⌚ 7 questions and 30-second answers

[The Writer’ s Life]( November 13, 2017 Hi {NAME}, Before live events like Bootcamp, we encourage our members to have an "elevator speech" ready … You know, a short answer to the question, "What do you do?," that you can give in the length of a short elevator ride. B2B expert and popular speaker Steve Slaunwhite prepares for those elevator rides, too … Only instead of answering "What do you do?," he prepares short, succinct answers for the questions he's most often asked about the B2B industry. He tells me this year, he got more questions than ever before — both during elevator rides and almost everywhere else he stepped out during the event. But with so much demand, high fees even for newbies, and low competition in the B2B market, I'm not surprised. It's the path I recommend most writers take. So today, Steve's here with the top seven questions he gets asked — and his 30-second "elevator answers," so you can get the information you need to move forward. To your success, Rebecca Matter President, AWAI P.S. Until tomorrow, you can save big on the training you need to be a highly paid B2B copywriter. Steve will teach you how to write the most in-demand B2B projects … As well as how to market your services so you can earn upwards of $1,250 per day. [>> Go here for all the details.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 7 "Elevator Questions" about B2B Copywriting By Steve Slaunwhite [Desk with calculator, stop watch, coins, and the words B2B Business spelled out in wooden blocks] I attended AWAI's Copywriting Bootcamp a few weeks ago. What a terrific experience! I spoke to dozens of people about the Business-to-Business (B2B) copywriting opportunity, answering questions in hallways, at breakfast, during walks on the beach and, yes, even in the elevator! The challenge with answering questions in the elevator, however, is that I was forced to be concise, which is opposite my normal propensity to be wordy. Well, I did my best! Here are the seven most common questions I was asked, and my ambitiously succinct answers to each. 1. What types of projects do B2B copywriters handle? When you write for a Business-to-Business company — for example, a forklift manufacturer — you can expect to write a wide range of marketing materials. These include ads, email campaigns, websites, social media posts, blogs, articles, case studies, and white papers. So if you love variety, you'll love B2B. 2. What's a "case study?" What's a "white paper?" A case study is a customer success story. It's basically an article, about 800 words, that describes how a customer is using your client's product and why they're so happy with it. It's like a long-form testimonial. A white paper is about eight pages. It typically talks about a new technology, a new solution to a problem, a list of tips, or a better way to accomplish something. For example, I recently wrote a white paper for a client titled: 7 Social Selling Tips for Real Estate Agents. 3. I've heard that B2B copywriting is less "hype-y." Is that true? Yes. The B2B writing style tends to be clear, conversional, fact-based, and focused on down-to-earth performance expectations rather than overblown promises. A sales manager isn't going to believe copy for a training product that claims to "give you the keys to a secret vault of selling tips that will explode your sales into the stratosphere!" No way. Instead, he's going to be swayed by a clear, persuasive explanation of the program features, and its benefits. By the way, that's why so many writers love B2B. They don't have to write icky, hyped-up sales copy. 4. How much money can I make as a B2B copywriter? There are many Business-to-Business copywriters who make well over $100,000 a year. In fact, a six-figure income is not merely an ideal that only a few B2Bers reach, it's a realistic goal that you can achieve within two or three years — assuming you put in the work to learn your craft and build your freelance business. And right now, there's a shortage of B2B copywriters on the market. So companies are eager to find good ones and pay them well. 5. Can you give me some idea of what to charge clients? Every project is different. However, to write an email campaign consisting of seven emails and a short landing page, it's not uncommon to get around $5,000. Once you get the hang of it, you can probably complete a project like that in two or three days. For a 800-word case study, where you would need to interview your client's customer, a $1,000-$1,500 fee is reasonable. Writing a blog or monthly e-newsletter for a B2B company can start at $900-$1,500 per month. 6. Should I pick a niche? If so, how? The good news is, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of potential niche markets to choose from. As a B2B copywriter, you can focus on writing for software companies, sales training firms, consultants, transportation companies, solar energy manufacturers, publishers, printing companies, whew, the list goes on and on. The best way to pick a niche is to leverage your background. If you've spent 10 years in the transportation industry, marketing managers of transportation companies are going to want to talk to you. Why? Because you're a copywriter who understands them. 7. How do I get started as a B2B copywriter? First, you need to learn your craft. That means learning the B2B writing style, and mastering how to write all the different types of projects — ads, emails, write papers, etc. Next, you need to learn how to land clients. Everything from setting up your website to reaching out to business owners and marketing directors and letting them know about your services. The good news is, these are skills you can master. So find a good course or program that will help you, ideally one that teaches you all the basics you need to get started. So those are some of the answers I gave during those elevator rides. Like I said, I tried to be short! But if you have more questions about the B2B copywriting opportunity, let me know. I'm happy to answer them [in the Comments section here](. The Surest Route to a Six-Figure Writing Career Break into a writing market where the work is plentiful, the pay scales are generous, and the competition is scarce. [Go here now to learn more!]( Join B2B Writing Success for Only $1! Whether you're a new or seasoned b2b copywriter, having access to the right information is key to launching and maintaining a successful b2b writing career. B2B Writing Success is designed to provide you with a continuous flow of information, techniques and strategies to help guide your b2b copywriting career so you can excel and prosper in this exciting and lucrative industry. [Don't wait! $1 Test-Drive Ends Soon.]( Free Webinar: How to Make Your FIRST $1,000 as a Writer Looking to get paid to write? One of the toughest hurdles as a new writer is making your first $1,000. During this free webinar on Friday, November 17th at 1 pm ET, Rebecca Matter and Katie Yeakle will show you how to make your FIRST $1,000 as a writer AND how to build from there to meet your personal income goals.. [Register for the FREE webinar here.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Trouble viewing this email? [View in your browser, here](. For questions or requests: [contact us online](. --------------------------------------------------------------- ©2017 American Writers & Artists Inc. 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