The secret to making more as a writer

As told by the expert, himself... [The Writer’ s Life]( July 27, 2022 "Somewhere someone is looking for exactly what you have to offer." — Louise Hay "Be the architect." I've learned numerous lessons during my career, {NAME} … But that little statement is one that changed my trajectory as a writer forever. It was Nick Usborne who shared this advice while coaching me back in the early days of writing for the internet — what we now call digital copywriting. Today, I've asked Nick to share what it means with you … In hopes that it has the same lasting impact on your earning potential as a writer as it did for me! [Rebecca Matter’ s signature] Rebecca --------------------------------------------------------------- Hi {NAME}, Nick here … Whichever stage of my own career I look at, this has held true. I've always put in the work to become the architect, and not just the guy who pours the concrete or paints the walls. Let me explain … Building a house is a complicated thing, involving numerous skills and trades. The foundations need to be poured, the walls need to be framed, the roof has to go on, the plumbing and wiring need to be installed … and on and on and on. A number of different skill sets are required, and everything needs to be done in the correct order. And while each tradesperson is a trained expert in his or her own area, only one person really understands how it all goes together. That person is the architect. You can talk to the architect about concrete, wiring, roof tiles, drywall, or anything else that goes into building the house. She's an expert in every area. This is why the architect earns ten times what the roofer or painter earns. This is also why the architect, with a few family homes under her belt, gets commissioned to draw up the plans for an entire mall, or office tower. Architects get to advance their careers far beyond all the other tradespeople on the job. So how does this architect analogy work, exactly? Good question. Let's look at what it might take for a company to launch a new product or service. They won't do just one thing, like sending out a couple of emails. They'll build a coordinated campaign. The emails will be part of a marketing funnel that will include one or more landing pages, and a new sales page. They'll be using social media too, organic and paid. Plus some content marketing, with new posts and articles. Maybe a YouTube video or two as well. And a press release. In other words, the launch campaign will comprise many different elements, all of which have to come together and work in unison. A bit like building a house. But hang on, you say … Are you suggesting I become a marketing manager, the person who designs the overall campaign? No. And this is where my analogy may be less than perfect. Instead of it being a literal analogy, consider it as a mindset analogy. Be the digital writer who understands how everything fits together. In the world of digital copywriting, our hero — you — has deep knowledge of ALL the writing skills required to create that launch campaign. You have skills as a copywriter, email writer, content writer, social media writer, and more. You may focus on one or two areas more than the others. But you are trained in every area. In that sense, you're like the architect. You have value that extends way beyond being able to just frame a wall, or tile a roof. You know it all. The whole package. Here's the first way the architect mindset leads to a higher income … Knowledge of digital copywriting that is both broad and deep makes you a star of every conversation with your client or prospective client. It makes you super-valuable. Imagine a Zoom meeting with you at one end, and a client team of 3 people on the other end. First, they ask you to write an email for one of their sales funnels. For context, they begin to explain how a sales funnel works. To which you reply, "That's OK, I know how sales funnels work." Then they explain how their Facebook ads will play a supporting role. To which you reply, "No worries. I know all about Facebook ads." And so on. I have been in that seat so many times over the years. And I have seen the relief on the client team's faces. They love that they don't have to explain everything to you. It makes their lives so much simpler. It saves so much time. And it hugely increases their confidence in you, as the latest member of their team. And yes, as they begin to understand that you're a lot more valuable to them than they first thought, that increases their perception of your value. And when their perception of your value goes up, so does the size of the fee you can charge. That's why I always try to have a conversation or two BEFORE I submit my estimate. I want my prospective client to understand I'm a high-value "architect" and not a lower-paid "tradesperson". I want them to understand that I have broad and deep knowledge of all the elements in their launch campaign, not just one or two. The second way to increase your income is to expand the scope of the work you do for the client. Again, this works only if you have broad and deep knowledge of several digital copywriting skills. For example, if your starting point with the client is writing content in the form of a few articles, there are ways you can build on that … if you have the additional skills. You can say, "Hey, I'm guessing you'll be using social media posts to send traffic to these articles I'm writing. Would you like me to write the posts as well?" Or, "I imagine you'll be announcing these new articles with a series of emails. Would you like me to take care of the emails as well?" Most of the time, your client will say yes. Why? Because it makes their life a lot easier to have one person taking care of all these different tasks. And, of course, the more tasks you add to the scope of your engagement with the client, the more you can charge. This is why I ALWAYS start out my conversations with prospective clients with an "architect's mindset". I always want to present myself as a partner with a high perceived value. And I always want to maximize the scope of my work with each client. Keep this in mind when you choose which training program to go with. I know, this is totally self-serving. But … when AWAI invited me to create their [Digital Copywriting Apprentice program](, it was always my intention to create a program that was both broad and deep in the scope of what it taught. This is a program not for tradespeople looking to learn a single skill. It's a professional-grade program for architects, who want to maximize their value, and increase their revenue from every project they take on. –Nick TODAY: Test Drive AWAI's Copywriting Program for $29 [ATD Product Spread]If you've ever been curious about copywriting, TODAY is your chance to test-drive our flagship program The AWAI Method™ for Becoming a Skilled, In-Demand Copywriter for just $29. You'll get hands-on experience … get feedback and direction from pro writers … build your portfolio … and get help landing clients … In just four weeks! [But hurry, this test-drive offer ends soon!]( What's Hot at AWAI … 🙋 Your Digital Copywriting Apprenticeship starts soon! [Sign up here!]( 🤗 Meet the Mentor: [Why Nick Usborne is the ideal mentor for any digital copywriter.]( 💰 Looking for a niche that pays? [Check out these 35 hot niche industries for digital copywriting jobs in 2022.]( 👉 Last Day: You could win $200 and a free seat to Bootcamp in our ad writing contest! [Get the details here.]( One Client, Many Gigs [Social media post about meeting with potential client who will need several different types of writing projects] Great job, Lubna! And an excellent example of what Nick is talking about, above. When you know what your client may need, you can be the one to suggest it … write it … and collect the check for it! Have your own story to share? Email us at mysuccess@awai.com, or [post it over in the Facebook group](, so we can celebrate your win too! Copywriters — See What's Working NOW! Digital marketing is evolving faster than ever … And copywriters have to keep up. The best way to make sure you don't get left behind is by attending the copywriting event of the year — AWAI's Copywriting Success & Getting Clients Bootcamp. You'll learn … - the writing projects businesses are desperate for … NOW, - proven methods and techniques the world's TOP copywriters are using … NOW, and - the BEST ways to connect with clients who are ready to hand you work … NOW … From some of the top copywriters and marketers working today. If you attend only one event this year — THIS IS IT. And if you register today, you'll save 80%! [Get The Details Here]( Full Access for Just $1!!! This free blueprint shows you how to make $2,500 to $8,000 a month as a writer. And for just a buck, you'll gain access to every resource you'll need to execute that blueprint. All the roadmaps … All the articles … All the how-to videos … All the training webinars … The member forum, the job board, the tutorials, the tools … All of it! [Check It Out Now]( Featured Writing Jobs Digital Copywriter – Robert Half Contractor, Nashville, TN Candidates in this role will be tasked with writing content for email marketing campaigns, landing pages, other web-based content, and digital copy for marketing campaigns. --------------------------------------------------------------- Digital Content Writer – The Walt Disney Company Full-time, Remote Translate product, feature, and service details into easy-to-understand support content (ranging from long-form articles, headlines, dialogues, and scripts) that engages and empowers our viewers and customer service agents. --------------------------------------------------------------- Senior Digital Content Writer – Aston Carter Contractor, Toronto, CA You'll write, edit and proofread copy for our public-facing channels, including affiliates. --------------------------------------------------------------- You can find all of these jobs and thousands more on [WritersWanted.com](. 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