My new client is keeping me busy! I’m having such a great time that it feels almost sinful to get what I’m worth to write blog posts! And at $90/hour, I’ve already worked nearly 90 hours for this new client in just a wee bit over a month, so my savings are growing by leaps and bounds.
Every blog post of 1000 to 1200 words takes me about three hours to write, including research time, if any is needed; about half the time or more, it is, but a lot of the topics are already in my wheelhouse, so I can write those ones without going after much additional info. I like that, because I don’t have to worry about plagiarism/duplicate content issues when I know every word came right out of my head. (Whenever I get info off the ‘Net that others have published, I have to rewrite it so it doesn’t get flagged as duplicate content, so I run everything through Copyscape to make sure every line has been altered and enough extra content has been added to make it unique and beyond reproach.)
I only committed to working ten hours per week because I have a few other regular clients, but since she has so many great topics, and the other clients have never used me bunches and bunches on any given week, I’ve been able to dedicate a lot more time than I promised I could, which is good for both of us.
She wants me to start writing copy for her, too. I told her my copywriting fee is $250/hour but she has no problem with that, so I’ll be doing that, too…
I much prefer content writing to copywriting. Copywriting is a whole ‘nother animal and it’s a lot harder for me. Not too hard, but more challenging. She thinks I write great blog posts lightning fast. I don’t write great copy lightning fast, which is one of the reasons I charge more. The other reason is that I want a piece of the action. Whatever I’m selling is usually worth hundreds or thousands or tens of thousands of dollars per conversion (per sale), so I expect to get some of that up front unless the client wants to send me a significant percentage (10% or more) of the proceeds from whatever I write. Most don’t, ’cause that could end up being a heckuva lot more money!
The goal of copywriting (sales writing) is to make a sale. So, you need to know the target audience and which buttons of theirs to push to get them to buy.
With content writing, the goal is to create a fond bond (that all-important know/like/trust factor) using great information so people keep coming back for more. Content writing is more interpersonal and laid back, like two friends having a great conversation about something that’s important to both. It’s a lot of fun. I adore content writing. I’m a much better conversationalist in writing than I am face-to-face because I get to choose my words more carefully, and I have time to revisit and clarify before I hit “publish” or before I send the first presentable draft to a client.
I wish I could tell you who this new client is. I truly do. But I’m under a Non-Disclosure agreement with her and ghostwriting her blogs, so I can’t do that. But she has been in business for almost 20 years and she has a huge following. She’s a best-selling author with a number of books under her belt. While I’m writing, I’m also learning a lot about her areas of expertise, which are helping me in my life and pursuits, so it’s truly a win-win situation. I’m enjoying the heck out of this collaboration!
Funny thing is, two times now (already) she has asked me to write 1000-word blog posts on topics and when I turned them in for review, she said, “These are too good for blog posts. I want to teach these, so we’ll set these aside for that! So here’s another topic! Write about this!”
I love it! My creative juices are flowing like nobody’s business. I have a hard time sleeping at night. I have Christmas Tree Brain. (That “Christmas Eve” anticipation-type excitement when you just can’t wait to get up in the morning to new discoveries. YOU know the feeling!)
It’s all good!
