How to Make Money as a Freelance Content Writer

by John McIntyre

This is a guest post by Ty Brown where he shares his tips on how to make money as a freelance content writer. 


So you’ve decided you want to learn how to make money as a freelance content writer.

I’ve got bad news for you.

There are a gazillion freelance content writers out there trying to make money with their laptop, an internet connection, and a beach chair.

They’ve got LinkedIn profiles telling people they’re freelance content writers, their Facebook page proudly lists copywriter, and their Instagram feed is full of pictures of cool writer stuff like ink wells, laptops facing the ocean, and vintage desks.

When they hire their coaches to teach them how to make money writing, order their books off Amazon about how to make money as a freelance content writer, and scour YouTube for videos about the same, the advice they keep getting is KILLING them…

“Yes, there’s a lot of competition…you just have to learn how to be a better writer!”

No!!!

Being a better writer is likely not what is holding you back from getting copywriting clients or from making $10,000 per month copywriting.

Don’t get me wrong. Work on your craft. Be the best freelance content writer you can be.

But the problem is that EVERYONE is a bloody freelance content writer (or a freelance blog writer, website content writer, or whatever you want to call yourself for that matter).

You’re competing against a sea of people who are, ostensibly, doing the same thing.

Sure, competition can be a good thing.

But if you’re looking to come make a splash and a great income the last thing you want to do is compete against ‘freelance content writers’ who are a dime a dozen. That just makes you the thirteenth guy who’s now going to be worth a dime.

So what is the freelance content writer to do?

Simple.

Keep doing freelance writing, but add VALUE and STRATEGY to your writing.

Use your content writing to create a solution.

Be a freelance blog writer or (or website content writer) who writes blogs that have extensive SEO keyword research behind them.

Why?

So that they rank in Google and generate massive traffic for your clients.

Which leads to more email opt-ins.

And more sales.

Which is what all your clients want (and what they’ll pay top dollar for, especially if they have any idea how challenging and tedious SEO can be).

This is what most people miss when they’re looking for answers on “how to be a freelance content writer”.

Let me put it this way…

When people are buying writing they are ONLY buying it to solve a problem, right?

Many businesses are hiring freelance content writers because the problem they’re looking to solve is they don’t have enough time.

They say to themselves, “We need these blog posts and articles done. I could do them myself if I had the time. But I don’t have the time. I’ll just get a writer to do it.”

If the task you’re taking over for someone, and the problem you’re solving, is one they feel like they could do themselves if they had the time – you will not be very valuable.

It’s just reality.

You put yourself in housecleaner and landscaper category when you do this (but being a freelance content writer can be SO much more).

Most people know how to clean their house, but they don’t have the time. So they might as well pay someone $20 an hour to clean for them. Or $20 an hour to mow their lawn. Or change the oil on their car.

These are easy decisions for them.

And it’s the same in writing. It’s easy to get little gigs writing emails and social ads as a freelance content writer.

But the person buying it doesn’t value the work a ton, they think they can do it themselves, so you’re going to be in the range of $20-40 an hour for this type of work (or less).

There’s nothing wrong with gaining some nice $20/hour work.

But that’s not who I’m talking to here.

I’m talking to someone who wants to make a healthy six figures with their writing.

You aren’t going to make six figures as a freelance content writer by solving tiny problems.

You need to solve some bigger problems if you’re chasing bigger dollars.

So what are bigger problems?

The BIGGEST problems you can solve for people surround MONEY; how to earn more of it, how to save more of it. how to get more customers or leads (all of which you can do as a freelance content writer).

You need to think about what can your writing do to bring in clients, close a higher percentage of deals, close deals that pay more, get people to buy more frequently, cut back on waste?

In other words, how can your writing create more MONEY for businesses?

How can you get your clients more customers?

More leads?

More email opt-ins?

That may be a hard question to answer. But you have to consider it if you want to be a successful freelance content writer.

So let me give you an idea on how you can do this….

Combine your writing with simple technology to niche down deep and show business owners the money with your writing.

For example, if you’re familiar with the founder of this website, John McIntyre, you know that when he got started he didn’t start out as a ‘freelance content writer’.

He started out as the Autoresponder Guy. Essentially ‘I’m not just any writer…I combine writing with an email autoresponder to increase sales by better stating and re-stating a message to interested leads.’

By being much more specific, and showing the business owner where the money will come from, he’s not worth $20-40 an hour. He’s now worth THOUSANDS because the type of return he can bring.

Another idea would be to write high-performing copy that ranks in Google, by using a strong SEO strategy. Instead of just writing generic copy for clients, you’re generating them more leads and sales (organic traffic), which is something businesses pay top dollar for.

Being a freelance content writer is not about just doing what you’re told. It’s about anticipating the needs of your clients, and creating as much value for them as possible.

If you can tangibly measure the number of leads you’re bringing to their website (via AHREFs or Google Analytics), or have doubled their website visitors by writing SEO-optimised blogs over the last six months, you can command MUCH higher fees.

You’ll be the most sought out freelance content writer there is.

Let me give you another idea of something that I do for clients.

I help companies set up very simple automated funnels to nurture their leads.

For example…

  • A lead comes in through a website
  • They get a welcome text automatically that encourages them to take action
  • They get an email series automatically for a week
  • They get sent a voicemail automatically as well
  • We may include other cool stuff like a personalized video from Bonjoro.com.

Setting this up is pretty simple. But it combines freelance content writing with simple automation so the value of what I do is amplified.

Because I’m not just writing the emails and texts…

I’m putting them together with a STRATEGY that leads to more leads, better conversions, and MORE SALES.

Now – my work isn’t worth $20-40 an hour. It’s worth THOUSANDS because of the return the business will see.

The opportunities to do this are countless as a freelance content writer.

There are simple technologies like email, text, ringless voicemail, chatbots, video streaming, webinars, etc. where you can combine your freelance content writing with simple tech in order to AMPLIFY your efforts and create more value for your clients.

Do you want to make a living as a freelance content writer simply writing sales letters and articles all day long?

You can. There are those who do it.

But in an ever-increasingly specialized society, your ability to stand out from the crowd is enhanced as you’re able to bundle your writing with additional strategy that brings your clients money.

So the question is: what kind of freelance content writer do you want to be?


This is a guest post by Ty Brown. Ty tripled his business in two and a half years using stories and persuasive copywriting. Now he speaks, writes, coaches, and consults with other businesses on how to do the same. Ty is also the owner of Ty the Dog Guy, a Salt Lake City dog training company Find him at Ty the Speaker.

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