Hey đ Iâm Caleb â a financial copywriter from London.
In this publication, youâll find everything you need to know about copywriting and how to make money writing online.
I also write about SEO, AI and other relevant writing topics.
If youâre new here, start with this post below đ
Iâve been seeing a lot of posts and emails recently telling people that in order to gain their first copywriting client they should work for free.
However, in my opinion, this is a mistake and should not be done.
Here is why:
1. Failed at the first hurdle
Youâre trying to start a business and youâre working for free?
Youâve failed step 1 of Business 101, which is to make money.
Thatâs the whole point of this right?
You are a copywriter and deserve to get paid â these businesses are turning over thousands every single month and they canât throw a few hundred your way?
Convincing clients to give you money is also part of the learning process. Negotiating pay is a skill in itself.
If youâre doing work for free, youâre going to be comfortable doing it, making it even more scary when you have to charge for the first time.
Youâre probably going to get stuck charging small rates.
2. Clients can treat you poorly
Thereâs a weird human phenomenon where if people pay more for something they are happier with it.
Never have I had my work so ripped apart as when I was charging ÂŁ10-20.
I canât imagine what it would be like if it was free.
3. It creates an uneasy relationship
âThereâs no such thing as a free lunchâ.
Everyone knows this.
If you say âIâll do it for free :)â this might be completely innocent to you.
But clients will then think âokay, but theyâre probably going to expect at least somethingâ.
If you just exchange money for your services, everyone is happy and thereâs a good business relationship established.
Free work will just make them uncomfortable.
Plus, they want to feel like the work is done by a professional and professionals always charge.
So, what should I charge as a beginner?
I recommend for beginners:
ÂŁ20-30 p/h.
or
ÂŁ60-80 per 1,000-1,500 words (standard article size).
Adjust for different copy types and projects.
Do a âpaid testâ to start. A fixed price for some copy, and then if they like it, try and move them into more of a retainer, or just charge them for more projects. Perhaps even up your rate.
Coming SoonâŚ
My SEO Copywriter Starter Guide is coming soon btw.
It is basically a rundown of my entire process when creating an SEO article, so you can start to create your own for clients.
Iâve also included 77 articles that Iâve written myself for clients, so you can see a bunch of examples and take the best bits from them, as well as see what worked and what didnât.
Speak soon!
Caleb
Really appreciate all your content.