I’ve been told I’m offering some “tough love” (here and there) in these blog pages. True enough!
I keep my eyes and ears open because the things I run across on a daily basis in this business can be used to instruct, correct, and encourage those of you who are business owners trying to write your own copy and those of you who are new to the copywriting business and want to improve while avoiding, as much as possible, the various pitfalls of writing for a living, among them…
- learning to feel okay about saying no to clients whose products, services or causes you don’t feel passionate about or that you believe are sub-standard and shoddy. I presume that, like me, you don’t want to become a writing shill for shoddy offerings or shady characters. Lots of great business owners with great offerings need great writers–so why cater to anyone less honorable?
- saying no to clients whose vibe, dithering/indecision, or primitive understanding of what’s required to create great copy transmits to your intuition that they’re going to be more troublesome than tranquil (or so you know to charge them significantly more up front to compensate for the extra time it will take to serve/educate/placate their fears/indecision/dithering if you do elect to take them on)
- making sure you get paid up front for at least 50% of the work you’re slated to do with the balance due upon delivery of the rest of the copy (before revisions are undertaken; revisions can be negotiated depending on how much or how little extra work will be required, from no extra charge to $x/per hour for significant/developmental changes or diversions from the original agreement and vision for the project)
- deciding on a “kill fee” for projects that get cancelled by clients after you’ve expended time and energy on them
- deciding what to charge for various pieces of copy (evergreen copy should cost a lot more than non-evergreen copy)
- understanding the “overhead costs” involved in owning a copywriting business so you can make a decent living
- and much, much more…
I just don’t think that beating around the bush is helpful. So if some of these blog posts come across as “tough love” please remember that my love for this industry and the people I serve is a lot stronger than my toughness. I just want to be clear so you can avoid some of the pitfalls I landed in as a fledgling copywriter. It’s usually easier and a lot less expensive to learn from other people’s mistakes than it is to learn from your own.
My hope for this blog is that you’ll get farther faster by reading the wisdom I’ve gleaned from my experiences. Let me know if I’m succeeding. Based on the rate at which people are subscribing, I feel pretty sure the answer is yes…but…what else would you like to learn from me? Send me your questions!
