How do I start making money from copywriting?

How do I start making money from copywriting?

 

1. Make sure your words are better than your average advertisers'.

2. Have an "about me" website that has at least two profile pictures of you, along with free tips and ideas for your potential clients to read and go "wow, he knows his stuff."

3. Read, GOOD, copywriters' blogs and boards, not crap, like, say, the Warrior Forum.

4. Look through the Yellow Pages, look at the ads in the newspapers and magazines and online, look at the websites, write down the URL's you see on signs, buildings and vehicles, advertising agencies...and then start sending the e-mail.

Also contact website designers and programmers to offer a finders fee or a partnership where you do the copywriting.

This alone may being you plenty of work.

This is how real copywriters, pros, find and get work.

Stay away from such sites like Guru, CraigsList and Elance. Too many idiots (including the ones going there looking for a copywriter), amateurs, and competition, period.

And...think outside the box.

 

Buy / somehow find some of Jason Fladlein's stuff. That's how he got his start, and how he makes a portion of his cash nowadays. Plus the above advice.

 

Create user accts with outsourcing sites such as:
freelancer.com
Elance.com
Odesk.com

Then see my top 22 tips to writing great articles:

1. Must not be the same article as any previously submitted assignment.
2. Must be an original article that appears nowhere else on the web. (we will check)
3. Must use the following primary keyword with this spelling a minimum of 3 times and maximum of 5 times: "keyword".
4. Must use the following keywords/URL (or keyword phrases) with this spelling a minimum of 1 time and maximum of 2 times each: http://www.tbd.com
5. A keyword contained inside another word or phrase counts as a usage. (Example: Web Development technology would count as a usage for Web Development technologies since Web Development is contained within both phrases)
6. If any keywords are proper nouns (such as a place, a person's name, or product name), you should use appropriate capitalization.
7. Must not mention any brand names. (Unless a brand name part of a keyword above.)
8. Must not mention any websites. Unless otherwise stipulated above (see#4)
9. Must be 6-10 paragraphs in length.
10. Paragraphs must be separated by a blank line.
11. There must be no line breaks in the middle of a paragraph.
12. Each paragraph must be at least 40 words and no more than 100 words.
13. Total word count for the article must be at least 350 words and no more than 500 words.
14. Write using American English.
15. No obvious spelling or NO grammar mistakes (except as required if the keywords are ungrammatical or misspelled). Please use a spell-checker before submitting. A free online spell checker can be found at www.spellcheck.net. (Rushed jobs and articles that are grammatically incorrect will be rejected!)
16. Article must be of a positive nature, unless specified otherwise in the topic summary. Example: If writing about Web Development technologies, do not write an article about all the reasons why some Web Development technologies are Bad investments!
17. Article facts must be true and verifiable -- no "made up" content.
18. Article content must be "professional," unless explicitly asked to use humor.
19. Article must not read like an advertisement.
20. There should be NO text formatting (ie. bold or italics) and NO paragraph headings.
21. Must be your own Original material from your own research.
22. Article Title (must begin with " Keyword " and be 5-10 words in length.)

 

Create a detailed portfolio showing off your copy-writing skills. I'm assuming you haven't had any clients in the past, so I suggest doing a couple of jobs for free in order to have material to put in your portfolio. Then create accounts in site like Guru.com, Odesk.Com,Bagawriter.com and start bidding on available jobs.

 

Speaking from my own personal experience, I have had much better luck with Craig's List than I have with contacting website designers and programmers, for referrals. In my experience, what usually happens with website designers and programmers is that they are looking for writers to whom they can subcontract out project work they take in. They want the lion's share of the profits, which means paying the writer very little. That's just my experience, of course. You may have better luck, as others apparently have had.

You can find available jobs on Craig's List (CL) by entering a search phrase like this one into Google:

freelance writer needed site:craigslist.org

You can substitute variations on "freelance writer needed." For example: "freelance editor needed" or simply "editor needed." The point is that the best way to sweep CL opportunities is not on CL itself but Google. This avoids the need for searching on each CL city site individually, which can be prohibitively time-consuming.

I wouldn't be so quick to write off Elance but the problem there from your perspective is probably set-up time, as well as fees. It takes time to set up a profile and there are membership fees. You do get some free credits just by joining but you may not find them sufficient for bidding on jobs that interest you. The advantage of CL, relative to Elance, is that you are not obligated to set up a profile and there are no membership fees or credits needed to bid on jobs.

If you connect with someone in a hurry for services, you might just land yourself a nice, paying assignment.

Another tip I would offer would be Bob Bly's website and free newsletter. You can sign up for his newsletter at his website. (I have no financial interest in his business. I just mention this because I think it is a valuable resource.) You can find his website easily by Googling his name, Bob Bly.

If you don't have money to spend on his ebooks at this time, you could still benefit immensely just by reading his free newsletter by email. Sign up for it from his website. He used to have some free reports and articles, which could be accessed from his website. I don't know whether that's still the case.

Hope that helps. Good luck and best wishes to you!

 

And ensure you are properly compensated for your labor.

 

This. Remember that money flows to the writer. There are too many schemes that try to reverse or restrict that flow.

 

In a nutshell, the amount of research that goes into an article and the number of times the article is re-written, is directly proportional to the fees paid for it.

 

Post some examples of your work, I might be interested!

 

Guru is a great place to find clients, but you MUST have great samples.

Good luck!

Stephanie

 

making money from copywriting

Yup, that'll happen. But of the ones who do that, all they are doing is showing how unprofessional they are. You'll get those types in all fields.

The pros knows that having a good copywriter can be a valuable asset to their business (making money). It's just a matter of finding them. heh

When I first started out, I did that. I quickly found out, even when I was very inexperienced, that it doesn't work. Period.

I also created a page in my site that had links go directly to CL's most promising cities. I then put it in my favorites folder. That way I could just click on them and go directly there.

Saves A LOT of time!

Example:

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/wri/

http://chicago.craigslist.org/wri/

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wri/

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/wri/

http://newyork.craigslist.org/wri/

http://dallas.craigslist.org/wri/

http://houston.craigslist.org/wri/

http://seattle.craigslist.org/wri/

But, I'm going to have to say that CL is pretty much of a time waster for copywriters who do this for a living. The jobs are VERY far and in between for a freelancer working from his home.

Very, very few businesses, even the smallest of them, go there looking for a copywriter.

CL just has too many bullshit artists over there, and amateurs claiming to be a "good copywriter."

Along with that site, I'm afraid that Guru, elance, and other sites like that are the bottom of the barrel for those who are real copywriters, who know what they are doing; they are good at it.


Another idea for those who want to do this for a living is to send e-mail to webmasters who have a great-looking site, but the content isn't all that great.

We've all seen those: "hey, that's a nice site."

Send them an e-mail complimenting them. Tell them why you "love" it so much.

Then give a very brief sales pitch. Show them a sample of content you created for their site. Then leave your card on their desk (well, you know what I mean), telling them that if they are interested, they can contact you, and then LEAVE!

There are a lot of ways to find clients/customers.

 

Someone who is very inexperienced, almost nothing works for them at the beginning. I guess you meant, even for an experienced person...

If that's the case, then you are probably using the wrong approach on CL.

 

...even when I was very inexperienced....

The word "even" means just that. EVEN the very inexperienced knows that it doesn't work. Well, the ones with a brain, anyway.

You didn't get that, huh?



Show, say, a month's worth of pages from CL that has legitimate job offers for freelancers, and that are not bottom of the barrel rates.

In a month's time, there should be plenty, so, let's see 'em.

Hell, I'll even let ya use the links I posted above so it's easier for ya.

 

Opt in to the Email lists of the most successful IM'ers, spy on them, learn from them. Sign up for Frank Kern's list. He's probably the coolest dude in the IM community, clever as hell as well.

 

I thinks all reply has been answered for your question... Good luck Bro...

 

me too..
this is my question.
anybody can teach me?

 

Don't you first need to learn how to write? *rolls eyes*

The idiots on this board....

 

hahahaha Perry Rose FTW! No wonder it's hard to get paid as a writer....some of the English-as-a-sort-of-third-language shit that gets published drags down market prices for the rest of us. If you're paying $1 for a 300-word article, you get what you pay for. Fact.

 

i would recommend you to do some work for CHEAP...and start gathering testimonials...video testimonials are better.
and put them on your youtube channel and website...

and then, post your service on marketing forums like this and elsewhere...