31 Cheyenne Drive, Montville, NJ (973) , Fax (973) web:

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1 31 Cheyenne Drive, Montville, NJ (973) , Fax (973) web: 0

2 Table of Contents 1. How has the freelance copywriting business changed over the past five years? Are there too many freelance copywriters out there today competing for clients? Has freelance copywriting become a commodity service? What types of copywriting assignments pay best today and will in the future? Has the Internet helped or hurt writing as a profession? Where can I find a central listing online of today s top freelance copywriters? Does direct mail still work for generating sales leads for freelance copywriting assignments? Can writing articles help position me as an expert copywriter and attract new clients? What should I write about in my articles and where should I publish them? How much should I ask in payment when writing articles for trade publications? How can I get publicity in the trade press if I cannot convince editors to run my articles? Where can I run ads to attract new copywriting clients? What size ads work best and what should I say in my ads? Can I be a generalist or must I specialize? If I specialize, how many copywriting specialties can I work in? What are the highest paying copywriting specialties?

3 17. What copywriting specialties are the worst paying and should be avoided? What are the most and least lucrative online copywriting projects? How do I select a copywriting niche or specialty that s right for me? Do you recommend online job sites as a way to get copywriting clients? Is it easier or harder to make money as a freelance copywriter than 30 years ago? How do I know whether a potential client can afford my services? Are local small businesses good copywriting clients? How can I get local small businesses to hire me to help with their marketing? If small business owners don t have big budgets for copy, why should I work with them? How can I convince companies that they should be hiring a professional copywriter like me? Should I get an agent or writer s rep to handle the selling of your services for me? Must I get a signed agreement or contract for every copywriting project and what should be in it? Do I bill my clients upon completion of the work or get some or the entire fee up front? Should I charge by the hour, by the day or by the project? How should I charge? How do I figure out my hourly rate? When a copywriting client needs advice and not just copy, how do I get compensated for giving it?

4 34. How soon can a new copywriter expect to make $50,000 a year from copywriting? Is it realistic to hope to make $100,000 a year from copywriting? Superstar copywriters claim to make up to a million dollars a year or more is that really true? How much time does it take to write a one page magazine ad or sales letter? What kind of turnaround time should I promise clients on copywriting projects? What kind of information do I need to get from the client to write strong copy for their product? For online copywriting of Web pages, how do I optimize my Web pages for search engines through SEO copywriting techniques? How do I know what keyword phrases to optimize a Website for? How much should I charge to write a Google AdWords campaign or a banner ad? Do I write the copy only or do I also have to do the graphic design for banner ads, HTML e mail, or Websites? What happens if the client gets my copy and says they don t like it? A client asks for endless revision after revision can I tell them I have to charge more if they want to keep changing it? Can I subcontract some or all of the writing to other writers, pay them, put a big markup on their work, and resell it to my clients? Are Internet marketers good clients for freelance copywriters? Should I work for ad agencies, PR firms, and marketing consultants or just with clients directly? What computer system should I write on a PC or a Macintosh and what software should I use?

5 50. Is proofreading and catching typos and errors important, and if so, how can I proofread my own work accurately? I have heard that the FTC now requires marketers to substantiate all product performance claims am I as the copywriter responsible for this? When I write copy, how do I document my sources and proof in my copy manuscript? Do I hand over copies of my source documents and claims proof when I submit copy and how long must I maintain copies of this material? Since I am a freelancer and my clients don t withhold tax from the fees they pay me, do I have to make some sort of advance tax payments to the IRS? If I get sick and cannot work, is there a clause I can put in my client agreements to hold me harmless in such situations? If I get sick and cannot work long term, do I need disability insurance to protect me? Do I have any liability if a consumer gets damaged by using a product I wrote the ad for and if so how do I protect myself? If I work at home are my rent, property taxes, mortgage payments, and utilities tax deductible? Can I deduct my car expenses including gas and car insurance as business expenses if I use my car to visit clients or drive to an office? Is it better to work at home or rent an outside office? Should I do my own tax returns or hire an accountant to prepare my tax returns? What software should I use to keep my books, and should I do it myself or hire a bookkeeper? If I send something to a client via FedEx, can I bill them for it or do I absorb the cost?

6 64. What is the best subject for an aspiring copywriter to take as a major in college marketing or English? What is the most important online marketing skill or specialty for a freelance copywriter to master? What is the first thing I should do when I go into business to market my freelance copywriting services? When I visit clients at their offices, how should I dress must I wear a suit? A potential client wants to meet with me to discuss a possible project do I bill for this meeting? I am working on a project and the client keeps asking me to come to their office to discuss it or review copy something I did not count on can I charge them an extra fee for these meetings? I am consulting with an out of town client do I charge them just for the time I am with them or also charge for my travel time and if so how much? A client wants me to sign an agreement saying I won t work for any other clients that compete with them should I do it? I quote a fee for a project to a client and he says, That s expensive I can get other copywriters to do it for half that price! How should I respond? How can I know whether the fee I want to charge is within the client s budget? I am afraid the fee I quote to a potential client will be too high for them and may shock them any way to deal with this problem? A prospect and I talked about their copywriting needs and I sent some samples of my work but have heard nothing back what should I do? I have called a prospect to follow up on their inquiry about my services several times but she does not return my call now what?

7 77. I called a prospect to follow up an inquiry and she informed me that they chose another copywriter how do I respond? A prospect needs a brochure written in three days should I charge them a higher rush fee to accommodate them? A good client calls with a rush job but the deadline is too tight can I say no to them without damaging our relationship? How do I overcome people s perception that anyone can write and therefore writing is a service that anyone can perform, and therefore does not and should not command a high fee? A prospect calls and tells me right away We are talking to many other copywriters. What would be my response? A prospect says there are a lot of copywriters out there; why should I hire you? How do you answer him? Do you agree with the belief some copywriters have that you should never, ever turn down a job? How do you take care of your business and your clients when you are away on vacation? How do you prevent constant phone calls from interrupting you when you are on a writing deadline? What if you are working on a copywriting assignment and realize you badly underestimated your fee? Can you go back to the client and ask for more? What if a job takes you so little time that you feel your fee is too HIGH do you reduce it when you bill the client and tell them why? When do you bill the client after submitting the first draft or after revising the copy? How long do you give the client to pay your invoice? A client has gotten an invoice, is late in paying it. What should you do?

8 91. What if a client does not call or write or respond to you in any way? What do you do? Should you ever take a client to court for nonpayment for a project and if so when? Should you offer clients a kill fee and what should it be? The client complains that your ad or promotion did not generate good sales results what should you do about it? The client complains that your ad or promotion did not generate good results and therefore does not want to pay your bill in full or at all how do you respond? Are there any projects you won t take on because of ethical considerations and if so should you let the client know that is the reason for your refusal? Should you show the client a copy platform or rough outline or some creative concepts for approval before writing a complete first draft? Which is a better copywriting client a retail store or a direct marketer? A client needs a promotion for a technical product and you do not have a background in that technology what do you tell them? A potential client asks if you have written promotions for their type of product and you have not is there a way you can still convince them to hire you? Is there an age at which one becomes too old to be a copywriter and should consider another line of work or retiring? What if as you get older you don t want to compete anymore? Is there another way to make money as a writer that doesn t involve clients?...55 About the Authors

9 1. How has the freelance copywriting business changed over the past five years? Two important factors have changed it profoundly. First is the Internet, in both positive and negative ways. Because of the Internet, there is much more work than there ever was. Now clients need a landing page and a sales letter and a thank you page and an autoresponder series, etc. The Internet has also devalued copy and made life difficult for copywriters. Clients are not as willing to pay as much for something intangible that can be changed easily. Just slap it up on the Web and we ll change it later, they seem to be saying. Also, certain types of assignments, such as article writing and lower level Web pages (not home pages or product pages) have become a commodity. Secondly, it s very recent that copywriting has become not only a career but now almost a business opportunity. Twenty five years ago, there were no courses on how to be a copywriter. So now there are so many copywriters out there and it s easier to find them, which means you have to work harder to position yourself to get the work that s out there. 2. Are there too many freelance copywriters out there today competing for clients? No, there is still a large and growing demand and a huge volume of work. However, there are too many beginning look alike generalists, which make up most of those who have chosen copywriting as a business opportunity. They haven t made the effort to differentiate themselves from their colleagues (and their competition). One way and the best way to set yourself apart is to be a specialist. It s old advice but has never been more relevant. There are tons of copywriters who say they can write white papers, but the expert is the only one 8

10 who can earn the big bucks. You must become a specialist in a specific niche to stand apart from the competition, which takes time. 3. Has freelance copywriting become a commodity service? Commodities are services that are either too general or not measurable or can easily be outsourced overseas. One quality of most commodities is that the quality of the work is very low. If you are just a general copywriter, you re competing with every other copywriter on the Internet, the good but especially the mediocre. But if you specialize in something specific, you are no longer a commodity. You rise above commodity status if you focus your writing services on highly specialized subjects, such as technical or financial services, or where ROI (return on investment) is measurable, such as direct marketing. 4. What types of copywriting assignments pay best today and will in the future? Any assignment where the copy you write will generate measurable sales and revenue for the client. For example, long copy pages selling seminars, newsletters and home study courses pay best. If you can double their sales, you can double their revenue and your fee is a drop in the bucket. Conversely, the worst are the ones that are easily outsourced overseas and don t have a measurable ROI, like articles, especially online articles. Anyone can go on Elance.com and find people who will write a 300 word article for $5. The quality isn t good but the client doesn t care. You can t compete with that. 9

11 5. Has the Internet helped or hurt writing as a profession? It has done both so it s probably a wash. As mentioned, it has created an explosion of more work. In the old days, you wrote a long sales letter and that was it. Now, the client also needs a pay per click (PPC) campaign and banner ads and an autoresponder series and a squeeze page and a thank you page. So there s more work, which is good. The negative is that it has devalued writing. When a copywriter wrote a printed brochure, the client would invest thousands to print it and it would be around for a year or two and they took pains to make it good. Now, they use the same content and post it on the Web, which they can change later, so it s not important to make it great. 6. Where can I find a central listing online of today s top freelance copywriters? 7. Does direct mail still work for generating sales leads for freelance copywriting assignments? These things go in cycles. Gone are the days when you could rent a list of 1,000 5,000 B2B companies, send out a letter and SASE (self addressed stamped envelope) and get leads back in the mail. These days, clients aren t getting direct mail from copywriters. They are getting e mail and downloadable white papers but not real mail, so if you send direct mail, it would stand out from the clutter. 10

12 However, response is not what it used to be. Not just because of the Internet but because we are all bombarded by advertising. So yes, it can still work but your list has to be very, very well targeted and the prospects well qualified as buyers of freelance copywriting. You have to have realistic expectations and it helps to follow up your direct mail with a phone call. 8. Can writing articles help position me as an expert copywriter and attract new clients? Yes, writing articles can be an excellent marketing tool. It is not only a demonstration of your talents and skills but it also serves to position you as an authority on a topic. But authority is the operative word here. The key to generating leads and eventually clients as a result of writing articles, however, is to write articles based on your specialty and then make sure they are published where those targeted prospects and clients will see them. And that means you need to know what your prospects and clients are reading. 9. What should I write about in my articles and where should I publish them? The best way to create content for your articles is to find out what questions and problems your clients and prospects have, and then write articles that answer those questions and/or solve the problems. The best articles are focused and specific and provide how to advice that will address the issues you know they are struggling with. You know this because you have contact with them and understand how their needs are different from other markets. This is the core of the material you work with and develop. As for publishing your material, the best places are the media outlets, whether online or off, that are read by those same clients and prospects. So, 11

13 for example, if your target market is newsletter publishers, then your articles should be published where they will see them. Where do newsletter publishers go looking for information? What magazines do they read? Which blogs do they read and comment on? Find them and get your material in front of them there. 10. How much should I ask in payment when writing articles for trade publications? Most trade publications (or trade Websites) either don t pay or pay a small honorarium to their writers. You can expect to be paid in the range of $250 $2,000 for an article of 500 3,000 words. But you don t do this for the money. The value of the exposure and visibility you receive is of more value than what they could pay you to write it. If it s clear they don t have a big budget for articles, try negotiating a deal where you can get a combination of exposure through additional advertising, ad placement on a Website, listing in their directory, a booth at their trade show or anything else that will get you in front of the people who are in a position to hire you. 11. How can I get publicity in the trade press if I cannot convince editors to run my articles? It s getting more difficult although they ll still do it. These days, PR is less about reaching journalists to spread the word about you and more about going directly to consumers with your message. For example, to get on TV, you used to have to go through a middleman who was putting the show on. Now you can post videos on YouTube without having to go through anyone. Also, online, you can get valuable exposure by leaving comments on actively read marketing blogs and/or writing your own blog. 12

14 For printed publications and magazine, one time tested technique is to write a letter to the editor of any publication your clients and prospects read. It s quicker (and shorter) and is much more effective because many people read the letters to the editor. Simply address your comments on a topic of interest that demonstrates your expertise. 12. Where can I run ads to attract new copywriting clients? What works when it comes to advertising is a series of regular, consistent ads in those same trade publications your prospects and clients are reading. Most publications have a Marketplace section in the back or a listing of vendors. You can trade articles for one of these ads and get high quality of inquiries. Also, ads on the Website of a trade association where they have a Supplier or Vendor section can be very effective. 13. What size ads work best and what should I say in my ads? Consistency is more important than size. Don t pay for a large ad or you ll have to generate enough business to justify the expense. A small ad is plenty. The key is to use it to generate a qualified lead, not a sale. It s less likely that a prospect will call from an ad to hire you. Instead get them to raise their hand and express their general interest. The best way is to give something away, like a white paper or a CD. You can even include an image of your giveaway in the ad. Some copywriters offer a free critique, which can work well but is time consuming. Be sure to make a very specific offer. 14. Can I be a generalist or must I specialize? 13

15 We live in the era of the specialist. Being a generalist trying to be all things to all people doesn t sustain long term business growth, because you never create an identity for yourself and you never focus on a market that identifies you as their expert. Instead, you remain a blur in the mind of your market. Specializing, on the other hand, lets you dominate the market (and earn more money). Many copywriters believe that marketing the widest range of services to the largest possible group is the path to success. You d rather be a generalist because you think you ll get more business. And on one level, it makes sense: The more opportunities you have to make a sale, the more sales you are likely to make. But in reality, it doesn t work that way. In fact, success comes to those who focus on the smallest number of activities most likely to yield the quickest and largest return. 15. If I specialize, how many copywriting specialties can I work in? If you are nimble, you can actually be both a specialist and a generalist. You focus your marketing on pursuing prospects within your specialty while you will probably get inquiries over the transom outside your specialty, which of course, you can take on if you choose. As for how many specialties, one or two is ideal, three is possible but if you have four, five or six, you re really just a generalist. It s best if your specialties are in related areas or overlapping industries. 16. What are the highest paying copywriting specialties? Financial services and pharmaceuticals pay the most because those industries have a lot of money to spend. Beyond that, any kind of medical and healthcare 14

16 focus tends to pay well. Even consider your local hospital, which is essentially a big business that needs copy and generates significant revenues. There are also types of writing that pay better than others, such as pay perclick (writing and managing the PPC campaigns), long copy landing pages and highly specialized content like white papers for B2B corporations. 17. What copywriting specialties are the worst paying and should be avoided? Some forms of online content don t pay well, especially general content that can be found anywhere, such as articles on gardening or macramé. 18. What are the most and least lucrative online copywriting projects? For most lucrative, the rule of thumb is that longer copy pays better than short. Offline, it s magalogs and bookalogs, page direct mail letters, text heavy brochures and catalogs, annual reports and white papers. Online it s long form landing pages, multiple page Websites and campaigns that need many different elements. The least lucrative include the more popular online marketing tools that go very light on the text, such as autodial phone messages with no more than words or a Google AdWords campaign. Each one averages nine words; you just can t charge enough for so few words, despite the fact that it takes more skill (and often time) to write less. 19. How do I select a copywriting niche or specialty that s right for me? 15

17 Focus on a special skill or talent that you have that fits a very specific need. Identify your skills and talents, and then approach the prospects that may need them. If you are good in your particular skill for example, copywriting for the Web or white paper writing then take that as your specialty. It means a lot if you can truthfully make this powerful statement: I really know your business. Nothing has a stronger impact. Being an expert not only in your business, but also in your client s business becomes one of your most important benefits to your clients. As you get to know them, as you watch their industry grow and change, you can also evolve your services to change with the industry, adding and subtracting services as needed. By letting the growth flow from the needs of your clients, you grow your business organically. 20. Do you recommend online job sites as a way to get copywriting clients? If you are already getting clients, don t bother. Online job sites such as Elance.com and Guru.com (there are plenty more), as well as the newer crowdsourcing sites, like Crowdspring.com, are only worth spending time on if you are a beginner and need to build your portfolio. They re good for quickly getting job offers but most are at the low end of the pay scale, so it s not a good long term strategy. You ll always get higher quality projects directly from clients. 21. Is it easier or harder to make money as a freelance copywriter than 30 years ago? It s definitely more challenging in 2010 than it was in There were fewer copywriters and the marketing environment was less cluttered. A copywriter could send out a mailing with an SASE (self addressed stamped envelope) to 16

18 500 prospects and get back enough leads to keep his pipeline full for a year. That doesn t work anymore. Plus, although the pool of prospects has grown, so has the pool of copywriters. So getting the attention of your prospects, and then getting them to trust you and give you a shot at a project (especially if you don t come with a recommendation) takes much, much more work. On a positive note, however, most copywriters don t want to do the work it takes to get the clients, so if you do it, you ll be ahead of them and more likely to get the work that s out there. 22. How do I know whether a potential client can afford my services? The best way is to weed out prospects who can t afford you by using your Website as a gate. On it, outline your minimum fees or ranges in which you generally work. Those who can t pay them won t bother reaching out to you. If you do hear from a prospect and you re still not sure if they can afford you, your best bet is to ask up front what their budget is for copywriting. If they don t have one, they may not be a serious prospect. If they can t or don t want to tell you, float some numbers by them (starting with your minimum) and see how they react. If you can hear them stop breathing, they probably can t afford you. If you can agree to a range of fees (as opposed to a fixed fee) in your initial conversation, chances are they can afford you. But don t ever start an assignment until you ve had that conversation and received an advance or deposit to get started, especially with a brand new client. 23. Are local small businesses good copywriting clients? 17

19 It depends on what kind of business you want to run and what kind of people you want to work with. If you like dealing with decision makers and hate red tape, small business owners are probably good for you. If you like to help people, you ll do well with small business owners because they generally need a lot of help. However, that help often needs to be provided in the form of hand holding. Most have never hired a copywriter before. In fact, most have no idea what a copywriter is. They may think it s related to legal copyright. So you may need to spend some time educating them about the value of your services and warning them about what can happen if they try to do it themselves. Plus, they are usually paying out of their own pocket, especially when they re just starting out, don t have a lot of money to spend and don t have a clue about how much things cost, so more education is in order on that topic too. 24. How can I get local small businesses to hire me to help with their marketing? First you have to find them and luckily, small business owners are the easiest prospects to find. Almost everywhere you look these days, there are small business owners looking for ways to promote their own business. They attend networking meetings, trade shows, local chamber events and more. Once you find them, find out what kind of help they think they need, which is often different from what they actually need. For example, they may think they need a brochure, but haven t thought through who their market is or researched the best way to reach that market. Someone may have told them they need a brochure, so that s what they go looking for. In fact, what small business owners usually need is a marketing consultant. If you position yourself not simply as a copywriter but as someone who helps 18

20 small business owners with their marketing (and especially if you can offer consulting as well as copywriting), you ll be in a good position to get them to hire you. From there, it s just a question of negotiating the right price. 25. If small business owners don t have big budgets for copy, why should I work with them? When you are starting out and building your own copywriting business, working with small business owners is a good way to try out your skills, learn how to master the customer service aspect of the business and make mistakes you wouldn t want to make or can t afford to make when the stakes are higher. There is very little competition for these prospects because most copywriters prefer to work with big businesses that tend to pay more. So they aren t trying to take the business from you. You get to work directly with top decisionmakers instead of working with layers of bureaucracy and committees who often destroy your work, which means less good work to show in your portfolio. Also, you can develop long term client relationships with these people who tend to be more loyal, which means lucrative repeat business and less time spent trying to find new clients. 26. How can I convince companies that they should be hiring a professional copywriter like me? Don t try to convince anyone or anything. Instead, use your marketing time to go looking for the prospects who already know the value of a professional copywriter and is just looking for the best one for their job. Your marketing campaign should be used to educate your prospects and clients about the value you can bring to their business. But because you don t have unlimited time, don t waste it trying to convince anyone to hire you. 19

21 27. Should I get an agent or writer s rep to handle the selling of your services for me? Many copywriters dream of letting someone else take care of the business side for them. And it is possible to get help with the marketing, negotiating and administrative details of running a business. But there aren t many agents who represent commercial copywriters. Beyond it being difficult to find one, it can be a Catch 22 situation. Agents look for talent that not only has potential but already has a strong reputation. Agents bring their connections and relationships to the talent but they rarely contract with someone who s new or just starting out. In other words, you need an agent when you don t have work but it s not until you have plenty of work that the agents will want you. Also, even if you do find an agent or rep to promote your services, it s not a good idea to wash your hands of the entire process. Because you are one of many people they promote, you must stay involved and not only oversee what they re doing, but also make it easy for them by giving them material with which to promote you. 28. Must I get a signed agreement or contract for every copywriting project and what should be in it? You must have an agreement with every client for every project. Getting it signed isn t as important as agreeing to the terms, which they can do by simply e mailing you an ok in response to your e mailed terms. For each project, you should agree on: time frame/deadline, price, what s included for that price (number of meetings, if any, number of revisions) and what the fee is for anything beyond the scope of the project. 20

22 29. Do I bill my clients upon completion of the work or get some or the entire fee up front? No matter how you approach your payment terms, you should always require a deposit to start the work. If a client is hesitant about a deposit, consider it a red flag and, if you choose to proceed, be especially clear about your payment terms. You can negotiate details of the deposit being able to take a credit card comes in handy here but don t forego the deposit. If you do, you have no leverage if something changes or goes wrong during the project. There is no shortage of horror stories about situations that were initially friendly then turned disagreeable. Don t learn the hard way. 30. Should I charge by the hour, by the day or by the project? You shouldn t charge an hourly rate but many copywriters do, and for all the wrong reasons mostly because it s easy and it doesn t require much math. But it s not to your benefit, especially in the long run. First of all, if you sell your time, you devalue your expertise and experience. What you are selling is the effort you ve expended developing your skills and talents, your experience and your resulting expertise. What you are selling is your brain. This is highly subjective, which makes it challenging to quantify. Plus, copywriting is a creative process. Not only is there no rule about how long it should take; there is a certain amount of inspiration involved. You probably don t how long it will take for your best ideas to come. They could come right away, or they could take a while. Should you really be paid based on how long it takes for your ideas to come together? Second, you will get better sometimes a lot better with time. But if you charge by the hour, as you get better, you also get quicker. The less time it 21

23 takes, the less you bill, the less you earn. So if you charge by the hour, you inevitably earn less. Is that what you want? 31. How should I charge? Charging by the project is the most effective way for a copywriter. However, in order to run a healthy and profitable business, you must know what your hourly rate is and you must know how long it takes you to do various tasks and projects. But your hourly rate should not be your price. It is only one of the building blocks of your price, and should only be used for estimating purposes. In other words, use your hourly rate to determine how much time a project should take (based on past experience with similar projects). Then, to arrive at a project fee, initiate a conversation with your prospect about their budget. From there, you can agree on the price for the project somewhere between what you must charge and what they can afford to pay. And, whenever possible, quote a range instead of a fixed fee so you have some wiggle room to allow for anything unexpected, especially with a new client. 32. How do I figure out my hourly rate? If you already have an hourly rate, where did it come from? Did you pull it out of thin air? Adapt it from an industry guide? Did you get it from a client or, worse, from your competition? Is it a number you chose because it s comfortable for you and no one complains about it? (By the way, if no one is complaining and you re getting every job you bid on, you re probably not charging enough.) Or did you take the time to sit down and figure out how much you need to earn in order to maintain your chosen lifestyle and then do the math to determine your hourly rate from there? 22

24 Most people have not made that effort. But if you don t figure out what your hourly rate must be in order to cover your expenses (and any profit you want to make), how will you know if you re charging enough? 33. When a copywriting client needs advice and not just copy, how do I get compensated for giving it? Many clients don t understand the distinctions you make between doing the work and advising on aspects of the work. All they know is that they need help. It s your job to define the parameters of the help you can offer and then provide options they can choose from. If a client starts asking questions that go beyond the scope of your services as a copywriter and cross over into the consultant realm, you must also point that out right away. For example, you can say, What you re asking about now goes beyond the scope of my services as a copywriter, but I d be happy to do a consultation with you to advise you on these other issues. The fee for that is $XXX. 34. How soon can a new copywriter expect to make $50,000 a year from copywriting? The average American in 2009 earned approximately $44,000/year, so $50,000 isn t the hefty salary it used to be. If you work at building your copywriting business full time (that is, 40+ hours per week), you can make $50,000 60,000 in the first year. These days, that s realistic. Building on that success, you can realistically make $80,000 in your second year. 35. Is it realistic to hope to make $100,000 a year from copywriting? 23

25 Yes, building steadily and marketing your services diligently and consistently within a viable market niche, you can earn $100,000 within two to three years. 36. Superstar copywriters claim to make up to a million dollars a year or more is that really true? We can never actually know if their claims are true but you can go by this rule of thumb about overhyped claims: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. The only numbers you can believe are your own. But it certainly doesn t hurt to have goals to strive for, and if a million dollars will get you moving in that direction, use it. 37. How much time does it take to write a one page magazine ad or sales letter? There is no formula (X words = X hours) for how long it takes to write but in general, a simple ad to generate leads or build brand awareness, which could be a few hundred words, should take no more than 8 10 hours. Mail order ads, which are longer and more complex, and could be up to 1200 words, take longer. You should allow one to two days to write them. 38. What kind of turnaround time should I promise clients on copywriting projects? The length of the final piece is only one factor and often, how long it actually takes you to write isn t that closely related to turnaround time. More than anything, it s based on the degree of complexity of what needs to be written. More complex concepts take longer to explain and therefore to write. In addition, information overload accounts for much time on a project. It used to be the opposite but now, with the Internet, the client is likely to give you more 24

26 information than you need and it s your job to go through it all to see what s there and pull out what you need. (Super productivity for writers offers various assignments and how long they should take.) But what most affects turnaround time is the time in between your writing sessions. Putting the project away and then coming back to any written piece afresh improves it immeasurably. So if you only give yourself three days to write, that doesn t leave much time to put it away and come back. That s why you should always ask for as much time as you can get; start by asking for three or four weeks. The more time you have, the better the writing will be, and you can explain that to your impatient client especially. 39. What kind of information do I need to get from the client to write strong copy for their product? An experienced client will know what you to give you; an inexperienced client will appreciate a list of requested materials, which should include all previously published material on the product, such as: Tear sheets of previous ads Brochures Catalogs Article reprints Technical papers Copies of speeches Audio visual scripts Press kits Swipe files of competitors ads and literature 25

27 By studying this material, you should have 80 percent of the information you need to write the copy. You can get the other 20 percent by picking up the phone and asking questions. You may also need access to a subject matter expert within the company. And don t forget about the client s prospects and customers. Often your client will provide lots of information on the product but won t bother to research their prospects and that s essentially more important than the product facts. You will do your best writing when you can tap into the core problems their prospects are dealing with. You can also ask to talk to some of the users/members/customers. Most won t be that articulate but you will find out what they re interested in a way that no one else can usually tell you better. (More about this here: For online copywriting of Web pages, how do I optimize my Web pages for search engines through SEO copywriting techniques? Keyword meta tags used to be the key to top rankings, but keywords themselves are still one of the most important aspects of good SEO. It s simply their application that has changed. Instead of stuffing a hundred keywords into your meta tags and your copy to get high rankings, the current trend is toward uncovering the keywords that make the most sense for your business and using them in a way that drives targeted, qualified traffic to your site. So you must know your best keywords, which are the building blocks of search engine optimization. Finding them is called keyword research and it s more involved than it sounds. It s a strategic exercise that enables you to determine which queries your site is most relevant for and for which you can expect a 26

28 return. Then you optimize your site accordingly. It involves an often painstaking discovery process to determine exactly which terms the people who are looking for you are typing into the search field of their favorite search engine, how often, and which other sites appear for those terms. 41. How do I know what keyword phrases to optimize a Website for? There are a couple of ways. First, brainstorm what words you think prospects would be looking for. Enter your guesses into online tools such as Wordtracker.com. These tools will tell you how many people actually searched those specific terms. Keyword research tools are essential for seeing what users truly search for. These tools generally have data on search engine queries that have been conducted over at least the past month, more often over the past year. Often, if you enter one term, you ll get back related terms, including synonyms, variations, plurals, and misspellings. Many of these tools will also give you an idea of the number of search engine results for each term, which tells you how much competition there is for that keyword or keyword phrase. All things being equal, the lower the competition for a given keyword, the better your chances are of getting a good ranking. 42. How much should I charge to write a Google AdWords campaign or a banner ad? It s not worth your time to sell them as single ads because they re so short. Offer instead a campaign as a package. For $ you can provide three to four ads. You ll find that once you write the first one, the rest come easily by combining words and sentences. 27

29 43. Do I write the copy only or do I also have to do the graphic design for banner ads, HTML e mail, or Websites? For PPC (pay per click), because they are text ads, you write copy only. There is no need for graphics. For banner ads, find out the size of the ad. It will probably help your client if you provide a rough sketch of how you envision the text within the ad. But you re not expected to be a designer. 44. What happens if the client gets my copy and says they don t like it? You want your client to be happy, especially if you plan to work with them in the future. So if your client doesn t like the work you ve done, your first step is to find out why. If they have a legitimate objection (they ve tested it and it doesn t work) then it s always a good idea to offer to revise it or improve it until they are happy with it (within reason, of course). On the other hand, the client doesn t always know what works. Ideally you are a copywriter who also understands how marketing works, and even more ideally, you have expertise in the market or industry of your client. In that case, your client may not like the copy but it still may be effective, which they wouldn t know unless they test it. So you must first determine whether they don t like it because there s something wrong with the copy or because they re something wrong with their expectations. 45. A client asks for endless revision after revision can I tell them I have to charge more if they want to keep changing it? 28

30 This should not be a problem if you have outlined in your initial contract or agreement how many revisions you provide at the price and how much each revision after that costs. So yes, when a project goes beyond the scope of your proposal (which is commonly referred to as scope creep ) you must let the client know as soon as you know. Try saying something like, Just wanted to remind you that I allow for X number of revisions in the agreement and this is your last one. If we go beyond this and need to revise some more, the fee will be X. The trick, though, is to bring it up as soon as you see the scope starting to creep. If you wait, it may feel like itʹs too late and you end up losing time and money, and maybe resenting your client. So do yourself a favor and donʹt ignore that pivotal moment. 46. Can I subcontract some or all of the writing to other writers, pay them, put a big markup on their work, and resell it to my clients? You can, of course, do that but you must ensure that you have excellent subcontracted writers and that you have a strong system for managing the projects and conveying to your freelancers what the client is looking for. If you re doing it so you can get paid without doing the work, you are less likely to pay the kind of attention that will generate strong, ongoing client relationships. But if you are a better salesperson than copywriter, there s no reason why you can t bring the work in and have someone else do it. It s best, in that case, to make it clear to the clients that you are not doing the writing. You wouldn t want them to feel deceived or betrayed if they find out some other way. 29

31 47. Are Internet marketers good clients for freelance copywriters? They can be, but you have to be careful. More and more people are trying to make their fortune on the Internet and only a very few are actually doing so. The client you don t want is an Internet marketer who is just starting out. One successful model is the Agora Model, which uses an e mail list of opt in prospects to sell products. Find out if your prospect is using that model and, if so, how many names on they are e mailing to? The smaller the list, the less likely they are to be successful. Ten thousand is a relatively small list and therefore the profit potential is also small. So they most likely can t afford to spend what s necessary. But if they are e mailing a list of 50,000 to 100,000, they are a more serious player and can afford the fees you will want to charge. 48. Should I work for ad agencies, PR firms, and marketing consultants or just with clients directly? Ad agencies, PR firms and marketing consultants can be ideal to work with since they can help add a steady flow of prospects into your pipeline. Working with clients directly is a good idea as well, but keep in mind that while a direct client may need your services once or twice a year, an ad agency, PR firm or marketing consultant may utilize your services many times a year. On the other hand, you probably won t earn as much money working through agencies as they will be marking up your work, so if you re in it to make money, you are best served pursuing the clients directly. 49. What computer system should I write on a PC or a Macintosh and what software should I use? 30

32 If most of your clients and prospects work with PCs, you probably should too, to avoid issues of incompatibility. If, however, you work through a lot of designers and other creative agencies, many of whom are Mac based, you might want to choose Mac platform to be compatible with them. But for the most part it doesn t matter as the two platforms are becoming more and more compatible with each other. 50. Is proofreading and catching typos and errors important, and if so, how can I proofread my own work accurately? Yes, it is very important. Submit work to your clients that is as close to perfect as possible. Mistakes are often interpreted as a lack of professionalism so it s best to go out of your way to avoid any mistakes at all, especially those related to the actual writing. You should always have someone proofread your work, whether you pay an actual proofreader or give it to someone you know, but that person should be detail oriented and should know what to look for. 51. I have heard that the FTC now requires marketers to substantiate all product performance claims am I as the copywriter responsible for this? Yes, you are responsible. If you are making product claims in your copy, you need to cite the source. You have to have proof for every claim and every fact you cite, unless it s general knowledge. 52. When I write copy, how do I document my sources and proof in my copy manuscript? 31

33 Make a legend at the top so people can find the reference if they need to (although most clients don t ask for it). Whenever possible, use online sources, so they can find it themselves if you give them the URL. 53. Do I hand over copies of my source documents and claims proof when I submit copy and how long must I maintain copies of this material? You don t need to hand over actual source documents but they need to be accessible, if there are questions. That s why it s best to source as much as possible on the Internet. As for your own documents, it s best to keep them at least a year, ideally two years. 54. Since I am a freelancer and my clients don t withhold tax from the fees they pay me, do I have to make some sort of advance tax payments to the IRS? Yes, as an independent contractor in the U.S. (and since an employer is not deducting taxes from your regular paycheck), you are required to make quarterly estimated payments to the IRS based on your previous year s income. 55. If I get sick and cannot work, is there a clause I can put in my client agreements to hold me harmless in such situations? Yes, you can and should. You can t predict what happens in life, especially if you are working solo. You might fall ill and be in the hospital for three days and as a result miss your deadline. In your letter of agreement, give the deadline, and then simply insert the phrase: barring accident, unforeseen illness or acts of God. This will protect you with all reasonable clients. 32