How I Earned over $19K as a Freelance Content Marketing Writer in Feb 2017
The first time I earned $10,000 in a single month in the spring of 2016, I jumped around my kitchen after adding the new numbers. My dogs looked at me like I was crazy. It was a huge milestone for me. And one that I repeated a few times in the fall of 2016.
But when I added up my finally tally for February 2017, I was completely silent and shocked. I knew I was having a high earnings month, but I honestly never expected the number on my Freshbooks accounting system (thanks Leslie for encouraging me to finally take the plunge) to read $19,550. Yes, that was a single month. And, I even turned down a considerable amount of work.
I’ve said this before and I will say it again, there is plenty of work out there for content marketing writers, both from what I see personally and from talking to other writers.
I wasn’t trying to break my record or have a crazy high month, it just happened. I actually didn’t do any intensive marketing either. I got a few new projects. Some regular clients needed more work. And at the end of the month, the numbers added up pretty high. Yes, I worked a lot. No, I am not planning on doing this again. But, I probably wouldn’t actively stop it if I had another month like this. But it is an amazing feeling to know that it is possible to do this. And that if my financial situation required it, I could likely come pretty close to a repeat, which gives me a sense of confidence and security.
Since I think it’s important for writers to talk about money honestly, I thought it might be helpful to share in detail (without client names) how I achieved this high-earning month so you can maybe use a few of the things I’ve learned (most of it the hard way) to increase your own income. I find talking about money uncomfortable and hope that no one takes this as bragging (because it’s actually the furthest from the truth). I really think that any writer can achieve this level of financial success if they want to and want to help as many people meet their goals. I’m really hoping that by laying out my month in detail that you can find something useful to apply to your own business.
Where my work came from in February 2017
As you can see, it wasn’t just one specific tactic or strategy that resulting in my record-breaking month, but rather a lot of things working together. I also wanted to say that I didn’t get to this point overnight or even in a year. This month I worked on 11 different projects with 7 different clients, which is slightly higher on both fronts than the average month, but not dramatically.
Here is the breakdown:
Project 1: $3,000
Type of Project: Monthly retainer for a four-month annual project (my third year working on it, subject matter is related to my first job out of college)
How I Got the Project: The project manager is an ASJA member whom I met through volunteering at a conference.
Project 2: $1,800
Type of Project: Monthly retainer for healthcare technology project with Agency A
How I Got the Project: I met the owner of the agency at the 2015 ASJA NYC Client Connections event.
Project 3: $2,000
Type of Project: Ebook addition to Project 2 (NEW DELIVERABLE FOR EXISTING PROJECT)
How I Got the Project: I suggested an additional deliverable on an existing project.
Project 4: $600
Type of Project: Two blog posts for Agency A and four posts a month going forward (NEW PROJECT)
How I Got the Project: I asked Agency A about additional projects.
Project 5: $2,100
Type of Project: Six blog posts for Agency B at $350 each, which take 3 to 3.5 hours apiece, averaging $100/hour
How I Got the Project: I was on another project for Agency B and asked about additional projects. Once I got on this project, the editor liked my work so much she referred me to another editor at the very large tech company which doubled my work from this company.
Project 6: $1500
Type of Project: Ongoing project from Agency B. 3 articles at $500 each, which take about 2.5 hours apiece for an average of $200/hour
How I Got the Project: While working on my original project with Agency B, I heard from another writer about a new project starting with Agency B that was perfect for my experience. I mentioned to my contact at Agency B that I heard about the new project through the freelance grapevine and was interested. They happily added me to the project, which has resulted in $1500 per month since fall.
Project 7: $2,000
Type of Project: Four 700-word articles at $500 each, which took about 4 hours apiece for an average of $125/hour (NEW PROJECT WITH EXISTING CLIENT)
How I Got the Project: Because Agency B knew that I was open to other projects and I had explained my different niches, when a regular writer on a top tech company project left the project, they asked me to take it over.
Project 8: $1,000
Type of Project: Two 700-word articles at $500 each from Agency C. This equates to $150/hour. (NEW PROJECT WITH EXISTING CLIENT)
How I Got the Project: Last year an agency I had not worked with before saw my byline from project #5, which is a high profile tech online magazine. He approached me for a project and I mentioned my experience writing on several IBM projects and my interest in more work so he asked me if I wanted to be on a new IBM project. I said yes.
Project 9: $3,000
Type of Project: Whitepaper from Contently client in hospitality technology field (15 hours, equates to $200/hour) (NEW PROJECT)
How I Got the Project: Because my niche of hospitality tech is clearly illustrated on my Contently profile, I was added to a hospitality tech project two weeks ago. A last minute whitepaper revision was offered to the project team and since I had a slow weekend planned, I grabbed it and made some extra cash over the weekend.
Project 10: $1,050
Type of Project: Ongoing Skyword blogging project. Three 400-word blog posts at $350 each, averaging 1 hour each for $350/hour.
How I Got the Project: This is honestly one of my most lucrative projects (rate per hour) and it is one that I could have easily overlooked because the rate seemed low at first glance.
Project 11: $1,500
Type of Project: Specialty publication on a health topic that I have personal experience with (2 articles, 15 hours at $100/hour)
How I Got the Project: A writer friend passed on this opportunity to me. While not as high paying as some of the others, I really enjoyed this because it was journalistic and about a topic that is personally meaningful.
Here are my top takeaways from Feb 2017:
- Anchor Clients – I think that this is one of the biggest differences in earning a high income and not. It is almost impossible to earn a high income if you are always scrambling for work, but by having long-term anchor clients you can depend on for regular monthly work, you have guaranteed income each month. This month $6,300 came from anchor clients (project 1, 2, and 6) and starting next month project 4 will be a steady $1,200 per month for a 12-month contract.
- Asking Current Clients for More Work – This is by far my most effective strategy for increasing my income and I think that it is a tactic that many writers overlook. In Feb 2017, this strategy accounted for almost half of my income: $9,200. If you have a client who likes you, ask for more work. If it’s an agency, ask for work on other projects. If it’s a direct client, ask if any other departments at the company need content work. And whenever possible, suggest new deliverables on current projects (ex. project 4) that make sense for your client.
- Having Clearly Defined Niches – Because I have a very defined niche, it was much easier for my agency clients to easily find other projects where I would be a fit. I also think that having a few unique niches, such as healthcare IT and hospitality IT is very helpful. When I talk to writers that say they are struggling to find work, I always find that they are not marketing themselves with a clearly defined niche.
- Networking with Other Writers – Other writers are not our competition, but our colleagues. Not every project that I run across is perfect for me, so I often pass on projects to my writer friends. And they do the same. For February, $6,000 of my income is directly attributable to networking with other writers, plus another $4,400 when you add in work from ASJA.
- Paying Attention to Hourly Rate – Many writers would have turned down my $350 project from Skyword or my $300 blog posts from Agency A. But the hourly rate on these projects was actually a very high $300 per hour, so they ended up being some of my most lucrative assignments. Yes, I write fast, but the other key is that these projects are on topics that I am very experienced with and they did not require outside interviews.
- Outsourcing – I could not have achieved this level of income without outsourcing. My total spent on outsourcing was about $2,000 with my VA, a proofreader and paying for a few transcriptions to save time. Even though I had to spend a little bit of money, the time it bought me paid for itself many times over. I probably could not have earned more than $8,000 to $10,000 without these services.
How Much Did I Work in Feb 2017?
I probably averaged about 50 to 55 hours a week this past month, so I worked a lot but nothing insane. I worked each day from about 9 am to 2 pm (the reason I freelance is so I can pick my kids up from school) and then probably worked another 1 to 2 hours either in the afternoon or evening depending on my kid’s schedules. Some days I worked around three hours after the kids invaded the house, but two is usually my max. I also worked about 5 to 10 hours most weekends in February, spread out over the two days. The exception was the weekend before last when I took the whitepaper and worked about 16 hours over the weekend, but that was a conscious financial choice. And this past weekend, I only worked about four hours (and took an entire day off which included a much needed nap) since I was approaching burnout.
I also wanted to add that in that 50 hours a week is a considerable amount of volunteer work for ASJA as well. It’s hard for me to untangle the two because I spend most days juggling both. So all 55 hours were not spent on paying work, but probably included at least 7 to 10 hours of volunteer time each week.
So that was my last 28 days in 1,500 words. I’m tired. I’m happy. And I’m ready for work to slow down a little bit.
What do you think is your secret to your high income months? Any questions for me?
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Great work! Thanks for sharing, and for clearly spelling out the payment and how you got the work. Very helpful. Not to mention INSPIRING!
Your welcome! I feel very strongly that freelancers need to talk more about money so I’m trying to walk the walk.
Wow! Congratulations! I really love following your blog. Thanks for breaking down the how you got the projects.
Thank you! I’m so glad you like the blog and the way this post was broken down.
Way to go, Jennifer! Thanks for sharing this info. It is so inspiring. And I appreciate the way you broke down the components that made up the monthly total.
In all my years as a writer, I have rarely asked existing clients for extra work. I must have “stoopid” tattooed on my forehead. I’m definitely using that tactic going forward!
I also totally agree with you about anchor clients. I recently inked a monthly retainer for $3500 (and only requires about 20 hours of actual work on my part), which makes it much easier to reach those lofty levels.
Well done! Again, very inspiring!
Yes, definitely ask for extra work. This is especially helpful with agencies when you might have other niches that they don’t know about. Or if you are working direct, there are often other departments that need content.
I cannot believe I haven’t even thought of just asking. Mind blown. So helpful, thank you!
Inspiring *and* informative, Jennifer. Can’t tell you how happy I am that we crossed paths–I learn something from every post you write.
Now go take a (well-deserved) nap! 🙂
It was awesome! A TWO HOUR nap. I’m going to a local marketing conference Weds and Thursday and just the thought of it is making me tired. I have to leave the house dressed up in grownup clothes by 7 am and tomorrow won’t be home till like 9 pm because I am going to the group dinners. Hopefully I will meet some potential clients that will make it worth it. I guess I should reread my post about networking at conferences. I am going alone and I REALLY hate going to conferences alone.
Jennifer, this was such an inspirational post! I like how you broke everything down. As a newbie, I’m happy to see that there are good clients out there willing to pay for quality. I started following your blog a couple of months ago, and you were very encouraging when responding to one of my comments. I’m happy to say that I found my first recurring writing gig! 🙂 You suggested that I connect with people locally, and that’s just what I did. I think many writers tend to overlook their local businesses. Thanks again for your honesty and inspiration!
Congratulations! That is awesome about your new gig. I sent you an email about writing up a guest post. I’m so glad you are finding the blog to be helpful and inspiriting. That is the entire reason that I have this blog. You made my day.
That’s an impressive total! As others have said, thank you for breaking it down by client–it is really helpful to see how the different projects add up.
Thank you! I found it helpful to do that myself – break down my month by client and project, I can see who my best clients are very clearly.
You inspire me! Awesome work 🙂
Awww! Thank you!
Jennifer: I can’t help wondering: how on earth can you write a quality blog post in an hour? I’ve written hundreds over the past few years and never cranked one out that fast — really, not even once. Sometimes I can squeeze one in 90 minutes.
Curious about your technique, mainly.
Yes, I agree that a hour blog is very hard to do and there are only very certain circumstances where I could pull that off. If you look at the other projects listed most article and blogs take me about 2 hours.
This particular client wants no outside research and wants a super casual tone. They want short 400 word blog posts about how companies can use their products in real life. I can write the off the top of my head with my business knowledge, their product page and my telecommunications experience. Many of the posts are on topics I have written about extensively so it’s just framing the topic for this client. I agree that they are rare, but my main point was to keep your eye out for these super lucrative type of projects that you can easily miss because of the low rate.
As my far my technique for these, it is to look at what the client wants, look at the product features it wants integrated into business values on their website and jot out a high level bullet outline – about 10 minutes. Then I write out a draft quickly – 30 minutes tops to write 400 words in a casual tone. Then I take a break from the post and come back to it for a read through (10 minutes) and send it off to my proofreader. It usually takes me 5 minutes to incorporate her changes, she uses track changes to catch my typos so its usually just accepting all. Then I sent it off.
Interesting – if I were editing your Vonage posts I’d say cut your intros by about 70% and pack more authoritative stuff into the tips sections, which is where all the action is contentwise. (I wrote several ebooks for a minor competitor a few years back so I’m fairly familiar with the niche).
But anyway: I thought perhaps you were writing ebooks or white papers and writing, say, 400 words on the section you had to leave out of the original for space reasons – it’s stuff you know cold and wouldn’t take long to write at all. You’re doing a variant of that, though, so the result is the same.
Hi Tom,
After thinking about it, I ended up removing the links to the posts since I would rather leave my client’s names out of it.
I actually agree with your suggestions about the post completely. But the client in this case wanted a long intro and setup. One of the few revisions I got on this project was adding more intro and making it more playful. As you can tell if you look at my portfolio on my website that my other work is more detailed and authorative. But we do what the client wants :>)
But yes, it has to be a project that you know cold. I’ve been writing in the telecommunications space for about 7 years so that helps. One of the main reasons I am pretty fast with writing is that I stay within my niches of technology and finance.
That’s quite a milestone Jennifer! Thanks for breaking it out; it’s very generous of you to show a peak into your books like this.
You are welcome! I’m glad you find it helpful.
Jennifer,
All I can think of are cliches: amazing and inspiring! You worked hard and worked smart and accomplished this during the month with the fewest number of working days. I think there is a $20,000 month coming up for you soon.
Margaret
LOL, I will be more than happy if this is as good as it gets income wise in a single month. I am TIRED!! :>) You are very sweet. Thank you.
Hi Jennifer, New to your blog, great info! I’m a new freelancer, wondering what you mean by an “agency” – an ad agency? Thanks
Sorry, I just saw this. Yes, I mean any type of agency that does marketing and advertising work for clients. They go by all kinds of names, content marketing agencies, marketing agencies, PR firms and advertising agencies.
Hi Jennifer,
Just wanted to say how helpful I’m finding your blog (have been lurking for a while!). I’m a freelance writer who’s starting out and also focusing on content marketing work.
I’m definitely picking up tips I can use when marketing to clients, and enjoying your articles. And congrats on your 19K+ month!
Ruth
Thanks so much for commenting. I’m so glad you are finding it helpful. Is there anything specific you are interested in reading about on the blog?
The articles I’ve found most helpful have been to do with finding prospects, networking, sending LOIs and marketing. Definitely interested in reading more about these topics 🙂
Thanks for sharing! That helps!
Hats off to you Jennifer, $19k will certainly help keep the wolf from the door this month 🙂 I’ve just retweeted this.
Thank you!!!
In many ways, I congratulate you for achieving this level of income, but it is also quite depressing from my perspective. I’ve been freelance writing for the last year, and in my best month, I earned $2,500. My average right now is about $800, which is barely enough to live on, and this work is pretty much solely at a paltry rate of $0.05 per word.
I don’t want to sound snide, but I don’t believe for one second that the quality of my writing is 20 times worse than what you deliver to your clients. You obviously work quite hard, but I struggle with the finding clients bit.
I noticed a large portion of your work for Feb was from networking with people you know in real-life. I know literally nobody who could set me up with some clients, and networking events aren’t given anywhere near the same emphasis in my country (Ireland) than the U.S.
It becomes depressing really quickly staring at your laptop screen for 8 hours a day desperately emailing marketing managers and businesses, personalizing those emails, and rarely getting responses. I even have a website that I’ve had a grand total of zero leads from.
If the work was available, I’d do it and enjoy it. But finding clients is an incredibly depressing experience that I’m becoming increasingly tired of. Posts like these in some ways give me renewed hope, but in other ways, I just feel like achieving that level of income is nothing but a fairytale for me.
Hi Ronan, I really appreciate you posting and sharing both how you feel and your experience. I am really sorry that the post depressed you, that was totally not my intention. I totally agree with you that the quality of your writing is not any less than mine. I also wanted to add that it took me seven years to break six figures, so this wasn’t something that came quickly. And also that this was my ninth year freelancing. I may go back and add that in just for clarity. A lot of my regular readers know that, but I didn’t realize how many new readers would find me through this post.
However, I totally think you can be making more than you are and that with your technology niche you should be able to get clients.
I found what I think is your website and it’s good. Your clips are good. You are a very good writer. I think part of the problem is the rates advertised on your website for .12 cents a word, you aren’t going to be able to make a living at those rates. However, I totally understand the rabbit wheel of not being able to walk away from paying work even if it’s low paying because you have bills to pay.
I really do think that you can do this and probably all that is needed is a few tweaks, either with who you are emailing or your LOI. I am betting that there probably are some real life contacts that you could be working or even Irish businesses or agencies you could approach. I am happy to talk with you on Skype and even review your LOI for you, no charge at all. I don’t take money from writers (no classes or books or coaching) so I’m not trying to get anything out of it. I just really think that every writer who wants to make a living at freelancing should be able to.
Send me an email to JenniferGregory@nc.rr.com and let’s set up a time to talk. I really want to help you figure this out.
[…] some of you noticed a considerable income from my last month’s income came from contacts I made because of my ASJA membership. I attended my first ASJA conference in […]
Really, You are a genius. Hard work is the key. You have done so much work that paid you the money you expected. The most important thing, in my opinion, is that if you have clients and work you are able to do. Many writers have not even a single client. It is marvelous that you have such big paying clients. But the most important thing is that you work hard, provide what the clients need and fulfill their expectations. Kudos
Thank you! I totally agree it’s hard work and persistence. This was my ninth year freelancing. The secret is figuring out your niche and your strengths then designing your business around those. You can do it as well.
Hi Jennifer,
I’ve a fairly basic question for you.
What is an ‘agency’? You’ve referred to them quite a bit, and I was just wondering whether there was an industry standard definition (or even your definition) for this term? Are they anyone who refers work to you (web developers, marketing consultancies, other writers), or are they online content hubs like Textbroker, or are they something else?
Richard
When I mention agencies I am talking about companies that do content marketing and marketing work for other companies. Some hire website people and designers but writing is typically the main task they outsource. They go by names such as advertising, PR, marketing and content marketing agencies. Does that help? Textbroker is a content mill and not a place a recommend working.
How did you get started and do you have any advice for someone just starting at zero?
This post guides you through it https://www.jennifergregorywriter.com/2013/11/11/8-steps-to-make-money-as-a-content-marketing-writer/
I also recommend Carol Tice’s blog Makealivingwriting.com for newbies. She has great information and classes. Her Den membership is extremely valuable as well.
What a very I formative post, thank you! Your success in this field is inspiring. As a journalist with 25 years of experience who needs to find new sources of income, copywriting is essential for me. I already work with one small agency but need to build on this side. You’ve made it seem extremely worthwhile!
I really like working with agencies because have many clients so you can get a lot of recurring work with one client. Lots of bang for your marketing buck.
While this may seem counterintuitive at first and most writers think they make LESS money working for agencies, I find that I actually make a higher hourly rate because they handle a lot of the things that I do when working direct – handling scope, managing clients, revisions, etc. Some agencies even give me an outline that is preapproved.
That is fantastic. The level of detail you were willing to share is what made it not just interesting but helpful. To me it’s helpful in gaining perspective on how it can be done. In all the helpful hints I’ve read over the past 1 1/2 years this is the most detailed and for that, it is unusually beneficial.
Your frank honesty is a credit to your character and shows true interest in helping your fellow writers.
Thank you so much.
okay that might sound a little over the top, but I really appreciate you sharing. 🙂
Aww, thank you. You made my day. If you have any specific questions. Let me know.
What does VA mean? How did you spend money on outsourcing? Thank you for a great story and speaking frankly on the subject.
Hi, VA means virtual assistant. Here is a post explaining my outsourcing. https://www.jennifergregorywriter.com/2016/11/10/increase-content-marketing-writing-income-outsourcing/ Let me know if you have any questions!
Hi Jennifer, you may not be visiting this post any longer re: replys….but if you do, where did you find your VA?
And a kudos to you that your hard work paid off 🙂
Sorry, I was out of town at a funeral and slow to post to this. I found my through an online writer group I am on. Referrals are the best way to be honest, in my opinion. Ask other writers who they use and would recommend. If you have a specialized niche like technology or health, I personally think it is important to get a VA with experience in your niche. I had a VA previously and while she was great, she wasn’t comfortable with technology so I couldn’t use her as much as I wanted.
Hi I just discovered your blog and love it. I actually made my living as a freelance medical writer a good 25 years ago and am looking to get back into it as I’d now like to work at home (I also do WordPress site development). I appreciate the info you’ve given on current rates. My question is: how much primary research are you doing on the articles you write? For your Mobile Business Insights article on VR, did the client give you the background info for the article (about Lowe’s & the Forbes piece on Hilfiger) or did you start with a more blank slate assignment to just write something about VR? Thanks!
It really runs the gamut and depends on the client. For the one you mentioned, I was told to write about how retailers can use VR and was given no more than two sentences of description. However, on a project yesterday I was given a complete outline. Sometimes I’m given an SME to talk with other times pretty much nothing.
I really prefer being given more of an open slate and doing the research then writing the story.
I think that this is one of the many reasons that it’s important to have a niche.
[…] It only took me 10 years of starting off my year behind my income goal and a January in 2016 with almost no work to learn my lesson. But this year, I finally got it right. I made over 10K in January 2017 and that led up to my highest income month ever the following month. […]