Why a Few Freelance Copywriters Make Most of the Money

Yesterday Brian talked about the unfair advantage that good copywriters have when they’re marketing themselves. But a discussion in the comments broke out about whether or not good writers are a commodity.

The counterpoint was that good writers are a dime a dozen. There are just too many of them on freelancing sites like Elance. The market decrees that commodities (like oil, wheat, and talented writers) are priced based on pure supply and demand. So even if you’re quite a good writer, you have to duke it out with all the other good writers, competing for that precious limited resource: lucrative projects.

So what makes the difference for those lucky few, the best-paid writers? What’s their “X” Factor?

What freelance writers need to compete today

The general solution to the commodity problem was also revealed in the comments, but on the Killer and the Poet post that kicked off the week. The sentiment revealed how your prospective clients think about freelance writers.

In short, businesspeople don’t want a freelance writer. They don’t want a word-grinder to crank out a few pages describing their product. And when they do want that, they’re not willing to pay much for it.

As Brian touched on in the post yesterday, businesses don’t want someone who simply writes. The writing is a feature.

Businesses want the benefit of that feature. They want more customers, better customers, more sales, and lower marketing costs.

They want to know how to cut through the information clutter that keeps their advertising from working. They want to know how to stake out a juicy corner of the market with killer positioning. They want to know how all this mysterious social media stuff works. (And they need to know that their 1998 ideas about SEO are disastrously off-base.)

What they need is you. But only if you step up and package your skills to become the resource they’re looking for.

The Freelance “X� Factor

Brian and I really like professional writers (and those aiming to get there). You’re smart, you laugh even when our jokes are subtle, and you’re terrific at learning new things.

But a lot of you struggle with business.

You don’t always translate the great stuff you know about USPs, direct response marketing, social media, and exceptional content into building your own businesses. (Even when you’re using them to benefit your clients.)

And there might even be a few gaps in the value you deliver to clients. You might need a brush-up in one or more of those topics (after all, the online marketing space is in constant flux).

You need a map. So we made one for you.

Brian and I have created a powerful online course just for freelance copywriters. To deliver that “X Factorâ€? that’s the difference between a ramen-noodle writer and a sushi-powered specialist.

Obviously, it’s about a lot more than money. It’s really about being able to have the writing business you want to have. Without constantly hustling for clients. Without stressing about how you’re going to cover your expenses. And without having to (ugh) cold call.

The course is called The Freelance “X� Factor, and it’s all about building a lucrative freelance writing business using smart social media marketing. Here’s what’s included:

• Over 4 hours of audio modules
• Optimized and searchable transcripts
• Pragmatic worksheets that guide you through the processes, tactics, and strategies we reveal
• Supplemental reference material that ties it all together

Get all the details about the Freelance “X” Factor course here.

About the Author: Sonia Simone is Senior Editor of Copyblogger and the founder of Remarkable Communication.