You’ve most likely already heard that you may make six figures as a contract author, however this may sound like a fantasy in the event you’re simply beginning your profession.
Whether or not you’ve been rejected from a couple of low-paying jobs on Upwork otherwise you’re struggling to make quite a lot of hundred {dollars} per thirty days, the prospect of creating six figures as a contract author can sound like a fantasy.
Whereas these setbacks are discouraging, the important thing to turning into a six-figure freelancer is implementing a confirmed course of, enhancing your writing abilities, and persevering by any challenges.
Fortuitously, loads of full-time freelance writers have achieved this success.
Constructing a profitable freelance writing enterprise that pays six figures isn’t easy, however in the event you observe a confirmed methodology and are prepared to place within the work to degree up your writing abilities, it’s definitely attainable.
So under, we’ll define a confirmed step-by-step information that actual six determine copywriters have used to construct profitable freelance writing careers.
Step 1: Choose a Area of interest
Many new freelance writers promote that they will write for any area of interest as a result of they concern choosing a selected writing area of interest will restrict their record of potential shoppers.
Nonetheless, employers wish to rent consultants, and promoting your self as a generalist will truly repel potential shoppers.
For instance, if an actual property firm is seeking to rent a weblog put up author, they’ll search for somebody specializing in writing for actual property. So between the 2 writers under, the one promoting himself as an actual property specialist will certainly stand out to the hiring supervisor:
Whereas good writers can often create high-quality content material for a number of niches, it’s nonetheless finest to place your self as an professional in a selected area of interest. An added good thing about specializing in a selected area of interest is that you just’ll develop a community of shoppers sooner.
So what’s a distinct segment, and the way do you choose one?
There are three most important classes of niches:
- Content material Kind: Some examples of several types of content material embody emails, weblog posts, ebooks, ghostwriting (for books), social media content material, touchdown/gross sales pages, and video scripts.
- Enterprise Sort: Some examples of enterprise varieties embody SaaS corporations, ecommerce corporations, on-line programs, bloggers, and native companies.
- Business: Some examples of industries embody pets, cryptocurrency, finance, actual property, digital advertising and marketing, journey, and healthcare.
So choose one specialty from every of the three classes above. Listed below are a couple of examples:
- Electronic mail copywriter for on-line course creators within the finance trade
- Weblog put up copywriter for SaaS corporations within the healthcare trade
- Social media content material author for bloggers within the journey trade
Whereas niching down shrinks your goal market (record of potential shoppers), it additionally shrinks the sector of competitors and lets you cost extra as you possibly can place your self as a specialised professional.
In the event you take a look at the examples above, the actual property specialist fees double what the generalist fees.
Step 2: Create a Few High quality Writing Samples
Most hiring managers don’t have time to have a look at greater than two to 3 items of content material, so that you solely want a couple of items of top quality content material related to your area of interest to win your first freelance writing gig.
In the event you presently don’t have any writing samples that match the area of interest you chose, listed here are two glorious strategies to create writing samples:
- Write a free pattern for somebody in your best goal market
- Create your individual weblog/publication/social media web page
We’ll focus on learn how to execute each of those under.
Write a free pattern for an influencer in your best goal market.
Writing free samples for an influencer in your area of interest is a wonderful technique as a result of it helps you create optimistic relationships with potential shoppers whereas concurrently constructing your portfolio.
The important thing to correctly executing this technique is to put in writing the content material without cost after which ship the accomplished model to the potential shopper.
Most newbie freelancers make the error of reaching out and asking if they will work without cost with out offering a accomplished pattern.
These emails are literally annoying for busy influencers which can be well-established within the trade.
Nonetheless, in the event you ship the potential shopper a accomplished piece of content material, they’ll most likely reply. Right here’s an excellent electronic mail template you should utilize:
Even when they don’t publish the content material, you possibly can nonetheless add that pattern to your portfolio.
It’s additionally price noting that in the event you’re going to do work without cost, purpose excessive and attain out to well-established manufacturers/influencers in that trade. If the model does publish your content material, it should considerably enhance your credibility!
In reality, even when you have already got loads of pattern writing items, doing free work for high-profile shoppers is a good way to construct trade credibility and create relationships with well-connected people which may flip into glorious referral sources.
Creating your individual content material
One other choice to construct your portfolio is to create your individual content material.
For instance, if you wish to be a finance weblog author for SaaS corporations, you can begin your individual finance weblog. When you may not be promoting SaaS merchandise, you possibly can nonetheless goal the identical key phrases {that a} SaaS firm may goal.
This technique is great for constructing your portfolio since you’ll learn to write nice weblog posts and learn how to develop a finance weblog. As SaaS corporations wish to rent a author that may produce outcomes – not simply phrases – this can make you stand out in opposition to different candidates.
In reality, you may discover that writing your individual finance weblog is extra worthwhile than being a contract author for different finance corporations.
Sadly, this technique isn’t at all times possible. For instance, this technique may not be sensible if you wish to be a social media content material creator for native companies however don’t personal a neighborhood enterprise. Nonetheless, you may as an alternative use the primary technique and provide to create free content material for a neighborhood enterprise.
Notice: I purposefully don’t focus on learn how to construct a writing portfolio web site, as a result of within the subsequent step, you’ll see that the technique you’ll use to shut your first paying shopper doesn’t contain making use of to any job boards or submitting a portfolio. In reality, spending time designing a portfolio is usually a distraction from doing the onerous work of getting your first paying shopper. So as an alternative, we’ll focus completely on learn how to create nice writing samples, and you then’ll ship these samples as hyperlinks or Google Doc attachments in your electronic mail pitch.
Step 3: Shut Your First Paying Shopper
In the event you’re simply getting began and have minimal writing expertise, you may really feel uncomfortable pitching shoppers, however one of the simplest ways to turn into a greater freelance author is to simply do the job.
As well as, many purchasers are completely satisfied to pay beneficiant costs for freelancers who produce respectable work, observe directions, and cling to deadlines.
So upon getting three to 5 respectable pattern items, hunt down your first paying shopper. You’ll additionally really feel extra motivated to persevere upon getting your first paying shopper. We’ll focus on two strategies to get your first paying shopper:
- Ask for referrals
- Ship customized chilly pitches (with a twist)
Asking For Referrals
To seek out your first paying shopper, begin by asking for referrals from the shoppers you labored with without cost whereas constructing your writing samples.
Assuming you probably did job, these shoppers will seemingly be very happy to refer you to buddies.
In the event you really feel awkward asking, right here’s a precise script you should utilize:
You too can ask if that particular person would think about mentioning you in Slack teams and different communities they’re a member of to unfold the phrase.
Once more, for this reason working without cost for well-established trade influencers with giant networks is way more helpful than working without cost for any random firm.
Ship a Personalised Chilly Pitch (With a Twist)
Chilly pitches can work, however most freelancers don’t know learn how to make a compelling provide.
Potential shoppers typically obtain tons of of generic pitches from writers every month, so most emails are instantly deleted.
Listed below are two killer methods to make your chilly pitch stand out:
- Ship them a free piece of content material they will publish, and inform them you possibly can create extra content material prefer it persistently if they’re prepared to rent you.
- Pitch the potential shopper that you just’ll work with a selected content material advertising and marketing professional on a platform like Readability or Intro and execute all the things the professional recommends. It is a win-win technique since you turn into a greater author and might justify charging a excessive value whereas the shopper will get a world-class professional to look over the execution of their advertising and marketing course of.
It’s additionally vital to ship your pitch to the best particular person on the right electronic mail handle. In the event you’re reaching out to a big SaaS or ecommerce firm, search for the content material advertising and marketing supervisor or (if there isn’t a content material supervisor) head/director of selling.
You’ll be able to simply search “advertising and marketing” or “content material” on the corporate’s LinkedIn profile to seek out the best particular person, and Hunter.io and Verifalia are glorious sources to seek out electronic mail addresses.
In the event you can’t discover the particular person’s electronic mail handle, you may also contact them straight on a social media platform like LinkedIn or Twitter.
Whereas it could appear easy, these two methods are usually the best for getting your first paid freelance writing job.
Many more recent (and even some extra established) freelance writers struggling to shut shoppers make the error of mass making use of to author positions on job boards.
Mass making use of isn’t a good suggestion as a result of swamped hiring managers often instantly delete any functions that lack personalization. For instance, you possibly can see that the job put up under has over 200 candidates.
As well as, making use of to jobs locations you in direct competitors with different functions, and lots of hiring managers gained’t even see your utility.
So as an alternative, refer again to your area of interest and attain out to corporations that aren’t promoting that they’re actively hiring for a contract writing place. Whereas this recommendation could appear counterintuitive, it’s extremely efficient since you aren’t competing with different candidates.
In reality, many corporations are actively hiring new writers, however don’t actively promote the place exactly as a result of most job boards generate too many candidates.
One other frequent situation that causes many writers to surrender earlier than getting their first shopper is spending an excessive amount of time creating a elaborate web site or enterprise playing cards.
Most shoppers don’t care about this stuff – they simply need somebody that’s dependable and might do the job. So your time is healthier spent sending compelling emails with hyperlinks to glorious writing samples.
Step 4: Search Suggestions and Actively Make investments In Bettering Your Talent Set
As you’re employed with extra shoppers, you’ll discover that every one has barely totally different requests, so a key side of an excellent author is searching for preliminary suggestions and adjusting to your shopper’s needs (inside purpose).
It’s vital to be decisive and personal your work (you don’t wish to consistently hassle shoppers and ask them in case your work is suitable), however shoppers admire communicative freelance writers who take motion on suggestions.
Along with gathering shopper suggestions, essentially the most profitable writers additionally search mentorship to degree up their freelance writing abilities. For instance, many freelance writers be part of content material writing programs, rent coaches, and take part in peer teams to enhance their abilities.
In the event you’re involved in becoming a member of a membership group that offers you direct entry to content material advertising and marketing coaches, stay interviews with trade consultants, content material advertising and marketing programs, and a group of high-earning freelance writers, think about becoming a member of the Copyblogger Academy.
You too can use a platform like Readability or Intro to schedule one-on-one teaching calls with world-class consultants.
Lastly, think about making a aspect hustle the place you create your individual content material. For instance, in the event you specialise in writing emails for ecommerce websites, you may begin your individual dropshipping web site and write emails to promote these merchandise.
We beneficial this in step two as a technique to construct your portfolio, but it surely’s price mentioning once more right here, as constructing your individual content material platform is a good way to grasp the ache factors your shoppers face as a way to learn to ship higher outcomes.
As shoppers are paying you to assist them develop their enterprise, having your individual venture is advantageous, as you should utilize it to run experiments and learn to enhance your abilities to drive extra gross sales. This may finally make you a greater marketer and show you how to perceive how your companies match into the bigger development technique.
Step 5: Scale Your Profession
Getting your first few shoppers is one problem, however {most professional} writers will inform you that conserving your shoppers and producing regular revenue over a number of months is the largest problem.
If you wish to rework your freelance writing enterprise from a aspect hustle to a full-time job, listed here are a couple of methods to enhance revenue stability.
Be Dependable And Constant To Earn Referrals
First, at all times produce high-quality work, reply to shoppers inside 24 hours, and submit your initiatives on time. Abiding by these three guidelines is vital to each retaining shoppers and making a community of referrals.
In reality, essentially the most profitable freelance writers take a look at every new shopper as a brand new potential referral companion somewhat than a one-time income.
After getting a number of shoppers and a few case research demonstrating your work, create a easy web site with shopper testimonials, case research, and your writing service packages.
You’ll quickly attain a ceiling the place you possibly can now not tackle further writing shoppers, however there are a couple of alternative ways you possibly can proceed to scale your revenue with out overextending your self.
Improve Pricing
Rising pricing is the best development lever, and most shoppers gained’t even bat an eye fixed in the event you improve your costs.
You too can kind referral partnerships with lower-level businesses/freelance writers and ship them shoppers that may’t afford to proceed working with you.
It is a win-win scenario as you possibly can earn a referral companion charge and hold a high-quality shopper base.
If most of your shoppers can’t afford to pay the next value, you may wish to think about shifting upmarket and concentrating on bigger companies that may afford to pay extra.
Require Lengthy-Time period Contracts
The subsequent choice to scale your revenue is to require long-term partnership contracts.
As churn is without doubt one of the vital challenges that many freelancers face, conserving your present shoppers is a good way to extend your annual revenue.
Supply Productized Companies With Distinctive, Confirmed Processes
Lastly, essentially the most profitable freelancers spend quite a lot of time studying extra about their shopper’s ache factors after which create distinctive programs and processes to persistently resolve these ache factors.
In the event you can present your shoppers that you’ve a selected, documented methodology to resolve the precise ache level they’ve extra effectively than the typical freelancer, you’ll be capable of cost extra and generate extra constant demand.
For instance, if you realize that the majority of your shoppers wrestle with “content material mill” or “me-too” type content material, incorporate professional interviews into your writing course of and use that to show the way you’ll create distinctive content material. This alone is usually greater than sufficient to make you stand out from the group and command larger costs.
In the event you’re unsure what your shopper’s ache factors are, spend a while speaking to them or ask in Slack channels devoted to your target market.
Take Motion As we speak
One of many greatest errors aspiring freelancers make is spending an excessive amount of time studying about learn how to construct a contract enterprise somewhat than simply getting began.
This put up has all the knowledge you must get began, so take motion immediately, as expertise is one of the best trainer.
After you get began, search suggestions and degree up your abilities. You’ll be able to be part of the Copyblogger publication for extra freelance writing ideas or be part of the Copyblogger Academy to study from different like-minded freelance writers.
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