A few years ago, I was on a flight and in a bad mood. The flight had been delayed, I was tired, I had a lot of work ahead of me and, to top it all off, the woman next to me was actually reading my computer screen over my shoulder. Who does that?? I’m not proud to say that my knee-jerk reaction would have been to give her an annoyed, nasty look. Instead, though, I … [Read more...]

I was watching an online training about freelancing a few weeks ago, and something the trainer said threw up a big red flag. (By the way, sure I already knew most of what he had to say, but I’m always taking new trainings and watching webinars to pick up whatever new tactics are out there. I strongly encourage you to do the same.) Anyway, this trainer was talking about … [Read more...]

“How much should I charge per word?” is one of the scariest, most misguided questions a copywriter can ask. And I don’t really blame new copywriters who ask that question, since there are plenty of “work farming” companies that happily advertise their “copywriters’” price per word. So let me make one thing very, very clear: Professional copywriters do not charge by the … [Read more...]

Retainers seem like an ideal solution: You set aside a certain number of hours and get paid whether or not you even work! What's not to like? Well, let's start with the fact that it rarely runs that smoothly. Today's question is from Mike M., who asks, "Could you please explain the ins and outs of clients who hire copywriters on retainer and how it works?" First, let's … [Read more...]

It's definitely no secret that—in spite of what a lot of gurus will tell you—I strongly advise you not to choose a niche when you're first starting out. Why not? Well, this article about avoiding niches will explain it in more detail but, suffice it to say that choosing a niche when you're first starting out limits your portfolio and limits your job and work options. And, … [Read more...]

When you realize you need a change, you want to have that change happen as soon as possible. And once you figure out how to make that change? Well, you want to motor through that process, until you break out into all of the success and happiness on the other side. If you've found your way to copywriting and you've realized it's the direction you want to take—you want to use … [Read more...]

Everyone knows someone for whom things just “work out.” Things go along swimmingly for them, and the things they want just seem to magically drop into their laps. Opportunities seem to appear out of nowhere. The truth is that you, too, can make opportunities appear. Here’s how… Today’s question is from Raquel Y., who asks, “I know other freelancers who haven’t been around … [Read more...]