In the last four days, I’ve worked on brochures for two of my clients which are designed to jump-start sales in a slow economy.

Not only is this a refreshing change from the gloom and doom news headlines I keep reading, but it’s a far more accurate portrayal of what’s really going on in the world of business.

People are still buying from and selling to each other, yes, it’s true. Being involved with real-life marketing for real-life companies helps put everything back into perspective. If you think that the economy just shriveled up and died, you’re wrong.

I’ve got one client (an ad agency) who I’m partnering with on a brochure for their client which offers “stimulus savings” on home improvement projects.

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Popularity: 86% [?]

I received this question from a fellow copywriter, but I thought that the method could easily be used by any other specialist in any industry.

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Hi Dina,

My name is John Doe. I saw an article you wrote about how to set a freelance copywriting rate and have seen your business website.

I am a journalist and writer and I am taking some time off from daily newspaper writing to do some freelancing. I write news articles, but have also taken on some work writing a bit of website content and am now ghost-writing an e-book.

A friend of mine is doing a redesign on her business website. She’s self-employed, but doing well. She has hired someone to do the redesign, but has put out an RFP for a copywriter to rewrite her website content.

I believe I am more than capable of bringing a fresh and engaging voice to her site. I am planning to bid on it but I have absolutely no idea how much to charge. I really can’t even ballpark a figure. I asked her if she had a deadline and whether she had a range for acceptable bids, but she said she has neither.

I am trying to get advice from more experienced freelance copywriters about a bid to submit.

Taking a look at her RFP materials, I suspect it will take me 1-2 weeks to rewrite everything, with additional time for revisions.

I am expecting to lowball her a bit because she is a friend with a small business and I am an inexperienced copywriter, but really can’t guess at what an appropriate lowball bid would be.

Would you be able to help me to determine how I should be bidding, what kind of starter rates copywriters have, especially for small-scale projects that are done to gain a portfolio, but still earn a bit of cash?

Anyway, thanks advance for any help you can provide.
John

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MY REPLY:

Hi John Doe,

How much do you need to make per year to meet your expenses?

How much would you make in a “9 to 5 corporate job” at your same level of expertise/years of experience?

Figure out that number, a salary per year. Then divide by 50 weeks (assuming you’d like to take 2 weeks off).

Then divide the weekly amount by 40 hours per week (assuming 40 hours is your target).

Now you know your hourly rate. So figure out how many hours it would take you to draft one page of copy, in a Word document, assuming it’s 400 to 650 words or so.

If it takes you two hours and your rate is $40 per hour, then think of your projects as being worth $80 per page draft.

Next, factor in extra billables like research time, communicating with clients, and doing revisions. This will be an estimate of course, based on what you “expect” from the client. It’s never exact.

Let’s say that you predict you’ll be spending 2 hours reading/researching the client’s niche. You have 4 pages to write. You “guesstimate” that you’ll spend another 2 to 3 hours revising the copy once the client makes corrections.

So now you have 2 hours plus 8 hours plus 3 hours. That’s 13 hours, times your hourly rate of $40 per hour. The total estimate is $520.00 for four pages of copy including a draft revision. But in order to not scare your clients or shortchange yourself, you want to tell your client, “I estimate this to be anywhere from 10 to 13 hours, which works out to be anywhere from $400 to 520.00. You will be billed for the actual hours spent working, and no more.

Does this make sense? Good luck.

Warm regards,

Dina Giolitto
Wordfeeder.com

Popularity: 89% [?]

Let me guess. You’ve got that nagging feeling that it’s time to update your resume again. You’re thinking that you owe Monster and Hot Jobs and at least a few other people an appearance if you want to keep your head in the employment game.

Well, I want to point out something to you about resumes. This is important stuff for you to consider as the job market changes and the world as we know it turns on its head!

Resumes are OUT, websites are IN. Which is NOT to say that you shouldn’t have a resume… you want to keep all your bases covered. But you should also begin creating your Living Portfolio - even if you’ve never once thought of yourself as a consultant.

If you have a career, that means you’re formally trained in SOMETHING - so start acting like the expert you are, and this WILL be a testament to your qualifications for any job, be it temporary or full time.

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Popularity: 65% [?]

DINA: Welcome to another edition of “Interview with an Entrepreneur - at EntrepreneursBreakfast.com. As a small business owner myself, I have grown to appreciate other people who are also working hard to deliver good products and services. And with the level of customer service from big companies deteriorating to such a great level, I’m happy to give my business to people who I have grown to know and like.

We’re here talking with Bea Kunz, the owner of Sage Hill Farms and Vintage Store. Bea is one of my favorite ladies - someone whom I admire very much, who is working for an admirable cause. I think you’ll find that her herbal blends make the perfect holiday gift - and they’re easy to send by mail.

Bea, you are a successful businesswoman and the owner of Sage Hill Farms - a sustainable herb farm business. Can you explain what it means to be sustainable and why it’s important?

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Popularity: 44% [?]

DINA: Welcome to the first ever “interview with an entrepreneur…” from Entrepreneur’s Breakfast and Wordfeeder Copywriting.

This month we’re hearing from Michael Adams of Eddie’s Energy Bars in scenic Richmond, Vermont. Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to be with us today, Michael!

MICHAEL: Thanks for having me as your guest!

DINA: Okay, let’s begin. You run a successful business, and yet you’re in college. How do you manage to pull this off?

MICHAEL: This even baffles me sometimes! The secret is that my workload is somewhat reversed when I am at school. I (almost) always put school ahead of my company, so I get all of my reading done before I work on the website or call potential retailers. I also have wonderful parents who are my head bakers and distributors. They produce and distribute the energy bars while I am at school. Having that taken care of is great, and I can tend to administrative duties (making all of the business decisions) when I have time.

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Popularity: 53% [?]

I just Googled this phrase to find out for myself, and came upon the following handy tool:

http://www.selfseo.com/google_ban_tool.php

As it turns out, I’m not banned! Although I don’t know why I would be, since my site came up in the search results in the first place.

If you did find your site was banned, I suggest you get yourself to a search engine optimization specialist who can do an analysis of your site and find out whether the problem is duplicate content, keyword stuffing, or what.

Popularity: 58% [?]

Once you publish a new website, the first thing you want to do is make sure that Google sends its spiders around to crawl the content.

Think of the web as a massive library of information. First Google needs to know you’re out there, then it needs to know what to categorize you as.

For that reason, it’s in your best interest to publish websites that specialize in just one area, and then add keywords that describe that area.

To submit your website to Google, visit this link: http://www.google.com/addurl/?continue=/addurl

Popularity: 39% [?]

1. Work virtually. Copywriters, graphic artists and web designers are easily accessible via the internet. We communicate by phone and email, and pass files electronically. That means no overhead expenses for you to cover - no utility bills, computer upgrades, and NO medical plan!

2. Streamline your communication. Work out designated check-points in the project where you can review drafts, ask questions and supply missing information. Avoid sending email “blips” that confuse instead of clarify - this is a huge time sucker!

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Popularity: 94% [?]

by Dina Giolitto

Some of us simply don’t want to spend the money on a professional photo shoot for our websites and social networking profiles. Besides… with digital cameras offering such high image quality these days, with a little extra effort you can get results that are just as impressive as if you paid top dollar for a photographer.

Some tips for ensuring that you’re shown in your best light:

1. Wait until the afternoon to take your photo.

There are a couple of reasons for this. One, we typically retain water during our sleep, which is why we look “puffier” first thing in the morning, especially around the eyes. To get rid of the excess fluid, avoid high sodium foods for the rest of the day. Hydrate your body with plenty of liquids. You might try flushing your system with unsweetened cranberry juice, water with a squeeze of lemon, or green tea. Keep drinking, and by 2 p.m. or so your face will show the results.

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Popularity: 63% [?]

Recently, Heidi Richards, founder of WE Magazine for Women, listed this blog in her “101 Women Bloggers to Watch” roundup!

THANK YOU, Heidi, for including Entrepreneur’s Breakfast. It’s an honor and a pleasure to be associated with such an enterprising woman as yourself, as well as mentioned in the same breath as this group of empowered and dynamic professional women.

WE Magazine is a veritable smorgasbord of must-have tips, tricks and tools to help the modern woman make informed decisions in both her personal and professional life. Women who read WE are bosses, business owners, mothers, lovers, sisters, daughters, friends. They’re coaches, crafters, consultants, artists, athletes, health enthusiasts, hobbyists, and technology gurus.

Most of all, women who read and contribute to WE Magazine have a passion for living and for making a difference in the world!

To read the complete cast of amazing woman bloggers on Heidi’s Hot List, click here.

Popularity: 100% [?]