(This is a guest post by James from Red Pill Reviews. On his site, he reviews products that will help men achieve their financial, health and relationship goals.)

Do you want to make money online?

Since you read this blog I’m going to assume you answered “Yes” to that question.

That’s great, not being reliant on a job is a very worthwhile goal in my opinion.

However, most men who want to make money for themselves do it completely wrong.

That’s why there are tons of people who swear that you can’t make money online.

If you’re one of the people who says that, please take a minute to think about this.

Everyone uses the internet and most people spend money online too.

If people are spending time or money online, by definition someone is earning money off of their actions.

It’s possible make money online but most will fail.

So what do most people do to make money online?

They start a blog.

Blogging is great. You get to share your experiences with the world and make a little (or a lot) of extra money doing so.

Therefore, it’s no surprise that new blogs are popping up all over the internet.

Unfortunately, blogs are being abandoned just as fast as they’re getting started.

The hopes of making a lot of money quickly fade and people realise the reality:

Blogging is not a quick way to make money.

Sure, there are some blogs that make a lot of money.

Dylan is doing alright for himself too.

But for every blog that makes money, there are 10+ that don’t make a dime.

I’m not trying to put you off building your own website.

I am building a website myself, so obviously I believe it’s a good idea.

You can make money from your own site if you follow a solid plan and consistently put out content for a few years.

But it will take time.

“I want to make money now instead of spending months working without getting paid!”

That’s good because I am about to show you one way you can do that.

But before I start I’d like to lower your expectations a little so that you don’t get discouraged and quit.

• This won’t make you rich
• This is not a business
• This is still a time for money exchange (although a better one than a traditional job)
• It’s easy but it requires discipline and consistency

Alright, I think you now have reasonable expectations for what I’m about to show you so let’s get started…

How To Make Money As A Freelance Copywriter (Even if you don’t currently know what a copywriter is!)

Let me briefly tell you my story as it relates to copywriting.

6 months ago I didn’t know what a copywriter did. I first came across the word on Wall Street Playboys and thought it meant someone who literally copies someone else’s writing (and gets paid to do it).

Yes, I’m serious.

Alright, that’s enough. Stop laughing at my prior ignorance and concentrate on reading this post.

I kept coming across the word “copywriting” on other great blogs (mainly 30 Days To X) so I eventually decided to find out why everyone is talking about it.

I turned to Google and my discovery surprised me to say the least.

Finally it made sense to me why copywriting is such a useful skill.

For those of you who don’t know what copywriting is, it’s just sales using the written language.

There’s nothing cool or fancy about it but it’s obviously a very useful skill to possess.

If you can convince someone to buy a (high-quality) product using only your words, you can make money online.

Advantages of freelance copywriting vs blogging

The obvious advantage is that you get paid right away.

Unlike blogging, it won’t take you months of working before you see your first paycheck.

You’ll also become a better copywriter which will help you make money regardless of what type of business you’re building.

Remember, freelance copywriting is still a job so you’ll want to move away from it eventually.

However, you shouldn’t be too proud to work a job that pays you to learn a valuable skill.

I suggest you spend a couple of hours every week writing copy for clients as a side hustle.

That’s what I’ve been doing for the past 8+ weeks and it’s already paying off nicely.

Here is what I’ve earned so far so that you know I’m not talking out my ass.

I only devoted 2-5 hours per week to freelance work during this time.

Like I said, this won’t make you rich.

But how many of you honestly have a better ROI on your blog?

Building a website is a good idea.

I suggest you do both (freelancing + blogging) at the same time.

It amazes me how many people are too proud (=lazy) to write copy as a side gig but spend countless hours trying to make money from a blog.

“But I don’t know anything about copywriting!”

Neither did I.

You have to put in the work required to learn a new skill.

Luckily for us, it’s incredibly simple.

All you have to do is read 1-2 books and you’ll know enough to get started.

These are the two books I recommend you read first:

Web Copy That Sells by Maria Veloso

Triggers by Joe Sugarman

Once you’ve read those two (and taken notes obviously), it’s time to find work.

If you want to improve you’re writing once you’ve completed a couple of jobs, I recommend these books.

How to Find Copywriting Jobs

This is the hardest part of the whole process. Having said that, it’s still fairly simple.

All you have to do is sign up at Upwork, create your profile and start sending applications.

For your first job you’ll want to offer a low hourly rate. (My first job was $10 per hour.) The reason for this is simple: Clients can see that you’re new to Upwork.

They can choose between multiple candidates so you need to give them a reason to pick you.

Price is going to be your best option when you’re starting out.

Once you’ve completed a few jobs, you’ll get a feedback rating.

Assuming you have a decent rating (5 stars is normal if you can write coherent English and perform the work on time) it will be easier to get jobs in the future.

I can’t stress enough how important getting your first job is.

After that you can raise your rates and still get offers.

But if you try to charge $20 an hour before you have any experience. You’ll likely waste your time applying for lots of jobs.

Remember that you aren’t earning anything until you have a job.

The less time you spend applying for jobs the better.

How to Write Killer Upwork Applications

You’ll have to spend some time applying for jobs when you’re new to Upwork.

There’s nothing I do to change that but I can offer you some tips that will minimize the time you spend applying for jobs.

Do not copy/paste the same application to a bunch of people!

This might seem like a logical place to save time but unfortunately it doesn’t work.

Clients can choose between multiple freelancers so you need to stand out positively.

It’s easy to tell if you’re just spamming your application to lots of jobs.

Luckily for us, it’s easy to stand out by writing an application that is specific to the job posting.

You have to read the job posting and then convince the client that you’re the best copywriter for this specific job.

Prove that you have read the job description

For example, if you know the client sells computers show him how you’ll help him sell more.

You can mention the ways that you would convince people to buy his computers.

Also, you’ll have to send samples of your writing.

Try to find something that is somewhat related to the job you’re applying for.

Obviously, you won’t have many samples when you’re just starting out.

That’s not a big deal, just pick the best sample you have and use it.

Your first client will hire you because of your low rate; not because you’re a brilliant writer.

What To Do If You Don’t Have Any Samples

This is an issue some of you will face.

Without examples of your writing it becomes almost impossible to get jobs.

You’ll have to find some way to prove to clients that you understand copywriting.

If you already have a website this is easy. Simply write a sales page and publish it.

However, if you don’t have a website this becomes tricky. You have two options:

• Start a site
• Contact website owners and offer to improve their conversions by writing a better sales page

I have done the latter before and it does work.

But I was lucky because I stumbled upon a sales page that had obvious flaws.

Honestly, it’s probably easier to just start a small site.

I recommend you do this anyway even if you don’t plan to spend much time on it.

Plus, it’s likely quicker than finding a site owner who you can help.

Limitations of Upwork

Like I’ve said a couple of times now, freelancing is not a business because it isn’t scalable.

Finding 2-5 hours of work a week is easy; 40 hours a week is not.

But let’s say you work 3 hours per week at a rate of $18 an hour. By the end of the year you’ll have made an extra $2800.

That’s likely more than you’ll make from your first year of blogging (with less time invested).

And by the way, that is a very conservative calculation.

My first job paid $10 an hour and by week 3 I was making $18 an hour.

By the end of the year, I’ll probably be able to charge $35 an hour.

Here’s an example of freelancer copywriters with 100+ hours of experience and the rates they charge.

Those are the search results for “copywriter” on Upwork so they’ll likely get regular job offers without even having to apply!

As you can see, there is obviously potential for higher incomes than what I’m making.

Closing Thoughts

If you think this is a lot of work, you’re wrong.

Once you finish your first 2-3 jobs it becomes a lot easier.

You’ll have more samples to use and hopefully some long-term clients.

You’ll start getting more job offers so you can decide between:

• Working more hours
• Charging more per hour

I chose to raise my rates and continue devoting 2-5 hours per week to freelancing.

My writing has improved, I’ve made some money and I now have a few clients who continue to offer me new work.

Not bad for 8 weeks of work.

Imagine what you can achieve in just 1 year if you stick with it.

You’ll certainly make more than 99% of bloggers will make in their lifetime.

That’s all for today.

I hope you’ve learned something from this post.

But as Dylan always says, you have to take action.

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments.

I’ll check back from time to time to answer them.

Have a great week and go make some money!

James – Red Pill Reviews

End Guest Post

This was by far the best article I have read on Copywriting. 

James is an example of what happens when you take action.

He is making more hourly than most people make at their day jobs.

Imagine having a side-gig where you were bringing in an extra $100/week.

Freelancing is a great way to generate money on the side.

You can still work on your blog or whatever else you are doing.

James Was Right

Blogging is a slow way to make money.

Most people never make a single dollar running a blog.

The amount of work that is required to get your blog to be profitable is unattractive to most.

Something that I’ve learned is that it isn’t about putting out an article a day.

Writing articles is only a part of running a profitable blog.

Here are the top ways people make money from a blog:

• Affiliate Links
• Ads
• Your Own Products

Every time you read an article that is speaking about a product 9/10 times the link you click is an affiliate link.

This is a great way to get paid for your words.

Until you have your own product you can create multiple streams of income this way.

With my Kratom vs Adderall post I have made a little over $400. Then this article has made me hundreds of dollars.

You can easily write a review about a product and get paid. The secret is to be a real person and not just sell them on it.

I will touch on the other ways later.

Copywriting Is A Great Start

James not only runs Red Pill Reviews, but also makes money selling his own book and running a service.

He is a Young Hustler.

James has improved his writing and made a great amount of money doing so.

Give copywriting a try.

You will see your writing get better and gather some loot in the process.

Until Next Time Go And Dominate.

Your Friend,

Dylan Madden