Lately, I’ve been getting lots of email client inquiries.
By that I mean, someone wants to hire me to write their emails, autoresponders, etc, on a fee basis, just like I would write an ad for a client.
So far, I have turned them all down.
Even for quality products.
And even for clients willing to pay a boatload of green stuff.
In fact, other than a client who has me on retainer right now (where I do all sorts of copywriting — ads, squeeze pages, emails, video scripts, etc) I only do emails for my own sites. And the reason why is because when I do the math, it seems I would make FAR more than whatever fee someone would reasonably be expected to pay for writing 50 or 100 emails (whatever the number is) by writing them for one of my own sites, instead of theirs.
So what would be the point?
However, recently I started re-thinking this.
I might make an exception.
And that is if the client:
-
1. Hired me on retainer – to do daily emails
2. Is willing to pay a small % of royalties on gross sales
If someone offered that, I might do it.
Maybe.
For one thing, the retainer fee would be high.
Secondly, it’d have to be for a market I’m comfortable writing to.
And finally, they’d have to have the right kind of business (not a newbie operation), with a big, responsive list. For a business with all the above in place, plus a good back end set up, it’d be a total no-brainer for them.
However, there ain’t many biz’s like that.
And many aren’t set up for it.
Plus, I trust precious few people anymore.
So they’d have to give me unfettered access to sales stats, and pay promptly. In addition, they’d have to “license” the emails from me — meaning, I own the emails I write and they can use them for as long as they’re complying with the terms of the agreement.
Again, not too many businesses would do this.
And maybe I can’t blame them?
So instead I write emails for myself only.
In those cases, I don’t have to worry about being paid on time, or getting screwed out of royalties, or having to filter perfectly good emails through 17 idiots who never test and wouldn’t know a good email if it fell out of the sky, landed on their faces, and took a leak.
Sounds almost cynical, doesn’t it?
Maybe so.
But if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past 24 months it’s (if you’re a freelancer) you are always your own best client. And if you are not a freelancer but simply know email, you’re your own best copywriter, too.
IMHO, it’s the #1 most profitable skill.
At least, it has been for me.
And it has been for lots of Street Smart Email customers, too.
You can learn how it’s done at:
Ben Settle
