Expert: Warren D. Miller - 11/27/2008

Question
Hello Warren,
I intend to move to a remote area of Scotland next year. Last year I undertook a copywriting training course, have built up a portfolio of (free) work and my website is nearly ready. I'm really concerned about being able to support myself financially and was wondering if there's another type of lucrative writing I could do in additional to the copywriting - during 'lean' periods. I don't fancy proofreading and don't know what would compliment copywriting. Maybe I'm worrying over nothing but I'd be supporting myself and I'd really appreciate your advice.
Thank you.

Answer
Hi, Heather--

Thank you for a most interesting question. I'm a tad confused, so, before I risk going in the wrong direction here, please explain what was in the "copywriting training course" you took last year. If you'd also be willing to email me (cfa2005@gmail.com) in PDF format a couple of samples from your "portfolio of (free) work," I'd find them very helpful, I think, in understanding exactly what you're talking about.

In the FWIW category, I hope that the 'remote area of Scotland' to which you'll be moving is not so remote that you don't have high-speed internet access. Without such access, I'd be very concerned about your ability to support yourself.

Thanks for bearing with me on this.

Take care--

Warren
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Thank you, Heather, for following up via private email. I read your portfolio, went to the website of the IofC, and now have a much better idea of what you do and how to try to help you.

Let me begin by saying that writing is neither art nor science. It is craft. The only way to get good at a craft is to do it. So, since you're just starting out, I believe that the more work you can do, regardless of the TYPE of work it is, the better off you will be because you will increase your proficiency at your craft. If you get picky about what you'll do and not do, then I think you're just hurting yourself.

I believe that you're limiting yourself to a very narrow niche with copywriting, and I think that's a mistake. So cast your net widely. You'll be amazed at what you might catch in it.

Now, at the risk of offending you, let me suggest that you consider 'proofreading,' which I and others call 'copy editing.' There is a significant market for that kind of skill, I think, esp. among those who, like me, are self-employed professionals. Most of us don't write well, yet our writing is often our work product. So anyone who can help us write better enhances our billing rates for the work we do. In particular, I would urge you to consider targeting attorneys (start with the small self-employed ones); most of them are just dreadful writers. If you have to, offer to do the work first and then let the attorney pay you based on her/his perception of the value your work added to the legal product. This will help you get your foot in the door - you sure don't have anything to lose doing that, and you might really ring the cash register.

I would also urge you to do some writing for magazines. Target those that hit an audience whose interests are similar to yours and what you're writing about. There is an annual volume published in the U.S. called "Writer's Market," and it gives all kinds of great information about publishers and magazines (circulation, contact people, types of articles sought, payment amount, etc.). Again, what you want to do, Heather, is get good at your craft.

Once you have some articles in print, then you can make a pitch to newspapers and weekly magazines to be a 'stringer.' That is where you're their reporter if something newsworthy happens in your remote area of Scotland. The fact that you'll already be there means that the newspaper/magazine doesn't have to put someone on a plane, send 'em out there, and then pay them while they're learning their way around. You'll have all that knowledge already. But you need some articles to be able to show to newspaper/magazine publishers.

As important as anything else is a website. I can't emphasize this to you highly enough. Be sure to register certain key words with search engines such as Google, yahoo, et al. Before someone can download samples of your portfolio, however, make them register--their name, work affiliation, job title, email address, etc. Fix it so that they don't gain access until you approve their registration by issuing them a computer-generated temporary password. Doing this will enable you to build a list for emailing whenever you get the itch. HOWEVER, don't abuse that privilege. We have an email list created from registrants on our own website, but I'm very solicitous and respectful of our registrants' privacy and time.

You could always start a blog on your website and put a syndication feature into it, too. That way, people's homepages would be automatically updated anytime you made a new posting. If you don't know how this works, check out iGoogle and set up a page for yourself. Then go to some blogs and click the syndication links, so you can see how it works. It's great stuff and a terrific time-saver.

Finally, when you select a domain name for your website, make sure it's a bell-ringer that is (a) easy to remember and (b) reminds people of what you do. Tie your email address to the domain, of course. Register the domain and any others that are 'close substitutes' (e.g., if your domain were copywriting.com, you would want to register copywriting.org, copywriting.net, copy-writing.com, etc. - that's how you keep people from encroaching on your turf and also how you build your 'brand' and its franchise in the marketplace. Take a look here, http://www.copywriterforhire.net/ for what I'm talking about.

Hope this is helpful. Please complete the rate-the-expert email you'll receive on the heels of this reply from me. Your ratings and comments help me do a better job of helping folks like you who ask such interesting questions!

Take care, and let me know if I can help again--

Warren