Build Your Freelance Digital Copywriting Business by Focusing on 3 Different Project Types
By Nick Usborne

Back when I was starting out as a freelance copywriter, I took on pretty much every project that came my way.

I was just relieved that companies were actually giving me work and paying me for it!

If you’re just starting out, you’ll probably do the same, and get that same thrill when those first few checks come in.

But pretty soon you may want to take a step back and plan to be a little more strategic about the clients and projects you go for.

Remember, as a freelancer your time is your most important asset, and you should use it wisely. Otherwise, you could end up spending half the week on projects that aren’t very profitable and aren’t moving your career in the right direction.

Which types of projects SHOULD you focus on? That’s up to you …

But here are the three project types that have served me the best over the last few decades.

Project Type #1: Retainer deals that pay you month after month, indefinitely

Some digital copywriting projects, like writing a homepage, can be a lot of fun and very profitable, but they are one-off deals.

For example, I might make $5,000 working on a new homepage for a client. But once I’m done, they probably won’t want another rewrite for at least a year. I’ll invoice them once, and then we’re done.

The next day I have to go prospecting for a new project.

By way of contrast, if I land a project writing their weekly newsletter, that’s a project that repeats week after week, indefinitely.

So long as I don’t mess up, I know I’ll be paid for writing four new issues this month, next month, and the month after. In fact, the whole thing will be set up automatically … I’ll invoice once a month, and they’ll pay every month.

This is known as a retainer deal.

Clients will put you on retainer for any kind of work that repeats, month in and month out.

E-newsletters are a great example. Another one is social media writing. When you start working on a company’s X feed, Facebook page, or Instagram account, they’ll need you to work on them every day. Or at least five days a week.

Another example is writing posts for a client’s blog. They may want only one new post a week, but that means you have a weekly writing assignment that automatically repeats. So they put you on retainer … for a fixed amount each month.

I love retainer deals because they take a lot of the stress out of freelancing.

If you’re making money one project at a time — writing homepages, for example — you never know for sure how much money you’ll be making next month. It all depends on whether you succeed in landing a new project, and on how much the client is willing to pay.

I like to reduce work stress as much as possible! That is why I like to build the backbone of my income with retainer deals. They don’t represent all the work I do. But when I get the balance right, they do help me sleep at night, because I know in advance how much money I’ll be making next month.

Project Type #2: Clients and projects that give you the opportunity to do your very best work

Once you’ve worked with a few clients, you’ll be able to look back and get a sense of the quality of the work you did for each one.

You’ll likely want to add some pieces to your portfolio, but not all of them. For some projects you might think, Nah … not something I’m super-proud of.

How come? It’s not like you were suddenly a “not-as-good” copywriter on some projects compared with others.

Usually, when you don’t do your best work, it’s because you don’t love the business niche or don’t have a great relationship with the client.

Both scenarios have happened to me.

I remember doing a project for a company selling hospital diagnostic equipment. I did professional work, but it wasn’t my best work … because hospital diagnostic equipment just doesn’t interest me that much.

I’ve also worked on projects where the client and I didn’t have a great working relationship. The chemistry just wasn’t there. As a result, the work wasn’t my best.

Does this matter? Does it matter that some jobs don’t represent the best you can do?

I think it does!

When you do your very best work, it shines! Other people hear about it and talk about it. More companies want to work with you.

Doing your very best work is a powerful way to market your talents.

Doing great work also makes you feel good about yourself. It puts a bounce in your step every day.

That is why you should always aim for prospects you would REALLY like to work for.

And it’s why you should nurture your best relationships with clients. The better you get along together, the better the work you’ll produce, and the more work they’ll send your way.

Project Type #3: Work that’s going to really challenge you

It’s tempting to stick just with what you know, month after month.

Nailed writing sales emails? That’s great. Keep at it.

But I’d advise against doing ONLY the stuff you’re super-familiar with.

Challenge yourself a little. Take on something scary if it comes your way.

I remember the very first time I was asked to write a long-form sales page for a financial newsletter. I’d never done anything like that before.

So I said yes!

Why risk saying yes to something I wasn’t sure I could do well? Because it got the adrenaline flowing, and the blood pumping.

That’s how you learn. It’s how you break through limits you never thought you could get past.

And, like we talked about when doing your very best work, doing something challenging puts a bounce in your step and inspires you to do more.

How do you find the right balance?

Roughly, I’d go for 80% retainer deals, 20% challenging projects … and 100% with companies and clients you really enjoy and admire.

Is it possible to do that all of the time? Nope.

You’ll have ups and downs. You’ll make some mistakes. You’ll produce some work that crashes and burns. It happens to the best of us.

But you can at least aim yourself in the right direction.

Bottom line … Be deliberate and strategic in how you choose the work projects you take on.

That’s how you’ll build a successful and profitable digital copywriting business.