So you’re trying to get your first freelance writing gig, but you don’t know where to start, eh?
Well sit in Uncle Neville’s lap and I’ll show you the steps to getting started as a copywriter:
Well my young little guppy, lets get you on the right path!
Let’s start you off by making you a single goal:
Our #1 Goal is to make your first $100 as a freelance copywriter.
Now that we’ve got a specific goal, we can start building towards that goal. Trying to make just $100 as a writer is a very attainable goal, that’s why we’re starting there. Some people might hit this $100 goal on their very first gig, and others might take a couple laps around the block before hitting that. Don’t get discouraged.
Like anyone who is just starting on a career path, in the beginning the money will suck and you will do a lot of work.
BUT….
As you get more experience….
As you start to build a reputation….
As you get more good testimonials….
As you get some word of mouth referrals….
As you start learning what clients really want….
As you start offering more services clients want….
As you start getting known within a specific industry….
Then your income will start growing.
It’s always the toughest as you build your freelancing business from scratch:
So let’s get started!
1.) Start your Copywriting Command Center:
This is a document we keep to ourselves. It’s like our own little secret plan to dominate the copywriting world.
Your Command Center can just be a simple Google Doc or text file. The reason I want you to do this first is because many people blindly go through trying to build their freelance writing business and flip-flop around without a goal.
I want YOU, my special friend, to go through this process with a concrete plan.
At first your portfolio will be depressingly blank. But it’s ok because everyone has to start at the bottom. With some dedication, we’ll get this portfolio filled up in no time.
If you fast forward a few months, you can see this portfolio getting filled with larger and larger projects:
You see how the progression goes?
Small gig.
Small gig 2.
Small gig 3.
Medium sized gig 1.
Medium sized gig 2.
Big and highly paid gig 1.
Big and highly paid gig 2.
Big and highly paid gig 3…..
It’s just like any creative profession:
[More Experience] + [More Skill] + [More Notoriety] = [More Money $$$] !
2.) Know when to write for free….and when to say “no.”
Let’s be clear my young cub…..we’re in this game for money. Here’s how to determine whether or not to work for free, it’s very simple…
Reasons to work for free:
- The company/person is a well-known name you can use as a resume builder.
Ex: If you want to be a marketer and Seth Godin asks for your help on a page…then say yes to this gig. You can now say you’ve worked with Seth Godin which greatly adds to your credibility. - The company/person is a hero of yours, and you want to work with them no matter what.
Ex: If Tesla or SpaceX were to ask for a bit of your advice, and you really love those companies, then say yes. - The company/person has a huge audience, and you will be getting credit for your work.
Ex: If a blog with an active audience and 10x the readers you have asks for a guest post, they promise to also promote and email your article, and you’re definitely getting credit & links to your own site, then say yes.
That’s really about it. You should not do free work unless you KNOW it’s going to result in something awesome, or it adds major credibility.
If I catch you working for some shitty small insurance company that is “paying you in experience” ….I will personally find you and smack the pen out of your hand and then smack you in the face for being so dumb.
3.) Join groups where copywriting gigs are posted:
You gotta be part of groups that openly post jobs for writing. Here’s a couple of them to get started:
- The Cult of Copy (Facebook Group).
- The Cult of Copy Job Board (Facebook Group).
- The KopywritingKourse Page (Facebook Page).
- Austin Freelance Gigs (Facebook Page) ….obviously look for groups in your own geographic area.
- Meetup.com groups in your area. Find groups with keywords “Writer”, “Freelancer”, “Marketer” etc.
Like with any crowd of people, you get back from them what you put in. So if you’re just a lurker in these groups, then don’t expect to get a ton back.
For example, I try to post some helpful information in some of these groups every month. I treat the group to helpful information, and they reward me with feedback/questions/likes etc:
Beware: It’s very easy to cross the line between “posting helpful information” and “spamming the group with annoying self-promotion.”
To make sure people ENJOY the post, I like to give them something free.
For example in this post on The Cult of Copy I decided to give away the Google Spreadsheet of all the collected company slogans to the group. I didn’t make them trade an email address to get the doc, it was just free-and-clear for them to have:
By becoming a staple to some of these groups, you’re building a small group of fans in your industry. This can serendipitously lead to more gigs, jobs, and introductions you otherwise would never have got.
Something more interesting is when you go to a conference and meet these people in real life, you actually already have a great bond.
Be helpful and useful to these groups, and it can take you a long way.
4.) Start reading copywriting books and taking copywriting courses:
Like anyone who is good at what they do…..they study the subject. You need to get obsessed with copywriting and start devouring information at a fast pace. Learn from the masters. Use concepts they teach. Apply those concepts to your own writing. Blend your own writing and their wisdom together.
I already outlined exactly which books and courses to take, and don’t want to clutter up this post with them. Many of the books are either free or very cheap from Amazon.
You can see my list of recommendations here:
Copywriting Books and Courses Recommendations –>
5.) Start writing anything, even a small blog:
If you want to be a professional dancer, and have NEVER danced.
You better start dancing to get practice!
If you want to be a professional welder, and have NEVER welded.
You better start welding to get practice!
If you want to be a professional copywriter, and have NEVER written.
You better start writing to get practice!!!
You’re gonna suck ass at whatever you do for the first time. So it helps to just get started and get some practice.
I started writing articles in 2001 and posting them online before “blogging” was actually a thing. In 2004 I started a Blogger.com blog that I never expected anyone to read.
Constantly posting my thoughts on that blog helped me get into the groove of writing. Yadda yadda yadda years down the road, those same typing fingers make a good living doing the same thing I would’ve done for free anyway!
For all you know, you may actually end up HATING the process of writing. If this is the case, then move onto something else. But you’ll never find out if you like it or not unless you start.
Here’s a perfect use case of this “Start writing anything” advice:
I started seeing this dorky Asian kid guy pop up, EVERYWHERE.
He was posting in a bunch of the Facebook groups I was part of. He was emailing me, friends of mine, he was sharing articles I wrote, responding to my broadcast emails…..
Essentially he just seemed to pop up EVERYWHERE. I couldn’t escape him if I wanted to. Then he started writing for TheHustle, and he really started popping up in my inbox all the time.
I asked him to explain to the KopywritingKourse audience how he went from just some random dude, to being known as a writer. He explained to me how he “just started writing” initially, and then it just grew from there:
- August 2013: Started writing a personal blogspot blog after graduating high school (had no intention of making money from it).
- Wrote his second post about being a nerd.
- Facebook friends starting loving the post provided enough encouragement to keep going.
- Started writing everything about anything, shared his work with friends
- Published a post on LinkedIN.
- Published 3 posts on Medium.
- Started following a lot of bloggers he liked the style of their voice.
- Added on a SumoMe email signup form on his site, got 100 email subscribers his first year.
- Starting in 2015 started writing on Medium consistently.
- One article on Medium (about Stephen Curry) randomly picked up steam and got 150,000 views.
- Read books about marketing and writing, including 279 Days to Overnight Success about how to monetize your work.
- He wanted to write a book, so self-published a book on Amazon called How To Network: Instantly Build Respect and Trust With Anyone You Meet. It sold 10,000+ copies and currently has 85+ reviews. That’s pretty damn impressive for just some random kid writing a book “because he wanted to!”
He also wrote a shit ton of articles for various outlets. Medium, Fortune, his own blog, TheHustle, Quora etc. Here’s Tam’s portfolio of articles. I’ve included just a FRACTION of the titles here:
- Nas’ Investment Portfolio Is Straight Nasty
- What you can learn from our business f*ck ups
- TheHustle.co co-founders Sam Parr and John Havel talk about how they created a media company without coding backgrounds….
- Is a College Degree Worth It in 2016?
- You might be more successful if you drop out of college……
- The Five Minute journal that made Tim Ferriss 100% happier
- Tim Ferriss loves this… and we do to. It will change your life….
- Learn From the Entrepreneur Who Started Two $100 Million Dollar Businesses
- Serial entrepreneur Jack Smith shares his advice for aspiring founders and his personal take on startups today….
- This Website Simulates What It Feels Like to Read With Dyslexia
- Facebook and Twitter Both Rejected the Founder of WhatsApp
- Don’t give up. You never know when you might get acquired for $19B….
- Every Aspect of Your Life Is Controlled by Only a Handful of Companies
- Conglomerates control how you eat, drink, watch, read, manage money, date, and drive. Wow….
- NBA Stars Who Became Successful Entrepreneurs and Investors
- While some pro athletes go broke after retirement, these veterans spent their money wisely and made huge profits….
- 9 Entrepreneurs Who Immigrated to the U.S. And Started Billion Dollar Companies
- These founders came to a new country with almost nothing and achieved the ultimate American dream….
- 26-Year-Old Quits Her Job to Pursue Snapchat Full-Time and Makes up to $30,000 per Snap Story
- Cyrene Quiamco used to draw celebrities and now she’s getting paid to hang out with them….
- What It’s Like to Raise Tens of Millions of Dollars and Lose It All
- The real reasons why successful companies don’t always make it….
- Why Stephen Curry Never Should Have Been NBA Champion
- Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors won the NBA Championships last week. Here’s why Steph never should have earned such an award….
- What internships should I do this summer to land a job as a business analyst, product developer, data analyst, or corporate sales?
- What are the best majors that prepare you for a decent job for the next 20 years?
- 20 Ruthless Companies Who Lied, Spammed, and Deceived Us to Grow Their Business in the Early Days
- Famous companies like LinkedIn, Reddit, and Airbnb are notorious for unethical “growth hacks.”…
- How to Stop Being Sad and Start Being Awesome
- The story of how this entrepreneur almost killed himself, why he didn’t….
- Career Choices: What should be my lifetime career?
- Freelancers Will Make Up 40% Of The Workforce and Here’s What The Future Will Look Like
- Just imagine a world where half of your co-workers are not even in the office….
- What should I do if I got rejected by every college I applied to?
- Is millennial job hopping safe?
That was just the first 35 articles. I stopped the list short because it was too damn long. You can see the full list here.
That’s like…..A LOT OF ARTICLES in a pretty short amount of time. That doesn’t even count the amount of interaction on Facebook & social I’ve seen. Essentially Tam Pham has put out a shitload of content for the world.
THIS to me is a sign that he will probably continue writing a lot. It seems pretty clear he’s doing it for the love of it, rather than just to make money (which leads me to believe he WILL make decent money doing it).
This my friends is a perfect example of “just start writing.” This random kid with no qualifications whatsoever climbed to credibility just by his sheer consistent output.
And here’s one of the end financial results of this:
“I posted a Facebook status about looking for some writing gigs (something I never ask publicly about) and was swarmed with messages (5 offers in the first hour of posting). Even Neville reached out to me and asked if I wanted to be a case study. Amazing things happen when you continue to share your work.”
–Tam Pham
Learn from this example and understand that you don’t need to get some special assignment handed to you or big opportunity…..you can just start writing on your own free blog, in a Facebook Group, on Medium….anywhere.
If you don’t write –> You probably won’t.
So my friend, if you want to become a writer, then here’s the advice:
(That’s supposed to be a Nike “Just Do It” sign with a pencil at the end. Clearly I should “Just Start Drawing” to get more practice) ;-)
So with this advice, I implore you to go start writing. This can be in ANY form such as:
- Regularly posting in Facebook Groups.
- Start your own website (this isn’t a technical post, so I’ll leave that to you….but I know Blogger.com is super easy to use and it’s free).
- Submitting articles to Medium.com.
- Posting short stories on your own Facebook or whatever social media following you have.
- Volunteer to write some posts or emails for a famous blogger.
- Post on Upwork.com or Fiverr.com to get your first initial gigs.
I can’t tell you exactly how you’ll get your first freelance writing gig, but I can 100% say this:
I will bet money that the person who ALREADY WRITES FOR FUN will end up becoming the successful copywriter.
6.) Put together some “Packages” for people to purchase.
At first you might be using platforms like Fiverr.com and Upwork.com to get clients, but if someone approaches you personally for writing services, they will inevitably ask “How much does it cost?”
This question scares people shitless, and with good reason.
You don’t want to charge too much and scare them away.
-but-
You don’t want to charge too little and be disappointed.
So this is why I suggest making multiple packages, often using “Three Tiered Pricing.”
Use three tiered pricing a freelancer can literally “make up” any crazy prices they want….even if you’re just starting out!
So the pricing structure looks like this:
Then we can fill in the pricing structure with our offering:
- The $15/hour may be the safe bet we know people can’t refuse.
- The $575 website review might be what we’d be really happy to get, but may not get right away as a new freelancer.
- The $2,750 package might be what we’d be REALLY excited to get! It offers a bunch of stuff people might not want or need, but it simultaneously lets people know you can do this stuff, and that you’re “valued” quite high. It actually might make them look at the low end offer ($15/hour) and bump up to the mid-tier option.
This kind of Three Tiered Pricing is a brilliant way for a newbie freelancer to offer super high-end packages without scaring away potential clients. You can read much more in depth about this (including personal stories) in my post about consulting as a side job.
Now since you’re a total newbie, I don’t want you wasting too much time setting up a website or anything to host this cool Three Tiered Pricing chart of yours. IT DOES NOT NEED TO BE ON A WEBSITE.
In fact, it’s probably best if you just have a simple email like this:
Load that baby up into your “Canned Responses” and send it out whenever you need. Oh, and those blue [purchase] links are just links to PayPal buttons. Don’t get distracted with being over-fancy with shopping carts and merchant accounts and all that jazz. Wait until you’re a baller copywriter bringing in hundreds of thousands of dollars before fiddling with that.
Freelance Writing Job Script (post on Facebook):
This is a handy template to sell people your email copywriting services as a beginner:
Post that on your personal Facebook page, and see if you get gigs.
Now go out and make your first $100 from writing with this information!!!
How to get freelancing gigs video:
Download this Freelancing For Beginners Guide:
-Download the whole post as a PDF, Word, and Google Doc file-
-Keep it in your files for later reference-
-Easily send it to a friend-
If you enjoyed this article, you might get some more insights on these other great articles about copywriting:
More copywriting advice to absorb:
- How To Become A Copywriter Video: A helpful video that will help you through the process of becoming a copywriter.
- Get Your First Freelance Jobs Videos: This video will show you the steps to get your very first $100 as a freelance copywri
- How to Become A Copywriter
- Consulting On The Side
- Copywriting Books and Courses for Beginners
- Copywriter Salaries
Sincerely,
Neville Medhora – Experienced Kopywriter
P.S. In the comments, tell us how YOU got your first freelance writing gig!
Hello Neville,
Thanks you again for your very useful, simple and pragmatic ideas. I am just finishing a copywriter course but really with doubts for opening sites to the public. I have made good advance with your documents and can sure: if Neville Medhora is so clear with the free contents, the complete course would be more than amazing. I hope to be in the near future a subscriber to your Kopywriting course.
I am starting as a copywriter. I have already done a course on copywriting on Udemy. But i dint have a slighest idea how to get my first gig. Your content are so genuine and helpful. Thank you so much. Hope someday i will take your full copywriting course.
Hi, neville
Your contents are so great and helpful, thanks a lot. But, i am a newbie and i don’t even know to write emails or sales page yet. So, how would i handle the project if i get after posting that offer. And how can i learn it.thanks.
Hey rajeev,
I see you as myself around a month ago. I also didn’t know how to write this kind of stuff with fancy names and titles, but you know when you want to do something, you just can’t sit idle ( Right!?! ). So, here’s my opinion of how you should start writing any copy, rather it be email, ad, article, Instagram post, or any social media post.
.
So, here it is,
.
1. Go to the swipe file of mr. Medhora’s or any other like sifu Dan lok’s.
2. Find out what you want to learn.
3. Start to re-write what you want to learn, either it be email or product page copy.
4. And the emails you have subscribed! Just look out to their words of use and try to find out what type of factor does drive you to open their email.
.
Well, these are not my theoretical answers. I practice them daily, and to some extent I think that I’d be soon ready for my first copy writing job.
.
Cheers,
Shashwat 😉
Thank you Neville!! Your writing is very inspiring, humerus and educational. I recently took a leap of faith and quit my job so I can work from home. I have been following your posts for the last two days and finally got the courage to write something. I was looking into other types of work from home opportunities which led me to scams or purchasing starter packages. Now I’m 100% sure of what I would like to do. You will be seeing more of this Future Freelance Copywriter.
Hi Neville,
Watched some of your videos on Youtube and found this blog! Truly, words are so powerful. I loved writing but there were a lot of ‘what ifs’ and ‘but’. I wanted to convert my writing skills to a passive income that I’ve been looking for days now and this is a great steps on how to start doing so! Thank you for this!
Dear Neville,
OH My GOSH! I just found you!And I love you man! You are hilarious!!And loaded with great info wrapped in witty wisdom.I am a newbie copywriter , subscribed to your blogs and I am so excited to have found you!
( please pardon the bombardment of exclamation marks, I promise my copies will not suffer this!)
Why thank you Suman! Most of the good content goes to the email list, so stay tuned for more good stuff (and just for fun here’s a bunch of exclamation marks)!!!!!! :-P
Thanks so much for the insight, am a beginner, and am trusting this to take me somewhere….thanks you went ahead and learnt all these so we don’t repeat the same mistakes, as much as they are part and parcel of the learning process.
Hey this was helpful and much needed
gonna go and start writinggggggg
Hey Neville,
Your writing style is just amazing. I’ve been trying to find someone that I can enjoy *studying* from after Jon Morrow from a long time but no luck. And here today I was searching for this copywriting thing I mean Kopywriting thing, and I got you.
I’d rather say thanks for being a blogger. People like YOU are needed :p
Cheers,
Sadaf
Wow, there is so much information here that never occurred to me. I am looking forward to freelance writing full time. The opportunities you are presenting are a little different, but look equally as delicious for a hungry writer!
Hey Neville,
I need your help. Im from Belgium, and here you only matter if you have a high diploma . I dont have that. Im scared to start my own freelance bussiness because of the haters. How do you suggest i start ? Can i also get gigs from other countrys? Can i join those groups too?
Any advice is welcome
Hey Johanna, you should read my posts about exactly this! You can get lots of freelancing gigs through your own networks without ever having to use a “marketplace” like UpWork or Fiverr.
Checkout the guide, it even has scripts you can copy/paste to get gigs right away:
https://copywritingcourse.com/how-to-make-100-dollars/
I also have a video about getting your first freelance gigs if that’s helpful:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxV1s704puU
Great stuff Neville! I love what you’ve posted here; I have been searching for information on freelance and copywriting for some time now. Everyone has done an awesome job posting on your site, it only motivates me to keep going. I’m aware of some of the obstacles and aware there will be more for me to cross, but its sites like this that encourage beginners, such as myself, to dive right into the writing world. You pointed out key points: “just start writing”, join groups that are already writing, and read material pertaining to writing. I only did one of the 3, read about copywriting, lol, I know what your thinking, “this guy must have JUST started”, yes, and thankfully, your site has opened a new portal for me. I’ll join a writing group or some writing groups after this post, and I’m taken your advice today by just start writing on your site. I know its a long way up the latter, but I’m determined to use my skills that has been repressed for sometime now. I actually have a great paying job, but, like most writers, I want more time for me; I spend entirely to much time doing someone else work making them rich, when I can use my own skills to make a decent living and have fun while doing it, its a no brainer for me now. Although, I know it will take dedication and consistency, which I know I have, I’m eager and filled with writer passion. Again, thanks to everyone and good luck to all, including myself. “Here we go”!
Interesting Website
But what do I do when sites such as Fiverr and Upwork will not take me on due to lack of experience and small portfolio. Tried twice now on these sites but I’m told there are too many freelancers.
I am trying to build a foundation, set up website, facebook and Twitter accounts but all these time building is not bringing in projects. If I can’t use these sites, is there another way? I was just going to use them to build experience but I cannot even do that.
Hey Ray, you should read my post about exactly this! You can get lots of freelancing gigs through your own networks without ever having to use a “marketplace” like UpWork or Fiverr.
Checkout the guide, it even has scripts you can copy/paste to get gigs right away:
https://copywritingcourse.com/how-to-make-100-dollars/
I also have a video about getting your first freelance gigs if that’s helpful:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxV1s704puU
Hi Neville,
Thanks for the advice. I have gone though the templates and done what you suggested and joined groups relevant to the area I want to service. However I have now been blocked by Facebook for two weeks and I am not sure why. I was just joining as many groups as possible. Is there a limit to how many I can join at one time? Everywhere I turn I am hitting brick walls.
Ray
I’ve never ever heard of someone being banned from Facebook for joining groups. I’m 100% sure you probably did something else that caused that. Good luck.
Hi Neville ( it seems a bit odd but we share almost the same name )
I ran into your blog by searching how to become a copywriter, but not entirely for business purposes rather than become more professional for my food blog, so I’m my first client
I do have a lot of homework to do, so I’ll read your articles inch by inch.
Thanks for sharing
Greetings from Albania
Bahahhaha….oh my, we are *almost* name twins!
I actually make the premium KopywritingKourse mainly for businesses to learn copy. When an existing business like yours puts good copywriting practices into their sales pages, products, and emails….the conversion rates almost always go up!
Best of luck implementing it in your own business Nevila :)
I’m currently taking a course on how to write case studies. Being a fiction writer, one of the aspects I love is the research and being able to talk to SMEs. I figured writing case studies would be a good fit. I was thinking about focusing on case studies for professional services. Which leaves it open to a pretty broad spectrum. As a newbie in this field, is it TOO broad? Should I narrow it down and focus on a specific TYPE or professional service?
Hi all
When thinking about an industry (or industries) you’d like to offer services to, how many industries have you targeted? Just one to begin with or several? Is it wiser to have a narrow focus? And are there industries which demand copywriters more than others?
Would appreciate any personal experiences.
Regards
Mike
And to think I was trying to make my first $10,000 by this summer. Reality check. I just finished reading your suggested books by Halbert & Sugarman in 3 days. No long story here but on my blog this month, I will be thanking you and noting Sugarman’s advice. Just get ’em to read the first line of your copy. I am AWAI trained & needed to see what else was out there in the universe. I will follow you on facebook…….
Thanks for amazing articles especially for beginners. I am interested only in print copywriting. What I have to do? Can I prepared some samples for prints ads with the help of good graphic designer? Can I post some on NGO GROUPS for public awarness ? I am still confused how to start my copywritig work .
Love this.. first time in a while I have read through the whole blog.. thanks for being concise and not over-wordy.. I have signed up.. I have got three web sites that I enjoy, but are not making money..hope fully some copy writing will change that..
Looking forward to seeing what you send..
Thanks
Hi ,
I relied on content mills for so long until I realized my worth. You’re right that those are not the best places to make a living. Creating an online presence is the way to go.
Thanks for sharing.
This is an amazing article! When I started maternity leave I decided to start a blog and to my surprise I discovered that I love writing. I’m now attempting to make writing pay before I return to work so that I can stay home with my beautiful baby. Your article is the most helpful thing I have read so far and I’m sure that your tips and pointers will help me achieve my goal. Thank you!
If I were Forest Gump, then writing would be like my Jenny. Always in and out of my life in some form or another, and just when I think she’s gone for good, there she is floating across a field to me as if in a dream. And when she appears, she always affects me in some good way. Writing for me is like a tiger in a cage, pacing constantly looking for a way to get out and do what God put it here on earth to do, kill. I cut my literary teeth on Stephen King, but I don’t see myself writing blood and guts books. Instead I have an idea for a book that has been done many times over. I have a couple of models in 1/18th scale die cast metal, that when I look at them, all I can think of is being three inches tall and being able to drive them. For years I have tried to weave a story around this image, and it shouldn’t be that hard, but other factors are involved. Your words are encouraging and inspirational. I think I will start hacking out something I can call my own work of art, because like they say, which includes you too by the way, to be a writer you must write. So thank you for helping me get started. And if you have time, you could shoot me a gmail, it would be an honor. Thanks again Bryan Fitzpatrick Thompson
Very nice article. I’ve been writing and traveling the world, full-time now, for three years. I can’t think of an easier way to make money than writing. No costly inventory, no expensive website, and little investment needed. When I started all I had was a gmail address, and a small portfolio. I would cold contact 10-15 websites a day offering my services. Three years later I’m farming out the small jobs, and still have repeat business from when I first started. It’s a great way to live.
Hi Neville, I’ve been poking around on your website for the last hour or so… great stuff, and I’ve been doing this (writing copy) for nigh on 25 years. I’d like to republish one of your articles in my weekly copywriting e-letter, the Copywriter’s Roundtable (link above, along with my email). I’ll look around for your contact info, but in case I don’t find it… how can we get in touch?
Hey Neville,
I’ve known for years that I wanted to try to make a living out of writing. I even have a Journalism degree. Im an avid reader, so I always study other writers’ style. I quickly noticed how many errors were being published, and how difficult writing is to many people, but how easy it is for me. I personally feel, when reading such material,that I’m a much better writer.
I searched for the best way to get started; enter, Elance. It took a while to get that first measly web content contract. But after that project, the client gave me stellar feedback, and my service started to gain speed. I wasn’t making much at all, but the inquiries came rolling in. So much that I neglected to respond to some project invites, which lead to the demise of my Elance profile. Yep, Elance suspended my account that had pretty good potential and creditability. Make sure you read those terms carefully. Lessons learned.
Since then I’ve been trying to recapture the same flame I had going on Elance on the Upwork platform. I’m honestly just frustrated with platforms such as these. I’m an experienced Copywriter, with a Journalism degree. I want to make this a career. I know that I have services that many can benefit from. All of your advice is what Ive been searching for. It’s extremely difficult to to find resources on how to carve out a writing career. You genuinely want to help others, and I thank you. I’m going to put everything I’ve just learned from you to work today!
I got my first client from a freelancing site in the Netherlands. It’s something like Upwork – I tried that too – but here, clients are actually willing to pay you good money. So I received 100 euro for some creative web copy around 600 words. And actually I think I could have charged more. The client said it was a decent price. Maybe I could have charged double!
Hi Neville,
A friend of mine shared this article with me on email this morning as I recently started offering my services as a freelancer. Great post. Also yo have some great resource on your page.
I think one can ask for more money on certain niches or if you can prove yourself as an expert. Of course having your own blog greatly helps.I finished my first contract recently and I received 175$ for writing 500*2 and 300*1 a total of about 1300 words roughly. Luckily for my interest health and fitness is a big industry.
Hey Neville, thanks for the post! Almost missed it in my inbox. :D
My first gig was waaay back in January 2009.
Basically, I lucked out and landed a $50 job on Elance (now Upwork). :D As a dumb 18y.o. shit who didn’t know anything about anything, I was happy with that. By my native country’s standards, it was great money for a day’s work.
The gig itself wasn’t even strictly ‘writing’ — it was a compilation of quotes (on, like, 30 categories) for some noname website that doesn’t exist anymore. I did it diligently, got a good review, then applied for more gigs involving actual writing.
I think the first one I did that involved typing words on a page was for doing 5 articles on photography, $10 apiece. I actually tracked down the feedback on it from Upwork and made a screenshot:
http://www.awesomescreenshot.com/image/1392415/0493700abd29669694f6ca697c8f946f
After that, I’ve been doing $5-10/hr gigs for a long while, and it took me a long time to realize I could easily raise my rates. Still kicking myself about it. :D
As of mid-2016, I charge upwards of $150/hr, so this meandering trial-and-error path did work out in the end. I no longer work on Upwork (but I will come back to it if I need extra clients), but you can actually *see* where the breakthrough in rates happened if you look at my work history.
I took a screenshot, hopefully someone will find it insightful:
http://www.awesomescreenshot.com/image/1392434/eb6c935cf5024da8bb0d6d5b73bb2c59 (I obscured my Elance login mentioned in some feedback, but everything else is intact — like some of my cringeworthy “professional” responses to feedback (ugh!). :D )
I guess the biggest lesson I learned is: don’t do what I did, people, don’t wait for a mentor to come around and tell you how your rates should be 3-5x higher. Raise them regularly, and raise them unapologetically. :D
Oleg
Thanks for the great post, Neville.
To be honest, I expected ‘tips and tricks’ or some spectacular method for getting that first client – but it alway seems the answer is simpler than I imagined. Just put myself out there and do the work.
I have not gotten my first freelance gig yet, but that $100 goal has been set – going to apply/post jobs on Upwork and Fiverr, will keep you updated. Thanks again
Hi Neville.
I’m also new to your site, but I agree with Even’s comment above me – your content is totally addictive.
I landed my first freelance gig on Upwork…. Ghostwriting ghost stories. Seriously.
It was awesome! And fun! And – hey – it paid! ($50 for 6K words.) And I felt the desire to take the jump into freelance world…
…but in all honesty, it’s been more like toe dipping.
As a fiction writer, I’m not yet sure where I fit into the world of copywriting, and I’m consistently oscillating over whether or not to learn a different aspect – like Autoresponders, or salescopy – or to remain focused on what I know I do best.
Any thoughts?
– Emma
Thank you for your awesome shit!
I learned how not to do krappy kopy. In fact, I used to write like this so long ago and somehow I allowed people to “teach” me out of it. I guess I had low self-esteem.
After going through your entire course and getting your book on Amazon. I wrote my first article based on what I learned and I posted it on Linkedin.com .
So far it has been my most viewed and commented on article that I have ever wrote.
It won’t rival you or some of the big guys, but for me it was a huge success.
Beside your content I downloaded a the Hemingway app to my desktop and used this app to help me write. Now I feel that I can actually make a go of this.
Best, Jae
Thanks Jae!
I’m really glad your biggest success was partially because of me, that always makes me feel good :)
Try not to compare it to other people yet. Just remember I also started at the bottom….I was blogging for a while before anyone ever read a single word.
Try following all the steps above, and keep putting out content. Give it a solid 6 month shot. If it works, then keep going. If it doesn’t, then at least you tried.
Thanks for the reply. And good advice.
How I made my first $100 as a writer!
The answer is Social Media!
I started writing about something I was passionate about (SELF IMPROVEMENT) on my own little blog just for fun and shared the crap out of it all over my social media channels.
I did this for a few years just for fun, made some friends online and locally.
This put me on peoples radar. I let people around me know that i’m not just a handsome brown guy, but can also write stuff of value! (I didn’t pitch copywriting, or anything like that, I just did what I loved–which happened to take the form of written blog posts).
I would write and post about lessons I learned in life. Books I read. Quotes. Anything that inspired and improved peoples lives.
It was all about fun and leisure!
People would read and comment on my stuff, I would comment back and relationships were formed!
Anyways, it turns out that some of the friendships I had formed were with really motivated business people, eventually they needed help with projects they were working on and they thought of me!
They asked me if I wanted to help write for them, they needed articles for their website. I said hell yes!
They said they’d pay me $20/article for their new website I said $50 because I took a lot of courses and my stuff influences people. They said Yes.
I said you also need to sign me up for 10 pieces and they need to be pre-paid. I made my first $500 and I didn’t even write a word!
I wrote a few articles and they loved it – they then asked me if I wanted to do a larger piece for them, and they said they could pay me $200 I said hell yes!
Now, they are offering me close to $800 an article. Not because the articles are great, but I also promote those articles so they can get more OOOMPH.
I’m pretty pumped about all of this and in the end there are two take-aways you need to remember if you’re just starting out…
1.) Start writing about something you love so people get exposed and inspired by your stuff as a writer and share it with the world as a gift.
2.) Start building relationships whether online or in person so these people can see your stuff when you post it.
Literally all my work has come about from the above two steps, and I never once marketed myself as a writer, people just ask me to do it and I say yes for money. Hope this helps you budding writers! :)
GREAT story Leo! Very shirt-worthy :)
Hey Neville,
Great post! I actually just started following your blog and I’m loving it…
I have been writing my own emails and blogging for about 10 years, making small clickbank commissions here and there and just decided to started freelancing on Upwork.
In less than a month I have already made just under 2 grand.
I started out getting a 20 dollar gig, then a 25 dollar gig, then a 50 dollar gig, and then two bigger gigs at 15 and 30 bucks an hour!
So the structure / progression you describe in your post above is spot on for me!
Keep pumping out the quality content dude, it’s awesome… and addictive.
To any aspiring copywriter who may be reading this comment, just follow simple formulas like AIDA and PASO, buy Neville’s Kourse, and start WRITING!
You can make money doing this, just be patient and keep learning.
Evan
That’s awesome Evan!
It seems your past 10 years of experience (even though small) was super helpful. I think UpWork will be great for you to use as a lead generator, and then keep those clients on a separate list so you can hit them up later letting them know you have capacity available.
Hitting up previous clients is ALWAYS a great way to drum up business.
I have just started a business writing resumés and job applications and doing interview coaching. I got my first client through a friend at work who is also my hairdresser. I helped her with some job applications and she recommended me to a customer (cut, foils, blow dry!) who paid me $200 to write responses to selection criteria for a government job. It took me ages to do this but I learned a lot and it gave me the confidence to keep going.
My biz cards are now in my friend’s salon and I’m hoping more of her clients see them while their colour is processing! Thanks Neville!
That’s great Angela!
I might recommend you take the steps given above and try them all. While you may randomly get some clients from business cards in a salon, it’s unlikely you’ll get many.
You need to put your services out to a broader audience by joining groups about copywriting, putting some examples out etc. Follow the steps above now :)
Thanks for the encouragement, Neville, and the sage advice to join groups and put my services out there. Your advice is very practical and always rings true!
Hello Neville,
Greetings from Barcelona.
I love your voice. Thank you for your emails and all the knowledge you share. Sometimes I’m a bit suspicious and wonder why do freelancers share their knowledge and let others do and grow in the same field… Well, let me tell you that although I had never thought that I could write for money, six months ago I got my first freelance writing gig… and I was not looking for that. I used to be an export director but after having kids my life changed drammatically, so my last job was as an account manager in a company that builds websites for state agencies. I realised that most of my clients got blocked when I asked them to send me the copy for their brand new website. They didn’t know how to describe their services, how to talk about the team, etc and they sent the copy full of old-fashioned expressions that I don’t like myself to find anywhere. So I used to write the copy for them… for free! I just wanted to help them and have the job done, you know, I got paid when the website was finished. So one of these clients told to a friend that I wrote the whole copy of their new website for them, and this guy came to me asking if I would rewrite his company’s website (300 employees, that’s quite a big company in Spain). I did it (not for free, but I just counted the invested hours). Afterwards, he wanted me writing the weekly posts for the company’s blog. This time I’m getting paid not only for the invested hours but also for my creativeness. Last week another big company asked me for a quotation, we will start working on his blog after summer. I’m so happy with my new career! Now I’m part of my husband’s small company and I offer my services as a marketer and copywriter.
I’m learning from you Neville. Thank you master.
Thanks for sharing that story Judit!
The reason a lot of people share their secrets is simple:
It makes them look like an authority, which then allows them to:
-Build an audience.
-Look like an expert.
-Get more clients.
-Charge more money for services.
-etc etc…
Since I put out a lot of copywriting articles, I get to charge a higher-than-average hourly rate ($597/hour), and I get to enjoy the benefits of having a loyal audience (they buy stuff, give me recommendations)…
That’s why people like to share, just as you found out too! Thanks again Judit!
Hi Neville – I really enjoyed reading this. There’s great advice for newbies and guys like me who have been writing for a while.
My first freelance gig was a long process. I actually started writing for Suite101 as a full on content monkey. It taught me some useful skills like basic SEO although the editing criteria were difficult to stomach (i.e. only third person, passive voice etc). I used to write about fitness and martial arts.
After that I started to look for other opportunities. I saw this ad for an online celebrity fitness magazine and contacted them saying I wanted to write for them. They agreed and I got a regular column. This gave me great exposure and led to my first freelance gig on Elance (now Upwork).
It was sales copy for a Martial Arts clothing company. They had developed a ‘Gi-Hoodie’ which actually looked pretty smart. I wrote in my copy about how you could wear it to the gym or the sushi bar! The owners of the company loved the copy and I got paid about $110.
The reason I was able to command this as a relatively high payment for a small gig was because I could point to published content on authority sites. The fact that I was a columnist and had written on the subject of marital arts meant I got the gig and the guys trusted me to do a good job.
Hey Neil, you’re right….a published columnist or something with some notoriety will always command more. Make sure you’re keeping a “Copywriting Command Center” document where you keep track of all these gigs!
I have been in love with writing since I have learned the alphabet.. I have written my first short Fiction story back at age of 7, did a pilot of a school magazíne on my own (obv never got published, I was 8 yo at the tíme).
I was 15 when started blogging about politics and education, then at college I started to write essay per week + two reflections (300words each)/week,. Then I gradually became obsessed about copywriting, mainly thanks to you Neville (I honestly have no idea how have I discovered you), then I got to list building , and every other possible online marketing thing.
I got sorta known among my friends as “the guy doing marketing” despite they not knowing what that is and me having no paid gigs. I had however started my own self hosted blog (500subs right now and growing), where I am basically practicing everything I learn
Couple weeks ago I randomly seen an email from a friend in an email group, asking for some quick copy gig, so I replied, he called me, and there it was… smallish thing, but actually made my first 75€ (~$100)!
And that lead me to actually become a part of our family-owned book publishing biz + local online news site, which I am about to become a chief editor of :)
So there it is, thank you Nev for being an integral part of this journey of mine!
That’s great Dominik! So glad to have nudged you in the right direction :)
Everyone starts small. But if you keep pushing and learning, the paychecks get larger. Looks like you’re well on your way!
Great article Neville.
How I got my first writing gig…well, after being in the British Army and then working on the rigs, I had life-changing accident which meant I had to retrain.
It then started off as working in a full-time job as a Technical Author, in the UK (this was 1997). I then went freelance in 1999 , and found a forte in designing Word templates and documents for clients. They also adopted all my processes and procedures in place of their own – great start, right? BUt that was then, back in the steady world of freelancing and commuting. Now though, with the Internet-shift, it’s even better; but, the challenges – though different – still exist.
For example, fast-forward 10 or so years form then, and living in Thailand, there’s no way I’m going to get local writing jobs – it’s not even on the cards. Fortunately, I was pointed at online agencies, like oDesk, eLance, etc.
Again, though experienced, the challenges were still there. Sure, I had a cv of sorts, but no online profile [at the time].
So, I bid for my first job at my old (UK) hourly rate. Not a whiff of a client. Not even a sniffle.
I dropped my rate by $5.
I could hear the tumbleweed rolling down the road… nothing.
I lowered it again. Not a bean.
At this point I was sweating and thinking there’s no way I can lower it any more…it just wasn’t something I ever wanted to entertain. It just wasn’t going to happen. No way, Jose.
Needs must (and all).
I dropped it again!
Then, kicking and screaming though I was, one fine end-July morning, I was snapped-up by a client in Australia.
The job, though not copywriting, was in my field (QA/tech writing again). The client was good, the job lasted 2 years (on and off), and…
the bills were paid!
Jumping forward 5 more years, and I do quite nicely out of it now.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d prefer to get away from the leech-sucking experiences that seem to arise with Upwork these days, but now I’m picky about the jobs I bid for/take on.
But it did take a while.
Kind regards,
Russ
Great story Russ.
I am in the school of thought that it’s better to go OUT and get gigs rather than let them come to you. This means while you can be on UpWork or another platform, you still have to be active in groups and keeping up your network.
Otherwise you’ll mainly get requests from very price-sensitive clients you may not even want to work for in the first place.
Hi Neville,
Yes, you’re right. I’ve been more reactive in that regards, but do realise that to secure a continuous stream of paying clients I’ve got to go be more proactive.
Many thanks,
Russ
Hey Neville-
I had been helping friends with their copy for years, thinking “This ain’t no big thang!” So what if I spent hours helping these people out for free? It was fun! They were happy! They made money! I made… nothing?!
This could have gone on for years with my “friends” taking advantage of me :).
Then I was taking a class on running awesome virtual summits from Navid Moazzez. One day he said, “My copywriter disappeared and I have a bunch of deadlines!” I said, “I’ll help!”
I wrote some emails for his JV partners (affiliate swipe copy) out of the goodness of my heart and he said, “You’re really good. You could get paid for this.” So, being no dummy, my wheels started turning… Forget about running summits! I’ll do copy!
Next thing I knew, Navid was referring me to his friends, and now I’m pretty much booked solid.
My big mistake was quoting based on hours at first — because I’m really fast, I’d quote a ridiculously low rate. Now I quote based on the value of what people will get. Because I’ve been in online business for about 6 years, I bring a ton of experience and strategy as well as a way with words. :) They’re happy, I’m happy, and my old “friends” now have to stand in line to book me. Bwahahahah!
Thanks for inviting us to share our stories.
Best,
#fastlain
Hey Lain, awesome story!
Looks like you learned under fire, that’s the best way :)
Great portfolio by the way!
I got my first writing gig on Upwork, helping a guy rewrite some content for his ecolodge website. The pay was only about 5 bucks each, but after I’d helped him with a few pages and blog posts he asked me to help him respond to his customer reviews on TripAdvisor for $125. I’ve gotten a few more clients since then, and not one of them has come from my website; it’s all either been through Upwork (mostly small-time) or from talking to friends and family (much more profitable).
Hey Jacob, thanks for sharing your results!
Yeah UpWork is good for getting started, and you may get a few longterm clients out of it, but generally the big wins will come from within your own network of in-person friends or groups you belong to.
Wow, awesome Neville!!
I have very little experience in anything online world… BUT I’ve thrown the idea around about a coaching program. THe 3 tiered pricing structure has awesome physcology behind it…
This is a MUST try.
The ending about not needing to get fancy about payment buttons was pure gold. Keep rockin’
-Phil Aube
Thanks Phil, glad you learned something :)
Hi Neville,
I used the “free work trick” to get my first writing job for Kim Dotcom (multi-millionaire entrepreneur).
Actually, I don’t write English but I translate English content into French.
It allowed me to get others clients via UpWork because of the nice first experience.
However, now, most UpWork clients are looking for cheap work and I don’t have much client.
Any idea on how to find clients outside of UpWork?
Thank you Neville,
Alex
Hey Alex, so cool you got to work with Kim DotCom….that guy is a trip!
I think by following the advice given above you will get work outside of UpWork.
UpWork is great for getting your first few practice gigs, but it ends up being difficult and frustrating to stay on there for years. Any sort of “platform” will try to drive down price. I think you can still earn a decent amount on UpWork, but by using it as a lead-generating platform rather than the sole platform you do work on.
Hey Neville,
I’m a freelance writer/blogger and I landed my first client in a niche I had no clue about – automotive industry.
I’m a mom to twins and my background is Psychology and education. But you know what? I pitched to several job ads and landed a gig writing about car seats, road trips and and gas prices. I wasn’t going to say no to that and plus they were looking for a writer that was a mom. Here’s my posts on my first freelance writing gig. http://www.wheels.ca/author/elna-cain/
Hahaha……the first gig may not be ideal, but it’s something!
So cool you got the gig :)
Awesome article as always, man!
My first freelance writing gig came through someone I met in an Amazon FBA Facebook group. I helped him with his copywriting on his listing by using a lot of the copywriting strategies I learned from your blog and all the copywriting books I could get my hands on.
This was about a year and a half ago and I’m actually still working with him on new projects all the time! I’m trying to boost my client list, so I’m going to definitely implement some of these things that I haven’t tried yet from the article.
NICE! That’s exactly why I tell people to join groups….it’s like you become a mini-celebrity inside some of them.
Keep trying all of these things before you give up!
Great stuff Nev, as always. No fluff, just actionable stuff. Thanks for caring about newbies.
Why thank you Carl, I try :)
Will be adding more to this post soon so other newbies can find it and learn even more from it later.
Hey Neville! Gah! Your posts are so helpful! I recently used your 3-tiered pricing approach on my very first client and it worked so well. She chose the middle option but ended up hiring me at my hourly rate for extra work.
Anyway, since you asked, here’s how I got this client (she’s my first freelance copywriting client, although I’ve had web dev clients in the past):
The short answer is that she found me and cold emailed me. The long answer is that she was Googling for copywriting tips and stumbled across an article I wrote a few years ago with a list of copywriting resources. (This makes me cringe a bit to share, since it’s so old, but here’s the blog post: http://skillcrush.com/2014/09/18/write-better-copy/) The interesting thing here is that when she read the article, she looked at the author name and recognized me from Instagram, where she already followed my account all about vegan food (http://instagram.com/randlebrowning). Since she’s launching a vegan health supplements company, she thought I’d be a great fit to write copy for her…and I am! It has been a really fun first project to work on.
Now for finding my SECOND client! ;) Step one: updating my personal site to say I’m a copywriter and not a web developer…
Thanks for all the helpful content!
Thanks for the kind words Randall!
That Three Tiered Pricing stuff is gold. It really does work. Glad you took the advice and used it.
I love your story, but I will warn you that finding clients through your website is the LOWEST AND SLOWEST way to do it. I would suggest becoming part of a couple groups, and telling people in PERSON you do writing.
The woman who found you also knew you from elsewhere, so it was like you had a more personal relationship already. Keep posting in your own networks that you write, or posting helpful info/critiques for people.
Congrats Randall, let’s get you that second client!
Thanks, Neville! Yeah – I can see that you are so right. Who knows how long I’d have to wait for client 2 to come through the same way my one did? Thanks so much for the advice! Really helps me focus on what to do next…
R
Thanks for being receptive to the advice Randle…..I’ve seen so many copywriters do stuff like site re-designs in the hopes it brings in new clients, but it doesn’t.
In-person or In-network referrals are usually the best!
I got my first writing gigs by responding to a craigslist ad for a blog post writer. The pay was horrible, like $5 per post, but they only took about 15 minutes to write so that is $20/hour which according to one of Neville’s posts that is about average pay for a freelance copywriter. Good experience in that it showed me what companies were looking for in word counts, topics, SEO. It also forced me to work quickly.
Hey John, everyone’s gotta start SOMEWHERE!
I know some people will get balk at the idea of taking a $5 gig, but believe it or not I think that can teach you more about being a copywriter than anything else. If anything…It’ll teach you quickly if you like the work or not.
But then keep taking larger and larger gigs. In a short time you can be commanding some crazily high fees!
Well, dis made me think.
Hunhm.
Holly crock!
Each time i broke into a new kind of freelance writing, it was through an older writer, friend, or mentor of some kind. I’m talking pr writing through a fiction and freelancer writer. He just talked a non-profit into giving me a job, based only on his saysao. No portfolio. Just pull.
There I met another writer and his wife. They adopted me. I got government writing work.
Another friend hooked me up with the big paper to write book reviews.
And so on.
Sooo…
1) make friends, especially writers. Only if you like them, not in a psycho staler kind of way. (They can tell.)
2) be likeable, nice, fun interesting. You know, like you already are. Not a jerk.
3) NEVER ASK FOR WORK. Just be honest about where you’re at in your writing journey. That’s it. Be cool, and friendly.
4) talk about writing, so they know you’re serious. Talk about about wins. So they know other people trust you enough and you will not let them down.
5) if you hang around, sooner or later, something will happen. Take the gig, hrlp out, work your tail off to not screw it up. Deliver the work. Get paid. Ta-da.
Hope this helps someone. :-)
Thanks for sharing Chet!
It definitely helps to make friends who need copywriters or know people who DO need copywriters. This is how I originally got any freelance gig I’ve ever done.
Hey Neville!
You’re gonna “GAG” over my response!
My VERY FIRST copywriting client I actually picked up from taking YOUR Autoresponder Kourse in 2014!
Even though I had already had experience in marketing and in writing copy for the web, I had only heard about the field of copywriting in 2012, 2013. So I started diving into the subject and was picked up any training courses I could afford; I was in learning beast mode when I signed up for your klass.
You always loved my examples and featured my writing in klass discussions. Another student in the klass was the owner of an established software company. He needed help using content marketing to promote a new app they were launching. He said he was in the klass to learn more about what a good nurture series should look like so he could guide his team to doing them correctly.
He was already used to hiring freelancers so he reached out to me because he liked my style. He asked me for a quote to rewrite 5 articles. I charged $200 each for a $1,000 pay check. I quickly got my LLC and business bank account set up and received my first ACH payment directly into my account. The Derenco Agency was born!
I’ve spent the last 2 years doing a lot of resumes and LinkedIn profiles for job seekers. I’ve also done a lot of biographies and social media marketing copy and consulting for coaches, authors and other solo business owners along the way. But now I’m leveraging my last two years of experiences (all of which were paying gigs, so no need to smack my pen out of my hand, LOL!) and I am positioning myself to expand and work with bigger companies like my first one.
So please allow me to publicly give you my heart-felt THANK YOU, not only for helping me to sharpen my copywriting skills and for being a great business mentor to emulate, but in particular, for being the catalyst for me launching my freelance business with my first paying customer. I know I sent you a private email but I want to thank you again for the invitation to write for you back in February (https://copywritingcourse.com/how-to-write-a-cover-letter). That guest post resulted in a nice spike to my email list (I still get people trickling on to it today!) and a few paying resume gigs and inquiries. You’ve had a wonderful impact on my copywriting business!
Hi Denise, I am trying to fill out the contact form on your site for a quote for my resume, but I can´t, the phone number field is acting weird, could you please contact me? Thanks a lot!
Hi Tatiana, sorry you were having trouble but I appreciate you for letting me know. I made an adjustment that should help so please try the form one more time – https://www.cognitoforms.com/DeniseRenee/EngageDeniseReneeTheDerencoAgency.
Well thank you Denise Renee!
But technically you followed this advice perfectly…..you knew I had a decent sized audience and would credit you for writing, so you wrote that post for free. I’m glad it turned out so well for both of us.
However if I asked you to write that post for free, and wasn’t going to credit it you…..you DEFINITELY should have said no.
I actually didn’t know you got clients from that AutoresponderKlass, that’s pretty cool :)
Hope you continue to prosper and make some extra cash on the side. Thank you Denise Renee!
As well as “just keep writing”, remember also to “just keep telling people about what you do”, and you may find as I did that your first clients show up not through the internet but face-to-face in your own locality.
Everywhere, there are people / small businesses trying to create their own website who get stuck and need help. As a copywriter, you are the ideal person to help them, because you don’t just give them “a website”. With copywriting skills you can give them something which delivers their message powerfully. (The technical side of creating a website can be easily learned – just sign up for free accounts with Blogger, Wix, Weebly…and play around with them to get familiar.)
My first client was a friend, so I rewrote his website for the price of a lunch. But the restaurant owner overheard our conversation and offered me £300 to take a look at her website. Since then, I’ve had a slow but steady stream of referrals, (from websites to content for online courses) earning closer to £1,000 each time.
I’ve just set up my own website, now, and those early gigs have provided some great testimonials, which is a huge boost to confidence. I used Blogger for my own website – it’s free, apart from a fiver a year for a custom domain, and it’s surprising how versatile Blogger can be, with a little practice. I’m now ready to start doing all the things Neville recommends in the above article, and the future looks loaded with potential.
P.S. You might recognise someone in the “Awesome Resources For Writers” article on my website. (Click on my name to visit.)
This is some GREAT advice Steve!! Possibly even shirt-worthy :)
I always try to tell copywriters not to spend too much time on a website because NO ONE IS VISITING IT. You are 1,000X more likely to get your first gigs from personal connections either in person or your friend circle online……not by someone randomly stumbling upon your website.
You’re correct in thinking about the website more as a testimonial-delivery tool or resume tool. Also you’re smart to host it all for free. Great share Steve!!
How should I start to be a freelancer?
I guess, if I want to write for a living, I should proof-read my stuff before hitting “submit”. Oops above. My bad. Don’t hate. See? I need guidance, Neville. Guidance galore.
Bahahaha….actually I didn’t even notice a mistake at first. I think proofing is semi-important, but it’s not the most important thing.
Being able to transfer information from your brain to another brain is the most important part….if a few things get misspelled along the way, no big whoop.
I published a sponsored post today – 7 things i love about texas. i proofed it maybe 5 times. first comment was “where’s no 6.”
oops.
I guess I’ve never had a real gig yet… I’ve written website content for clients many, many times. I’ve also had gigs writing SEO content. But I’ve never really truly had a copywriting gig yet. Thanks for this article. To be honest, I’ve only buzzed through it quickly just now (#MeWantsTShirt), but it actually looks really good and I plan to re-read it carefully, following all the helpful links (especially the ones on the copywriting resources… I really want to be good, no… GOODER, at the art of written persuasion), and bookmarking it. (By the way, offering a paid service to rewrite websites is brilliant. I’ve offered to review and improve websites from a CRO perspective… but I never thought of offering a “better copy” only approach. Nice!
Thanks for the helpful article. I have been a fan for a long time, Neville!
Well it’s good you know you WANT to get a paid gig……I would highly suggest making a “Package email” like the article shows, and then you can send that to people who may be interested.
Let’s see if we can get you that first 100 bucks :)
Get Neville great post. Reading your stuff is too addictive.
Anyways I got my first gig doing a sales letter for a friend in university. Turns out he walked away from a boring office job to be a corporate illusionist (magician). Figure that!
Best of all it was done without any website, no samples shown, just a gmail account.
I facebooked messaged for a quick meeting at his office.
But one thing I feel is share worthy is when I went for the meeting, I did the “briefcase method”. Basically did my homework and prep before the meeting, added value and suggestions on how to boost his business and highlighted how I helped my own business make money before. (I was selling gold and silver investing advice in 2010 before the great crash.)
It was a $500 gig for one sales letters.
That’s awesome Sean! Pretty sweet you were able to pull off a writing gig so quickly. Thanks for sharing.
Thnx Neville!
But it wasn’t all that easy. I think one of the easiest (and most common way to screw up) is during the client meeting itself.
I kinda memorised a step-by-step process that worked for me (and I still use it till this day). I’m an engineer by profession, so I looovvveee systems.
Whenever I feel out of place or when I’m just not that confident on that day, this structure is my default programming.
This is great if a client has no solid idea of what he wants & when you need to take control of the sale:
1) Exchange pleasantries first & quick small talk.
> This is to humanise yourself. I can’t believe many times I jumped directly onto the sale making myself seem too wolf of wall street.
2) Ask hows his business is doing and what he would like to accomplish in the next few months to a year.
> Shows that you care, and you get vital information from him, and he will reflect on his pain and what he needs.
3) Transition to a story of a client similar to his situation and how you helped that client get XXX tangible results. (In my first client case, I used my own business as an example).
> Basically a show of credibility and what you can do.
4) Showcase your homework about that client (key stuff includes: what is going wrong, how to directly improve it, the potential results that can be realised. Bonus points if you can make intelligent suggestions on the type of markets that he hasn’t targeted yet that are lucrative).
> Positions yourself as a copywriter who knows business stuff and as his ‘consultant’ as well.
5) Now you can transit to suggest the type of copywriting work that will maximise his revenue and accomplish results.
> The ball in now your court, now you can start to suggest sales letters, landing page long copy, auto responders etc.
6) This is the part I like: You ask him how does that sound? and then you shut up. Chances are he will agree or at least state what changes he would like to make to your plan.
> Rambling too much will make you sound too ‘try-hard’
7) Eventually you need to speak rates. One way I do it, lets say its a sales letter, ‘FROM $500 onwards.’
> The word FROM I feel is very powerful. Shows you aint no cheap service, but it sets a basic tier of $500 for the minimum work to be done.
8) Once you get the sale, GET OUT OF THE MEETING ASAP. You have won, just tell the client you will send the summary of the brief, your questionnaire, and the payment details.
> Additional conversation after getting the sale can act against you if you are not careful. I sure have almost lost a few deals due to talking too much.
There you have it! I’m sure this will be useful when encountering face to face situations. Especially clients you prospect yourself through networking, cold calling, cold emailing etc.
Hi Michelle,
I have been at the crossroad for weeks now on how to go about establishing myself as a successful copywriter. Going through your mind-blowing YouTube videos has really given me an eye-opener as to how to go about it. Your contents are really helpful. I’d like to sign up for your copywriting courses soon.