SEO Content Writing: One Writer Got $40/Article from Her First Client (with NO Website) and an SEO Writer Who’s Got $5,000 in Work Lined Up – How They Did It
Boy, there have been some busy SEO writing bees out there, if the emails I’m getting are any indication. Today’s newsletter gives insight into how one writer got $40/article – from one of her very first clients.
We also hear a success story from a new SEO writer who has more than $5,000 in work lined up, is looking at hiring other freelancers, and whose wife (who’s ill) looks forward to quitting her job in a few months because his SEO writing business is taking off!
FYI, in next week’s newsletter, we’ll hear again from SEO writer, Cold Calling Carol – who’s hit a rough patch. She’s having a hard time getting a big client to pay. Stay tuned for how I advised her to handle this. Boy, it’s a doozy!
So, let’s get started.
Email from Freelancer #1
Yesterday, I awoke to the following email from a new freelance SEO writer in my inbox.
Okay Yuwanda, here’s the story (or at least part of it):
I’ve been a subscriber for a couple of years and have gotten some valuable lessons from your newsletter, ebooks and ecourses. Thank you.
I had my eye on your SEO [writing] book for a while. Finally, I purchased it in Dec of last year when you had your holiday giveaway (buy one, get one free). And finally (again) I decided that it would not do me any good to have the book and not read and implement what I read. (I have been writing for a while but really wanted to try launching more deeply into SEO.)
Okay, I got delayed a bit because of the website. (The do-it-yourself route is definitely too time consuming for me.) Anyway, last week I decided to start marketing without the website in place because I needed to get started and could use my online articles for samples.
Very early Saturday morning, I sent out a handful of emails just to get the ball rolling. Voila! I received an almost immediate response from the president of one company saying he or a staff member would be getting back to me shortly. How long is shortly, I don’t know. This morning, however, I received the following response from a different company:
“Hi L–,
Thank you for contacting [Name of company was given]! We’ve reviewed your writing samples and they are very good. Please let me know what your rates are?
All the best,
XXX”
Now, I had already decided that I would charge $35/500-word article, but when the question was posed I starting wondering if that was a good price. (My husband said I should charge $40). I quickly went to your site for answers and decided to purchase “Freelance Writing Advice for SEO Writers“.
Before I could even get the book downloaded and read, the client called wanting to know my rates, which I had not stated in the email. I had to make a quick decision so I charged $40 for a single article (400-500 words) and $35/500-word article for orders of 6 or more articles. The client was pleased and promptly ordered 9 articles. (emphasis added)
Questions: Since my writing website is not yet in place, should I include rates in the emails that I send out? Also, as I was sent the company’s clients’ websites as well as keywords, could I justifiably include them (their clients) as clients on my website?
Thanks again for sharing your path to success. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
LD
My Answer
L-:
First, congrats! That’s wonderful.
As for including client’s clients on your site — NO! Never, ever do this because ur client might not want THEIR client to know they’re outsourcing the work (although most do). Your first priority is to your client — never ever do any work for, refer to, or use testimonials from your client’s client — UNLESS your client knows about it.
As for including rates, I always included a link to my website that had the rates. Since you don’t have one, in the interest of time, if it were me, I would. But, that’s entirely up to you.
Good luck, and again, congrats!
##
That was my quick answer to L; I want to add a bit more.
First, get that website up as soon as possible. I don’t know what niche you write in, but if you’re getting $40 off the bat with no website, obviously your samples rock. So, having a site where you can display them can land you even more clients – and possibly higher rates – rather seamlessly.
Your site doesn’t have to be fancy (as my SEO writing company’s site proves); just clean and professional looking).
Get SEO Writing Jobs “Out of the Blue”
Second, re how long is “shortly” – it could be a day, a week, a month or a year. But one thing I bet is true – they’re keeping your info on file. As I’ve stated many times on this site, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been contacted by companies I marketed to months (in some cases a year or more earlier) who will contact me “out of the blue” with work, saying something like, “We got an email from you back in XXX. We need . . .”
And, that’s the value of continuous marketing. Jobs will seem to materialize “out of the blue,” but it really isn’t because if you keep touching enough prospects, work will materialize – usually when you least expect it.
Second Email from Same Freelancer
Last night, I received a follow-up email from this freelancer. She wrote:
Thanks Yuwanda. Incidentally, I get a “bio” (byline really) stating that I am a freelance writer for client’s client.
My Response
In this case, I’d advise her to ask HER client if it’s ok if she includes the client’s client on her website. It’s professional courtesy to do so – even though she’s already getting a byline.
The client will thank her for her professionalism; and even if they don’t, she solidifies in their minds – consciously and subconsciously – that she’s a trusted professional (eg, that she won’t go behind their backs and try to steal their clients).
Email from Freelancer #2 — An SEO Writing Success Story: $5,000 in Work Lined Up: Looking Forward to Quitting His Job in a Few Weeks
Yesterday, I received another email (yes, two success stories in one day!) from another SEO writer who’s just getting started. His story is quite amazing.
He wrote, in part:
I made $2000 my first month, and have $5000 in work lined up from clients who I know will pay. I have about $400 floating out there from clients who are slow to pay, but it doesn’t bother me because I have $5000 lined up with more coming in!
I can now quit my part-time crap job if I’d like, but I’m still going to hang on to it for a few weeks yet. The part-time job is [stated what he did for work] rewarding, but it pays a paltry $13 per hour and most likely is capped at a maximum of $16 per hour…a poverty wage in this modern era!
My wife [who’s been “drastically ill”] will be able to stay home from work in a few months when I have more business, and we’ll be able to live the lives we dreamed of!
Read his entire email here. It’s Testimonial #24.
My Response
D-,
You totally made my day! Thanks for that.
I’m sorry to hear about your wife’s health problems. Stress adds to that, I’m sure. I hope that your being able to make a living has relieved some of that for her and that she feels better.
When I first started out as an SEO writer, I couldn’t believe how relatively easy it was to land work. As you know if you’ve ready my story, I’d never landed jobs so easily (well, not quite as easily, as I had contacts in the publishing industry who made my road a bit easier than most from the beginning). And I tell others — it is possible — if you market.
And yours is just another success story that proves it. And not for nothing, like you say, you’re doing it in what’s considered a terrible economy.
Imagine how busy you’re going to be when the economy turns around!
Continued success to you, and here’s sending good wishes your way again for your wife to return to good health.
All the best, and thank you for taking the time to let me know how it’s all turned out for you.
##
One more thing I want to add is, while my ebook may have been a guide, nothing happens until you take action. As these two freelancers prove, if you have the drive (and once you decide to get started), you really can control your own fate.
SEO writing is not rocket science – but you do have to be proactive in going after the work – and there’s plenty of it out there.
Panda 2.0: More Work for SEO Content Providers
Just in case you didn’t know, Google did another Panda Update (Panda 2.0?) recently. And, just like the last one, it shook up some website rankings, which means more work for SEO writers.
Are you ready to capitalize?
Have a great rest of the week everyone. The rain looks like it’s trying to let up here in Jamaica (I hate it when it rains during the day — but it is “the tropics!”). I’m closing up early today to go get my hair braided. 
Yuwanda
P.S.: Learn how to create multiple freelance income streams. Get Living the Freelance Life! How I Live Internationally and Have Earned a Living Completely Online Since 2007 & You Can Too, a free ebook. SeoWritingJobs.com is an InkwellEditorial.com property.
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