this simple checklist = retainer writing deals

See how three members used it to start their writing careers [The Writer’ s Life]( February 1, 2024 "Nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity." – H. Jackson Brown Jr. Hi {NAME}, We have a weekly ritual here at AWAI … Every Friday our Success Curator, Melissa Everett, shares with us the week's success stories from our members. It's the best way to end our week — celebrating YOU! 🎉🤩 But there's a big benefit in you hearing from other writers who have successfully done what you want to do … specifically, HOW they did it. Along with confidence about the opportunity, you gain clarity in steps you can take to move forward too. So today, I have THREE stories I want to share with you … From AWAI members who used the [site audit "tactic"]( we've been talking about all week to get the attention of new clients AND immediately set the stage for profitable relationships. No matter what level of writer you are, this tactic can work for you too … If you're just starting out … it's an ideal entry project to get your foot in the door, especially if you lack confidence in feeling "ready enough." And it's a great first paycheck … Even though it requires very little writing (at least early on), it pays $1,000-$2,000 per project. Plus, that's just the first paycheck … as you'll see, more will follow. Which means … If you're looking for a "way in" with higher value clients … this one project sets the stage for more and more opportunities. In fact, each client you choose to take on can keep you very busy with paid assignments. That's because the marketing process takes A LOT of copy and content to attract the attention of a prospect … and then to move them through the customer journey to become a buyer … and ultimately to keep them engaged and happy. Marketers prefer to work with trusted, go-to writers again and again, because it makes their life easier, and the results will be better. So once you prove your capabilities, you're seen as a valuable asset a marketer can count on. And that leads to steady, ongoing work. That's what happened for the three stories AWAI Success Andrew Murray shares below in today's issue. AWAI's Learning Chief Pam Foster originally devised this unique tactic because when she was starting out, she wanted an "in" with clients. So, she created a way to help them AND show them what she could do for their business. When she told me about it, my first thought was, "Wow, you're getting paid to write a proposal … that sets you up to get paid again." GENIUS! All you need to do to get started as a Site Content Audit Specialist is to [follow a simple checklist](. Pam has been using this tactic for years to set herself up for "double paychecks" again and again. Learn how to do this, and it will set the stage for you to have infinite well-paid writing opportunities with every client — whether they're local companies or big businesses. [Check it out for yourself here.]( But do it today … because it's your LAST CHANCE to learn it from Pam herself! And remember to share your stories with us … so we can celebrate your successes too. To your success, Rebecca Matter President AWAI TODAY: You Get It All for Just $249 $49!!! The biggest hurdle to becoming a professional, paid writer is simply getting started. This is the answer: [WSK Product Spread] It's a vast arsenal of our very best writing and business-building resources … to help you set up your writing business FAST … Like over-the-course-of-a-weekend fast! It includes all the tools, templates, resource lists, guides, and fee schedules you'll need to launch and run a successful writing business. [Grab The Writer's Starter Kit now!]( Your ALL-ACCESS Key — Just $1! Get instant access to this exclusive B2B writing community and ALL their private resources, including … All the success roadmaps … All the writing templates … All the articles … All the how-to videos All 150+ training webinars … The Forum, the Job Board, the tutorials, the tools … And much more! [Details here.]( How a Simple Checklist Helped Start the Writing Careers of These Three Members By Andrew Murray [writer taking down notes next to laptop] Are you looking for a simple way to get started with your writing career? One of the easiest ways is with Site Audits. If you're not familiar, a Site Audit is a review of a website. You perform a diagnostic check of the website's content by using a checklist to identify any weaknesses. Why do clients need Site Audits? Because so many websites simply don't perform. Maybe users click away, or the website doesn't get traffic. And the business owner has no idea why. Surprisingly, the most basic details are often missing … contact details are not listed, or the site doesn't explain what the business does, or there's no search bar. Your job as a Site Auditor is to identify these gaps. Then you present them to the client in a report. The process is so straightforward … yet the client will think you're a genius! And they'll view you as an expert. All you need to do is follow a checklist created by Web Expert Pam Foster. Her 21-Point Checklist covers all the bases. And by the end of the audit, you'll have a detailed list of what needs fixing. And who will your client hire to fix their website? Well, you're the obvious choice. After all, you're the consultant who identified the weaknesses in the first place. So you get paid once to conduct the audit ($1,000-$2,000), then again to fix the site (the sky's the limit). Site Audits are an ideal way to earn "double paychecks" from one project. But what's the catch? Well, there isn't one. Site Audits are a simple way for a writer to get their foot in the door using a simple checklist, and then to earn more fees by fixing the problems uncovered by the content audit. And this simple tactic is great for beginners, as well as experienced pros. Let's take a look at how it worked for three AWAI members … From Zero to Retainer Deal in 2 Months! Jessica Eken decided Site Audits were an ideal way to get her foot in the door with new clients. First, she took Pam Foster's Site Content Audits Certification program, then she launched her web copywriting career in a big way. Just a few weeks after completing the training, she landed her first client … a Site Audit. Once she'd completed the Site Audit, Jessica met with the client to present her report findings. The client hired Jessica on the spot to re-write their website! She walked out of the meeting with a check in her hand. And Jessica snagged a lucrative bonus deal. Their current web designer simply wasn't delivering the goods, so they paid Jessica to re-design their website instead. Not just the copy, but the entire site. Two months later, Jessica was on a retainer deal to write their blog posts and their regular newsletter. Oh, and did I mention she landed her second client within the second month of launching her writing career as well? Jessica's story is a great example of the power of Site Audits. In just two months, she was up and running as a web copywriting consultant. All thanks to a simple Site Audit. The Power of a Checklist That simple checklist instantly proves to the client you're an expert. Imagine if you were a business owner with a non-performing website. If someone said to you, "I know why your site isn't performing. Let me review your site. Then I'll show you exactly what you need to change and why" … would you hire them? I would! A Site Audit proves you know what you're talking about. For example, here's what you'd say … "Your site doesn't give the visitor any idea where you're located. That information attracts local customers and generates traffic from the search engines." Or, "You supply building products. But your homepage doesn't tell the user this. They don't know what you do, so they click away to your competitors. We need to change the wording." See what's happening here? You confidently tell the business owner what is wrong or missing, why it's a problem, and then, you can get paid for how to fix it. AWAI Success Melanie Rhodes is another copywriter who used a Site Audit to prove her expertise as a web copywriting consultant. However, she took a different approach … Taking on The Challenge Every new Site Content Audits Certification program includes a spec Challenge based on a real-life featured client who needs help with their website. Melanie won the Challenge with her Site Audit. Then Pam put her in touch with the client whose website was featured in the Challenge. It quickly grew from a simple Site Audit to a full-blown revamp of the client's website. Melanie teamed up with an amazing web designer friend who handled the redesign of the site, while she focused on the content and development of the site. In just a few months, Melanie evolved from a would-be copywriter to a well-paid web copywriting consultant … all because she took on the Challenge. Sometimes things just seem to fall into place. Roman philosopher Seneca once said, "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." No doubt, Melanie's story is one of doing the groundwork then seizing an opportunity when it arises. And AWAI Member Kip Cosan is another one who meets Seneca's definition of "luck" … Hunting for Work Kip conducted a Site Audit for a friend's website. The business is a hunting lodge in Colorado, and Kip just happens to be a keen hunter. So, he cut a deal where the lodge gave him a hunting package worth $2,800 in exchange for a Site Audit and a few tweaks to the website. It turns out, Kip didn't even need to write an official report. Once Kip started discussing the gaps he'd found during the audit, the website manager simply said, "Go for it." Kip's taken over the website … content, development, and a whole lot of updates. He's gone from zero to web copywriting consultant, all thanks to his training as a Site Auditor and his ability to hunt down an opportunity (sorry, I couldn't resist it! 😊). The Secret Superpower of Site Audits Jessica, Melanie, and Kip's stories are just three examples of how Site Audits can launch your writing career. In fact, my own web writing journey started with a Site Audit as well. A Site Audit for a friend's website led to a complete website re-design, which led to another and so on. Perhaps the biggest benefit is the knowledge you gain. You learn so much about what elements you need for a well-constructed website, and how they fit together. To me, this is the secret superpower of Site Audits. It's priceless information to have. Once you know this, you can talk with authority to business owners and web developers. You quickly move beyond being "just" a writer to a web copywriting consultant. And as you do, you can charge way more for your services. After all, you're the complete package … copywriter and web copywriting consultant rolled into one neat package. As Jessica, Melanie, and Kip have discovered firsthand, that's a powerful combination. If you'd like more information on the Site Content Audits training and Certification … the exact one Jessica, Melanie, and Kit used to land their first clients, [you can find details here](. As they discovered, this is hands-down the best "first project" to quickly master as a new writer — there's almost zero actual "writing" required. Plus, you can get paid up to $2,000 for Site Audits … while automatically setting you up to land "double paychecks." Editorial Note: What's More Fun than Earning a Paycheck? Earning Two of Them! [Become Certified as a Site Content Audit Specialist]( and set yourself up for "double paychecks." It's this easy: > Follow a checklist … > Take some notes on what you find … > And then deliver your recommendations to the client … You can get paid $2,000 for that diagnostic Site Audit — and then get paid even more when you fix whatever you find wrong. All you need is a little training … [>> This is that training.]( But check it out today — it's your LAST CHANCE to get in! What's Hot at AWAI … 👉 FINAL CALL: [Sign up for our Site Audit Certification here!]( 💸 [This easy "in" with clients can lead to double paychecks.]( 🤩 [Florida copywriter unleashes income with pet-industry niche.]( Just in time … Sometimes I use a Just-In-Time (JIT) approach with AWAI's courses. I'm confident they'll deliver the skills I need for any project that comes my way. So when some agency work morphed into a review of their client's website, I proposed a four-figure fee that would pay for time as well as the Site Audits Made Simple course. It was like getting paid to learn! The agency was happy with my work. Their client appreciated the clear report I wrote. And I appreciated the fee I got paid. A win-win-win for all! Thanks, Pam! Keep up the great work at AWAI! - Kevin Rokosh Kevin has found the flow for getting the information that he needs from his AWAI learning and seamlessly turning it into an income source. Learning while earning is a HUGE benefit! 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! 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