I’m a fan of Richard Armstrong’s writing. And after reading his work, I’m pretty sure you will be, too.
I like the way he injects humour into his copy – not easy to do – and make it work.
Have you read copy and laughed out loud? That’s the type of humour I’m talking about.
There’s no humour in this one, but here’s an article Richard wrote on how to make more money writing less.
The greatest scourge of the newly-minted freelance copywriter is the boom or bust cycle. For the first few months of your new business, you probably have no work at all. You spend your time waiting for the phone to ring, putting out promotional mailings, making sales calls. Then, suddenly, it happens. You get your first assignment. Great! You do a wonderful job, and the client is thrilled. Then guess what happens next?
Nothing. Nobody else calls. You go back into the deep freeze. You’re twiddling your thumbs. You’re starting to wonder if the first assignment was a fluke.
Then word gets out that you’re a pretty good copywriter, and you get another call. Great! You’re all gung-ho to get started on the new assignment when something strange happens. You get another call. Another assignment. “Oh, and, by the way, we need this immediately … we need it yesterday.” So you put the first assignment aside for a few hours to work on the new one. Then another assignment comes in! A rush job, of course. Next thing you know you’re working 36 hours a day to meet your deadlines. Finally, your freelance writing career is on its way. Nothing can stop you now, except…
It slows down again. For a few days. Then a week. Then a month. Nobody calls. What happened. Is it you? Did they hate your copy? Did your copy fail in the marketplace?
No, it’s just the way things work in this business. Boom and bust. Boom and bust. Boom and bust. You’re like a thirsty man in the middle of the desert. When you finally come upon the oasis, you drink water until your bladder is ready to explode … because you never know when you’re going to get another drink again. You never turn any business away, no matter how busy you are, because you know that it could all dry up at a moment’s notice and you might not be able to pay your rent when it does.
Well, fairly early in my freelance career, I was in the middle of the boom to end all booms, working night and day to keep up with it, when I got yet another call from a potential client. But this time, I’d had enough. I was about to explode. If I took another job, I’d have to check myself into what Billy Bob Thornton calls “the nervous hospital.” So I said:
“Look, I really can’t take your assignment right now. I’m too busy. The earliest I could get to your assignment would be a month from now.”
And do you know what he said? – 3 -
He said, “No problem.”
“I don’t think you understand,” I replied. “I won’t be able to start on your project for another month, so it won’t be until two weeks after that that I could deliver final copy. So I’m talking six weeks until you get your copy”
“Fine with me,” he said. He explained to me that his mailing wasn’t going out for another five months, so it was no sweat off his back to wait six weeks for copy. Then he asked about my fee.
Well, to tell you the truth, I was so swamped, I still wanted him to get out of my life. So without even thinking about it, I quoted a fee that was TWICE what I’d ever charged before.
“Sounds good,” he said. “Why don’t I send you half now to secure the date, and half when you finish the job.”
“Well, er, I, uh, yeah, that sounds fine.” Getting half the money upfront had never happened to me before either.
Now let me explain what happened here…
Get the rest here www.goddoesntshootcraps.com (not an affiliate link). Click on the button marked “Free Gift for Copywriters”.
You can also get his Copywriter’s Sample Book here www.freesamplebook.com. Believe me, he should be selling that little gem.
Best,
Rezbi
The Copy System
www.directmarketingcourse.com
www.hotbuttoncopywriting.com
www.commonsensedirectmarketing.com
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