How To Make $1,250 a Day as a Web Writer
By Rebecca Matter

$1,250 a day as a web writer.

Steve Slaunwhite told me it was easy to do that in the B2B (business-to-business) market.

So, I interviewed him last week and asked him point blank how to do it.

Along with getting the answer, which I’m going to share with you today, he totally recharged my enthusiasm about this niche’s potential for you as a web writer.

You see, I had interviewed Steve before about writing for the B2B market, and had always been excited at what it offered …

Short projects, no hype-filled copy, high fees …

But last week, I was “sold.”

And, if you listened to the interview, it’s safe to assume you were, too. At the very least, you know why I continue to say that if you’re just starting out, or trying to build your web-writing business, you should consider the B2B market.

Heck, after I got off the phone with Steve, I called my hubby at work and told him to quit his day job and become a B2B web writer instead.

I told you I was sold!

Why is B2B such a hot market for web writers?

Steve summarized it perfectly during the interview …

Huge Demand: There are over 5 million B2B companies in the U.S. and Canada. And over 240,000 of them employ 50 people or more, meaning they’re considered at least mid-sized, and you can expect them to have large marketing budgets.

Low supply: There simply aren’t enough B2B web writers available. In fact, advertising agencies are now regularly approaching Steve about hiring writers through AWAI’s B2B member forum, because they’re unable to find any through their normal hiring channels. Low supply also equals less competition for the projects.

Repeat Business: Because the supply is so low, clients are loyal when they find a qualified B2B writer. You won’t have to worry about them actively looking for new writers to compete against you, which happens in many traditional B2C (business-to-consumer) markets, especially health and finance.

Money to Spend: The Business Marketing Association estimates that B2B companies spend $85 billion annually to promote their products and services. And they already understand that if they want to work with professional writers, they have to pay professional fees.

Just how well do they pay writers?

According to Steve, writing web copy for the B2B market is the surest road to earning a six-figure income as a web writer. As he told me …

“If you learn how to write good copy and promote yourself well, there’s absolutely no reason you can’t be earning $100,000 a year. Most full-time copywriters I know in this market earn $100,000 – $150,000 a year or more.”

And it’s easy to see how. Check out some of these fees and the amount of time spent on the projects:

• An email designed to generate interest in a product, 1 to 1-1/2 pages in length that takes half a day to write: $750-1,500.
• A case study of 1,000-1,500 words that takes about a day to write: $1,500-2,000.
• A web page product description, 1-2 pages of copy describing a product and its features and benefits: $750-1,000.
• The script for an online video 2-4 minutes in length, that takes about half a day to write: $1,200.

And that’s just a handful of projects needed!

A single B2B client needs many different types of web copy …

That’s right — the projects listed above are just the tip of the iceberg. You’ll also be asked to write:

• Autoresponders
• Newsletters
• Online advertising
• Blog posts
• Social media
• Articles for websites
• Landing pages
• Downloadable brochures

As well as more B2B-specific copy projects like white papers and lead generation campaigns.

And so, of course, that brought me back to Steve’s initial comment …

Is there actually enough work available to make $1,250 per day as a web writer?

It’s clear from the fees I gave earlier that the projects make it easy to earn this much each day. But, that’s assuming you have the projects to work on.

Can you really expect that much work from B2B clients? And if so, how do you find and land those clients?

Steve assured me it was in fact possible. And then he gave some advice you can follow when marketing yourself and starting out as a B2B web writer, to ensure you set yourself up for this kind of success.

1. Get good at writing B2B copy.

   Obvious, right? But B2B marketers have been burned by copywriters claiming to know how to write for the B2B market. So make sure you know your stuff so that they’ll hire you again and again.

   As a Wealthy Web Writer, you know how to write for the web (or you’re learning). Now you just need to learn how to apply those skills to the B2B market — and that won’t take you very long. In fact, if you’re looking for a fast way to get up-to-speed, Steve’s program, Secrets of Writing High-Performance B2B Copy, will teach you everything you need to know.

   (One thing I want to mention before continuing on — the program includes a killer reference guide that walks you through all the B2B specific project types, like case studies and white papers. The guide includes 100 pages of explanations about the most common B2B projects you could be asked about, and how you proceed through each one! That way, when your client is so impressed with the autoresponder series you wrote, and asks you to write a case study next, you can say “No problem!” Just open Steve’s reference guide, follow his instructions, and collect $1,500. Cool, right?)

2. Focus on targeting companies producing a LOT of web copy.

   Before you target a potential company, make sure you check out their website, and see how much marketing they do. If you see a website with lots of pages, online videos, and case studies or white papers, proceed with your self-marketing strategy.

   But, if you find that the company only has a 5-10 page website and maybe one online brochure, keep on moving. Don’t waste your time on the companies who will only have one project every now and again.

   There are way too many prospective clients who need you and have enough projects to keep you busy and financially stable.

3. Get effective at introducing yourself to potential clients.

   You can reach out to potential clients a number of ways, including email, phone call, self-promotion letter. And, once you find a way that works, keep doing it!

   You’ll want to have a website. And, you’ll want to make sure the website has a section dedicated to your B2B web writing.

   It’s essential you can show prospects that you know the difference between B2B and B2C copy, and that you understand how to effectively write for B2B.

4. Do a good job on that first project.

   This should go without saying … but it’s even more important if you want to make a lot of money writing B2B copy.

   It’s that first project that will win you the repeat business, and the repeat business is why B2B web writers make so much money.

   Remember, the clients are so loyal in this market. So if you do a good job, they’ll give you ongoing work.

   One B2B client can give you thousands of dollars a month in business. So do a good job on that first project, and then you can expect steady work for the months that follow.

So, there you have it …

An insight into the B2B market and a plan for making $1,250 a day writing web copy.

Even if you only worked 80 days a year as a B2B web writer, you’d still earn $100,000. That’s a lot better than the 250 days most people work (often for less money!).

You can access the complete interview here.