You’ve most likely already heard that you would be able to make six figures as a contract author, however this could sound like a fantasy when you’re simply beginning your profession.
Whether or not you’ve been rejected from just a few low-paying jobs on Upwork otherwise you’re struggling to make quite a lot of hundred {dollars} per thirty days, the prospect of constructing six figures as a contract author can sound like a fantasy.
Whereas these setbacks are discouraging, the important thing to changing into a six-figure freelancer is implementing a confirmed course of, enhancing your writing abilities, and persevering by way of any challenges.
Thankfully, loads of full-time freelance writers have achieved this success.
Constructing a profitable freelance writing enterprise that pays six figures isn’t easy, however when you comply with a confirmed methodology and are prepared to place within the work to degree up your writing abilities, it’s definitely doable.
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’ll write for any area of interest as a result of they concern deciding on a selected writing area of interest will restrict their checklist of potential shoppers.
Nonetheless, employers need to rent consultants, and promoting your self as a generalist will truly repel potential shoppers.
For instance, if an actual property firm is trying to rent a weblog publish 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 greatest to place your self as an skilled in a selected area of interest. An added advantage of specializing in a selected area of interest is that you simply’ll develop a community of shoppers sooner.
So what’s a distinct segment, and the way do you choose one?
There are three fundamental 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 Kind: Some examples of enterprise sorts embody SaaS corporations, ecommerce corporations, on-line programs, bloggers, and native companies.
- Trade: 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 here are just a few examples:
- Electronic mail copywriter for on-line course creators within the finance trade
- Weblog publish 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 (checklist of potential shoppers), it additionally shrinks the sphere of competitors and means that you can cost extra as you possibly can place your self as a specialised skilled.
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 take a look at greater than two to 3 items of content material, so that you solely want just a few 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 below are two wonderful strategies to create writing samples:
- Write a free pattern for somebody in your ultimate goal market
- Create your individual weblog/publication/social media web page
We’ll talk about easy methods to execute each of those under.
Write a free pattern for an influencer in your ultimate goal market.
Writing free samples for an influencer in your area of interest is a superb technique as a result of it helps you create constructive relationships with potential shoppers whereas concurrently constructing your portfolio.
The important thing to correctly executing this technique is to jot down the content material at no cost after which ship the accomplished model to the potential consumer.
Most newbie freelancers make the error of reaching out and asking if they’ll work at no cost with out offering a accomplished pattern.
These emails are literally annoying for busy influencers which can be well-established within the trade.
Nonetheless, when you ship the potential consumer a accomplished piece of content material, they’ll most likely reply. Right here’s an awesome e mail template you need to use:
Even when they don’t publish the content material, you possibly can nonetheless add that pattern to your portfolio.
It’s additionally value noting that when you’re going to do work at no cost, goal excessive and attain out to well-established manufacturers/influencers in that trade. If the model does publish your content material, it’ll considerably enhance your credibility!
The truth is, 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 that may flip into wonderful 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 would possibly goal.
This technique is superb for constructing your portfolio since you’ll discover ways to write nice weblog posts and easy methods to develop a finance weblog. As SaaS corporations need to rent a author that may produce outcomes – not simply phrases – this can make you stand out towards different candidates.
The truth is, you would possibly 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 an area enterprise. Nonetheless, you can as an alternative use the primary technique and provide to create free content material for an area enterprise.
Word: I purposefully don’t talk about easy methods 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 consumer doesn’t contain making use of to any job boards or submitting a portfolio. The truth is, spending time designing a portfolio is usually a distraction from doing the onerous work of getting your first paying consumer. So as an alternative, we’ll focus solely on easy methods to create nice writing samples, and then you definately’ll ship these samples as hyperlinks or Google Doc attachments in your e mail pitch.
Step 3: Shut Your First Paying Shopper
In the event you’re simply getting began and have minimal writing expertise, you would possibly really feel uncomfortable pitching shoppers, however one of the best ways to grow to be a greater freelance author is to only do the job.
As well as, many purchasers are joyful to pay beneficiant costs for freelancers who produce first rate work, comply with directions, and cling to deadlines.
So after you have three to 5 first rate pattern items, search out your first paying consumer. You’ll additionally really feel extra motivated to persevere after you have your first paying consumer. We’ll talk about two strategies to get your first paying consumer:
- Ask for referrals
- Ship customized chilly pitches (with a twist)
Asking For Referrals
To seek out your first paying consumer, begin by asking for referrals from the shoppers you labored with at no cost whereas constructing your writing samples.
Assuming you probably did an excellent job, these shoppers will possible be very happy to refer you to mates.
In the event you really feel awkward asking, right here’s a precise script you need to use:
You can too 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 at no cost for well-established trade influencers with giant networks is far more useful than working at no cost for any random firm.
Ship a Personalised Chilly Pitch (With a Twist)
Chilly pitches can work, however most freelancers don’t know easy methods to make a compelling provide.
Potential shoppers usually obtain a whole lot of generic pitches from writers every month, so most emails are instantly deleted.
Listed here are two killer methods to make your chilly pitch stand out:
- Ship them a free piece of content material they’ll publish, and inform them you possibly can create extra content material prefer it constantly if they’re prepared to rent you.
- Pitch the potential consumer that you simply’ll work with a selected content material advertising and marketing skilled on a platform like Readability or Intro and execute all the things the skilled recommends. This can be a win-win technique since you grow to be a greater author and might justify charging a excessive value whereas the consumer will get a world-class skilled to look over the execution of their advertising and marketing course of.
It’s additionally vital to ship your pitch to the suitable particular person on the right e mail tackle. 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 promoting.
You possibly can simply search “advertising and marketing” or “content material” on the corporate’s LinkedIn profile to seek out the suitable particular person, and Hunter.io and Verifalia are wonderful sources to seek out e mail addresses.
In the event you can’t discover the particular person’s e mail tackle, you may also contact them instantly on a social media platform like LinkedIn or Twitter.
Whereas it might appear easy, these two methods are usually the best for getting your first paid freelance writing job.
Many more moderen (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 is rarely 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 publish 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.
The truth is, 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 widespread difficulty that causes many writers to surrender earlier than getting their first consumer is spending an excessive amount of time creating a flowery 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 best spent sending compelling emails with hyperlinks to wonderful 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 facet of an awesome author is searching for preliminary suggestions and adjusting to your consumer’s needs (inside cause).
It’s vital to be decisive and personal your work (you don’t need 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 consumer suggestions, probably the most profitable writers additionally search mentorship to degree up their freelance writing abilities. For instance, many freelance writers be a part of content material writing programs, rent coaches, and take part in peer teams to enhance their abilities.
In the event you’re eager about becoming a member of a membership group that offers you direct entry to content material advertising and marketing coaches, reside 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 can too use a platform like Readability or Intro to schedule one-on-one teaching calls with world-class consultants.
Lastly, think about making a facet hustle the place you create your individual content material. For instance, when you specialise in writing emails for ecommerce websites, you can begin your individual dropshipping web site and write emails to promote these merchandise.
We really useful this in step two as a technique to construct your portfolio, but it surely’s value mentioning once more right here, as constructing your individual content material platform is a good way to know the ache factors your shoppers face so to discover ways to ship higher outcomes.
As shoppers are paying you to assist them develop their enterprise, having your individual challenge is advantageous, as you need to use it to run experiments and discover ways to enhance your abilities to drive extra gross sales. It will in the end make you a greater marketer and make it easier to perceive how your providers match into the bigger progress technique.
Step 5: Scale Your Profession
Getting your first few shoppers is one problem, however {most professional} writers will let you know that preserving 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 facet hustle to a full-time job, listed below are just a few 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.
The truth is, probably the most profitable freelance writers take a look at every new consumer as a brand new potential referral accomplice 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 consumer testimonials, case research, and your writing service packages.
You’ll quickly attain a ceiling the place you possibly can not tackle extra writing shoppers, however there are just a few other ways you possibly can proceed to scale your revenue with out overextending your self.
Improve Pricing
Growing pricing is the simplest progress lever, and most shoppers gained’t even bat a watch when you enhance your costs.
You can too kind referral partnerships with lower-level businesses/freelance writers and ship them shoppers that may’t afford to proceed working with you.
This can be a win-win scenario as you possibly can earn a referral accomplice payment and maintain a high-quality consumer base.
If most of your shoppers can’t afford to pay a better value, you would possibly need 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 likely one of the vital challenges that many freelancers face, preserving your present shoppers is a good way to extend your annual revenue.
Provide Productized Providers With Distinctive, Confirmed Processes
Lastly, probably the most profitable freelancers spend numerous time studying extra about their consumer’s ache factors after which create distinctive methods and processes to constantly resolve these ache factors.
In the event you can present your shoppers that you’ve a selected, documented methodology to unravel the precise ache level they’ve extra effectively than the typical freelancer, you’ll have the ability to cost extra and generate extra constant demand.
For instance, if that almost all of your shoppers battle with “content material mill” or “me-too” model content material, incorporate skilled 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 gang and command increased costs.
In the event you’re unsure what your consumer’s ache factors are, spend a while speaking to them or ask in Slack channels devoted to your audience.
Take Motion At present
One of many largest errors aspiring freelancers make is spending an excessive amount of time studying about easy methods to construct a contract enterprise somewhat than simply getting began.
This publish has all the knowledge you have to get began, so take motion at present, as expertise is the perfect instructor.
After you get began, search suggestions and degree up your abilities. You possibly can be a part of the Copyblogger publication for extra freelance writing ideas or be a part of the Copyblogger Academy to be taught from different like-minded freelance writers.
