Recently, one of my copywriting students asked me if she should be charging her copywriting clients upfront and, if so, whether she should be charging the full amount, 50%, or another percentage. Here’s the thing: I suspect the copywriters that have their clients pay upfront comes from a fear that the client isn’t going to pay them at all and getting some of their fee is … [Read more...]
6 Must-Pack Items to Write Copy Overseas
If you’re interested in copywriting because you want to live the life of an international jet-setter, it's absolutely possible. It's one of those concepts that feels wildly improbable. How can I get paid to write while I'm working overseas? But, as someone writing this from Portugal right now, it only feels impossible because you haven't done it yet. But before you up and … [Read more...]
Do You Need to Incorporate?
First, a caveat: I am neither an attorney nor an accountant and none of my advice should be taken lieu of talking with a professional. Never let a blog post make your legal decisions for you. Also, all this information is based on U.S. law and law as of the date of publication. (Consult a professional!) That said, this blog post is based on a few facts, my experience, and my … [Read more...]
3 Types of Clients and Why You Need to Identify Them
It should go without saying, but not every client is the same. But often, we hope every client will react in exactly the same way to our pitches: with a resounding YES! In reality, clients tend to fall into three groups—and if we approach these clients in the right way according to their groups, we’re much more likely to get that “yes.” The Three Types of … [Read more...]
How to Sell a Sales Page Project
We’ve talked about why sales pages are such a great project for copywriters and how to write them so that they’re exceptionally effective. Here we dive into tactics for helping to you sell sales page projects to clients or, more specifically, how to sell yourself as the ideal writer for a client’s sales page project. The thing about sales pages is that, unlike most other … [Read more...]
The Copywriting Project That Sells Itself to Your Customers
I know I don’t have to tell you that better copy makes a website more effective. If the copy is better, visitors to that site will be more likely to interact, more likely to do what the website’s owner wants them to do. But not all copywriting projects are created equal. Some copywriting projects are ones that are a higher priority than others for clients. And there's one … [Read more...]
Who Are the Clients for Copywriters?
I’m going to assume you’re already clear on what copy is—persuasive writing, designed to either literally sell something or to persuade someone to take an action or think a certain way—and that you’re also clear on the difference between content and copy. (If not, you can check it out here.) But I think there’s still some confusion out there about where you find copywriting … [Read more...]
The Real Secret to Business—and Life—Success
As long as I’ve been in this business, and especially in the decade that I’ve been teaching copywriting to would-be copywriting pros, I’ve gotten this question a lot: “What’s the real secret to being successful?” Well, I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is that there absolutely is a secret. Well, wait—let me put quotes around that. There is a … [Read more...]
Why Facebook Is Where You Should Find Your Next Clients
I know, we’ve all heard it: “Facebook (or Meta, or whatever they're calling themselves these days!) is dying!” And it’s definitely true that teens are adopting it nearly as much as they did in the past. Teens are using TikTok and YouTube more than ever. But…if your clientele is teens, you’ve got a bigger problem. The truth is that Facebook is still wildly popular among … [Read more...]
Essential Questions for Planning a Successful New Year!
I LOVE a new year. It feels like a fresh start, an opportunity to reflect on what worked and what didn’t in the previous year, and an opportunity to build on the wins and correct the losses in the new year. I LOVE a new year. I also, as you might expect, love new year planning. Not only is it fun and inspiring, though, it’s also incredibly important. After all, if you don’t … [Read more...]