www.Jameslewendon.com

Writing tips, general advice for freelancers and occasional humorous ramblings. Google

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I've just updated my site www.jameslewendon.com

What do you think folks?

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Words are important. http://powells.us/1rRNLpM

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Tailored | Bespoke Advertising, Branding and Digital Agency |

Tailored is a creative digital agency in Belfast. From web design and marketing to copywriting and SEO, we grow businesses and inspire audiences.

Apologies for the lack of activity lately folks.. but may I announce the launch of my new business Tailored Digital Agency! Our Mission? To help business owners across the the globe compete with the biggest players in their industry. Please 'like' the Tailored Digital Agency Facebook page and visit www.tailoreddigitalagency.com for more information and to find out what we can do for you. Help spread the word!

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Web Writers- Their Benefits and Costs

How much does a web writer cost?

Maybe you’ve decided that you need a web writer to polish up your website copy and marketing communications. Maybe you’re just curious as to how much a web copywriter costs? This article will discuss the benefits and set out some fair prices for both you the client, and the web writer, the provider.

What are the advantages?

Firstly, we should probably talk about the benefits of hiring a web writer. Maybe you’re a bit unsure if you need one or not? Well, let’s clear that right up now. Firstly, it’s clear that the demand for web writers is going up. Why is this? Purely because more and more business is being done online. Think about it. Nowadays, when you need something or need a price, you hop online. You don’t waste petrol and time trudging down to your local city. The world isn’t the same as it was ten years ago. The internet represents ease for customers and also for businesses. So, if more and more customers are using the internet to find companies just like you, what does this mean for business? Well, it means you need to get competitive online. If more and more businesses are focussing on winning business online, you can bet that your competition is fierce. So, how do you overcome this? Simple really, you get yourself a web writer!

The advantages-

A webwriter can take a fresh approach to your business and help you present your content in a clear, concise and engaging manner.

Although a good web writer can be costly, often their fee is made back through additional business in a matter of months

A webwriter can be used as and when required. This means you don’t have to worry about a full-time employee or marketing department. Thus, you can keep your costs down and focus your money on more crucial aspects of business.

A webwriter sorts spelling mistakes, poor syntax and grammatical errors for you. If you run an international business or English isn’t your forte, the value of this can’t be understated.

How much does a web writer cost?

Sadly, there’s very, very little information out there covering how much a webwriter charges. There’s a reason for this- it varies- massively. Some web writers charge as much as £600 a day, other charge £100 a day. Why the divide? It’s purely down to skill-level. The best charge the most, the under confident beginners charge the least. So, which do you choose? Which do you think? The best you can afford. If a writer charges a high rate, it’s likely testament to their abilities. However, make sure you check for work-examples first of all! In my experience, an average rate for a web writer is £220-250 per day’s work. At this rate, you can be assured you’re getting a quality web writer, without blowing the bank.

To find out more, visit the personal page of professional web writer james Lewendon. With several years’ experience, James has worked with leading London advertising agencies and humble start-ups alike.

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Tips for Hiring a Web Writer

Tips for Hiring a Web Writer

When you decide to hire a web writer to re-write your website’s content, improve your SEO or manage your social media output, here’s a few helpful tips to make the process as rewarding as possible

1) Value Creative Freedom

When you hire a good website copywriter, you’re not only buying their services to write content to your specifications. You’re also hiring a creative gun that can offer a brand new outlook to your business, website and communications. Value this, value it greatly. After all, you’re about as biased as it gets when thinking up the best way to present your business website.  A web writer instead can view your business as a customer- and develop ways to make it appealing to your audience. In this sense, don’t be afraid to let go. You may think your website content is great and just needs polished up, but you may be very wrong. If a webwriter suggests overhauling the entire site’s content, they may be on to something. Maybe your approach is completely wrong, and maybe you should trust the web writer to develop your site into a platform that is both engaging and accessible to your customers. 

2) Realise that the cost to hire a web-writer is an investment, not a loss

Many business owners are surprised by how much good web writers charge. £25 an hour is pretty common. So what do they do? They run a mile, suspecting this writer is nothing more than a rouge. Well, there’s a reason why rates are this high- a web writer’s work is designed to bring you in a profit. Let take an example. Say you current site converts 10% of visitors into a sale. Now, let’s say a writer rewrites your site and brings that figure up to 20%. In the long term, that difference could mean thousands more in revenue to your business, each year. That old cliché comes to mind- if you want to make money, you need to spend money. Forking out £400 to a web writer once to earn an extra £2000 a year makes business sense.  

3) Hire a good web writer!

When it comes to changing your website content and communications, don’t settle for the cheapest writer or the quicker turnaround rate. In the world of web writing, you need to realise that there’s good writers and bad writers. When it comes to your business, you should employ the best writer you can afford. 

To find out more about web writing, visit the personal page of specialist web writer James Lewendon- http://www.jameslewendon.com  

Respected in his field, James has worked with international clients of all sizes and various respected London advertising agencies. 

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Freelancing- Is Location Important?

It’s a question I hear a lot: ‘you’re a Belfast copywriter. I’m in London, is this a problem?’ Nope. Not in the slightest. As long as a client has a phone and/or an email address, it doesn’t matter where in the world you are. Personally, I’m a Belfast web-writer/SEO strategist, located out here in Northern Ireland. Are all my clients in Belfast? No, of course not! In fact, 90% of my clients are in England.

The fact is; copywriting isn’t like average jobs. As copywriters, we aren’t your usual 9-5 workers. We work to our own schedules, pick our own briefs and choose who we wish to work with. Although that sounds amazing (and it is), not being able to meet every client in person has its drawbacks. For example, some businesses are simply hesitant to hand their hard-earned cash over to supposed ‘copywriting experts’ whom they’ve never actually met in person. Sure, you may have a website, a flashy logo, the works. But that doesn’t change the fact that they have never met you. That point considered, you can see why some people are reluctant to hire online copywriters.

What I would say to these clients is relax. The times are a changin’. If you’re a copywriter worth your weight, you’ll have a document detailing your terms and conditions, a continuity plan and you’ll rarely eat up 100% of a client’s budget up-front. These things reassure clients that aren’t in your vicinity. Also, a customised e-mail will make you look far more professional- I certainly wouldn’t send £300 to ‘[email protected]’.

Once a client has been reassured of your professionalism, there are a range of resources to help you work together with ease. SkyDrive is a great one. Operating a bit like the elance system, you and your client can work on an open document together, swap notes, leave feedback and polish up copy in an informal way. Many of my Belfast SEO clients prefer this way of working. However, be wary. Some people report that SkyDrive is more of a curse, and simply allows a client to nit-pick over every aspect of your copywriting whilst you’re writing. You’re writing a line… BAM. Up pops a seriously annoying ‘don’t like this wording’. Although as copywriters we want to provide great copy, a client can get TOO involved if you use platforms like SkyDrive. I personally prefer humble word and 2 hours of editing allowance once the first draft has been sent through.

Leading on from that point, I guess one of the more frustrating aspects of being a copywriter at times is denial of freedom. A client may not like the wording of a sentence, but it’s perhaps essential for SEO, or a stroke of genius in your eyes. Sometimes, the client needs to let you handle their baby, and trust in your experience. But hey, I’m rambling. Back to the point- All in all, the location of a copywriter isn’t an issue. What matters is having a consistent way of ascertaining the information you need to complete each job well, a professional email address, a website, a computer, email and a telephone.

To find out more about the author, visit www.jameslewendon.com. 

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Picking Your Freelance Writing Niche

What niche should I be writing in? Does a freelance writer need a niche? What are the advantages of working within a set niche? Well, let me discuss these questions for you.

Firstly, the answer to this question is very much dependent on your experience level. Have you less than 12 months of experience? If you do, you shouldn't restrict yourself to a set niche. Why? Well, at this stage, you should be building up your portfolio, and you want a varied and colourful selection. 

However, if you've been freelancing for over a year, you may want to consider picking a niche or a specialist area. Personally, I'm a website content-writer and SEO strategist. I build businesses, I expand reach, I engage people. What about you? What are you good at? Perhaps it's technical writing, perhaps it's academic writing? Think back- what project have you enjoyed the most in your freelancing career? Is there an area you enjoy more than others? I'm sure there's one, so get thinking!

So, why should you pick a niche? Well, simple really. People like specialists. People like to know their needs are being covered by a professional that specialises in what they need done. It makes them feel secure. If you're a jack-of-all-trades, that same reassurance isn't there, and you might even be coming across as desperate, willing to take any job. Obviously, that's no good!

Additionally, if you get particularly established in a certain niche, you can command a higher fee. After all, you're the go-to guy. The specialist. The obvious choice. You're confident in your specialism, and you recognise your talent's worth. 

Follow me here to receive regular updates for copywriters and freelancers.

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I love finding motivational quotes that tie into excuses I make for producing poor work. 

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My website

Find out a bit more about me on www.jameslewendon.com, Thanks for following my friends. 

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Being Fobbed off

For a long time now, I've offered consultancy and free reviews of business sites to suggest changes. Naturally, this comes without pay. The pay comes only if the client actually LIKES what you tell them. Sadly, In my experience, not all clients do like what you have to say, as not many people like being told their content is crap. Just this week, I was approached by a web agency (a regular occurrence) to suggest changes to their business site. I spend an hour on their site, sent an e-mail through suggesting changes and heard nothing back for a week.

Frustrated, I sent an angry email through explaining what a "twat" the person I dealt with was. Maybe a bit childish, but hey, I hate having my time wasted. After a week's silence, I magically got a quick reply! An email back! My jaw on the desk, I opened the mail, to read the person I had dealt with "had been off all week due to family issues". Strange, as the reply came the very next morning to my angry email, after a week of nothing. And then, an email from said person shortly after! Apparently he likes acting like a twat but not being called out on being one. 

Let me tell you, when it comes to rouge cowboy clients like this, you need to have the self-respect to tell them to get stuffed if they are fobbing you off. A copywriter's time is money. If a client hasn't even got the decency to write you back after you take time to assess their site, you should realise you've dodged a bullet. Instead of chasing these clients up, you need to put your foot down. No timewasters, no exceptions. 

Before you ask, I'll not name any names. But let's just say, they're a cowboy SEO agency based in Manchester. 

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Hi James, Thanks for your blog. I'm starting my own copywriting business soon, and I was wondering how much you use the phone to communicate with clients? I ask because I'm Canadian, but will live in France for most of the year, so I will have a France phone number. I'm afraid it might turn off North American clients if I advertise with it. Thanks for your help.

Hi! My pleasure! Sorry for the lack of posts as of late! In answer to your question, I use the phone a lot, maybe with 40% of clients. I guess many people aren't comfy parting with large amounts of cash over the internet and need some reassurance of your legitimacy over the phone. To get around your problem, try using Skype :)

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Freelancers! Stop Scaring Away Clients!

Perhaps one of the most valuable things I ever read as a rookie copywriter was a great article on how to approach quoting. 

When I first started www.jameslewendon.com, I literally had no clue about how much I should be charging. How about you? Let's be honest, there's no universally accepted chart of prices if you're a freelancer, especially if you're a copywriter! When I started, I struggled to make £10 a day. Now, I'm charging £220 for a day's work. How did that happen? Let me tell you!

It's all about the types of clients you are getting contacted by and how big their business is. That's right, a freelancer's charging should vary depending on the client. But don't lose hope on me yet, let me explain! I believe that great copy is worth more to some businesses and less to others. If you're asked to write great SEO-focused copy for a large company website that attracts 5,000 hits a month, that's going to be pricey. On the other hand, if you're working with a start-up attracting 10 hits a day tops, you can't exactly justify huge prices. You need to see those clients as more of a long-term investment instead, and hope that your copy helps them grow into a profitable business.

So, back to the point. Pricing. As mentioned previously, you need to research each client and work out how much money they could make from your copy. If it's a lot, then a high charge is only fair. However, if you're unsure at all- simply ask the golden question- what is your budget for your copywriting needs? Half of clients will answer this question, meaning you're not scaring anyone off with your quotes! I tend to charge between £200 and £500 for website copywriting, and I've been  copywriting for two years, working mainly with small and medium sized businesses. Work out your rate, but allow room for negotiation- otherwise you'll not be getting much work. Don't forget, try and get them to give you a price, and if that's not possible, offer a loose figure and try and suggest a discount. 

Don't undersell yourself- do your research and stop losing clients. 

Visit www.jameslewendon.com for more information, and follow me here for more freelancer tips. 

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Excuse my absence, work, uni exams and revision has consumed most of my time the last few weeks! Free now from QUB for the summer. Stay tuned for regular updates and writing advice. 

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Want a Free, Professional CV?

I've launched a competition on my Facebook- the prize? A professional review of your C.V- Including layout, content and covering letter. Check out my FB page- https://www.facebook.com/JamesLewendonFreelanceWriting and get entering! 

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i accidentally just wrote “the soviet onion” on my paper and now i can’t stop laughing

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all will become one with onion

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