High-income Business Writing: Freelance Writing | Copywriting | Content Writing | How To Freelance

Freelancing continues to grow like crazy. More and more professionals are choosing to leave traditional employment for a more flexible work arrangement. And platforms like Upwork have enabled millions to offer their talents to anyone around the globe. So you have to wonder... Is this influx of new freelancers making it harder to command professional-level fees? The short answer: yes. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re doomed to work for less. The key to maintaining and growing your income as a freelancer is to be very deliberate about how you differentiate yourself. And that’s the topic of this week’s episode. My guest is freelance copywriter and business coach Steve Roller. Steve is the author of the upcoming book The Freelancer Manifesto: 11 Big Ideas to Stand Out and Thrive in the New Economy. And in this interview he shares several smart ways you can sustainably differentiate yourself in this increasingly competitive marketplace.

All of us are born with a great sense of wonder, courage and boldness.  As toddlers, we have tremendous curiosity. And we’re not afraid to explore and to express our creative spirit. But somewhere along the way, fear begins to rule our lives. Fear of looking stupid. Fear of rejection. Fear of criticism. Fear of failing. We begin to lose our confidence. We stop taking chances. We start playing small. At times, we may even start to feel like a fraud. Fortunately, there are many things we can do to turn this tide and regain our confidence. And one of them is to get into the habit of doing more of what scares us. In this podcast episode, you’ll hear from writer and copywriter Leilani Haywood. Leilani explains how she deliberately does things that scare her in order to grow personally and professionally. And she talks about how this practice has enabled her to launch and grow a thriving freelance business.  

Over the past few years LinkedIn has become an incredibly powerful lead-generating and prospecting tool for freelancers. We’ve talked about it before on the show. And for Steve Maurer, LinkedIn has been an indispensable business-generating tool. Steve is an industrial manufacturing and safety copywriter. And he’s figured out how to turn LinkedIn into his most productive and reliable lead generating vehicle.  In this podcast episode you’ll hear exactly how Steve does this...

Ever go weeks prospecting for clients without something to show for it? You “knock” on what seems like a ton of doors. But no one seems to be interested. And when you finally get a response, it’s something along the lines of “I’ll keep your information on file...” It’s exhausting, isn’t it? In this week’s episode I explain why this happens... and what you can do about it.

Millennials tend to get a bad rap. The stereotype is that of a spoiled, unemployed and highly educated 25-year-old living in mom and dad’s basement... playing video games, spending inordinate amounts of time on social media, binge-watching Netflix and just trying to “find their way.” Sure, they may not have the spending power and wealth of Boomers. But it’s also unfair to lump them all into one category and assume they don’t matter. Because they do! And as a writer and copywriter, there’s a good chance that you’ll soon have to write for this demographic. In this episode you’ll hear from my friend and colleague Kelly King of the 80-20 Agency. Kelly is a talented marketing strategist who has built a marketing firm that helps companies connect with Millennials. She’ll explain how Millennials think differently... what their attitudes and values are... what they look for in a product or service... four common myths about this generation... and what writers and copywriters need to understand if they want their mess

My guest this week is Jeanne Noorman. Jeanne faced a number of challenges when she decided to start her freelance writing business after being a stay-at-home mom since 1985. She had little in the way of a career she could draw from—and no professional network. Yet she overcame the odds and today is a thriving freelance writer. This is Jeanne’s uncut story. You’ll hear about her struggles... the number of times she thought about giving up... what she did to push through all the obstacles... and the five recommendations she has for new freelancers...

If you’re starting out as a freelance writer or copywriter, you’re going to love this podcast interview. My guest is Hannah Glenn, a Los Angeles–based freelance writer. Hannah went through my coaching program a while back. And she’s a perfect of example of someone who didn’t rely on luck to get ahead. She had to work. And she had to work hard. A few important points you’ll hear in this interview: You don’t necessarily need to have a previous career in a specific field in order to work in that field as a freelance writer or copywriter. You will make changes and adjustments to your positioning and your niche once you get out there—even if you spend months pre-planning. Steady and deliberate action are key. So are baby steps. Serendipity only happens when you start taking action. Don’t have samples? Or may your samples are not that impressive? That’s OK, start where you are with what you’ve got! And get creative. Be resourceful! (You’ll see what Hannah did.) And much, much more...

I’ve been fascinated by why some people do consistently well and why others seem to struggle. And why so many fail despite the fact that they’re smarter than average... have more financial resources than the average person... have better skills... a great personality... or great looks. After working with more than 300 freelancers at all levels (from newbies to six-figure earners), I’ve reached some very interesting conclusions...

Writing sales pages, landing pages, long-form content or detailed articles is not easy. Getting started can be a drag. Writer’s block is often a problem. And even when you get going, it’s difficult to get and maintain momentum. But what if you started writing the piece from the bottom up? What if that bottom-up method helped you create a quicker and far superior product? In this episode, New Zealand-based marketing and persuasion expert Sean D’Souza explains his bottom-up method of writing... and why it’s more effective than the traditional top-to-bottom approach many of us use.

There’s no denying that smart creative professionals are finding unique ways to drum up quality leads and build trust with good prospects online. My guest this week is a perfect example of this. Her name is Kaleigh Moore. She’s a freelance writer, and she’s experienced great success as a freelancer in a very short amount of time. In this interview she explains how she generates prospects online. How she builds relationships and trust by adding value. And how she leverages these wins to create a positive domino effect in her business.

In this week’s episode we’re going to talk about crappy clients — or “clients from hell,” as my guest calls them. ;-) My guest is Bryce Bladon. Bryce is an award-winning writer, creative consultant and strategist, and editor-in-chief of Clients From Hell, a blog that collects anonymously contributed client horror stories from the front lines of the freelancing industry. He also hosts a podcast of the same name. Yes, we’ll vent a little. But we’ll also talk about how you can identify these “problem children” before they unleash hell. More specifically, how to handle these difficult situations with grace and professionalism.

Engaging with freelancer professionals (across different industries) brings many benefits to freelance writers. Designer and freelancer Emily Leach explains in the HIBW podcast.

Many authors, speakers and coaches are great at what they do. They often teach life-changing strategies and ideas. But most of them can’t write copy to save their lives. Worse yet, they don’t even know where to find a good copywriter. In this eye-opening interview with my friend and colleague Casey Demchak, you’ll learn: Who these people are What they need from copywriters How you can find the best-quality clients What you can charge And much more...

Have you ever tracked your prospect inquiries over a period of time? You’d be surprised how many insights you can get out of this simple exercise! In this interview, my good friend Dianna Huff shares her results from her own inquiry-tracking effort. And she details the eye-opening insights that came out of this.

If you’re planning your marketing efforts for the year, you don’t want to miss this episode. I’ve brought back my friend and colleague Ilise Benun to talk about how you can market your business more effectively this year. I love how Ilise has broken this down into six tools or strategies to focus on. And how she’s grouped those strategies into: Things you should deploy or refine Things you should do a regular basis These interviews with Ilise are some of our most popular on the show. And this will be no exception...

If you struggle with productivity, this episode is for you. First of all, you’re not alone. Productivity is a big challenge for creative professionals. Working from home means that you’re exposed to a ridiculous number of distractions. And when you’re in front of a computer all day long, the temptation to check email, social media or crazy cat videos can be paralyzing. Yet if we’re ever going to do great work, we have to be productive. We know that intellectually. Making it work on a day-by-day and minute-by-minute basis, however, is challenging. So as we kick off the New Year, I wanted to bring in my friend and colleague Mark McGuinness to the show. Mark has a number of very practical and tactical tips for improving your productivity very quickly...

This is my favorite time of year. Not just because of the holiday cheer, festive mood and time spent together as a family. But also because of the opportunity to look back at the year. This is a great time to pause and reflect. To take stock of where I am. What went right. What didn’t go the way I expected (and why). As part of my planning process for 2017, I’m doing something a little different. I’m asking myself 21 tough questions. I’m using these questions as journal entry starters. And what I’ve uncovered so far by thinking about (and answering) these questions in detail is ... well, eye-opening! That’s the topic of this week’s podcast episode. Join me to see if you find these as helpful as I have...

We all have one. A nagging inner critic that won’t go away. The one who keeps telling us we can’t. Or we shouldn’t. Or we’re not good enough. Or we don’t know enough (or have enough experience). She has a name... And the secret is NOT to try and silence her for good (not going to happen!). The key is to learn how to tame her.

According to a recent comment on our Facebook page, it’s impossible to earn a great living as a writer. Unless, of course, you get lucky and publish a bestselling novel. I don’t bother arguing with people like him. They just don’t get it. But I also recognize that there are doubters everywhere. And there are doubters who want to believe. But they have good reason to be skeptical. If you’ve been freelancing for years and never come close to reaching six figures in annual full-time income, I can understand why you may have given up on this high-income idea. Trouble is, I know too many people who make a high income doing this work. So while I understand and respect your doubt and skepticism, I have to tell you — this high-income thing is entirely possible. My guest this week is a perfect example. Her name is Chelsea Baldwin, and she started freelancing on the side six years ago. But it wasn’t until two years ago that she quit her day job and went completely solo. This past July, Chelsea had her first five figure

There’s a pattern I’ve seen in virtually every freelance success story. It goes like this: As you begin to move steadily in the direction of your goals, all kinds of serendipitous events begin to happen. (Side note: When I say “begin to move steadily,” I don’t mean casual activity. I mean steady, deliberate, persistent and laser-focused action. Even when you don’t feel like it. And even when you think all hope is lost!) Of course, those synchronicities don’t always happen immediately. And they’re not always obvious. But as you look back at your success, it all starts to make sense. And you realize that taking steady and massive action despite the odds (and despite the obstacles) really paid off. That’s why I love the story I’m about to share with you. Because it’s yet one more example of this fascinating pattern of success...