I had plenty of copywriting ‘gurus’ giving all sorts of tips and strategies for everything from how to write the perfect headline to what kind of picture to take for your LI profile. My first few months of starting my writing business was the epitome of trying to drink from a firehose. But there was one amazing bit of advice from a coach I worked with in the first 3 months of starting out that I never forgot. It has been one of the most impactful statements I have ever heard in this space….
‘Don’t get involved in the race to the bottom on platform sites like FIVERR or UPWORK…you bring more value to a client than $5 for a case study.’
In all fairness, I know there have been plenty of writers who got their start there to either grow their confidence or simply to build a writing portfolio so they could go after the bigger fish. I get it and don’t begrudge anyone who has managed to do that successfully. But for me, I just could not see myself giving away my niche expertise and skill for what often amounts to less than pennies on the dollar. I knew my worth, I had strong portfolio samples, and testimonials from early clients and a coach who knew I could handle any B2B writing assignment.
The issue becomes more than just money, though….I had some potential clients reach out to me after finding my website asking if I was on Upwork and if I would write 1000 word SEO-optimized articles for .05 cents a word. and then get OFFENDED when I politely and professionally responded that the rate was too low for someone with expertise in the market and that perhaps a bidding platform would be a better way to go to find a writer willing to take such a low rate. I felt I handled it well but the responses were more like ‘If we like your writing, we’ll give you more and you know, it will add up!’ Uh….add up when? 5 years from now after I’m burned out and miserable? No thanks.
Know It, Believe It, and Don’t Settle
Just because I was a fairly new copywriter did NOT mean I would basically work for free. I believed I brought more value to my clients and a dedication to maximizing their campaign results was more valuable than competing with other writers all over the world that were ok with $5 emails or $50 white papers. Sure, there were some days when things were quiet and I thought ‘Well, having a project is better than not having one’ but that faded fast the more projects I took on from clients who saw the benefit of working with me to craft copy that moved the needle for them immediately.
I just had a new copywriter DM me asking for one piece of advice I could give him as he gets started on his freelance journey. I’ll bet you can guess what I told him.