nick usborne's guide to online copywriting
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Excess Voice Newsletter
April 2005, Issue # 78
In this issue:
>> Intro: What
Copywriters Earn & Charge
>> Review: Copywriter Fee Survey
>> Article: Get Past Lumpy
>> Survey: Are Your Rates Fixed?
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Greetings,
First, let me thank everyone who sent in a question following the last issue. I think I have replied to everyone. If not, please send me a reminder. I have yet to figure out where and how to create the new ‘Ask Nick’ feature, but when I do you’ll be the first to hear about it.
Be sure to read this week’s review. This is the first time I have found a reliable and comprehensive source of information on what copywriters charge and earn for their work. Whether you are a freelancer or just do some moonlighting from time to time, now you’ll know what to charge for a variety of different writing jobs.
In this issue’s article, I explore the learning curve online writers follow as they develop the necessary skills to write with search engines in mind.
And, as always, please take a minute to reply to this issue's survey.
Until next time.
Nick
Nick Usborne
>> Feedback: mailto:nick@excessvoice.com
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REVIEW: The 2005 Freelance Copywriter Fee & Compensation Survey
Finally. Now you'll know how much to charge for that next freelance copywriting job - without having to worry about estimating too high or too low.
Chris Marlow, a very successful copywriter and copywriting coach, sent out questionnaires to hundreds of copywriters. The results are very interesting, giving us insights into how much copywriters earn, and how much they charge for all kinds of different writing jobs.
If you are a freelance copywriter, are thinking of becoming a freelance copywriter...or if you buy services from freelance copywriters...this report is for you.
Read my review:
http://www.excessvoice.com/copyfees.htm
Previous reviews:
>> At Excess Voice:
#1. Landing Page Handbook - How to Raise Conversions
A very popular report
from MarketingSherpa, including numerous before-and-after examples of
landing pages, and what it took to make them convert better.
http://www.excessvoice.com/landing-page.htm
>> At Freelance Writing Success
#1: Freelance Writing Success in a Box
Essential reading
for all but the most established and successful freelance writers. But
even then, thinking about myself, there was a lot I learned...and some
bad habits I managed to kick after reading everything.
http://www.freelancewritingsuccess.com/success.php
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ARTICLE: Search Engine Copywriting: Get Past Lumpy
Your knowledge level within almost any area of expertise follows three stages.
1. You don’t
know enough, and feel inadequate to the task.
2. You know too much, and feel overwhelmed by the knowledge.
3. You know even more, but feel just right.
Here’s how these three stages unfold in the area of search engine copywriting.
1. When you don’t know enough
As a writer of copy or content online, knowledge of search engine optimization is fast becoming a basic requirement.
When a client or manager hands you a briefing sheet which includes a list of three keywords and phrases, it’s no longer good enough to look confused and say, “Keywords? What am I supposed to do with these?”
Then comes that awkward moment when your client or manager realizes you don’t know a thing about writing search engine friendly copy, and you realize that your lack of knowledge is making you look very bad indeed.
So you quickly say, “Just kidding! I live and breathe keywords!” Then you settle down to scale that steep, steep learning curve before anyone realizes you’re not being entirely honest.
You now enter a bad and scary stage during which you pretend to know what you’re doing, but actually don’t.
Related to this is the even worse stage during which you yourself believe you have an adequate level of expertise, but don’t.
This stage is characterized by feelings of inappropriate self-confidence and the liberal sharing of really bad advice with anyone unfortunate enough to listen to you.
2. When you know too much
Time passes and you really do get to understand what is happening when search engine spiders crawl through billions of pages of information and decide on the value and relevance of each.
By now you subscribe to a number of SEO newsletters, follow five different discussion forums, are scared to calculate how much you have spent on ebooks...but do wish Wordtracker offered a lifetime membership option.
Your brain is super-saturated with gigabytes of information on keyword saturation, meta tags, Keyword Effective Index ratings and more. This is a strange time for a copywriter or writer of web content.
One day that client or manager will walk up and ask you what the heck happened to the talented writer he used to know and admire. “Your writing used to flow like honey. And now it shudders along like lumpy oatmeal. What happened to you?”
You look up at him, feeling immeasurably wounded. Does this guy have no idea how hard it is to aim for a top ten listing for these competitive keywords?
This middle stage is best described as, well, lumpy.
Big lumps of new knowledge and information are getting in the way of the smooth and natural flow of your copy and content. You’re overwhelmed. You are trying to carry and make sense of more information than your mind can absorb.
3. When you know even more, but feel fine
In time, those ugly lumps of knowledge are digested, and all you have learned over the previous few months becomes part of the natural flow of your thought processes.
In short, you have become an expert.
All the knowledge you need is there in your mind, and you are able to learn more and absorb more on a daily basis.
Best of all, you are back on form, writing beautifully and finding that you are writing search engine friendly copy on an almost subconscious level now. It just comes naturally. It’s second nature. It has become part of what you do.
Sure, you still use Wordtracker for your keyword research. But now, ‘writing for the search engines’ no longer gets in the way of writing great content and copy for your readers.
Concluding thoughts...
If you write for the web, you have to understand SEO. If you are getting away without that knowledge today, it won’t be long before your ignorance of this aspect of online writing becomes a problem for you.
If you haven’t done so already, get learning.
And get past lumpy.
** If you found value in the article, please forward this newsletter to
colleagues and friends who might be interested.
** The archives of
all previous ExcessVoice articles can be found here:
http://www.excessvoice.com/archive.htm
>> Feedback: mailto:nick@excessvoice.com
===============================================
NICK USBORNE'S SERVICES:
Yes, I do more than write articles and publish newsletters.
Ask me to speak at
your next meeting or conference...
http://www.nickusborne.com/speaking.htm
Ask me to write for
your site, emails and newsletters.
http://www.nickusborne.com/copywriting.htm
Ask me to prepare
an 'Outside Opinion' report on your web site...
http://www.nickusborne.com/consulting.htm
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SURVEY: Are Your Rates Fixed?
Do you have a fixed rate card? Do you always charge clients the same amount for each kind of job? Or do you adjust your prices up and down, according to the size of the client, how badly you want the job, and other variables?
[ ] I always charge
the same
[ ] My rates vary
Comments:
Want to earn 6 Figures as a Freelance Copywriter?
Read my review of Michael Masterson's Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting
Already a Freelance Copywriter and want to earn a great deal more?
Read my review of Bob Bly's Selling Yourself as a Copywriter: How to Earn $100,000 a Year
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