As promised, here is part two of Choosing Your Niche. This article covers…
Copywriting
This is an extremely lucrative area of writing to work in, once you’re established.
I found it difficult to break into, but once I got established, it did become much easier. The unfortunate part is you will probably need to work for low pay in the beginning, but as soon as you have the necessary experience (and clips) you can go after higher paying jobs.
I started off charging an extremely low rate, but was able to demand higher fees as time went by.
Many writers erroneously believe if you’re a writer (of any sort), you can be a copywriter. Totally wrong. Like any other form of writing, you need to learn the concepts of copywriting before you can begin to sell your services.
Things I love about copywriting:
Pays very well once you are experienced.
You will often get repeat clients.
You don’t need to know technical aspects of a niche to write about it.
You can specialise in areas of copywriting and get more work as a result. (For instance, I specialise in rewriting non-converting sales pages.)
My policy is to ask for 50% – 100% deposit before work begins. If you charge 50% deposit, balance is due immediately the work is completed. One hundred percent up front is safest, especially when you’ve not worked with that client previously.
*Most of my clients prefer to pay the full amount in advance.
Things I dislike about copywriting:
A lot of potential clients think it’s extremely easy and therefore not worth much in monetary terms.
You can often get overloaded with work if you’re not extremely careful about your time-management. Always use a diary or booking sheets to ensure you don’t double up unintentionally.
Clients often want it yesterday and expect you to drop everything to fit them in. Including other client’s projects.
Payment:
Many writers starting out in copywriting will charge $1-$5 for a 500 word article. Please don’t do this – your time and expertise is worth a lot more money than that.
Plus it also hurts other writers trying to sell their services.
When I began, I was charging no less than $25 per 500 word articles. I now charge $50 per 500 word article, and have no issues getting that amount. That’s because I write high quality articles, and spend time researching the subject matter. And my clients know that’s the case.
I started off writing sales pages for $150, but now charge no less than $425 for a ‘short’ sales page. I know writers who have been doing this for years and still only charge around $100. It can take literally days to write a good sales page, so don’t skimp on your fee.
For some projects I charge by the hour. This can depend on the client – some want an hourly rate, some want a flat rate.
If I’m charging by the hour, which can also depend on the job I’m doing, I charge anywhere from $60 an hour (for proof-reading) up to $140 an hour for more complicated work.
For a simple ‘introductory letter’ for businesses, I charge $120 per two page letter.
This is a business – you must get a decent return on your time, otherwise it’s a hobby, not a business.
Recommended Resources:
“The Ultimate Copywriter” will show you how easy (and lucrative) copywriting can be, when you know how.
“The Wealthy Web Writer” is a fairly new resource, but has proven to be popular. If you want to earn money writing for the internet, definitely check this out.
For more suggestions visit “http://copy.writer2writer.com/resources.htm”
