Successful writers share one common trait: they market themselves using very easy-to-implement tactics. Yet even as demand for writers is skyrocketing, many freelancers would rather spend their time walking the dog or washing the dishes.

“What we’ve got here is a major disconnect. Never before in the history of words has the demand for freelance writers been so high. Yet I constantly hear from copywriters, journalists, technical writers and copyeditors that ‘marketing’ is a four-letter word,” says Michael A. Stelzner, one of America’s top-paid freelance writers.

There’s plenty of work for the taking. According to a recent Junta42 study, 6 in 10 businesses are spending more for content production. The need for case studies, e-books, newsletters, articles, websites, white papers and press releases is growing at an unprecedented rate.

For the writer who applies a few simple techniques, work is plentiful and money is good.

To land more work from higher-paying clients, Stelzner and nine other top-billing freelancers (including yours truly and my blogging partners Steve Slaunwhite and Ed Gandia) suggest the following easy-to-employ tactics:

How Ten of America’s Top Writers Keep the Money Flowing In

#1: Stop Billing by the Hour: “Pricing projects by a fixed fee, not by the hour, increases your chances of landing the job. Don’t say, ‘My fee to write your e-newsletter is $75 per hour.’ Say, ‘My fee to write your e-newsletter is $800.’”-Steve Slaunwhite, author of Start & Run a Copywriting Business.

#2: Write About Your Target Industry: “Identify some of the biggest names in your target industry. Interview a few of them, create a great article and shop it to a few major online or offline publications. The free press will help you gain exposure and be read by an audience of prospective clients. Plus, the experts will be happy to help you again in the future.”-Michael A. Stelzner, author of Writing White Papers.

#3: Stay Top of Mind by Keeping in Touch With Clients: “It doesn’t matter how good a job you did for a client before. When even a little time has passed, if you’re out of sight, you’re out of mind. Pick a way to stay in touch-by phone, personal email, newsletters or social media. Doing so may even remind clients they need to get started on a project–and they’ll call you.”-Casey Hibbard, author of Stories That Sell.

#4: Leverage Social Media Marketing: “In this age of Google and social media, your prospects are even more distracted, cynical about sales messages and rightly motivated by their own self-interest. Make your promotional content brief, attractive and to the point. Always offer significant value before asking for anything. When making a request, frame the action as a way for the prospect to get even more benefits.”-Chris Garrett, content marketer and co-author of ProBlogger.

#5: Ask for Referrals From People You Know: “Whether or not you’re new to freelance copywriting, approaching people you already know about your freelance business, such as previous employers, is always the best place to start prospecting. These folks know and trust you. Even if they can’t hire you, they’re usually more than willing to introduce you to those who can.”-Ed Gandia, author of Stop Wishing and Start Earning.

Click here now to read writer marketing tips #6 – 10 from Peter Bowerman, Marcia Yudkin, Chris Marlow, Nick Usborne and me.

One of the tenets of wealthy freelancing is getting more out of the work you do. Getting more out of it in the way of enjoyment, satisfaction…and income.

And one of the best ways to boost your income is to raise your fees until they’re truly aligned with the value you deliver. Once you reach that level of parity, you must continually work to add even greater value, which in turn allows you to raise your fees again and earn a better living.

(You can also boost your income by improving your productivity, but that’s another post.)

Of course, when your fees are higher than the average freelancer in your field, it won’t be long before a prospect balks at your quote. You’ll hear comments such as, “Wow! I usually pay 30 percent less with other freelancers.”

Or, “Are you kidding? This should only take you a couple of hours to complete. How can you justify charging $600?”

There are several ways I address these pricing objections (some of which I’ve never used because they involve profane language!). But the best commentary I’ve ever heard on this issue came from author and blogger Jonathan Fields.

In a recent post in his Career Renegade blog, Jonathan commented on his recent throat surgery. He ended up going with a top-notch (and ultra-expensive) specialist who didn’t take his insurance. But Jonathan was happy to pay several thousand dollars out of pocket because, as he pointed out,

“I wasn’t paying for his ‘time in the O.R.’ I was paying to be as far as possible away from the guy who went first. I was paying for his 25 years perfecting his skills, thousands of patients, tens of thousands of hours and tons of newbie mistakes avoided. I was, quite simply, paying not to be first.”

Here’s the thing, my fellow freelancers. If you’re experienced — and if you’re good — smart clients are NOT paying for your time. They’re paying to be as far away from your first client (and the mistakes from your first project) as possible.

Smart clients don’t want costly mistakes. They don’t want the project to bomb. And they certainly don’t want to hold your hand.

Instead, they want to be able to award you the project and feel confident that you’ll come through and deliver an excellent product. On time and with little to no hassle.

The more experience you gain, the more projects you work on, the more problems you help clients solve, the more value you can add…and the more you’re worth.

Are you charging accordingly?

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Ed Gandia is the co-editor of The Wealthy Freelancer and author of the popular report “7 Steps to Landing More Lucrative Freelance Projects.” You can get a free copy (a $29 value) by subscribing to his biweekly newsletter, The Profitable Freelancer at www.TheProfitableFreelancer.com.

When you receive an email query for your services, do you respond with another email that gives a price for whatever it is the person is asking for?

I regularly get email queries, but I don’t respond with an email citing an hourly rate and project estimate. Instead, I email the person to ask if we can talk by phone. I do this for five reasons:

1. To qualify the lead – Until I talk to the person, I have no clue if he/she is someone I want to work with, if the person fits my client profile, or if the project is something I can handle.

2. To qualify the project - If you want to build your expertise – and not become mired down in projects that end up going nowhere – you must take the time to learn more about the project.

One company that called me a few years ago, for example, wanted to send an “email blast” to those people who had put business cards in a tradeshow fish bowl for an iPod drawing. They considered these “suspects” real business leads and wanted the email copy to compel people to hire them for a special service.

I declined the project for one reason: poor marketing strategy. No matter how good my copy, it wouldn’t get the results the company was looking for.

3. To ask about the budget – By asking if a budget exists, you’ll know immediately if your fee range matches the prospect’s budget or if the prospect even has a budget. (The number of queries I receive from people who have no money continually surprises me.)

For those prospects with little or no budget, you can refer the prospect to someone with lower fees, decline the project altogether – or develop a “mini” form of your service that meets people’s budgetary constraints.

4. To learn more about the prospect’s needs – I have found that people call because they think they need one thing (in my case, copywriting) but what they really need is a marketing expert – someone who can help achieve real results with a specific campaign or tactic.

A phone conversation lets you get to know the prospect, the company, the challenges faced by the prospect, which tactics have been used in the past (and the results), the current environment, technologies being used, etc. Having this detailed information allows you to propose a comprehensive plan that meets the prospect’s objectives.

5. To determine the expected outcome – Because I’m passionate about getting results for my clients, I want to know what will be considered a successful result – whether it’s more online exposure, more Website traffic, more leads / sales, etc.

Do you see the point of all this conversation? You’re better able to determine what the prospect wants and up-sell additional services (or bring on another consultant / freelancer for services you may not provide).

You’re also presenting yourself as someone who brings real value to the project – versus a “commodity service” – which in turn lends itself to higher fees. You’ll be able to escape the hourly rate trap while significantly building your income and your expertise.

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Dianna Huff, a B2B marketing communications consultant and copywriter, offers Strategic Marketing Coaching Clinics to freelancers and service professionals. To learn how to get more from your business, visit her Website at http://www.dhcommunications.com/marcom/coaching.htm

My proposal was up to $12,500…and I was starting to get nervous.

Would I scare the prospect away? Would they be turned off? What if they put the project on hold or went elsewhere?

Those were the questions racing through my mind a few months ago, as I worked on a proposal for a new prospective client.

What had started out as a $6,000 web copywriting project had now more than doubled in value.

Not my idea.

After getting my original proposal (which they were fine with), the prospect decided they wanted to add a few brochures to the project. They also figured this might be a good time to have a case study drafted.

It was all music to my ears…until I tallied up the numbers and saw the final figure: $12,500.

I started to worry that we were now in dangerous territory. It’s one thing to approve a $6,000 project. But $12,500?

A project that size would probably get the attention of people outside of the marketing department. Folks who might not know what professional-grade copy, search engine optimization and consulting goes for these days.

My fees were very fair. But I was worried that the prospect might not see it that way, now that we were at more than twice the original project amount.

So what did I do? Before even sending out the proposal (or getting any indication from the prospect that this figure was out of line), I began to cut my fee.

I trimmed wherever I could, justifying it with, “Hey, we’re in a recession. We all have to make some sacrifices to land work.”

Fortunately, I never sent out this bargain-basement proposal. Instead, I put it away and slept on it. The next day, I realized my mistake.

I had quoted out of fear. As a result, my total fee for this project was much lower than it should be. It was significantly lower than what others charge for the same work, even in this economy.

So, I brought it back up to where it should be. I then emailed the proposal and followed up a few hours later.

The prospect’s response: “Looks good, Ed. When can you start?”

Here’s what I learned that day:

1) Consistency and fairness are paramount. When quoting work, base your fees on what the project is worth — not some flaky “I think this might scare them off” approach. And besides, who are you to judge what the client is able to spend? Quote what it’s worth and you’ll always sleep well.

2) It’s not your fault that the client wants more work done. The reason this proposal doubled in value was that the prospect ADDED to the scope. It had nothing to do with me. No reasonable person would expect you to do twice the work for just a few dollars more.

Finally, it pays to be prepared. Had the client questioned my fee, I would have explained why it went up the way it did. I would have gone through it line-by-line. And I would have emphasized why I’m the best person for the job and why they’re getting great value.

Ever been in a similar situation? How did you react? How did it turn out?

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Ed Gandia is the co-editor of The Wealthy Freelancer and publisher of the biweekly newsletter, The Profitable Freelancer. To get a free copy of “10 Smart Ways to Grow Your Freelance Income in a Recession” and 3 other free reports, visit www.TheProfitableFreelancer.com

There is a devastating pricing mistake that almost every freelancer has made. (Me included.)

Here’s what typically happens.

Say a potential new client calls you. She is the marketing director of a large company and has a project she wants you to quote on. It’s right up your alley. You’re excited! You want the work. And, if you do a good job for her, she could potentially send a lot more work your way in the future.

But first you have to quote the job. Hmm. How much do you charge?

You don’t want to take any chances. So you quote a low fee, a real bargain, just to ensure you get the work.

Big mistake.

Why? There are two reasons.

First, when you quote too low, you look like an amateur. It’s a red flag. The client thinks, “This writer is a beginner.” She wants to hire a professional who can work independently and write great copy, not someone just starting out who may need a lot of direction and hand-holding.

In a quick survey I did of writing opportunities posted at elance.com (an online job board where freelancers can bid on projects) virtually none of the low-ball quotes ever won. Not surprising.

But what if you do get the job?

That’s the second reason why quoting too low is a big mistake. You get locked in at that bargain basement rate. You see, when a new client receives a first-time quote from you, it’s like a calibration setting. That price level becomes fixed in her mind — and it is very, VERY difficult to raise your fees to that client later on.

Think about it. If you charged a measly $250 to design a logo, what are the chances that you can get $500 form that client for a similar letter later on? Zero. The client would balk at your 100% increase in fees. Even if you explained that you gave her a great deal on that first job, she would still feel ripped off.

Trust me. You don’t want to be locked in at a low rate with a client. I can tell you from experience, there is nothing more miserable than toiling away on projects that are paying you far less than you could have been earning.

Now, I can understand how tempting it can be to quote a low fee. There are a lot of issues that come into play. You want the job. You may feel uncomfortable or even too shy to quote a higher rate. You may not even know what the market rate is for a particular writing project. (And if this is the case, do some research and find out!)

But, despite the temptation, know that a client is MUCH more impressed by a writer who confidently quotes an accurate, professional fee than one who comes in at a low price (as if begging for the work.)

So quote the right fee (hint: it’s probably much higher than you’re quoting right now) and clients will take you more seriously. You’ll have a much better chance of getting the work. And you’ll earn more money, too.

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Steve Slaunwhite is co-editor of The Wealthy Freelancer and author of the popular manual Pricing Your Writing Services.

I don’t have an hourly rate for my freelance copywriting services. Nor do I have a daily rate.

I really don’t.

When I estimate for a job I base my calculations on the value of the work I am going to be doing. Yes, I factor in the amount of time it is likely to take. But I don’t count hours or days and multiply by a particular rate.

Let me give you an example.

Recently I estimated for, won and completed a short online sales page for a large consumer electronics company.

My estimate was for $4,500. In total there were probably about 600 words of copy on the page. The page was about two screens in length on an average monitor.

How long did it take me? I didn’t count the hours, but it probably took about eight hours in total.

That works out to an hourly rate of over $560.

Do you think I would have got that job if I had said to my prospect, “Sure I can do that work for you. I charge $560 an hour.” ?

Highly unlikely. As soon as you quote an hourly rate you are inviting your prospect to compare you with other copywriters.

I don’t want to be compared with other writers.

You also invite your prospects and clients to take out their calculators and start working out how many hours you are spending on their work. “Surely you didn’t spend 7 hours writing that one email?”

Did I meet any resistance when I quoted the price of $4,500? Not at all.

I practice Value Pricing. I look at the value to the client of my doing a good job. I look at the value of my own experience and expertise.

I deliver great value and my clients know it.

The day you find the confidence to charge by value, and not by the hour, is the day you’ll double your freelance income. At least.

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Nick Usborne is a freelance copywriter, speaker, trainer, author and
business coach. Find out how to double your freelance income through his
coaching site at www.AskNickUsborne.com.