Lex DeVille's: How to Make $1,000 a Week with no Degree, no Feedback, & no Portfolio.

[mosdef]

Yes. You can't solve problems or create value without some kind of skill.

I didn't have Copywriting experience when I started, but I did have a background in related areas that helped.

The purpose of this thread was never to get people interested in copywriting.

That's just what all the people looking for easy money jumped on.

The purpose was to show that when you apply the skills you have and think outside of the box you can create your own income.

thanks! I do understand now. Since im fairly young and dont got any particular skill that i can charge money for its time for me to change that.

 

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[SlowlaneJay]

The purpose was to show that when you apply the skills you have and think outside of the box you can create your own income.

Thank you. The recent attitude of "I'm going to jump in without knowing a thing" has been eroding my faith in humanity one post at a time.

Do the Halbert challenge. Or start a product and market it. Or start a blog and market it. Or join a writer's forum and practice. Or start a journal ffs.

But learn the damn skill.

You owe it to any poor schmuck who takes you on to actually learn how to write. Once accomplished, you then owe it to yourself to become as good as you possibly can and to constantly seek improvement.

This isn't about you. It's about churning out awesome results for your clients. How can you make that happen?

 

[Lex DeVille]

Thank you. The recent attitude of "I'm going to jump in without knowing a thing" has been eroding my faith in humanity one post at a time.

Do the Halbert challenge. Or start a product and market it. Or start a blog and market it. Or join a writer's forum and practice. Or start a journal ffs.

But learn the damn skill.

You owe it to any poor schmuck who takes you on to actually learn how to write. Once accomplished, you then owe it to yourself to become a good as you possibly can and to constantly seek improvement.

This isn't about you. It's about churning out awesome results for your clients. How can you make that happen?

I think two of the most helpful things for me was learning basic grammar and being extremely meticulous when combing over applications. A tiny spelling or grammar error looks terrible to any would-be client who's thinking about hiring you - especially for writing gigs.

The only exception is when a client specifically wants something casual.

As far as learning the skill goes, I think there's plenty of opportunity to learn as you go by starting with low-budget article writing gigs. Usually the only requirement for those is that you speak English. So, it's a great way to get started - do the best you can - and find ways to implement any techniques you learn while training on your own.

Then when you feel confident with your writing you can branch out into other types of gigs and find out what feels right for you and where you can truly provide something of quality for the client.

 

[MGMGFX]

So far I've had a tough time getting a job for graphic design, and that's got me thinking should I switch to copywriting? Mind you I have no experience in writing copy. Or should I keep trying to get that first job and get the ball rolling? I'm confused at this moment.

 

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[Lex DeVille]

So far I've had a tough time getting a job for graphic design, and that's got me thinking should I switch to copywriting? Mind you I have no experience in writing copy. Or should I keep trying to get that first job and get the ball rolling? I'm confused at this moment.

I seriously hope you're just trolling.

 

[MGMGFX]

I seriously hope you're just trolling.

No, What makes you think that? I'm serious, just trying to get some help.

 

[Lex DeVille]

No, What makes you think that? I'm serious, just trying to get some help.

Yes. You can't solve problems or create value without some kind of skill.

I didn't have Copywriting experience when I started, but I did have a background in related areas that helped.

The purpose of this thread was never to get people interested in copywriting.

That's just what all the people looking for easy money jumped on.

The purpose was to show that when you apply the skills you have and think outside of the box you can create your own income.

Here, this was literally 4 posts up from yours.

 

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[SlowlaneJay]

Thank you. The recent attitude of "I'm going to jump in without knowing a thing" has been eroding my faith in humanity one post at a time.

should I switch to copywriting? Mind you I have no experience in writing copy.

There you go. Faith in humanity eroded. Gone. *Poof!*

 

[Member]

So far I've had a tough time getting a job for graphic design, and that's got me thinking should I switch to copywriting? Mind you I have no experience in writing copy. Or should I keep trying to get that first job and get the ball rolling? I'm confused at this moment.

It depends on how good your graphic design skills are.

If you are genuinely talented and can do good work, then you might not be getting jobs because you aren't writing good proposals. If that's the case, you should look into copywriting to help you write better proposals, but I would recommend sticking to graphic design jobs.

If you aren't very good at graphic design and you don't have any other skills then writing is something that you could switch to.

Copywriting is not just writing. It is a skill the same way that graphic design is. Becoming a good copywriter takes work and practice. Without training (other than school) most people can write in general, but very few can naturally write good copy.

Although SinisterLex was able to get to high paying copywriting jobs quickly without freelancing experience, he had a LOT of related experience in writing. Specifically he had experience writing erotica, which helped him land a large long term gig for a sex toy website. He also has stated that he has had an enduring interest in psychology, persuasion, and influence, all of which are more important than the specific phrases and tactics you will learn in copywriting books.

Basically, he didn't have to learn everything from scratch. He just leveraged skills he had developed in other areas, which is the same thing I assume you are doing with graphic design.

Leveraging your experience, skills, and talents to help people is the idea of this thread, not "copywriting" specifically.

A lot of people on the fastlane already have experience with copywriting through the Gary Halbert challenge, icecreamkid's threads, and their own projects, so they saw this thread and they are now looking to leverage their skills.

If you aren't a competent writer and you've never had any interest in advertising, psychology, or persuasion then understand that you will have to first develop the skill, which might take a really long time if you aren't already a decent writer.

 

[MGMGFX]

Here, this was literally 4 posts up from yours.

My bad I was just getting impatient with Upwork and spoke too soon.

Just after posting this I checked my email and there was a notification from upwork saying that I got an interview for a graphic design job! So now I know this works first hand.

 

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[Lumyo]

Im not even half way through the discussion, and so far, I already learned so much from you Lex !
Thank you so much to share your experience with us, and writing so valuable posts !

Im planning to quit my current 50h per week job to go live in Bali by the end of the year, and Im looking to get a little income to be able to do that.
Your results are really impressive and comfort me in the fact that my projects are totally doable, especially because I wouldnt need to earn that much to be able to live there !

I already started following your advice and sent some covering letters trying to focus on the needs of the person, and Im planning to keep doing it and keep learning until I get results ! I'll do all I can to achieve my goal !

 

[IrishSpring600]

How long does it get paid using direct deposit? It's been an hour so far since I clicked "get paid" and I haven't received it.

 

[SlowlaneJay]

How long does it get paid using direct deposit? It's been an hour so far since I clicked "get paid" and I haven't received it.

It's taken up to a business day and a half for me.

 

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[killa_graham]

Just got my first job! Shoutout to my fellow Texan @SinisterLex for the amazing advice here.

I'm going to crush it to make sure the client is happy, then double my rate and apply to more gigs.

This is happening.

 

[CommonCents]

Nice thread! A common big mistake (opportunity) I always see is people trying to sell customers features and tools, rather than benefits. Customers don't care about the tools you/they use, or the features, but rather the benefits/results it gives them.

How successful would a home builder be if they tried to sell people a pile of wood, glass, carpet, tile, and a truck load of tools to a prospective home buyer? Buyers want a home, views, their own domain, a place for memories, security, etc...

You can talk about tools and features in your pitch to show how they will help, but focus on the benefits, because that is what the customer is buying. Most stop short and only talk about tools/features.

"I can also build you a nice deck for your house" vs. "Look at these views out back! How important is enjoying the outdoors and sunsets to you? Entertaining family and friends? Cherishing your kids playing in the back yard?....here's my ideas on how your deck would accomplish that......"

I've always warned consultants, software/saas, and hardware techies who have called on me in my businesses over the years to not use any acronyms. Most of them sweated bullets, catching themselves before whipping out CRM, MRP, ERP, SAAS, HCM.....it's endless. I've literally heard people nearly complete entire sentences and paragraphs with acronyms only. You might as well be presenting in Chinese.
http://www.clientsfirst-us.com/blog...ech-tips/software-and-tech-industry-acronyms/

If a prospect has to go to that link and look up what you just said, you are fired.

The good news is, as pointed out by the OP, the opportunity is it can be easy to quickly stand out from the rest of the crowd quickly.

 

[Lex DeVille]

Upwork has changed a lot since I started this thread. If you start today there's new stuff to consider.

Do the same methods still apply?
Is it harder to get work?
Should I still focus on others?
How important is 5-star feedback?
How do I set myself apart?
Should I write copy?
If not, what should I do?

The landscape is definitely shifting, so I thought I'd share some updates you may find useful.

Important Upwork Updates
• Star rating is gone for freelancers.
• Job Success is now the end-all-be-all rating system for freelancers
• Clients are still on the star rating system

These are the most noticeable changes outside of minor system changes like instant messaging.

So, how are you affected?

There's a lot of debate on the star rating and whether the new system is better or worse. Personally I don't like the move away from star rating as job success is calculated based on factors that freelancers can only partially know. There's a real problem with transparency and it makes it difficult for freelancers to maintain a 100% job success score in the long-run.

Another problem is that job success calculations consider information that isn't really relevant to the client. For instance how many long-term clients a freelancer has. That means you can have a less than perfect job success rating even if you have perfect 5-Star feedback. Kind of a rip off for those who aren't interested in long-term work.

That said, the new system actually benefits new freelancers since you start with a 100% rating. That automatically puts you above established freelancers with 90% or below. While you still show up further down the search results, clients give you more consideration especially when you have a few hours billed.

The job success rating is calculated on factors such as how long you've been with a client, their public & private rating of the job you did, how complete your profile is, how many hours you've billed in a certain period of time, how fast you respond etc.

How do you get a better job success score?

The best advice I can share is to read the links below:

My Job Success Score

Become a Top Rated Freelancer

Follow the job success advice as much as possible. Control what you can control.

Strive to become a Top Rated Freelancer because that means your job success is above 90%. I think moving forward, Top Rated freelancers have a distinct advantage over everyone else. As a client I'm much more likely to look at a profile that says Top Rated with 90% job success over someone who only has 80%.

Also if you screw up and get less than perfect feedback be sure to message the client and offer his money back. Mention how important it is that you offer 5-Star service and you're happy to modify your work or return his pay. This is usually enough to get them to adjust their rating and love you for life.

Do the methods I used still work? Should you still use YOU focused applications?

The answer is both yes, and yes, and I'd say showing how you solve problems is more important now than ever. Simply put if your score is less than 90% and you can't show instantly how useful you are for them, then you won't get picked.

Keep working to be the best you can be. Reach for something better than good, because you've gotta be awesome. Moving forward more and more large companies will use freelancers & online employees. There's gonna be more opportunity, but also more competition. That means you've gotta be damn good and be able to prove it.

Which brings us to the next question:

Should I write copy? If not, what should I do?

I've said it before and I'll say it again. This thread wasn't meant to get you to write copy, and when you properly apply the core principles it doesn't matter which field you freelance in as long as you can help the other person.

Sometimes I ask troubled forum members - what's your passion?

It's not because your passion is fastlane. Chances are it's not. It's because when you're passionate about something you're probably skillful / knowledgeable in that area. So if that passion is someone else's need, then it's a great place to focus your freelance efforts since you can actually solve client problems.

This is how you get gigs.

If for some reason you're hell-bent on writing copy...

Then the next most important thing is to study and practice copywriting night and day. Make up fake ads, sales letters, video scripts etc. and add them to your real portfolio. Write free copy for those who need it, and start with low-paying, low-expectation gigs. Do anything you can to gain experience.

Something that really helped me improve is reading the finished material out loud. The goal is to make the writing sound how it does when spoken. This is a big part of how I got good fast.

Today I take it a step further. Instead of just speaking my own copy I also read copy from popular websites and watch popular YouTube personalities. Then I implement their voice's & styles into my writing. This expands my ability to tailor my voice to individual client needs. (Another way of solving problems)

But beyond that there's one more thing that virtually guarantees I get the job & have success.

I niche down and you should too.

I know exactly who looks at my profile. I know what kind of clients contact me time and time again. So if I'm gonna apply to a gig, I start by searching for specific gigs from the get-go.

For instance if my niche was Veterinarians I'd search for that specific word in Upwork, because I already know I can deliver exactly what they want. And I know exactly what they want because it's usually the same as what the last Veterinarian wanted.

If you don't have prior clients, then this is where passion comes into play. Look to fields you know a lot about. Sports, finance, real-estate, ebay, Amazon, pet-sitting, porn, student loans.

EVERY industry & business needs copy, and if you already know the lingo for that industry you're ahead of the pack. Just search for key words such as "finance copywriter" or "finance blog" etc.

The reason you've gotta search is because these clients may not know they need a copywriter. Maybe they're just looking for a content writer or someone to manager their social media posts. Either way these are all easy gigs, and easy to get when you're familiar with the field.

By the way, while you're doing that you might as well hop over to your local Craigslist ads and see what local businesses you can call or email and offer services to. If you look carefully you'll find many businesses and direct contact info that helps you get clients outside of Upwork. Food for thought.

Conclusion

When push comes to shove you have to get better. You have to adapt and think differently, and above all you have to solve problems. Nobody said it was easy and the fact you're reading this tells me you're ready to fight for your freedom. If you want it bad enough you'll make it happen.

Just do it.

 

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[The-J]

A few updates for those who care.

Update 1:

I was top rated for all of 4 days until my job success rating dropped to 80%. Why did it drop to 80%? Because my client gave me a deadline that couldn't possibly be met. She didn't give me anything I needed to start the work until the date of the deadline, and didn't give me everything I need to finish one part of it until yesterday. Lmao. So I couldn't submit anything.

She's a good client and gave me 5 stars on Elance though.

There's 2 morals to this story.

1) With Upwork you relinquish your control. I mean, with freelancing you relinquish some control but relying on Upwork for your meal ticket is a horrible long term game plan.

2) Keep EVERYTHING in mind. Take note of every deadline posted on Upwork, every requirement, every little thing. Job success rating might be stupid but it's what we got now.

I don't care, though. I've got enough long term gigs to live without working too hard.

Update 2:

Some clients suck hardcore. My one client outside of any job platform fits this description perfectly. Doesn't pay very well, micromanages every little thing, and spends way too much time on the phone asking questions. So I've decided to essentially cut her out... slowly.

Cut these people out. Negotiate an exit and leave on good terms. Stop taking their calls and responding to their messages if they won't take the ol' "Sorry, I'm too busy".

Update 3:

I started a JV deal with an alarm company based out of the US where I would help him with the direction and traffic stuff and he'd give me a cut of the profits.

It didn't pan out. I had bad feelings about it from the beginning, but alas I went with it anyway. I didn't see a dime from it... because not a dime was made.

Why wasn't a dime made? Because we weren't moving fast enough. Why weren't we moving fast enough? Because we didn't have everything set up before my partner's life got hectic and he had to take some time away from the business.

He told me, at first, that it was okay if I decided to work on other things (I had already built a sales funnel and a traffic generation plan for the dude and was waiting for the OK) and I said 'No just tell me when you're ready'. He later came back saying that the partnership wouldn't pan out and that if he needed consulting, he'll pay my usual rates instead.

Morals of this story:

1) Trust your gut on a deal. Just because it's the first deal you've made in a year doesn't mean that you should ignore the signs. He was a busy guy (runs another business by day) trying to run a low-margin business and decided to try and help me expand those shit margins. I figured that it would take some serious work to get it going and we couldn't even start the process.

2) Unless you're going to go whole hog on a JV deal... don't do a JV deal. I could have easily charged him my usual rates for consulting. I got greedy and thought I could make more by taking a cut. I didn't make anything and spent about 2 months and many hours on the phone and doing work for him because I wasn't pushing the process: I was letting myself wait on him and his developers, which I could have taken care of myself. Lesson learned.

A bit more for those who think they should wait:

I'm in school taking a more-than-full-time workload and I'm still able to do this work and make cash on the side. DO SOMETHING NOW.

My next project will be something a bit more scalable than this. I'm not going to be doing this crap after graduation, no sir.

 

[Lex DeVille]

It didn't pan out. I had bad feelings about it from the beginning, but alas I went with it anyway. I didn't see a dime from it... because not a dime was made.

The book The Gift of Fear covers this in detail.

Every single time I've had a bad feeling about a client it didn't work out for the long-term.

Now I don't take any gig if it feels off. Things work a lot better that way haha.

 

[The Grind]

Issue I'm running into with applying for gigs.

I have an urge to write the same cover letter for every application.

Yes we are supposed to customize the cover letter BASED on what the job is.'

However, most gigs are the same, if not very close in relation.

Wouldn't it be better, to test a lot of different "templates" for applications.

And leave only parts of it with...

"Awesome, I'll write ( insert whatever the client wants ) in less time than it takes another applicant to your job to copy and paste the same boring cover letter most copy writers have".

Then you have something that works, something that converts, and saves a ton of time applying, you just copy and paste the template, and fill in certain parts with the clients specific job.

So your application is still custom to the client, but at the same time saves you a lot of time applying.

 

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[The-J]

Issue I'm running into with applying for gigs.

I have an urge to write the same cover letter for every application.

Yes we are supposed to customize the cover letter BASED on what the job is.'

However, most gigs are the same, if not very close in relation.

Wouldn't it be better, to test a lot of different "templates" for applications.

And leave only parts of it with...

"Awesome, I'll write ( insert whatever the client wants ) in less time than it takes another applicant to your job to copy and paste the same boring cover letter most copy writers have".

Then you have something that works, something that converts, and saves a ton of time applying, you just copy and paste the template, and fill in certain parts with the clients specific job.

So your application is still custom to the client, but at the same time saves you a lot of time applying.

I had that same urge, took advantage of the urge, applied to like 10 jobs in 10 minutes, all with a PRETTY GOOD cover letter (a previous winner) that I customized slightly.

I got nothing.

Maybe you wanna try out a 'winner' with around ~30 different prospects and see how it works out. If it works, then it works.

It doesn't work in my experience, mainly because I actually try to read between the lines a bit (reading into what they say they want etc)

 

[Lex DeVille]

Issue I'm running into with applying for gigs.

I have an urge to write the same cover letter for every application.

Yes we are supposed to customize the cover letter BASED on what the job is.'

However, most gigs are the same, if not very close in relation.

Wouldn't it be better, to test a lot of different "templates" for applications.

And leave only parts of it with...

"Awesome, I'll write ( insert whatever the client wants ) in less time than it takes another applicant to your job to copy and paste the same boring cover letter most copy writers have".

Then you have something that works, something that converts, and saves a ton of time applying, you just copy and paste the template, and fill in certain parts with the clients specific job.

So your application is still custom to the client, but at the same time saves you a lot of time applying.

I'm all for doing something if it proves useful in the real-world. The issue I have with templates is that they don't account for individual personalities. Two clients may post a very similar job, but the job doesn't decide if you get hired. The client does.

Read these sample job postings:

Our travel blog is adding another team member to write for our community. It will really help if you have experience in this industry. We need writers with a lot of heart and emotion and can easily connect with other people. We’re willing to go above and beyond for a friendly face because we care about your happiness, and want you to get something out of this too. We’ll start with a writing sample to see how well we connect and then we’ll move forward. This could become a great opportunity for global thinkers.


My blog has an opening for a writer for a niche travel audience. Must have direct industry experience. Writer must write with emotion & heart and you must be able to connect with other people. I’m willing to pay better for better work, but I won’t pay at all for crap. First send a sample of your work to prove you can write in the appropriate style for the travel industry. If this sounds like you then please apply. If I choose you then we’ll move forward. If your writing is good enough we'll talk details.

Now have a closer look.

Our travel blog is adding another team member to write for our community. It will really help if you have experience in this industry. We need writers with a lot of heart and emotion and can easily connect with other people. We’re willing to go above and beyond for a friendly face because we care about your happiness, and want you to get something out of this too. We’ll start with a writing sample to see how well we connect and then we’ll move forward. This could become a great opportunity for global thinkers.


My blog has an opening for a writer for a niche travel audience. Must have direct industry experience. Writer must write with emotion & heart and you must be able to connect with other people. I’m willing to pay better for better work, but I won’t pay at all for crap. First send a sample of your work to prove you can write in the appropriate style for the travel industry. If this sounds like you then please apply. If I choose you then we’ll move forward. If your writing is good enough we'll talk details.


They're very similar. They could even be the same company. But there's a huge difference.

In the first post our target is likely an extroverted people-person who highly values connecting with others, and building strong relationships. Helping others is very important to her. She's also a bit more passive and probably allows more freedom & creativity in your style. She mentions words that suggests a visual orientation (she processes information in pictures). Finally she closes with a statement that suggests the project may continue for some time and that you'll have a lot of freedom to express yourself.

This person wants to know you care about others. She wants to know you can connect with others emotionally and that you have a heart, because emotional connection is a huge part of her life.

In the second post we're dealing with someone far more rigid and structured. She deals in absolutes (black / white thinking) and is highly critical. Instead of a team orientation she speaks in terms of "My" & "I" which suggests she's the judge and may not value teamwork, creativity, or ideas. She's less friendly and doesn't care as much about relationships. She speaks about details which shows a task orientation. Tasks happen in the present, the here and now, and that means this project is probably a short project with little room for personal expression, and lots of micro-management. She uses an auditory word which says she might process information through sound instead of sight. She strives for perfection and wants the same from you. She isn't passive and isn't interested in your life story. She wants to know that you can do the job and that you'll do it right the first time and get the results she wants.

If you use a template you might connect with one of them.

Or, you might not connect with either of them.

You definitely won't connect with both of them.

 

[Lex DeVille]

The only time I use a template is for reaching out to a much larger pool of fish.

If I know I want emotion / relationship focused clients, then I write in ways that speak to that sort of person.

Then when you blast out your email to 10,000 people, you mainly get responses from the people you want.

You won't get the others, but you didn't want them in the first place so it's okay.

 

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[The Grind]

Good responses guys thank you.

Another issue I'm having with my copy itself.

The thing is...

It sucks.

This is the gyst of what my copy looks like when applying.

"I'll respond to your messages within minutes.

I'll write eye grabbing copy for your new website.

I'll make sure I do a good job for you.

Send over the first contract and I'll start right away."

Thats what is looks like, it sucks. It doesnt sound good, its not reading like the copy I study.

I'm not, NOT practicing, i'm studying copy every day. My writing just isn't improving.

Any suggestions you guys have that made your copy actually good? Thanks.

 

[Lex DeVille]

"I'll respond to your messages within minutes.

I'll write eye grabbing copy for your new website.

I'll make sure I do a good job for you.

Send over the first contract and I'll start right away.

2 things: First, where's the how?

How will you make sure you do a good job? How do you write eye grabbing copy? How do you help them?
Anyone can make the claims you made and they pretty much all do. So what makes you different?

"I'll do a good job." is WAY different than "I'll disarm the bomb and save your life with time to spare."

When you need someone to disarm a bomb, which one will you choose?

Second, what copy are you "studying"?

You started studying copy months ago. If you don't have the results you want, what have you changed?

I never studied just copy. My studies include a WIDE range of topics including psychology, short story writing, advertising, personality-typing, NLP, pop-culture, design and numerous other fields that add value for my clients. If I only studied copy I'd only understand how to write copy.

The value in studying copywriting experts isn't to learn to write like them. It's to understand the fundamental principles that cause their copy to trigger emotional reactions. It isn't their style that makes them great. It's the fact they understand people and how to connect with them. Miss this element and you'll never be as good as you could be.

Here's what I read in your posts:
• An understanding of the concept of helping others from a logical standpoint
• A failure to apply your understanding of how to help others in the real-world
• A fear that your copy isn't good enough & probably constant head chatter
• A need to learn everything you can about copy so you can write better
• A tendency toward analysis paralysis

In summary you sometimes get stuck in the head.
Logic, analysis, fear, self-doubt, head-chatter, studying, learning, introspection, etc.
Your focus automatically goes to intellectual pursuits of intelligence.

This is great for breaking down the copywriting process to it's core.
But it sucks for connecting with people and solving real-world problems.
When you're stuck in the head it means you're internally focused.
That means you're not focused on others (externally focused).

Since analyzing every aspect of copy hasn't worked for you, what's next?
How do you regain an external focus? How do you connect with other people?

I'll tell you 100% for sure the answer isn't studying more copy or technique.
And if you look at the times you had success you might notice a pattern.

What actions did you take the times you got positive results?
How were they different from the times your results were negative?

These are the things you need to consider to improve.

 

[David Fiddler]

Everyone does updates so here it goes.

When I started I was hungry. I just wanted to make some American dollars cause I never did before.
So I took up copywriting gigs for the simple reason it seemed like easy money. Not the first time I was wrong in my life.
I had to learn a lot. I could've picked up anything else, applied the same effort and the "secrets" shared in this thread.
And I would've got the same results.

But I did learn how to write copy cause it's a thing I was always passionate about - I just didn't know it existed.

Anyway, I'd say use Upwork for a few hundred hours of work. Build a portfolio, get clients, some money, document most of the stuff you do and then comes the important step:

Get. The. F*ck. Out. Of. There.

Build it up to be a perfect reference with past-clients praising you like you're baby Jesus re-born.
And then quit. Come up with different ways to make money using what you know about biz and human nature by now.
Sure it can still be freelancing, but freelance somewhere more under your control.
And use Upwork as a perfect reference. Set your rate higher than you actually done work, F*ck it, you're an expert.
Leave it like that.

Step 2 would be going for the low-hanging fruit. Wherever you find them.

For me it's in my University. Y'all hate on university, but it's a decent place for finding eager pups who have no real-life experience whatsoever.
Teaching them new stuff is super easy. And even the profs will help me go my way cause they're excited someone actually brings value to their scene.
You can come up with a book on your field of "expertise", design courses, whatever.
They will love you for it.

I gave a talk recently, there was like 50 students in there interested in business. With no clue about the most basic stuff.
So I talked about that and they loved it. I told them about a list of books they should read. I sent them to their e-mail.
There I built an audience of 28 who think I'm Richard Branson. But I'm actually Charles Manson.
But they actually get value out of all this.

Gonna organize some training events or whatever when I get the time. Client work doesn't stop either.
It just moves to a place where I don't have to fear a F*cking algorithm throwing me the finger.

Point is: anyone can do the same. In whatever field of expertise. Just don't spam the same businesses everyone else does.
Do something, get real world experience, report back on said experience to people completely clueless, stuck in the matrix.
This could be your local uni, local small biz owners, members of whatever association who are stuck with day to day tasks.

You get the idea.

Oh and don't rant like this publicly. It's bad for biz.
But this is behind the scenes stuff where we can talk real and share experience points.

 

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[The Grind]

2 things: First, where's the how?

How will you make sure you do a good job? How do you write eye grabbing copy? How do you help them?
Anyone can make the claims you made and they pretty much all do. So what makes you different?

"I'll do a good job." is WAY different than "I'll disarm the bomb and save your life with time to spare."

When you need someone to disarm a bomb, which one will you choose?

Second, what copy are you "studying"?

You started studying copy months ago. If you don't have the results you want, what have you changed?

I never studied just copy. My studies include a WIDE range of topics including psychology, short story writing, advertising, personality-typing, NLP, pop-culture, design and numerous other fields that add value for my clients. If I only studied copy I'd only understand how to write copy.

The value in studying copywriting experts isn't to learn to write like them. It's to understand the fundamental principles that cause their copy to trigger emotional reactions. It isn't their style that makes them great. It's the fact they understand people and how to connect with them. Miss this element and you'll never be as good as you could be.

Here's what I read in your posts:
• An understanding of the concept of helping others from a logical standpoint
• A failure to apply your understanding of how to help others in the real-world
• A fear that your copy isn't good enough & probably constant head chatter
• A need to learn everything you can about copy so you can write better
• A tendency toward analysis paralysis

In summary you sometimes get stuck in the head.
Logic, analysis, fear, self-doubt, head-chatter, studying, learning, introspection, etc.
Your focus automatically goes to intellectual pursuits of intelligence.

This is great for breaking down the copywriting process to it's core.
But it sucks for connecting with people and solving real-world problems.
When you're stuck in the head it means you're internally focused.
That means you're not focused on others (externally focused).

Since analyzing every aspect of copy hasn't worked for you, what's next?
How do you regain an external focus? How do you connect with other people?

I'll tell you 100% for sure the answer isn't studying more copy or technique.
And if you look at the times you had success you might notice a pattern.

What actions did you take the times you got positive results?
How were they different from the times your results were negative?

These are the things you need to consider to improve.

Theres 3 books I have on copy that I study everyday.

Cashvertising, the ultimate sales letter by dan kennedy, and the copywriters handbook by bly.

I study the books, I try to memorize the techniques.

Put scarcity in the copy. Put the biggest benefit in the headline.

Don't use big words, take out any words that arent necessary, etc.

But when it comes to me with an application in front of me, with a word document.

I have NO CLUE what to type.

Or god forbid I actually get hired to do a job on upwork. Im even more lost on what to write.

I just got hired to write a press release and a video script for a guy.

29 / hour i worked on them for 4 hours. The whole time I was starring at his website and the drafts of both projects, trying to figure out what to write.

I made 100 bucks but guess what. He hated the work, he said he could have just done it himself. I didn't even really make it better, I just took out some big words.

Now I'm trying to make a summary of bullet points of the copy books I have.

A massive checklist of what to write so I can go through it when Im writing.

Its going to be a 5 page bullet point checklist, but I'll have a structure to go by when I get a gig. Think that will help?

 

[Lex DeVille]

Theres 3 books I have on copy that I study everyday.

Cashvertising, the ultimate sales letter by dan kennedy, and the copywriters handbook by bly.

I study the books, I try to memorize the techniques.

Put scarcity in the copy. Put the biggest benefit in the headline.

Don't use big words, take out any words that arent necessary, etc.

But when it comes to me with an application in front of me, with a word document.

I have NO CLUE what to type.

Or god forbid I actually get hired to do a job on upwork. Im even more lost on what to write.

I just got hired to write a press release and a video script for a guy.

29 / hour i worked on them for 4 hours. The whole time I was starring at his website and the drafts of both projects, trying to figure out what to write.

I made 100 bucks but guess what. He hated the work, he said he could have just done it himself. I didn't even really make it better, I just took out some big words.

Now I'm trying to make a summary of bullet points of the copy books I have.

A massive checklist of what to write so I can go through it when Im writing.

Its going to be a 5 page bullet point checklist, but I'll have a structure to go by when I get a gig. Think that will help?

You quoted my post, but it seems you didn't read it.

 

[The Grind]

You quoted my post, but it seems you didn't read it.

I'm always stuck in my head, always.

I didn't understand from your post on how to fix that.

Analyzing copy to its core, yes thats what I do.

But it sucks at relating to people, yes it does, but HOW do I fix that?

 

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[The Grind]

" fear that your copy isnt good enough and head clutter"

Yeah that sums it up.

 

[Lex DeVille]

I'm always stuck in my head, always.

I didn't understand from your post on how to fix that.

Analyzing copy to its core, yes thats what I do.

But it sucks at relating to people, yes it does, but HOW do I fix that?

Okay let's consider what it means to be stuck in the head.

It means you're not connected to your heart (your emotions) or your body (your instincts).

In your head you think logically and analytically, and you think in terms of the past & future.

But this isn't working for you. You want to do the opposite of that.

So what do you want more of?

• Connection to your emotions & other people
• Connection to your instincts and your ability to live in the present moment
• Connection with your inner creativity

But how do you develop these when you're living in the head? The reason I didn't directly answer this is because the answers have to come from within or else they won't mean anything to you.

Here are some examples of things that have worked for others:

Connecting with the Body
• Regular exercise puts the body in action and brings our thoughts to the present
• Meditation in which head chatter is brought to rest by focusing on what our physical body feels
• Doing something spontaneous such as going to town and talking to strangers without fearing the unknown
• In summary - any activity that brings your mind to the present moment and gets your body involved.

When we connect to the body we stop the head chatter and our fears. This is when we start to focus and truly learn.

Once our head chatter stops, we're out of the mind. Then we can focus on growth.

Connecting with the Heart
• Creativity can develop when we do things that challenge our imagination
• Drawing, coloring, imagining, writing down our desires - these are traits of creativity
• When we're in the body we're connected to our instincts and we start to feel the pain of others
• Now you can speak to people and start to understand their fears, frustrations, pain points etc.
• But you have to let yourself feel those pains. Not think about them.

When you develop these two areas, then you can grow in both your professional and personal life.

Questions for Developing Your Connections
• What action gets you The Grind out of your head and into the present.
• How can you shift your focus to the external world (the world around you, not in you)
• When do you feel creative?
• What inspires you?
• What activities let you express yourself?
• What can you do to connect with other people and their emotions?

Again, these answers aren't answers I can give you. They have to come from within.

Questions to Help Determine the Client's Problem
• Who is my client?
• What did my client say he wants from my copy?
• What products does my client sell?
• Who is my client's audience?
• What problem is the audience trying to solve by buying my client's product?
• How do I write in a way that gives the audience what they want?
• How do I also give my client what he wants?
• What else do I need to know from my client that I don't currently know?
• What other questions can I ask the client to make sure I deliver what he wants?

The point I'm getting at with all of this is that you have to develop your ability to think in abstract ways. You have to think differently from how you currently think if you want to solve other people's problems. Consider the questions above, and see if it doesn't start to shift your focus from where it's at to where you want it to be.

When you truly connect you won't have to think about it - you'll just feel it.

It's not complicated, unless you overthink it.

Just do it.