Want to Make More Money as a Freelance
Writer? Here are 10 Reasons to Consider Copywriting
BY MICHELE PARIZA WACEK
Looking to chuck that full-time job for
a life of full-time writing? Or maybe you’ve already dumped the day job
but aren’t quite as busy as you’d like to be. Why not take a closer look
at copywriting?
Copywriting, also known as business or
promotional writing, can do more than put a few extra bucks in your
wallet – it can also help you develop as a writer. Here are ten reasons
why:
1. Copywriting pays well.
Actually it can pay very well. I know copywriters who easily make six
figures in a year. That’s because copywriters charge by the hour rather
than the by the word or page. Beginning copywriters usually start at $25
or $30 an hour, but if they’re good (or good at asking for what they’re
worth – a rare trait in writers but one definitely worth developing)
they can quickly move to $45 to $75 an hour. Senior copywriters charge
well over $100 an hour.
Now you probably won’t start at $100 an
hour, but even a few small jobs at $30 an hour can really boost your
bottom line.
2. Copywriting pays you before you
begin working. Yes, you heard right. You can actually ask for a
deposit before you start writing. (What other kind of writing allows you
to do that?) Moreover, your clients will EXPECT this.
Deposits range from one-third to
one-half of your estimated fee. You can also arrange it where you get
paid throughout the process – i.e., one-third in the beginning,
one-third with the first draft and one-third when you deliver the final
product.
3. Copywriting fits into your
schedule. Don’t want to do it full-time? Just take on jobs when your
other writing work is slow or you need the extra cash. Now to land those
jobs you’ll have to do some networking, but believe me, that’s a good
thing. As a full-time freelance writer, finding ways to connect with the
rest of the human race is a constant challenge. Going out and networking
can be the answer to the secluded, sometimes-cut-off life of a writer.
4. Copywriting helps your other
writing. Writing good copy means writing clean, crisp and
powerfully. It means explaining products and services clearly. It means
organizing ideas to make the biggest impact. It means knowing how to
edit your own work – including being able to recognize your writing
flaws and fix them.
Sound familiar?
As you can see, the same rules to good
copywriting also apply to other kinds of writing. But with copywriting,
those rules are even more exaggerated. Your writing has to be lean and
mean – there’s absolutely no room for extra words. You need to get in,
make your point, and get out. No matter what kind of writing you do,
learning to write this tight will help you.
I’ve discovered that copywriting has
strengthened my fiction and other writing. It’s forced me to trim out
the fat, leaving only the powerful words that pull their own weight. In
fact, trying a variety of writing styles has helped me discover and
intensify my writing voice.
5. Copywriting helps you learn about
marketing. What’s the essence of copywriting? Using words to sell.
You also have to learn about the different marketing vehicles and how to
write for each of them (i.e. writing for the Web is very different than
writing a 30-second radio spot). You learn about target markets, goals
and marketing plans. This will all help you market yourself and your
other writing.
6. Copywriting helps you develop
regular writing habits. Clients give you deadlines. Deadlines mean
you have to produce regardless of what your muse decides to do or even
where your muse is. You want to get paid? You get the work done.
Also, just by picking up a few extra
copywriting jobs means you’re writing more. The more you write, the
better you’ll get at writing AND the better you’ll get at just sitting
down and putting words on paper no matter what your mood is.
7. Copywriting helps you develop a
professional attitude about writing. There’s nothing that makes you
feel more like a professional writer than having people pay you to
write. It’s a great boost to your ego (to say nothing for your bank
account). Also, as a professional copywriter, you’ll need business
cards, a Web site, a desk, office supplies, etc. Plus you’ll have to
start introducing yourself as a professional writer. All these things
will help you cultivate an image of a serious writer.
8. Copywriting can boost your ego.
Unlike other forms of writing where kudos are few and far between,
copywriting clients are usually pretty good about telling you how much
they like what you wrote and how much they enjoy working with you. Many
times you’ll even get thanked (I know, amazing concept). Best yet, you
can take advantage of all that goodwill and ask for testimonials, which
you then put on your marketing materials for other people to see. (You
can even read them on those really bad days when you wonder why it ever
occurred to you that you could write).
9. Copywriting can help you learn
how to handle criticism. Okay – I know I just got finished telling
you about all the compliments you’ll receive, which you will if you do a
good job, but at the same time you will be asked to make changes. It’s a
fact of life. Sometimes those changes are very minor, but you almost
always go through a second or third draft (and sometimes even a tenth
draft, but we won’t talk about those right now). However, and this is
important to remember, your clients can and will still love your writing
and still ask you to make changes. After all, you don’t know their
business or their customers the way they do, and there will be things
you just won’t know.
Because these changes are usually
completely separate from your writing style, they’re a lot easier to
hear and a lot easier to make then, say, someone hates one of your
novel’s subplots. And if clients do want to make a change you don’t
agree with, feel free to discuss it with them. You are the expert here.
Clients are hiring you because you know how to write and they don’t.
They’ll listen to you, and even if you end up making that change, at
least you’ve discussed it.
All of this is good practice. After
awhile, you’ll learn to separate constructive criticism from nasty
criticism, and eventually learn not to take even the nasty criticism
personally. I’m not saying criticism won’t still hurt, I’m just saying
all of this will help you develop a professional attitude about it.
10. Copywriting can increase your
knowledge. Not only will you learn about different businesses, but
different industries and different niches. You’ll learn about problems,
challenges and successes. All stuff you can use in future articles and
novels.
There’s actually more than just ten
ways copywriting can help you as a writer – it can sharpen your
interviewing skills and beef up your contact list. But ten ways sounded
good, so I thought I would stick with that. Regardless, the skills and
information you learn as a copywriter can also help you become a better
writer in general.
Michele Pariza Wacek owns
Creative Concepts and Copywriting, a writing, marketing and
creativity agency. She offers two free e-newsletters that help
subscribers combine their creativity with hard-hitting marketing and
copywriting principles to become more successful at attracting new
clients, selling products and services and boosting business.
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