly and smoothly that the reader is barely aware that they are being sold to. Seek sales pages like this to add to your file. Look for sales copy that takes the opposite approach or those that play on a variety of other tactics but are equally effective. Don't be afraid to look outside of your industry for material
Stories: Stories are powerful and compelling. Don't overlook a good story for inclusion in your file.
Quotes, Facts and Useless Trivia: Research material may be a separate entity than a swipe file but why not start collecting interesting quotes and facts that can serve as fodder in your writing. Many top copywriters research a wide range of topics simply to learn how those in various industries approach and use the written word.
The amount of material in your swipe file is completely up to you as is the manner in which you maintain it. Whether you use a word processing program to save your material or glue clippings to a spiral bound notebook, hardly matters. What's important is that you start keeping a collection of writing sample that can serve as inspiration in the future.
Want hot and juicy headline and general copywriting tips? Would you like to learn how to make your copywriting more persuasive? Head over to Magnetic Copywriting for great tips and advice.
Not The Normal Tips For Being A Freelance Copywriter
While being a successful freelancer isn't something you can learn completely from a €5 ebook, there's plenty of advice out there giving key directions and concepts that are important. Here we give some less common tips for being a freelance copywriter you probably won't read in those places. And unless you understand and try to stick to them as much as possible, the odds of you making any money as a successful freelancer are probably pretty slim. Sad face.
1. LEARN TO TYPE WELL (AND THAT MEANS FAST)
You probably have never heard that one before but, face it, time is money, right? That's certainly the case with most freelance writing jobs because you're almost always going to get paid on a 'per word' basis. So, it should be obvious that you need to be able have your fingers following your thoughts as fluidly as possible.
Don't worry about how to learn to do it because there are free websites where you can learn touch- or speed-typing.
2. EXPAND YOUR VOCABULARY This isn't important because you're trying to 'show off' but because words mean things. If you want to get your point across you've got to be able to do so as clearly and precisely as possible. And the only way to improve your word power is to read, read, read. It doesn't really matter what you read but if you have clients in particular fields they'll probably have specialist vocabulary that you'll need to master before you can write about it convincingly.
And it should go without saying that you've got to spell things right. No excuses here. Spell check your work every time but remember: spell checks are fallible so don't rely on them completely. Always read your stuff through for yourself before clicking 'send'.
3. WORK ON BUILDING UP YOUR CONFIDENCE One of your biggest long-term challenges is shooting for higher income targets. The 'content mills' (places like Fiverr where you can get jobs writing articles for $5) are OK to start because you get some practice and build up your confidence. Although you'll not find high paying, long-term, really professional freelance writing 'gigs' there it's worth keeping any testimonials you get from those clients because you can use them later when pitching for work either face to face or on your own website.
4. LEARN ABOUT DIFFERENT TYPES OF WRITING GIGS One of the best things about being a copywriter is the variety of stuff you get to do. Different kinds of jobs require different skill sets and some pay better than others so you may want to think about specializing in those higher paying ones. Here's a few examples but the list could go on for pages.
• White papers
• Case studies
• Landing pages
• Technical writing
• Ghost blogging
• SEO copywriting
• Brochure writing
• Writing for radio or TV
• Press advertising
5. LEARN HOW TO RESEARCH EFFECTIVELY When you start a copywriting job there are two things you've got to know: everything about your client's product and everything about the competitors' products. You're going to need to be able to scan information - both printed and online - quickly and pick out the most important things relevant to your job. Crucially, what can your product do that the competitors can't? Work that out and you're nearly home and dry.
6. BE PRO-ACTIVE The internet has significantly expanded job opportunities for writers. Now that it's so easy for businesses to be 'on' the internet there's an even greater demand for somebody to provide the words that go on those pages. Remember that in 99.99% of the cases, these prospects have their own businesses already and they don't know a thing about writing. If you can just contact them and say, "Hey... I noticed that you've got a nice website. Do you ever need any help with writing for it?"
That's exactly what you should say. Leave it really open-ended like that. It's just a simple question but if they need help, they'll tell you. You can be absolutely guaranteed that you'll eventually find somebody who wants help.
7. BUILD UP A WRITING PORTFOLIO At the start of your illustrious copywriting career it makes NO difference what you put in your portfolio (as long as you're proud of it, of course). This initial portfolio will change later after you've established a niche for yourself. Start with your hobbies and interests and show them to friends and acquaintances who may be able to put you in contact with someone willing to pay for what you write. (This is also a good way of getting used to presenting your work to others. And to taking criticism!) Start with articles, opinion pieces, even poems, until you break into paid work.
8. SET UP SOME KIND OF WEBSITE Most people who say they want to be freelance copywriters will do absolutely nothing. They'll just sit around and hope that the copy fairy will change them into one. So just by getting a simple WordPress or Blogger site you'll be beating 99% of them. It doesn't have to be fancy but you've got to be out there.
THESE TIPS FOR BEING A FREELANCE COPYWRITER ARE JUST A START So, that should give you some food for thought, right? If you develop a skill, somebody will want it. From there it's just a matter of (1) plan (2) do (3) review... over and over and over again, getting better every week, every month, every year. Get started and don't stop.
Good luck. And just remember... the author of this article hated English in high school but now makes a good living from writing. It really is possible.
Copywriter Collective was founded in Amsterdam in 2002. Originally called The Collective of Great British Creatives, we represented exclusively British freelance creatives in the Netherlands. Demand for English language copywriters and designers across Europe led to a rapid expansion of our client base, and in turn people started asking for other nationalities and disciplines too.1. LEARN TO TYPE WELL (AND THAT MEANS FAST)
You probably have never heard that one before but, face it, time is money, right? That's certainly the case with most freelance writing jobs because you're almost always going to get paid on a 'per word' basis. So, it should be obvious that you need to be able have your fingers following your thoughts as fluidly as possible.
Don't worry about how to learn to do it because there are free websites where you can learn touch- or speed-typing.
2. EXPAND YOUR VOCABULARY This isn't important because you're trying to 'show off' but because words mean things. If you want to get your point across you've got to be able to do so as clearly and precisely as possible. And the only way to improve your word power is to read, read, read. It doesn't really matter what you read but if you have clients in particular fields they'll probably have specialist vocabulary that you'll need to master before you can write about it convincingly.
And it should go without saying that you've got to spell things right. No excuses here. Spell check your work every time but remember: spell checks are fallible so don't rely on them completely. Always read your stuff through for yourself before clicking 'send'.
3. WORK ON BUILDING UP YOUR CONFIDENCE One of your biggest long-term challenges is shooting for higher income targets. The 'content mills' (places like Fiverr where you can get jobs writing articles for $5) are OK to start because you get some practice and build up your confidence. Although you'll not find high paying, long-term, really professional freelance writing 'gigs' there it's worth keeping any testimonials you get from those clients because you can use them later when pitching for work either face to face or on your own website.
4. LEARN ABOUT DIFFERENT TYPES OF WRITING GIGS One of the best things about being a copywriter is the variety of stuff you get to do. Different kinds of jobs require different skill sets and some pay better than others so you may want to think about specializing in those higher paying ones. Here's a few examples but the list could go on for pages.
• White papers
• Case studies
• Landing pages
• Technical writing
• Ghost blogging
• SEO copywriting
• Brochure writing
• Writing for radio or TV
• Press advertising
5. LEARN HOW TO RESEARCH EFFECTIVELY When you start a copywriting job there are two things you've got to know: everything about your client's product and everything about the competitors' products. You're going to need to be able to scan information - both printed and online - quickly and pick out the most important things relevant to your job. Crucially, what can your product do that the competitors can't? Work that out and you're nearly home and dry.
6. BE PRO-ACTIVE The internet has significantly expanded job opportunities for writers. Now that it's so easy for businesses to be 'on' the internet there's an even greater demand for somebody to provide the words that go on those pages. Remember that in 99.99% of the cases, these prospects have their own businesses already and they don't know a thing about writing. If you can just contact them and say, "Hey... I noticed that you've got a nice website. Do you ever need any help with writing for it?"
That's exactly what you should say. Leave it really open-ended like that. It's just a simple question but if they need help, they'll tell you. You can be absolutely guaranteed that you'll eventually find somebody who wants help.
7. BUILD UP A WRITING PORTFOLIO At the start of your illustrious copywriting career it makes NO difference what you put in your portfolio (as long as you're proud of it, of course). This initial portfolio will change later after you've established a niche for yourself. Start with your hobbies and interests and show them to friends and acquaintances who may be able to put you in contact with someone willing to pay for what you write. (This is also a good way of getting used to presenting your work to others. And to taking criticism!) Start with articles, opinion pieces, even poems, until you break into paid work.
8. SET UP SOME KIND OF WEBSITE Most people who say they want to be freelance copywriters will do absolutely nothing. They'll just sit around and hope that the copy fairy will change them into one. So just by getting a simple WordPress or Blogger site you'll be beating 99% of them. It doesn't have to be fancy but you've got to be out there.
THESE TIPS FOR BEING A FREELANCE COPYWRITER ARE JUST A START So, that should give you some food for thought, right? If you develop a skill, somebody will want it. From there it's just a matter of (1) plan (2) do (3) review... over and over and over again, getting better every week, every month, every year. Get started and don't stop.
Good luck. And just remember... the author of this article hated English in high school but now makes a good living from writing. It really is possible.
As the world's largest international agent and the only one operating pan-European, Copywriter Collective today represents over 150 freelancers from eight countries in six key disciplines. Our clients range from leading international advertising agencies to world-recognised brands to local businesses.
Second Glance: Taking Another Look at Your Corporate Communications and Business Messaging
When is the last time you reviewed your corporate literature? Is the text that was written when you launched your business still defining what you do today? Does your literature reflect the current direction of your company and its goals and offerings? Has your message grown tired, or is it lagging behind when compared to market contemporaries and competitors?
In an environment filled with verbal misfires and grammatical absurdities, it's important that your first and lasting exposure to potential clients and customers be clearly composed, error-free and delivered in a succinct and comprehensible fashion.
I talk with business owners from time to time, who've never revisited the original web text, literature and communications crafted at their inception and introduction to the marketplace. The fact is this: if your business has been in existence for any length of time, things have changed. Over a period of months and years, your achievements and successes will be defined. You will have learned from experience and missteps and modified your course accordingly. Product and service offerings have likely been streamlined, based on consumer demands. The means by which the market learns about you will have shifted over time. Your audience will not have the advantage of knowing who you are today, if you're relying on the original text written in the introductory phases of launching your business.
Making certain that your communications reflect your current business identity is paramount when establishing your connection with consumers. A key component to the success of any business is the ability to expressly engage your target audience and market. It's important to remember that we all have potential new clients and customers to be reached, who locate us by way of our website and printed literature on a daily basis. Too many times, I have personally visited a business via the company website, only to be exhausted by unclear and convoluted messaging, visual and verbal haphazardness, and information overload. The effort put forth in marketing your product or service is lost when your business objectives are not well-defined or directly targeting your market with clarity and appeal.
Make certain your communications engage your audience. Ensure that your words convey a clear message of what you do. Include the full scope of products and services you currently offer through your business. Be absolute in creating your message. It is your first impression and oftentimes your only chance to secure a future connection. Whether your needs call for new/original writing or revisions of existing copy, we are available to assist with all your verbiage and content needs. Our objective is to assess, address and formulate the most effective means of moving your business forward, by creating the messaging that will propel you to success.
I am Linda Shelar, writer and editor for SUPPOSABLY IRREGARDLESS... "sensible writing in a nonsensical world." We are composers, communicators and constructors of the written word, offering services to help you define, develop and streamline messaging in business communications and beyond.Making certain that your communications reflect your current business identity is paramount when establishing your connection with consumers. A key component to the success of any business is the ability to expressly engage your target audience and market. It's important to remember that we all have potential new clients and customers to be reached, who locate us by way of our website and printed literature on a daily basis. Too many times, I have personally visited a business via the company website, only to be exhausted by unclear and convoluted messaging, visual and verbal haphazardness, and information overload. The effort put forth in marketing your product or service is lost when your business objectives are not well-defined or directly targeting your market with clarity and appeal.
Make certain your communications engage your audience. Ensure that your words convey a clear message of what you do. Include the full scope of products and services you currently offer through your business. Be absolute in creating your message. It is your first impression and oftentimes your only chance to secure a future connection. Whether your needs call for new/original writing or revisions of existing copy, we are available to assist with all your verbiage and content needs. Our objective is to assess, address and formulate the most effective means of moving your business forward, by creating the messaging that will propel you to success.
In an environment filled with verbal misfires and grammatical absurdities, it's important that your first and lasting exposure to potential clients and customers be clearly composed, error-free and delivered in a succinct and comprehensible fashion.
Copywriting Book Review: Zen and The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance (It Could Have Been Copywriting)
When Pirsig wrote 'Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' he was looking for what was good in the world. The now legendary road trip from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Bozeman, Montana, has been imitated many times and retold in Mark Richardson's book called "Zen and Now."
The road trip didn't hold much interest for me on the first reading and less on each subsequent rereading. I loved 'Lila' the sequel to Zen even more than the original. I was fascinated with Pirsig's philosophy of Quality and the art of rhetoric as a teaching tool to understand Quality. (Always with a capital Q... )
I picked up my now dog-eared copy of 'Zen' one summer after I had started studying copywriting and noticed the enormous similarities between using quality to improve Rhetoric and how it could be used to improve copy.
A large part of the book is devoted to explaining how Quality can be the goal of any undertaking and Pirsig's experience teaching rhetoric at a college in Bozeman. He showed classes despite being unable to define quality they instinctively knew what it was and that it could guide their writing.
Then all of the tools in the traditional rhetoric text books became ways to improve the quality of their writing.
When you substitute 'Selling Power' for 'Quality' and 'copy' for 'rhetoric' it becomes a guide to copywriting.
When we write copy we write to sell. So we aren't reaching for this lofty of goal of quality. We can quantify the quality of our work with response rates. There is no arguing with numbers. Yours pulled 1% mine 1.5%. Mine has more selling power. Therefore, mine is better. It's technically not that simple, there are customer quality and cost of sale considerations etc but none the less hard numbers apply.
So we can usually spot vast improvements in the selling power of different headlines.
"SEX: Now that I have your attention, I can reduce your corns." Vs the Perennial winner from the National Enquirer: "Corns Gone in 30 Days Or Your Money Back"
You can instinctively tell that the one is a stronger headline than the other. There are rules and guidelines in place to help you create headlines with more selling power. That is how you learn to write better copy.
However, this is an underlying philosophy that can be internalised which makes those rules so much more vivid and powerful than just a series of paint by numbers tools.
I picked up my now dog-eared copy of 'Zen' one summer after I had started studying copywriting and noticed the enormous similarities between using quality to improve Rhetoric and how it could be used to improve copy.
A large part of the book is devoted to explaining how Quality can be the goal of any undertaking and Pirsig's experience teaching rhetoric at a college in Bozeman. He showed classes despite being unable to define quality they instinctively knew what it was and that it could guide their writing.
Then all of the tools in the traditional rhetoric text books became ways to improve the quality of their writing.
When you substitute 'Selling Power' for 'Quality' and 'copy' for 'rhetoric' it becomes a guide to copywriting.
When we write copy we write to sell. So we aren't reaching for this lofty of goal of quality. We can quantify the quality of our work with response rates. There is no arguing with numbers. Yours pulled 1% mine 1.5%. Mine has more selling power. Therefore, mine is better. It's technically not that simple, there are customer quality and cost of sale considerations etc but none the less hard numbers apply.
So we can usually spot vast improvements in the selling power of different headlines.
"SEX: Now that I have your attention, I can reduce your corns." Vs the Perennial winner from the National Enquirer: "Corns Gone in 30 Days Or Your Money Back"
You can instinctively tell that the one is a stronger headline than the other. There are rules and guidelines in place to help you create headlines with more selling power. That is how you learn to write better copy.
However, this is an underlying philosophy that can be internalised which makes those rules so much more vivid and powerful than just a series of paint by numbers tools.
A Copywriter's Rant: When Stupidity Is Punished By Death (You Can Stop Marketing Stupidity Now!)
A number of years ago a long time friend made the comment to me that what he loved about Dungeons and Dragons was that "Players were punished for their stupidity with death"
Generally he was right. He believed life wasn't like that but I will say that in the marketing world non-response to a promotion makes you feel pretty hollow inside and especially in the early days when you aren't used to it, it makes you wish you were dead.
Now there is an upside to this direct reward and punishment. You know what works and what doesn't work.
This means that if you are willing to take a hint then you can test your way to success. However, often times there can be some internal emotional coping required. After all you have probably slaved away at getting to where you are today and the market not responding is very painful.
There is how I would prevent myself from feeling stupid.
Stupidity Preventer #1 Be set up to test
Testing is the cure. If you have two different test panels set up one will perform at a different level to the other. This all but guarantees that you will have one control. Your marketing isn't win lose. It is set up for gradual improvement. 'A' beat 'B' that means that now I have to find ways to make 'A' better while at the same time coming up with 'C' in order to beat 'A.'
This gradual improvement is life changing because every improvement made gets locked in and there will be future payoffs. It's an amazingly good feeling to see it happening.
Stupidity Preventer #2 Bring in fresh eyes.
Fresh eyes are pivotal to avoiding doing stupid things. That is why I am in a mastermind group. I've had them shoot down some of my stupid ideas point blank. It has saved me money and more importantly it has saved me time. Time is the most precious resource in the world and we don't have time to be making stupid mistakes.
I work with clients at a project's inception in order to help them to avoid making stupid mistakes. It's one of the big dangers of being a copywriter. A client thinks they know what they need and they order their copy like they are ordering their pizza.
Then low and behold, despite the copy being okay, good or even great, they don't get the results that they want. Copy doesn't operate in a vacuum. It operates as part of a marketing system. Fresh eyes on all aspects of marketing is vital to avoiding stupid mistakes.
Generally he was right. He believed life wasn't like that but I will say that in the marketing world non-response to a promotion makes you feel pretty hollow inside and especially in the early days when you aren't used to it, it makes you wish you were dead.
Now there is an upside to this direct reward and punishment. You know what works and what doesn't work.
This means that if you are willing to take a hint then you can test your way to success. However, often times there can be some internal emotional coping required. After all you have probably slaved away at getting to where you are today and the market not responding is very painful.
There is how I would prevent myself from feeling stupid.
Stupidity Preventer #1 Be set up to test
Testing is the cure. If you have two different test panels set up one will perform at a different level to the other. This all but guarantees that you will have one control. Your marketing isn't win lose. It is set up for gradual improvement. 'A' beat 'B' that means that now I have to find ways to make 'A' better while at the same time coming up with 'C' in order to beat 'A.'
This gradual improvement is life changing because every improvement made gets locked in and there will be future payoffs. It's an amazingly good feeling to see it happening.
Stupidity Preventer #2 Bring in fresh eyes.
Fresh eyes are pivotal to avoiding doing stupid things. That is why I am in a mastermind group. I've had them shoot down some of my stupid ideas point blank. It has saved me money and more importantly it has saved me time. Time is the most precious resource in the world and we don't have time to be making stupid mistakes.
I work with clients at a project's inception in order to help them to avoid making stupid mistakes. It's one of the big dangers of being a copywriter. A client thinks they know what they need and they order their copy like they are ordering their pizza.
Then low and behold, despite the copy being okay, good or even great, they don't get the results that they want. Copy doesn't operate in a vacuum. It operates as part of a marketing system. Fresh eyes on all aspects of marketing is vital to avoiding stupid mistakes.
Being a Travel Writer: Is It All It's Cracked Up to Be?
There are several myths that people operate under when they think about travel writing. And before you quit your day job and jet off to Aruba, you should be aware of them.
Myth #1:
Writing about travel makes you a travel writer.Sure, in the same way that building a model rocket makes you an astronaut. That may be an extreme syllogism, but the point is that jobs writing about travel destinations, hotels, airlines, and even airline food are hard to find. Not only because there are hundreds of writers clambering for the job, but also because magazines just don't need that many of the traveling breed. And fulltime travel blogger, which sounds like the Holy Grail of jobs, pays the rent for a very few divinely endowed souls.
Myth #2:
If you do find a position, you'll make a living.This is the bane of every writer on the planet, but it is especially true of travel writers. Even when connected to a magazine, you are not guaranteed a story. And if do get an assignment for a guidebook or other substantial piece of writing, many experienced writers say you spend most of your money while just doing the research, not even to speak of the time it takes to write the thing. Writers who really make money writing travel pieces have to combine guidebooks with a great appointment at a top travel magazine. Good luck finding both of those.
Myth #3:
Travel writers write about places.Obviously, one of the main concerns is the destination. But a place is not, in and of itself, a real topic. You need an angle, whether it is "Hidden Gems," "Exciting New Landmarks," or "Eating Your Way across Spain," your story needs to have clear and consistent direction. General information about Barcelona is not going to tempt even the most desperate editor.
Myth #4:
Your experiences are a story.How you feel about a place is very rarely going to be as interesting as a local story. Unless you can build something bold and beautiful and moving that still persuades people to come and feel what you felt, any other angle is a better bet. Don't be self-centered when it comes to your writing. Sure, in writing classes across the globe they tell us to inject as much of ourselves as possible into our writing, but that doesn't mean it should be all about you-where you went, where you walked, what you did. Readers (and editors) are more interested in why they should spend the money to go somewhere than why you specifically found it exciting or dull.
Myth #5:
You really will get to travel for free and you will be paid when you are published.No, sorry. Maybe for the top-shelf publications. Maybe even for some of the middle-shelf publications. But especially when you start off (you know, the time when you are the most strapped for cash), you are probably not going to see "all-expenses paid" on your assignment. And, unless your editor is a swindler, you will get paid, but not until long after your article or guidebook is published. That's just the nature of the publishing industry.
These myths are generalized, of course. There are many writers who actually do get to travel for free, who write about their experiences in Bali, South Korea, Puerto Rico, etc. and are paid handsomely for this. But the path to that position is hardly ever paved in gold. As with any writing endeavor, there will be times when you are trying your hardest and no one wants to hire you or publish your work. You may even often be the most qualified writer, and the magazine or publishing company chooses not to send you because someone else is cheaper.
But off in the distance, there is the sublime goal. And it can be achieved if you are willing to power through the months and possibly years of scrimping and slumming it.
Still clinging to the dream? Tell us how you intend to get that dream travel writing job. Or tell us your other experiences of travel writing.
Copywriter Collective is Europe's leading agent for freelance advertising creatives. When advertising agencies and international companies need an experienced freelance copywriter, art director, creative director or designer in Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, Zurich, Berlin, Hamburg, London, Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon, Rome, Vienna, Copenhagen, Stockholm and everywhere inbetween, they call Copywriter Collective
Myth #1:
Writing about travel makes you a travel writer.Sure, in the same way that building a model rocket makes you an astronaut. That may be an extreme syllogism, but the point is that jobs writing about travel destinations, hotels, airlines, and even airline food are hard to find. Not only because there are hundreds of writers clambering for the job, but also because magazines just don't need that many of the traveling breed. And fulltime travel blogger, which sounds like the Holy Grail of jobs, pays the rent for a very few divinely endowed souls.
Myth #2:
If you do find a position, you'll make a living.This is the bane of every writer on the planet, but it is especially true of travel writers. Even when connected to a magazine, you are not guaranteed a story. And if do get an assignment for a guidebook or other substantial piece of writing, many experienced writers say you spend most of your money while just doing the research, not even to speak of the time it takes to write the thing. Writers who really make money writing travel pieces have to combine guidebooks with a great appointment at a top travel magazine. Good luck finding both of those.
Myth #3:
Travel writers write about places.Obviously, one of the main concerns is the destination. But a place is not, in and of itself, a real topic. You need an angle, whether it is "Hidden Gems," "Exciting New Landmarks," or "Eating Your Way across Spain," your story needs to have clear and consistent direction. General information about Barcelona is not going to tempt even the most desperate editor.
Myth #4:
Your experiences are a story.How you feel about a place is very rarely going to be as interesting as a local story. Unless you can build something bold and beautiful and moving that still persuades people to come and feel what you felt, any other angle is a better bet. Don't be self-centered when it comes to your writing. Sure, in writing classes across the globe they tell us to inject as much of ourselves as possible into our writing, but that doesn't mean it should be all about you-where you went, where you walked, what you did. Readers (and editors) are more interested in why they should spend the money to go somewhere than why you specifically found it exciting or dull.
Myth #5:
You really will get to travel for free and you will be paid when you are published.No, sorry. Maybe for the top-shelf publications. Maybe even for some of the middle-shelf publications. But especially when you start off (you know, the time when you are the most strapped for cash), you are probably not going to see "all-expenses paid" on your assignment. And, unless your editor is a swindler, you will get paid, but not until long after your article or guidebook is published. That's just the nature of the publishing industry.
These myths are generalized, of course. There are many writers who actually do get to travel for free, who write about their experiences in Bali, South Korea, Puerto Rico, etc. and are paid handsomely for this. But the path to that position is hardly ever paved in gold. As with any writing endeavor, there will be times when you are trying your hardest and no one wants to hire you or publish your work. You may even often be the most qualified writer, and the magazine or publishing company chooses not to send you because someone else is cheaper.
But off in the distance, there is the sublime goal. And it can be achieved if you are willing to power through the months and possibly years of scrimping and slumming it.
Still clinging to the dream? Tell us how you intend to get that dream travel writing job. Or tell us your other experiences of travel writing.
The Financial Crisis - Threat or Opportunity for Freelance Copywriters?
It's not all doom and gloom though. It would be misleading to say that there aren't any upsides. The domino effect of the recession has lead every company to have a good hard look at their budgets and staff. Larger businesses have 'streamlined' their teams meaning the humble freelancer gets a look in. I think we have all had a few enquiries from these larger clients who are looking to outsource as opposed to have permanent team members.
Although a great temporary boost, it isn't a long-term answer. We are all riding the storm out and taking shelter in the knowledge that it will move on and better times will come to the rescue of freelancers' bank accounts. These less than certain times are an interesting way of weeding out the less dedicated and forcing us freelance copywriters to take some time to see our trade and expertise for what it really is.
We can all be better, we can all tackle new areas of specialty or network a little harder. If you want to survive right now, there's basically no excuse for not doing so.
Complete the ominous 'To-Do' list
Every copywriter has one. Yes you have your daily snippets but there's always the master of all to-do lists lurking in the background.
Letting folk know you are still open for business is pretty essential. Like I said, everyone is struggling so set yourself apart. You don't need a monster budget to market yourself successfully. Utilize social media, blog until your fingers bleed and be smarter.
Social media is free. Simple.
Yep, it's free, plentiful and invaluable if used well. When it comes to social media, I firmly believe it's best to do a few well rather than having a bash at the lot and doing them badly. I favor Twitter for staying in the loop, sourcing projects and reminding folk I'm still on the go.
Think outside the box, perhaps try channels like Vine. Not typically associated with the world of copy, Vine is an inventive way to gain a following and appeal to the very industries and creatives that are more likely to take advantage of the outsourcing resurgence.
Chronicle your freelancing experiences. Blog about your honest routines, struggles and reach out to the community of freelancers out there. Now's the time to position yourself as an unflinching expert and keen observer of the industry's status. Potential clients will remember you for it. Offer a range of content from topical items to handy tips, present yourself as an authority. Tackle subjects with a broader relevance so you get more than just fellow copywriters interested in your stuff.
Be a stickler for quality
It might sound silly but we all know that we're guilty of working to less than our full capabilities from time to time. No more.
Be consistent and you set the bar higher for every copywriter out there too. The recession has had more than a financial impact, the quality and versatility of the copywriting industry is suffering as a result. Copywriting is commonly the first thing to be trimmed from the project budget so give your fellow creatives something to stand behind.
Pastures new
Things may be a bit wobbly UK-wise, but not every economy is struggling in the same way. Seek clients outside Britain. A heap of my clients are based in the US and have no reservations with my UK location. Time difference takes a little flexibility but contact is a doddle with Skype and Google Hangout.
Freelancers rarely take advantage of their freedom and privilege in picking their own clients so take this time to indulge. Work with clients you can start forming long-term relationships with. On the whole, the creative climate over there is structured much the same with copywriters being regularly outsourced so be there, ready and online.
... and stop panicking!
Times will change and so will your schedule. Keep calm, focused and remain a pro. Content creation isn't going anywhere, clients will always need it and if anything its value is more readily recognized now than it was five years ago. Be smart and make better business decisions. It may seem obvious but take pride in your status as a freelancer and preserve the industry. Financially there's a heap of things you can get busy with while you weather out the storm. Tutor, mentor or consult. The key is broadening your expertise and shouting a little louder.
DON'T:
What's your experience of the financial crisis? Is it a threat or, actually, an opportunity? Give us your thoughts below. Oh, and also, have you ever thought of becoming a GUEST WRITER for us (just like Nic above)? Go to 'Contact' and let us know what you have in mind. We'd love to hear from you!
Although a great temporary boost, it isn't a long-term answer. We are all riding the storm out and taking shelter in the knowledge that it will move on and better times will come to the rescue of freelancers' bank accounts. These less than certain times are an interesting way of weeding out the less dedicated and forcing us freelance copywriters to take some time to see our trade and expertise for what it really is.
We can all be better, we can all tackle new areas of specialty or network a little harder. If you want to survive right now, there's basically no excuse for not doing so.
Complete the ominous 'To-Do' list
Every copywriter has one. Yes you have your daily snippets but there's always the master of all to-do lists lurking in the background.
- Spruce up the LinkedIn profile
- Create those awesomely original and creative promo materials
- Do my taxes
Letting folk know you are still open for business is pretty essential. Like I said, everyone is struggling so set yourself apart. You don't need a monster budget to market yourself successfully. Utilize social media, blog until your fingers bleed and be smarter.
Social media is free. Simple.
Yep, it's free, plentiful and invaluable if used well. When it comes to social media, I firmly believe it's best to do a few well rather than having a bash at the lot and doing them badly. I favor Twitter for staying in the loop, sourcing projects and reminding folk I'm still on the go.
Think outside the box, perhaps try channels like Vine. Not typically associated with the world of copy, Vine is an inventive way to gain a following and appeal to the very industries and creatives that are more likely to take advantage of the outsourcing resurgence.
Chronicle your freelancing experiences. Blog about your honest routines, struggles and reach out to the community of freelancers out there. Now's the time to position yourself as an unflinching expert and keen observer of the industry's status. Potential clients will remember you for it. Offer a range of content from topical items to handy tips, present yourself as an authority. Tackle subjects with a broader relevance so you get more than just fellow copywriters interested in your stuff.
Be a stickler for quality
It might sound silly but we all know that we're guilty of working to less than our full capabilities from time to time. No more.
Be consistent and you set the bar higher for every copywriter out there too. The recession has had more than a financial impact, the quality and versatility of the copywriting industry is suffering as a result. Copywriting is commonly the first thing to be trimmed from the project budget so give your fellow creatives something to stand behind.
Pastures new
Things may be a bit wobbly UK-wise, but not every economy is struggling in the same way. Seek clients outside Britain. A heap of my clients are based in the US and have no reservations with my UK location. Time difference takes a little flexibility but contact is a doddle with Skype and Google Hangout.
Freelancers rarely take advantage of their freedom and privilege in picking their own clients so take this time to indulge. Work with clients you can start forming long-term relationships with. On the whole, the creative climate over there is structured much the same with copywriters being regularly outsourced so be there, ready and online.
... and stop panicking!
Times will change and so will your schedule. Keep calm, focused and remain a pro. Content creation isn't going anywhere, clients will always need it and if anything its value is more readily recognized now than it was five years ago. Be smart and make better business decisions. It may seem obvious but take pride in your status as a freelancer and preserve the industry. Financially there's a heap of things you can get busy with while you weather out the storm. Tutor, mentor or consult. The key is broadening your expertise and shouting a little louder.
DON'T:
- Offer discounts
- Be bitter
- Bitch about your lack of work publicly
What's your experience of the financial crisis? Is it a threat or, actually, an opportunity? Give us your thoughts below. Oh, and also, have you ever thought of becoming a GUEST WRITER for us (just like Nic above)? Go to 'Contact' and let us know what you have in mind. We'd love to hear from you!
Agony Ant: Legal Coverage for Freelance Copywriters
What is a contract?
A contract is basically a way of putting in black and white what you are going to do, when and for how much. But it's more than that. It also sets down your expectations of the client - what does s/he need to do or provide for you to complete the work? And what happens if they don't fulfill their side of the bargain?
Generally there are seven parts to a contract:
Description of the job (the brief)
Here you detail all the basics of what the job is about. Most importantly you need to define what 'completion' means so that the client can't drag a project out endlessly. Clearly outline how many revision stages there will be before you start charging extra.
Timings
Put down not only the final deadline but also key milestones during a project such as first, second and final drafts. Also highlight what the client is obliged to provide at key stages - and what will happen if they don't deliver on time. Basically, if they don't give you the reference materials (or whatever) they promised on time then you won't be able to deliver the final draft on time.
Money issues
Here you need to set out how much you're being paid, when you'll be paid and how. It might be an hourly rate or, more likely for a big project, a fixed fee. It's standard practice to have a deposit paid at the beginning of a job which commits both parties to its completion. And then state exactly when final payment should be made (e.g. on approval of final draft). The 'how' means will it be paid direct to your bank account (hopefully!) but also, in some cases, which currency it will be paid in. As with timings, you should state clearly what the consequences will be if the agreed payments are not made.
Delivery details
This isn't so much 'where to deliver to' (although that's important!) but what exactly should be delivered and how. Specifically what file format should the job be provided in, e.g. Word, pdf, XML, etc.
Cancellation clause ('kill clause')
This is so important! What happens if the client pulls the plug on the job half way through? You need to include a 'kill clause' stating a fixed fee that will be payable in this situation. The standard amount is 25% but you may want to have a graded tariff depending on how near the project is to completion at the time of cancellation.
Copyright protection
Make it clear that your work is yours until it's been paid for.
Signatures
Obvious but worth mentioning, both you and the client need to sign and date the documents - one for you and one for them. Ideally, each page should be initialled as well to make it that little bit more watertight.
The pros and cons of a contract: Legal coverage for freelance copywriters
The pros are:
It brings clarity to a project and cuts out unnecessary misunderstandings. It clarifies expectations on both sides and will help avoid disputes at a later date.
It provides legal protection to you both. In the event of a dispute you have something in writing that clearly sets out the terms of your relationship.
It gives you control by preventing projects ballooning out of control. In wars it's called 'mission creep', in advertising 'project creep' as the client tries to add more and more things that weren't there at the outset.
It makes you look good if you have a professional looking contract and inspires confidence in the client that you're going to do a good job.
And the cons?
Hassle. It can be a bit of a faff to put one together and may not be suitable for very small jobs or for a job with a client you know and trust.
Occasionally a client might say No when asked to sign a contract. They're probably the type of client you should avoid anyway!
It may cause a slight delay to the beginning of a project while you're waiting for signatures. Then again, it could save so much time and heartache in the long run.
What is a retainer?
If you do the same kind of work repeatedly for the same client - such as writing for a newsletter or blog - a retainer might make sense for both you and your client. The client agrees to pay you a fixed fee each month for an defined amount of work (e.g. "write six articles" or something). Generally that fee is paid up front, at the beginning of the month. A retainer might also put you 'on standby' for a client so that s/he can always count on your availability for a certain number of hours each month. So, if and when they call you should be willing to drop everything to help them out.
The pros and cons of retainers
The pros
It gives you some financial security. Being able to count on a fixed amount of money coming in every month smooths out some of the ups and downs of a freelancer's finances.
Under the terms of some retainer agreements you could even get paid for doing nothing. It might be worth it to the client just knowing that you're available at the drop of a hat even if they don't actually use you every month. Sweet.
It helps you to plan better. Knowing that you have so many hours each month for a particular client means you can allocate the rest of your time more efficiently.
It can also be a way of 'up-selling' yourself. Once you get a portion of guaranteed work think of ways that you could add further value for the client. If the original job was writing articles for a blog you could move up the value chain by offering to put the newsletter on line for them each month, respond to reader comments or become an editor who commissions articles from outside.
It's good for the client as well, by the way. In return for the guaranteed work you might offer them a reduced rate. And they also get the benefit of a responsive service and the peace of mind that you are always there for them.
The con
The retainer ties you down because you always have to be available for the client. Even if you get a big project in or you're suddenly swamped with work you still must find time to meet your obligations each month. And if you're thinking of swanning off on holiday on a whim remember that you will still have to do what you promised to do.
What to think about when drawing up a retainer
Most importantly you need to define exactly what you're offering. It should be absolutely clear what you are and what you're not offering for that fixed fee. You could also draw up a price list of options for your client. Above all, put everything down in writing. As with the contract you need to cover things like: payments, key dates, the nature of work required, what you expect from the client and how to end the agreement. Best to make the retainer valid for a year at a time and then you can always review your prices annually.
And finally, some examples
Here are a couple of downloadable forms - a contract template and a retainer. The language is very formal but the content is good so you could use them as a starting point for developing your own agreement.
If the client doesn't want to go to the bother of a full blown contract at least put in writing what you see as the parameters of the job. In the event of a dispute, it's better than nothing.
A contract is basically a way of putting in black and white what you are going to do, when and for how much. But it's more than that. It also sets down your expectations of the client - what does s/he need to do or provide for you to complete the work? And what happens if they don't fulfill their side of the bargain?
Generally there are seven parts to a contract:
Description of the job (the brief)
Here you detail all the basics of what the job is about. Most importantly you need to define what 'completion' means so that the client can't drag a project out endlessly. Clearly outline how many revision stages there will be before you start charging extra.
Timings
Put down not only the final deadline but also key milestones during a project such as first, second and final drafts. Also highlight what the client is obliged to provide at key stages - and what will happen if they don't deliver on time. Basically, if they don't give you the reference materials (or whatever) they promised on time then you won't be able to deliver the final draft on time.
Money issues
Here you need to set out how much you're being paid, when you'll be paid and how. It might be an hourly rate or, more likely for a big project, a fixed fee. It's standard practice to have a deposit paid at the beginning of a job which commits both parties to its completion. And then state exactly when final payment should be made (e.g. on approval of final draft). The 'how' means will it be paid direct to your bank account (hopefully!) but also, in some cases, which currency it will be paid in. As with timings, you should state clearly what the consequences will be if the agreed payments are not made.
Delivery details
This isn't so much 'where to deliver to' (although that's important!) but what exactly should be delivered and how. Specifically what file format should the job be provided in, e.g. Word, pdf, XML, etc.
Cancellation clause ('kill clause')
This is so important! What happens if the client pulls the plug on the job half way through? You need to include a 'kill clause' stating a fixed fee that will be payable in this situation. The standard amount is 25% but you may want to have a graded tariff depending on how near the project is to completion at the time of cancellation.
Copyright protection
Make it clear that your work is yours until it's been paid for.
Signatures
Obvious but worth mentioning, both you and the client need to sign and date the documents - one for you and one for them. Ideally, each page should be initialled as well to make it that little bit more watertight.
The pros and cons of a contract: Legal coverage for freelance copywriters
The pros are:
It brings clarity to a project and cuts out unnecessary misunderstandings. It clarifies expectations on both sides and will help avoid disputes at a later date.
It provides legal protection to you both. In the event of a dispute you have something in writing that clearly sets out the terms of your relationship.
It gives you control by preventing projects ballooning out of control. In wars it's called 'mission creep', in advertising 'project creep' as the client tries to add more and more things that weren't there at the outset.
It makes you look good if you have a professional looking contract and inspires confidence in the client that you're going to do a good job.
And the cons?
Hassle. It can be a bit of a faff to put one together and may not be suitable for very small jobs or for a job with a client you know and trust.
Occasionally a client might say No when asked to sign a contract. They're probably the type of client you should avoid anyway!
It may cause a slight delay to the beginning of a project while you're waiting for signatures. Then again, it could save so much time and heartache in the long run.
What is a retainer?
If you do the same kind of work repeatedly for the same client - such as writing for a newsletter or blog - a retainer might make sense for both you and your client. The client agrees to pay you a fixed fee each month for an defined amount of work (e.g. "write six articles" or something). Generally that fee is paid up front, at the beginning of the month. A retainer might also put you 'on standby' for a client so that s/he can always count on your availability for a certain number of hours each month. So, if and when they call you should be willing to drop everything to help them out.
The pros and cons of retainers
The pros
It gives you some financial security. Being able to count on a fixed amount of money coming in every month smooths out some of the ups and downs of a freelancer's finances.
Under the terms of some retainer agreements you could even get paid for doing nothing. It might be worth it to the client just knowing that you're available at the drop of a hat even if they don't actually use you every month. Sweet.
It helps you to plan better. Knowing that you have so many hours each month for a particular client means you can allocate the rest of your time more efficiently.
It can also be a way of 'up-selling' yourself. Once you get a portion of guaranteed work think of ways that you could add further value for the client. If the original job was writing articles for a blog you could move up the value chain by offering to put the newsletter on line for them each month, respond to reader comments or become an editor who commissions articles from outside.
It's good for the client as well, by the way. In return for the guaranteed work you might offer them a reduced rate. And they also get the benefit of a responsive service and the peace of mind that you are always there for them.
The con
The retainer ties you down because you always have to be available for the client. Even if you get a big project in or you're suddenly swamped with work you still must find time to meet your obligations each month. And if you're thinking of swanning off on holiday on a whim remember that you will still have to do what you promised to do.
What to think about when drawing up a retainer
Most importantly you need to define exactly what you're offering. It should be absolutely clear what you are and what you're not offering for that fixed fee. You could also draw up a price list of options for your client. Above all, put everything down in writing. As with the contract you need to cover things like: payments, key dates, the nature of work required, what you expect from the client and how to end the agreement. Best to make the retainer valid for a year at a time and then you can always review your prices annually.
And finally, some examples
Here are a couple of downloadable forms - a contract template and a retainer. The language is very formal but the content is good so you could use them as a starting point for developing your own agreement.
If the client doesn't want to go to the bother of a full blown contract at least put in writing what you see as the parameters of the job. In the event of a dispute, it's better than nothing.
Freelance Copywriting: Does It Make You Happy?
The perks of freelance copywriting
Let's face it: freelance copywriting is a great way of life. You have total freedom, freedom to travel, freedom to work where you want, when you want, and for whom you want. You are, technically at least, your own boss. Why? Because you answer only to yourself, never to anyone else... except your clients. But there's no one to ask if you need or want to take a week off. All you have to do is, you guessed it, take a week off. Like any other job, you're not going to be paid for that week, but you also don't have to find anyone to cover for you, or worry about someone else snatching up your position when you're gone.
If you're not a morning person, you don't have to start work until noon. And you can do it sitting at your kitchen table, in your pyjamas, eating a bowl of cereal. Or if you are a morning person, you can utilize those early hours to get through a few writing assignments before the sun is even up. You can head to the local café and occupy a table for hours if you like the atmosphere, or you can sequester yourself alone in your apartment and enjoy the absolute silence while you finish up your projects.
And you do, in general, get to choose who you work with, which means you can say goodbye to all those unreasonable customers.
The drawbacks of freelance copywriting
Okay, so the freedom isn't total freedom. Most freelance copywriters report that they work just as much, if not more than when they held down fulltime jobs-for the same pay. Plus, there's great job insecurity. If you're trying to find work through a website you set up yourself, you are going to rely heavily on referrals and customer reviews.
And while you may labour under the delusion at first that you get to choose who you work for, it will quickly become apparent that if you want to make money, you will have to share your freelance copywriting skills with people you don't necessarily see eye-to-eye with, and even people that will be impossible to please, no matter how many revisions you provide for them. There will be people that will demand that their projects be moved to the top of your pile and that you be available to them 24/7. And guess what? If you're strapped for cash, you might have to just put up with it.
Whatever makes you happy
Freelance copywriting: does it make you happy?
You will have to determine for yourself if the perks outweigh the drawbacks. For plenty of people, they do. The long hours and demanding clients cannot colour the freedom of being your own employer. If you yearn for nothing more than being out from under your boss's thumb, freelance copywriting may bring you the happiness you are looking for. But if a guaranteed pay check and the protection of an established business is what will make you happy, then freelance copywriting probably isn't for you.
Does freelance copywriting make you happy? What ups and downs have you experienced? Tell us what you think below.
Let's face it: freelance copywriting is a great way of life. You have total freedom, freedom to travel, freedom to work where you want, when you want, and for whom you want. You are, technically at least, your own boss. Why? Because you answer only to yourself, never to anyone else... except your clients. But there's no one to ask if you need or want to take a week off. All you have to do is, you guessed it, take a week off. Like any other job, you're not going to be paid for that week, but you also don't have to find anyone to cover for you, or worry about someone else snatching up your position when you're gone.
If you're not a morning person, you don't have to start work until noon. And you can do it sitting at your kitchen table, in your pyjamas, eating a bowl of cereal. Or if you are a morning person, you can utilize those early hours to get through a few writing assignments before the sun is even up. You can head to the local café and occupy a table for hours if you like the atmosphere, or you can sequester yourself alone in your apartment and enjoy the absolute silence while you finish up your projects.
And you do, in general, get to choose who you work with, which means you can say goodbye to all those unreasonable customers.
The drawbacks of freelance copywriting
Okay, so the freedom isn't total freedom. Most freelance copywriters report that they work just as much, if not more than when they held down fulltime jobs-for the same pay. Plus, there's great job insecurity. If you're trying to find work through a website you set up yourself, you are going to rely heavily on referrals and customer reviews.
And while you may labour under the delusion at first that you get to choose who you work for, it will quickly become apparent that if you want to make money, you will have to share your freelance copywriting skills with people you don't necessarily see eye-to-eye with, and even people that will be impossible to please, no matter how many revisions you provide for them. There will be people that will demand that their projects be moved to the top of your pile and that you be available to them 24/7. And guess what? If you're strapped for cash, you might have to just put up with it.
Whatever makes you happy
Freelance copywriting: does it make you happy?
You will have to determine for yourself if the perks outweigh the drawbacks. For plenty of people, they do. The long hours and demanding clients cannot colour the freedom of being your own employer. If you yearn for nothing more than being out from under your boss's thumb, freelance copywriting may bring you the happiness you are looking for. But if a guaranteed pay check and the protection of an established business is what will make you happy, then freelance copywriting probably isn't for you.
Does freelance copywriting make you happy? What ups and downs have you experienced? Tell us what you think below.
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