How I earned $15K in February as a Freelance Content Marketing Writer
I got such positive feedback from my January income recap, especially when I shared my mistakes. So I’m going to keep it as a regular feature. I know it’s late, but I was behind in invoicing and didn’t know my total for the month till this weekend.
Since many of you know I launched my course last month “Improve Your Productivity with AI Writing Tools,” I want to be clear that my total for February does not include my earnings from the course. I only include freelancing writing earnings in my monthly recap and keep any other earnings separate. And if are interested in the course, now is a great time to do so because we have our first live Q&A is on Wednesday for course members.
February Breakdown
Agency A
Project 1
$850
1000-word article without interviews
This is a monthly project that I’ve worked on for years. The article takes me about 2 hours with no interviews and is a project I always enjoy. I ended up asking her if she had more to assign each month and I actually got two for March. I’m going to keep asking and hope to increase these to two each month.
Agency A
Project 2
$4200
8 articles 500-1000 words with no interviews
I’ve been working on this project for the same client for about 2.5 years now and is my biggest anchor client. They range from $300 to $600 per article and require no interviews. They take me between 1-3 hours each.
Agency A
Project 3
$5000
10 articles 400-600 words with no interviews
I felt like I wrote about digital identity and identity theft most of the month. And when I was tallying up my earning for this post, I realized that’s exactly what I did. I followed up several times with the project manager in January and that’s why she sent me all this work. Each one took me 1 to 2 hours with no interviews. They were fun and simple.
Agency B
$1200
After I finished the 4K work for this client in January, I asked if they had any projects they needed help with. The editor responded that they would have more in March. I emailed back to let them know that I love last-minute projects and to let me know if they have something that needs to be done quickly. And they did – and I said yes. This piece took me a little longer since the topic was a bit complicated, but I still did it in 4 hours, which was $250 an hour.
Agency C
$800
2500-word whitepaper with no interviews
I really wanted to not include this project in the recap for a number of reasons. But I’m going to be fully transparent. I absolutely should not have taken this project. The pay was ridiculous. But it was an agency I thought I wanted to do work for and they said that they had higher-paying clients. So I said yes. I spent at least 10 hours on this project with revisions and I am still not done. More on this later.
Direct Client 1
$750
1000-word article with no interviews
I landed this client through a cold outreach from the company over LinkedIn. I am hoping to get another project from them in the near future. I got a few more revision requests after my first draft than I had hoped, which sometimes happened with a new client. So I’m hoping that they send more work my way. This one took longer than I would like—4 hours or so.
Direct Client 2
$2250
3 articles 1000-words with no interviews
This is a new client that I hope turns into a regular one. These articles were on topics I enjoy and the team was easy to work with. The editor who hired me got laid off right after I turned these in. They told me to expect more work once they finish their reorganization, so hopefully, that will come soon. I landed this client through a referral from another writer.
Website 1
$1000
Q&A, wrote questions and 400-word introduction
I love these projects, they are a high hourly rate and are a lot of fun. I don’t have to do the interview or even edit the answers, just come up with the questions and the introduction. All in all, I spent about two hours on this. This client usually has lots of changes in their schedule, which would frustrate other writers, but I enjoy that. This client originally came as a referral and I’ve been working for them on and off for about two years.
Total earnings for February 2023: $15,050
My goal for each month is $15K, which puts me on track for $180K for the year. I prefer to make $16,666, which puts me on track for $200K. I’m a few thousand down from that goal at this point. I have some vacations coming up in March and April, so I’m not going to stress. As long as I make at least $13K each month from my writing, I’m happy, especially with my courses now.
Expenses
Last month people asked me about my expenses, so I want to include them because I do outsource some non-writing tasks, which makes it quicker for me to do work.
- Virtual assistant, I do hire a VA for five hours a week to help me run the Freelance Content Marketing Writer group on Facebook as well as help me with other tasks, such as research and finding sources. She doesn’t do any writing. I spent $750 on virtual assistant services in February.
- Proofreader. Yes, I am the typo queen so I hire an amazing proofreader to edit my work before I turn them in to my editors. It’s been a game changer for me and worth every penny. My earnings went up significantly when I started using her because my clients are happier and it takes me less time. Before, I was spending a lot of time trying to catch all my typos and still missed some. I spent $1000 on proofreading in February.
For February my expenses were $1750, which means brings my total to $13,300 after expenses. Without outsourcing these non-writing tasks, my earnings would have been lower.
What worked for me in February?
- Creating a class on the spur of the moment. At the very end of January, I got the crazy idea to launch a course for writers on how to use AI writing tools. And it’s been a big success as well as a lot of fun. Over 150 writers have signed up and I’ve gotten a lot of very positive feedback. Creating this course was out of my comfort zone and I spent many sleepless nights worried about if people would like it. But they did. Not only was creating the course a positive move for me financially, but it also increased my confidence in myself to try new things and run with new ideas. And I’ve had a lot of fun learning as the technology and uses evolve while meeting new writer friends.
- Staying in touch with clients. Several of my projects this month, most notably my $5K, was from checking in with clients. Editors are more likely to give you work if you have reached out. They know you are available and it’s just easier for them. Behind referrals, this is my most successful marketing technique.
- Focusing on clients who love my work. After I finished the 10 stories on identity theft, the agency’s client emailed me and copied the client with over-the-top positive feedback. I was thrilled. So I jumped on the opportunity and emailed the client to see if they had any more work they needed help with. And the answer was yes – she assigned me a $3K whitepaper for March.
- Using AI writing tools for non-writing tasks. I’ve turned to ChatGPT numerous times in February to help me with my work. Of course, I don’t use it for writing. But it’s really helped me get unstuck several times and get new ideas. I also used it to create a headline a few times since I am TERRIBLE at headlines. I’m super excited to have a new tool to help me with my projects.
What didn’t work for me in February?
Even though it was a successful month, several things didn’t really work for me or caused me extra stress.
- Creating a class on the spur of the moment. Yes, this is on both my good and bad for the month. I realized that I needed to do it quickly so I decided that the course would launch Feb 21st and I started working on the course at the end of the first week of February. So I created a 14-module course with close to 3 hours of recorded videos in less than 2 weeks while not reducing my client load at all. I worked two solid weekends and till 2 am several nights to pull this off. It was exhausting.
However, I noticed I was getting more revision requests from my clients. I’m sure my work quality went down slightly from my decision to do something big like this at the last minute. I had tried not to let that happen, but it did. However, I’ve been able to follow up with kick butt projects with those clients so no harm in the long run.
- Counting on an anchor client. For the past four months, a relatively new agency client sent me 4 to 6 posts a month at $750 each. However, in February the agency’s client paused the project without notice. I had counted on the $3K to $4K for Feburary, but was thankful to be able to find additional work to fill the unexpected hole.
- Taking a low payer. I honestly don’t really know why I took a whitepaper for 35 cents a word. That was a very stupid move that I don’t usually make. The email from an agency I wanted to work with came in at a moment when I didn’t have a lot of work, so I panicked. And I know that the agency has higher-paying projects. Plus, the client was a big financial name that I wanted to add to my client list. But it was a huge giant mistake that I regretted multiple times.
- Going outside my core audience. Earlier in my career, this whole thing would have sent me into tears and caused me a ton of stress and lost productivity. But I’m proud of myself for how I handled this. I sat down and thought about what I could learn from this – beyond never taking another low-payer. The client’s big complaint is that my tone even with revisions wasn’t sophisticated enough for the audience of financial executives. And I realized that the last time I ran into a big mess was the exact same audience and the client said the exact same thing. And they are both totally right.
One of the reasons that I am so successful with tech clients is that the goal is to make concepts easy to understand, which usually means a professional conversational tone. But that’s not what financial executives want. I realized that tech is a more casual audience in general, which I hadn’t really thought about before. I have learned the hard way that the key to a high income and less stress is taking clients where I am very likely to turn into their favorite freelancer. And I’ve learned through messes just like this that one of the predictors is the audience. I suck at B2C writing, which took me years to accept. And now I am adding writing for financial executives as another audience I suck at. And I’m going to turn down work for this audience in the future just like I do with B2C.
- Too much work with one agency. I didn’t realize how much of my income in February came from a single agency until I wrote up this recap. While my risk is lowered by working on multiple projects at the agency, it’s still a big risk. If the agency goes under or if I fall out of favor, then I’ve lost a lot of business. This agency is by far my favorite client so it’s the one I always say yes when they email, but I hadn’t realized how much. I’m not going to turn down work from this client but instead look to increase my income and reduce my risk.
Looking ahead to March
The good thing about writing this late is that my March prediction is more accurate since almost half the month is passed. March looks good so far, especially with two well-paying whitepapers and a high-paying article for Google in the works. I am on target to hit $13K to $15K. I’m a bit tired still from launching the class so I’m not pushing myself. Plus my rescue took in 12 dogs this weekend above our normal intake, so that’s going to take a lot of time.
How did you do in February? Are things picking up after the slow January?
Love what you said here: “I have learned the hard way that the key to a high income and less stress is taking clients where I am very likely to turn into their favorite freelancer.” My focus is recruiting content marketing but I definitely needed to hear this. I’ve also made theistake of taking a low-paying opportunity for what I thiught was an ideal client. Biggest headache of my business in January. That’s for sharing!
I think that it applies to any niche, not just tech. I’m glad it resonated with you. I believe it a million percent but it’s SO easy to forget it in the moment.
+1 to that!
“I have learned the hard way that the key to a high income and less stress is taking clients where I am very likely to turn into their favorite freelancer.”
I’ve learned the same thing, and this can be so tricky. We’re conditioned to work hard to please clients/employers, and to look to them to tell is if we did our work “right.”
Commercial work is more like creative work than we acknowledge sometimes; I know now that I have a voice that works best within a certain range.
You are very true about being conditioned to look to please. I am the perfect writer for some clients but others I am a terrible fit. It doesn’t mean that I suck or they are bad clients, i’ts just a fit thing.
Awesome update, Jennifer. Thanks for giving us a peek inside your operation!
I’m glad you found it helpful! It’s always scary to feel back the curtain and be vulnerable.
Jennifer, this recap is so enlightening and helpful! I’m planning a return to writing after 6 years in a completely different corporate role and love getting insights like this.
Also, I’d love to hear more about your rescue if you can provide a link. My husband and I are senior dog advocates and have so far adopted 8 seniors over the last 10 years. 🙂
Thanks,
Wendy
Oh thank you for adopting seniors. Here is a link to the rescue https://www.doxiebyproxy.org/
I’m so glad you found the post helpful as well.
Hi Jennifer,
What is your proofreader’s hourly rate?
She charges me by project not by hour. She is amazing and will do overnight and same day turnarounds so worth every penny.
I’m going to 100% agree on investing in proofreading. I have a hard time catching typos on my own work. I spend around $1,000 a month on it too, but it’s so worth it!
I’m so glad I’m not the only one! It makes such a difference in my speed as well as my anxiety.
Thank you for being so honest and sharing the low moments. As freelancers, we often feel very alone and that everyone else is doing so much better! Could you please share how you got your start in whitepapers, it’s something I’ve always been very intrigued by.
I got an existing client to give me my first whitepaper project. That’s the best way to do it. I recommend not doing your first whitepaper with a new client or a new niche. I’m working on a post about whitepapers in the near future.
As always, Jennifer, this is soooo helpful! Especially because you so willingly share what did and didn’t work for you. And congrats on hitting your goal!
I’m sorry creating that course caused you extra stress, but I sure am grateful you did it! It’s been very helpful for me. I’ll never be as fast a writer as you are, but I can already see how using the AI tools can help me work faster.
Thank you! It was good stress. I’m very glad I did it. That’s the way I do things, last minute so it was likely the only way it would happen.
Sorry, one question! How much time per project do you think you save by having your VA do your research and source-finding?
It totally depends on the project. But definitely worth the money for me, especially with finding statistics which most of my clients really want and they can be a pain to find.
Do you have any advice for getting agency work? I have one agency in my lineup that I fell into by accident, but I would really like to work for more agencies. Thanks!
I’m working on a post about this. The best way is to approach agencies with LOIs that specialize in your niche or are local. You can also use LinkedIn or lists that are online to find the agencies. I”m going to be including lists in my post.
Love the transparency and information. You work hard and I appreciate you sharing your results.
Thank you so much for your insight! I am making a huge leap to become a freelance writer after working a 8-5 job for over a decade. I do have one question, that I am having a hard time finding the answer. What are good agencies to look into as a new writer/blogger? Thank you!!!
I would reach to any and all agencies that you can. You will likey need to reach out to 50 to 100 at least when you are first getting started. I’ll also be doing a blog post on agencies.
I am startled at how high you are paid. That’s amazingly too high. Here in our country, writers are paid a measly 0.02c per word. That’s just $20 for a 1000-word article. I hope I can find a client who can pay me more. Thanks for sharing.
You need to be looking for totally different clients. I would be looking for US based clients.
You rescue pets AND people. I admire you more than you could ever fathom! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Oh thank you for the kind words. I love doing both so much.
Love the way you broke this down. Thanks for sharing!
I”m glad you found it helpful! I’m actually learning a lot myself by doing it.
Gosh, this is excellent and definitely my target monthly earning amount right now. Where do you even find the clients? I’ve tried with agencies and they just haven’t worked out
Here is an article on finding clients that may help https://www.jennifergregorywriter.com/2023/01/02/the-3-pillars-of-landing-new-clients/
I now get most of my clients through inbound leads and referrals. But for years I did many cold LOI pitches. When you say the agency clients have not worked out, what do you mean? Do you mean advertising/marketing agencies? How many have you tried?
Hi Jennifer, I’m italian, how can I get paid $500> for a 1000 word per article and to find right US clients?
Is there a market demand?
Thank you.
Yes, there is a market demand, depending on your niche. B2B pays higher than B2C. Here is an article on landing clients. https://www.jennifergregorywriter.com/2023/01/02/the-3-pillars-of-landing-new-clients/
Thanks so much for your candor and transparency, Jennifer! It’s refreshing to see a successful freelance business owner be so open and honest about how they do it. Clearly your experience with the financial client resonates with other writers (funnily enough, I’m your exact opposite — I’ve had lots of success with financial services clients, and I can do fintech, but pure tech just isn’t my niche 🙂
I”m glad you appreciate it. Sometimes I get people who feel bad about themselves from these threads. But I think that the more honest we all are about how much money we are making as well as all the different ways we screw up, the more we help each other. When we do that other writers don’t feel alone and also see how much money it’s possible to make.
That’s hilarious. I totally get it. I can’t write most B2C content either. It totally suck at it. And that’s totally OK.
Here is an article on finding clients that may help https://www.jennifergregorywriter.com/2023/01/02/the-3-pillars-of-landing-new-clients/
I now get most of my clients through inbound leads and referrals. But for years I did many cold LOI pitches. When you say the agency clients have not worked out, what do you mean? Do you mean advertising/marketing agencies? How many have you tried?
Hi!
I’ve been reading your blog and the content is really inspiring! I have a question in regards to portfolios (a bit off topic from your post). I’ve been ghostwriting for a PR agency for the past few months. I got the gig through Upwork. The pay is not great ($50 per 600 words 🙁 )but I’m finding my articles being posted in some credible places like yahoo finance.com, success.com. I’m trying to land client’s outside of Upwork so I can more proportionally be compensated for my work.
My question is how do I put a portfolio together when my best work is ghostwritten? Can I put them in my portfolio or is there an etiquette to follow? I never signed an NDA.
I’m kind of clueless on how to find client’s outside of Upwork and I’ve been following your LOI posts, trying that avenue. I don’t have a LinkedIn and I have rebelled against social media (I just don’t like putting things out there). I started a portfolio on Contently but I want to make sure I’m not crossing any lines by adding ghostwritten pieces. Maybe as a screenshot?
Thank you Jennifer for this wonderful blog. It has really opened my eyes to valuable information!