Writing With Purpose

As freelance writers today, we are up against a lot of competition. When I started 4 years ago, there wasn’t that many of us out there, and it was a lot easier to find work. On the downside, help to get started was in short supply.

When I first started as a copywriter, my only claim to fame was the ability to write. I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into.

I was fortunate in finding clients that were willing to let me learn, and they had a lot to teach me. But, I still felt all alone, sitting in my living room, with no co-workers or colleagues to share ideas with or ask questions.

In January of 2010, my colleague started the Copywriters Business Network. In just two short months, she now has almost 100 members and still growing. Before she started as a copywriter, she came from a business background and it definitely shows.

As a copywriter, she knows how difficult it can be to get help, get known, and really make it as a successful freelance writer. So, she has provided some amazing perks for becoming a member, and it is all FREE!

As a member, you can:

Have you own page to use as desired

Post articles to create backlinks

Advertise your services on your page

Contribute to forums and help other writers

Find other writers to help complete a project

Contribute to worthy causes

So much more

You really should see for yourself. Think of what it can do to help you grow your business. Talk to other copywriters and find out their secrets to success.

I am a member. Will you become one? All you have to do is click here.

Popularity: 96% [?]

Every time I sit down to write a post, I try to think of something helpful, a current issue, or a topic that simply might be of interest. As you can tell, I have dropped the ball in the last couple of weeks. I got busy and the blog took the back burner. I need to be better about that. Once I get a few readers that are brave enough to make comments or ask questions, then I can write about exactly what you want to know.

For those of you that don’t know, the terms freelance writing and copywriting are basically the same thing. In most cases, you and I will be writing copy that it meant to sell someone a product, an idea, or a passion.

Today, I was reading an article by another copywriter, and the last sentence is what intrigued me the most: “Now, go sell ice cream to Eskimos”. How cool is that! (pun intended).

She had some really good advice for people that want to become better freelance writers/copywriters. I want to share parts of it with you:

Now in the 5 years I’ve been in this business I’ve read a LOT of copy and written quite a bit as well. Most of it sucks. Certain things sell plain and simple and it’s aparent a lot of people don’t know what they are. . . So how do we get that emotion and feelings involved in our copy?

To effectively bring emotion into our copy we’re typically going to lean towards using a lot more words that involve the senses. Do you know what the primary senses that most people operate by? Did you know if you speak to these senses, all of them, you’re going to connect with most people better? Here is a list of the big 3 senses that most people run through the world with:

Feeling
Audio
Visual
Take a look at those and digest them for a minute. Sure there is more senses then that but most people use these to reference the world. You’ll find certain people stronger towards one then the other. Listen to the language people use when you’re talking with them. I bet after a bit once you get and accute ear you’ll be able to pickup what someones dominant sense is. And get this did you know that men and women are different? Hhahahah of course. Here’s a short cut to get you started with what to focus one depending on what sex you’re writing for.

Most men are strong on the Visual sense. They’re going to say things like: I see what you’re talking about. I can definately picture what you’re saying. When you’re selling to men the more visual you can make your pitch in your copy the more you’re going to connect and the more emotion you’re going to bring out. On an interesting topic when it comes to something that sexually arouses someone guess what men go for? Is it the penthouse forum magazine with the emotional stories? Now of course not it’s the visual picture stimulus.

So have you guessed what drives most women? If you haven’t it’s pretty easy “Feeling”. Think heartfelt stories on lifetime movie network.

So lets take a couple of these ideas and put them into play on some short snippets of copy. We’ll start with a statement like:

“I was in so much debt I didn’t know what to do.”

This sounds pretty bland right but it’s not really touching on any sense or emotions. There’s honestly nothing to pull anyone in. But lets take this and write it for a strong visual sensing person:

“Every day I closed my eyes as I opened the door beacuse i knew I’d see the stacks of bills sitting there piling up to the ceiling.”

How about one for a strong audio sensing person:

“everytime the heard the mail slot open all i could say to myself was, I don’t want to look, because I knew exactly what was there.”

And one last one for for the feeling people:

“I used to cringe every day stewing over all those bills piling up and weighing on me.”

Pretty cool huh. Which one did you connect with the most?

The ideal copy weaves between all these senses almost like a web. The more you can hit on each of the sense types the more you’re going to connect with each type of person. If you’re going to be targeting one sex more specifically I’d highly suggest going about double on the keywords tha appeal to them.

As a teacher, I always told students to be as descriptive as possible. Do not say empty words like “things”, when you can describe what those are, with the power of your words. The same can be said for freelance writers/copywriters. You have great power in your words. Use them! Who knows who you can sell ice cream to, or anything else for that matter?

You can even sell yourself and what you do for your clients on a daily basis.

Popularity: 85% [?]

For me, one of the hardest parts of freelance writing is pounding the virtual pavement looking for work. I do not like to have to bid for jobs. I like having nice, steady, faithful customers. Lately, bidding for jobs in freelance writing has even been more discouraging, because buyers can get someone from Asia to do an hour’s worth of work for a dollar! For those of us that do this for a full-time living, it is simply not feasible to work for those prices.

Today, while doing research for another project I came across and article with advice for bidding on freelance jobs:

Research the Client

As with any job you might be considering, find out who you might be working for first. Do they have favourable comments against their ID? Do they have a substantial profile? Do they have a company website? If a posted job doesn’t feel right when you read it, the chances are you should steer clear.
There are several giveaways you should watch out for when thinking of bidding for a writing gig:
- the poster seems confused about what it is they actually want
- they are a new poster offering a high budget
- they are a new poster with no references
- the poster has little or no information in their profile or job description
- the poster is reluctant to give up much information about himself or the job
- they are looking for work on a trial basis first
All of these instances should set alarm bells ringing in your head, telling you the job you might be about to bid for is not all that it seems.

Don’t Bid Low

Not only is it an affront to hard working writers the world over, but bidding low for projects reduces your professionalism as well as your chances of moving forward in the industry.
Too many jobs appear on these websites advertising work for a pittance but disguised as something fantastic. For example: “$500 for easy article writing” sounds like a good deal, but when you read the small print, very often you’ll find the client is looking for 500 articles a week at $1 a piece. You would be a fool to go for it, because not only is it demeaning, it also propagates the misunderstanding that writers will work for next to nothing under ridiculous demands. The Writer’s Strike in America should have warned people about this sort of thing, but while there are writers who do it, the problem will always exist. Don’t be one of them.
If you are serious about freelance writing, then do your research and stick to the going rate. Not only will people take you more seriously, but you’ll avoid getting involved with cowboys looking for a cheap deal. Remember: people will get what they pay for – $1 per article will rightly get them garbage, compared to a quality article researched and written for $100.
By all means bid strategically: if the average bid for a $100-$250 gig is sitting at $150 and this is within decent market rates for that type of work, then be competitive, but don’t lose your self-respect over it.

Watch Out For Pirates

Suppose a client accepts your bid and the ball is set rolling on a project. You await the full remit but when it arrives you discover it is for something a little bit more than previously agreed. It would be easy to return with a volley of abuse, and it might be even easier to take the work as it is and hope to impress. But don’t. A chancer is at work and he will take you for all you have. If you were to get involved in this type of situation, what’s to say you will even get paid at the end of it?
Should you find this happens, a short but polite email to the client explaining the new remit was not what you agreed, but you would be happy to discuss new terms as part of another project over and above the currently agreed one.
Do not let yourself be bowled over by slick sales talk or threats of breach of contract –stand your ground and be strong. If you lose the gig then you have lost nothing but a lot of hassle, so thank yourself for having the savvy to get out while you could.
If the client is genuinely confused then negotiate a deal for the new work, and who knows, a continuing working relationship may develop to be very fruitful for both parties.
Another popular scam is to sign up a writer, only for the client to say they would prefer you to write an amount of the project and submit it in advance, just to see if you are both compatible. Challenge them to put their money up first, stating you don’t work for free, or simply prepare to walk away. The chances are if you undertake this work you can wave goodbye to any form of payment and will never hear from them again.
Be Prudent With Payments
The main rule when handling payments is safety first. Escrow systems are normally in place to which it is recommended clients place the agreed amount of money first. This money is then held in this third party account until the job is completed and can be released; a system designed to protect both parties from intellectual and monetary theft.
Using Escrow means you are also able to leave comments for each other after a project’s completion in order to boost your profile within the community. A downside to this though, is you will normally be charged to withdraw your money to an external account, which if this is PayPal or WorldPay for example, may also take its own percentage depending on the amount.
One way around this is to bypass Escrow and simply agree with the client to take payment straight into PayPal/WorldPay. This eliminates any extra charges, but loses the protection afforded from Escrow. In this instance, ask the client to deposit a percentage of the agreed fee into PayPal (unless you have worked with him before), to ensure confidence on either side that the work will be done, and that payment is safe.

Don’t Entertain Anything Illegal

From time to time seemingly well-paid gigs arise which may be illegal in some countries. Very often jobs are posted that ask the writer to plagiarise other articles or content, write unethical reports with “guidelines” that consist merely of lies, or offer payment to provide false names or testimonials in articles for people and products that do not exist. Many of these scams are used to gain money from people over the internet under false pretences, which in most countries is an illegal practice called fraud.
It goes without saying that jobs like these should be avoided at all costs. Although you may be ghost writing the work, if the cops came looking there will always be a trail back to your computer.
All this aside, there are some very good opportunities for work in the form of one-off gigs on bidding sites. They afford the writer a chance to dip their toes into new territory without too much being at stake, and it can be a good way of filling the gaps when things get quiet.

I found this article on Daily Writing Tips. The writer has some very good advice. To deviate from these 5 tips will only come back to harm your business and your ability to become a successful copywriter in the long run.

So, what do you think? Do you have any more freelance writing tips that have served you well?

Popularity: 93% [?]

Freelance writers getting paid what they are worth seems to be a thing of the past-or is it? Of course, when you are first starting out, you cannot ask for the same price as a copywriter that has been in the business for years and built up a clientèle. But, you do not have to subject yourself to slave labor either.

Lincoln Abolished Slavery

Lincoln abolished slavery a long time ago. Unfortunately, when you begin to bid for projects, you will find buyers that want a lot of something for nothing. I have often come across jobs posted offering $1 for 500 words.

I do not know about you; but, in order to do justice to an entire page of writing, including light research, it takes me at least 30-60 minutes. Be honest! Can you afford to feed your family and live on $2 an hour? Of course NOT!

When you come across jobs like that pass them buy. If you are desperate enough to take those low paying projects, the buyer knows he/she can take advantage of you. Do not panic! Take you time. Use all of the resources available that I have mentioned in this blog. Go to the various sites on my blog roll. Have a look around. See what other freelance writers are doing. Find out where they are getting work.

Value your Freedom

One of the nice aspects of freelance writing is the chance to be your own boss. You have the freedom to work at home, plan your schedule around your lifestyle, and be there for your family. Do not let some greedy person take that away from you. Let individuals that live in other countries, with English as their second language take those low paying jobs! The buyer will more often than not get lousy copy in return.

Meanwhile, you are taking the time to develop a good client base. As you grow in experience, your buyers will keep coming back, because they know the quality writing that you provide. As you help their businesses flourish, you can raise your rates and your faithful will gladly pay, because you are worth it!

Popularity: 4% [?]

Whether you are simply thinking about freelance writing a few hours a week, or hoping to further establish yourself as a full-time work-at-home freelancer, you will be expanding your writing horizons in 2010.

My Horizons

For me, 2010 is definitely going to change my horizons. Instead of always playing it safe and working harder, not smarter, I am taking a leap of faith and experience. I am going to write for myself, as well as my clients. I have learned so much in the last 4 years about freelance writing, and how the Internet business community works. Although I still have much to learn, I want to do for myself what I have been doing for my clients.

For starters, I have this blog site. Of course, I am writing about freelance writing. However, I can write about aspects of copywriting that I wish I had known in the beginning. I can talk about issues that crop up on a daily basis. Plus, I can establish other sites about issues near and dear to my heart. I will be launching another website soon.

Your Horizons?

In the meantime, what are your plans for 2010? Are you going to just keep writing for clients and helping them prosper; or are you going to expanding your writing horizons, and save a little time for your personal and business growth?

If you want more information on how to expand your writing horizons in 2010, or you have some suggestion for me and the other readers, leave a comment or contact me.

Happy 2010!

Popularity: 6% [?]

Dear Writing with Purpose Clients,

With the new year comes new growth! Here is how my copywriting business is growing and changing for 2010:

PRICING:
As of January 1, 2010, my fee for article writing is $15 for 500 words. If you require a different word count, fees may adjust. However, my lowest fee for any writing project is $12 per item.

RESEARCH FEES:
Any project requiring research, metatags, stock photos, etc. will incur additional small charges.

TURNAROUND TIMES:
Turnaround times are determined on an individual basis; however, you can expect turnaround times to improve as I continue to streamline operations.

PROJECT DEPOSITS:
All assignments with a total project fee over $75 will require a 50% deposit before work can begin. The balance is due upon completion. This is standard industry practice.

PAYMENT & INVOICING:
I am no longer using Elance for new projects. Going forward, I will accept payment and provide invoices through PayPal and Google Checkout.

REFERRALS:
If you’d like to refer me, and that referral becomes a client, I’ll show my appreciation by offering you a 10% discount on your next project.

CONTACT OPTIONS:
Most of you have my email address, but requests for new projects can also be placed through my website at http://thewritingwithpurpose.com/contact/
As always, phone consultations remain available during regular business hours.

MY SERVICES:
Most of you know me for my article writing. I also offer:

• Website copy
• Press releases
• Copy for marketing materials
• eBook writing
• Editing ( I hold a B.A. in English)

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your past business.
Let’s work together for your success in 2010!

Tina Matsunaga
Writing with Purpose
tssm@bresnan.net

http://thewritingwithpurpose.com

Popularity: 3% [?]

With four days until Christmas, it seems like an appropriate time to talk about a one stop place to shop for freelance writing jobs. By now, you are probably exhausted going from store to store looking for that perfect gift for a loved one. Well, the same can be said for pounding the virtual pavement looking for writing work. It makes life a lot easier, if you can go to one site and bid on a wide variety of jobs.

Keeping Pace with the Competition

Even for the best and most experienced copywriters, bidding on jobs is a time consuming aspect of the occupation. It takes time to find the jobs that you are most suited to fill; and, crafting the best bid is also a work of art and expertise. In addition, you will have plenty of people competing for the same potential assignment.

Individuals from all walks of life, from around the world, are trying to break into the business of freelance writing. Not only do you have to know how to write well, but you need the ability to market yourself and your writing skills. Your need to be able to write the best bid, so the buyer will choose you over the competition. However, the process of placing 100 bids in the hopes of landing 5-10 paying jobs can be a hassle.

A Virtual Job Mall

Recently, I signed up to receive Google alerts regarding ‘freelance writing’. Normally, I cruise through the article headings and move on to something else. Nevertheless, I came across a site that is basically a virtual job mall for freelance writing gigs. I found it very interesting.

When I was checking it out a little closer, I found that the site is a hub for all sorts of sites that match writers with buyers needing their skills and expertise. You can look through all sorts of writing jobs from simply blogging to technical writing and anything in between. Instead of hopping around the Web applying here and there, you can go to Writing Bids and have a vast assortment of jobs available, right at your fingertips.

Once you become an established freelance writer, you will probably develop a faithful customer base. You may rarely have to bid for jobs. But, in the meantime, or when business gets slow, you now have a resource for a one stop shop for freelance writing jobs.

Popularity: 3% [?]