“Finally, I’m doing an interesting job!”, “My job gives me the opportunity to realize my talent,” - there are hundreds of similar reviews on the forums of web writers and stock exchanges. It's easy for authors to envy. If they have been writing to order for years and are not tired of the craft, their advice to novice copywriters would certainly be useful. But often great professionals curse work, live from deadline to deadline and dream of a better fate. Customers pay little, they have to sit at the computer all day, and there is no time for creativity. Common situation? These recommendations are for you.
1. Don't try to be a terminator
No matter how hard-working you are, writing for 12 hours without getting up is an ordeal. It will take several months, and you will no longer cope with such a load. It is possible that due to fatigue, it will be difficult to make a couple of sentences. To avoid problems:
- do not chase the number of orders, raise prices;
- do not work during sleep hours;
- arrange a weekend "without a computer".
Do not be equal to the "copywriting terminators" who claim to write 40-50 thousand characters daily. Work in a mode that is comfortable for you. If you don't know how to create dozens of short texts a day, look for a way to increase your prices. Learn to write “expert” articles that customers are willing to pay for and find “generous” clients.
2. Set reasonable prices
Even a beginner is not worth working for 20-30 rubles per thousand characters. Literate, including "no frills", the text is more expensive. If you have been in the profession for several years and still take cheap orders, make sure that you have no problems with self-esteem:
- ask web writers to rate your work on the form;
- study the portfolio of specialists who take orders several times more expensive than you.
As practice shows, “greedy” customers find fault with texts more often than “generous” ones. Calculate the minimum cost of services based on the cost of an hour of work. Decide which wage is acceptable to you and divide by 160 (the number of "office" hours per month). For example, with a desired monthly income of 25,000 rubles, you should earn 156.25 rubles per hour.
To find out the cost of 1 thousand characters, note how much you spend on writing a text of this volume. But keep in mind: this is a rough calculation. You need to take breaks and spend time proofreading and formatting your text. And try not to cooperate with customers who write in ads “the texts are simple, in 6 hours you can easily …”.
3. Look for good customers
Use different platforms to find clients: remote work sites (fl.ru), forums (searchengines.guru), groups in social networks (“Distance. Freelance, remote work” in Vkontakte), stock exchanges. The latter are bad because prices are often lower there than on other resources. Be tricky:
- create a resume on sites that are not entirely devoted to freelancing, for example, hh.ru: employers who are not corrupted by low prices of exchanges are often looking for employees there;
- look for customers directly: offer services or ready-made articles to site owners.
Pay attention to filling out profiles and building a portfolio. An advantage over other web writers will be given by a business card site, on which - in the format of images and links, and not copies of articles - your work will be posted.
4. Don't work for free
Ads about the search for a copywriter are often given by scammers who are not going to pay for the content. They ask “candidates” to write a test task for free (sometimes they can complete a large order), and then stop responding to emails. In order not to waste time in vain:
- if you agree to write a test article for free, agree with the customer that he will not use it;
- check if the customer is on the blacklists of employers (they are on special sites and in freelance groups on social networks).
An overly short and general description of the vacancy, the lack of information about the customer on the website, and his refusal to tell you more about the company should alert you. Most often, scammers promise an average salary of 70 rubles per 1000 characters, offer to write on women's topics or on tourism.
5. Improve yourself
For web writers who write product descriptions for online stores, commercial offers and other texts that require clarity and information richness, Maxim Ilyakhov's mailing list will be useful. You can subscribe to it on the page of the Glvred service - glvrd.ru (it is convenient to use it when editing an article). Explore the author's blog Maximilyahov.ru. Pay attention to the "Tips" section.
Find articles you write with uniqueness checking software. In a month or two after delivery, you will be able to look at the material as a reader, notice the shortcomings that previously escaped your attention. If you specialize in SEO texts, find out how they are indexed, what positions they occupy in the search results.
6. Don't be afraid to talk to the customer
Ask questions before writing the text so you don't have to tweak it or start from scratch. Remember that the main thing is to write the text that the customer needs, that solves his problems, and not "strictly according to the technical specification" or "the director liked it." If you are sure that the task is set incorrectly - there are too many keywords, the wrong style is chosen, say so, but explain reasonably what is wrong and how to fix it.
Do not have time to submit the text - inform the customer. Give him the opportunity to submit the assignment to another copywriter. It is possible that the employer is ready to wait and the order will remain with you. By disappearing from the air, you risk losing a client. Even if the article had to be submitted 2 days ago, and you played silent, turned off Skype, your phone, did not go to social networks and your mailbox, it’s not too late to fix it. You may not even have to explain the reasons for your behavior (but admitting yourself to be a social phobia is better than “pretending to be dead”).
7. Take criticism calmly
Do not panic if the customer asks you to revise the text. There is no reason to consider yourself a mediocrity. Calmly read the article and comments, make corrections. It is advisable to stipulate the number of improvements in advance: if the material does not pass even 3-4 times, it is inappropriate to continue "tormenting" it. Agencies often offer clients conditions: the first 3 revisions are free, the subsequent ones are paid.
8. Don't get distracted
Don't get distracted when writing: this reduces your efficiency. If you constantly check your mail or watch your watch, it will become difficult for you to concentrate. During the break, do not sit at the computer: reading entertaining articles creates the illusion of relaxation, but does not help to recuperate.
9. Move
Harvard professor Jeremy Wolf believes exercise is the only effective way to improve cognitive performance. If you find it difficult to concentrate, and you have forgotten what it means to "think clearly", do exercises. Blood circulation will improve - the brain will work more efficiently. Even ordinary, no stress, walks are useful.
Do your muscles feel numb by the end of the working day, and your back starts to ache? Take up yoga. Quite a good, albeit rather complicated, complex of asanas for beginners was made by Viktor Boyko. Take time to practice each day.
10. Don't get hung up on copywriting
Even talented authors sometimes begin to write pale, "tortured" texts. Fatigue, obsession with the need to issue a certain number of thousands of characters every day - the reasons are different. Disease is treated with rest. Plain and from copywriting.
Keep in mind that there are more than just ad copy and white papers like the 10 Tips for Copywriting. Read fiction. This will make your texts richer lexically, and you will not have the feeling that you have forgotten how to think.
