Freelance copywriting?

[yasmina27]

Is anyone here in the business? Someone on another board posted about AWAI, thinking it was a scam. After several people responded that it was legit, I looked into it and expanded my research into the copywriting business.

I think this is something that would be right up my alley. I'm really good with words and graphic designing (to an amateur's degree)and believe I could be successful.

Would love to hear from anyone involved in the business, as well as anyone with experience with AWAI. Is it worth the $39/month?

Thanks!

[sybylla]

1. Have any luck? Decide to do it?

I'm an underemployed technical writer who has some experience in copy writing, public realtions writing and layout. I've thought about the freelance "services" before but never have had the nerve to try them without a recommendation from someone who uses them.

So...I'm curious how this is working for you.

[bliss_eternal]

3. Based on your background as a writer...

...sounds like you could definitely find freelance work in the field. According to the Bowerman book, it would require some effort on your part (he recommends cold-calling) but it is possible!

Again, the name of the book is The well Fed Writer, by Peter Bowerman. Check it out.

Oh and you probably want to know how I know about it. Several years ago, I met someone on another board I used to frequent who read this book and used it to successfully obtain freelance work as copywriter. At the time, I was interested in doing this sort of work, so I asked if I could speak to her more about it. She gave me her information and we e-mailed back and forth for a while.

She said that she used the advice in the book and also joined her local chamber of commerce and did a few jobs for trade just to get samples for her portfolio. Once she had some work to show others she solicited other work through calling around to ask if people needed a writer. She got some "yes's" and was on her way!

Unfortunately, I left that message board and lost touch with that person, but figured it was worth sharing that someone else in the world is doing this!

If you have any questions about the book, let me know!

Good luck!
bliss :)

[sybylla]

6. Thanks for your suggestions

I've thought about taking that route. But I live in a very rural area. It would take a great deal of creative effort to convince the small businesses in my area that they need my services and that's all before they see the rate sheet. I fear I'd have to cut my rate on most projects to the point that I would be better paid as a bank teller (and I'd definitely have better benefits.)

There are a couple of businesses I may be able to persuade so I haven't given up. But there is also a tech temp service in my area. I've decided to give them a shot and see what kind of work I can get through them. It's one way to get my foot in the door for future work projects.

And I'll check out the book.

Thanks.

[bliss_eternal]

2. Hi yasmina and sybylla...

I'm sorry I was so late to this. If either of you is still interested in freelance copywriting I have a book suggestion for you. I believe it is carried on Amazon.com if you'd like to save some money!

There's an excellent book on the subject by Peter Bowerman, called The Well Fed Writer. He states that it is possible to earn a very good to excellent living, working from your home as a freelance copy writer--which he's been doing for quite a few years now. He states that he has done this in any economy and it's possible in spite of what your writing background is. He was NOT a professional writer prior to embarking on this career.

If you punch his name into a search engine, you can visit his website and read testimonials from those that have read his book and followed his advice successfully.

If you have any questions about the book, let me know!

Good luck!
bliss:)

[yasmina27]

4. Thanks bliss

for the post and the pm about it. I have since read that book and the follow-up "A Second Helping" (or something to that effect as it's still really early and my brain's not quite awake yet!). It contains over 90% new material from "Well Fed".

I just started reading POP! by Sam Horn. While it is not specifically about copywriting it seems to be related and has some interesting ideas.

I've been derailed from my original inspiration regarding copywriting over the last couple of months, but your response, timed exactly as I'm reading this new book, tells me I need to start moving on this again. Surely it' more than coincidence!

Thanks again.
Yas

[bliss_eternal]

5. Happy to help, Yas!

Keep me posted on how it goes...! Love to see people (especially progressives) find success in their business dreams!

best,
Bliss :hi:

[Dave Caputo]

7. Making money doing SEO Copywriting

Hi there,

One avenue that's available for freelance copywriters to make a solid living at ($10 - $30 per hour from home) is SEO copywriting. My company, Positronic Design, The SEO Company, hires freelance writers to do topical copywriting on a wide range of subjects. Read up on the subject of organic search engine optimization to learn about the nuances involved. There's a lot of information out there if you search for it. Companies need to come up on organic search listings under relevant keywords if they want to get traffic to their site without spending a ton of money on banner or pay-per-click advertising.

This provides the savvy copywriter a market to sell their wares, in a way where they can be paid well because their work actually helps drive increased sales, and that provides businesses the money to pay them.

We're recruiting right now, because we've got tons of work piling up, so send me some writing samples if SEO copywriting is of any interest to you.

Hope that helps.

David Caputo
President
Positronic Design, The SEO Company

[Dave Caputo]

8. SEO Copywriting Examples

Since I didn't get any response from my post about making money as a freelance writer by doing SEO Copywriting, I thought I'd post a couple of examples that my company has done in the past year that we've made money from and they've helped out the clients a bunch too.

The first example is a sexy bras site that we do for La Petite Coquette, a boutique New York City lingerie and foundationwear store in Greenwich Village. They've been there for thirty years and have just started selling online recently. Clicking the link will bring you to their home page, and if you look at the very top line, the very bottom line of sentence-style text, and the body of text under the main images area, those are all examples of SEO copywriting for a lingerie web site.

The other example is a sexy micro thong site that we do for Panties.com, a totally online lingerie business run out of a small town in Iowa. She's also been in business for a long time, and has had difficulty breaking into the lingerie big-time vs her much better heeled competitors, i.e. Victoria's Secret, Fredericks, etc. Her site is more of a "sexy gifts" site, and mainly targets men shopping for affordable lingerie gifts they can buy online for their wives or girlfriends.

Here you can compare the text on the micro thongs and sexy nighties pages (and the meta tags) with the pages on the other sites, which remain undone (since we just started). These are very good examples of SEO copywriting, and freelance writers who want to make an actual living writing should take note.

I'm happy to answer any questions about this that the community may have.

David Caputo
President
Positronic Design
The SEO Company

[JustAnotherGen]

9. I've found several writers

At Constant-Content.com. If you are good, you can ask for $45 for 600-800 words per article. Another place to look is onlinewritingjobs.com. I've connected with other online publishers, and they gave me the advice of placing an ad at the second, and going to constant-content to find writers/connect with writers. Good luck!