Many writers have dreams of hitting the literary big time, but would like to eat something other than Ramen Noodles while working toward that goal. Peter Bowerman, commercial writer and founder of WellFedWriter.com, offers some advice about finding well-paying freelance gigs writing for businesses with marketing and promotional needs.

“Writing commercially doesn’t involve selling your soul or going to the dark side,” Bowerman said. “People say they want to write about something they believe in, and I say, ‘Do you not believe in building materials or home security systems?’”

Businesses are hiring freelance writers these days for a number of reasons. If a company has downsized, there may no longer be a proficient writer on staff, or the company may have never employed a strong writer. Companies may need an outside voice to translate the message of the business without jargon. For larger companies, most employees know their department, but may not know the workings of the company as a whole. Additionally, it’s cheaper for companies to hire freelancers than to have writers in-house because they don’t have to pay benefits for freelancers and they only have to pay for the work they need. Most importantly, though, companies need expertise. Not every writer is good at writing everything.

“Of course there are benefits for freelancers, too,” Bowerman said. “With a diverse portfolio, you can lose a client and it won’t hurt you nearly as bad as losing a full time job. Plus, companies tend to pay well because they know cost is secondary to quality.”

And there’s more good news for freelance commercial writers: companies don’t expect commercial writers to be prolific. They just want a clear message that attracts customers’ attention.

“A lot of what commercial writers do, in addition to writing, is being able to structure information in a logical way. Structure is more important than good writing in commercial writing. In this field, success means writing like you’re verbalizing an infographic,” said Bowerman.

As you’re structuring the information, remember to constantly reiterate the benefits of choosing that company’s product or service. Ask yourself who the audience is and what moves them.

Along with structuring information effectively, successful commercial writers must also learn to estimate the number of hours to be spent on a project.

“With magazines, they don’t care if you take five hours or fifteen minutes on a piece, you get a flat fee. But with commercial writing, you’re paid for all your time, provided you estimate your hours correctly,” Bowerman said. “It’ll take practice, but eventually you’ll get it.”

Estimating your hours correctly is especially lucrative for repeat jobs. For example, you charge $1400 for a job you expect to complete in 12 hours. If it’s a repeat job, you’ll get better with practice, so after a few months it may only take you, say, only 7 hours. The faster you can complete the job, in theory, the more your hourly rate increases.

Further on the matter of hourly rate, Bowerman has a few suggestions.

“Don’t discuss your hourly rate with clients because they’ll likely think worst case scenario, like the job will become a runaway train. Or they may only want to pay you for two hours when it’s a ten hour job,” Bowerman explained. “Instead, ask what their parameters are for a specific project and define those parameters as specifically as possible, including what information they will provide to you and what you’ll have to research and the deadline, then give them an estimate for the whole project. If the client says the estimate is too high, don’t just drop the price because they’ll wonder why you didn’t just offer them the lower price initially. Look for parts of the service to remove so you can lower the price.”

Be sure to discuss fees in the beginning. Clients are expecting you to discuss money and not doing so will leave both of you confused. Bowerman recommends making short contracts such as “When I get _____, I can do ______, which will cost you $_____.” Particularly for lengthier projects, it’s acceptable to ask for a down payment of a third or half of the total project cost.

Likewise, Bowerman suggests never meeting with clients just to discuss ideas.

“The client needs to be sure they want to do something since that’s how you’ll get paid anyway. If they do want to meet to discuss ideas, let them know that’s your time on the clock,” said Bowerman.

At the end of the day, a good commercial writer needs companies to write for. Bowerman says there’s a sweet spot: “You want small to medium sized companies, ones that have 50-200 employees, because they’re not large enough for in-house ad staff, but big enough to have money,” Bowerman said.

The commercial writing sweet spot can also include not-for-profits, particularly larger organizations. “Not-for-profit is an accounting term–it doesn’t mean they don’t have money,” said Bowerman.

For help finding clients, reference the previous article on Bowerman, “How Writers Can Build and MaintainBusiness Contacts,” posted recently on See Jane Write Magazine.

For more information on Peter Bowerman and commercial writing, check out his website, WellFedWriter.com.

Mandy Shunnarah is a freelance writer and editor, and an aspiring novelist. When she’s not writing, she can be found reading, learning to letterpress, watching Downton Abbey and Game of Thrones, and finding stray cats to cuddle with. Follow her on Twitter at @fixedbaroque and @awhitewrites.

Peter Bowerman, commercial writer and founder of WellFedWriter.com, spoke at the Alabama Media Professionals Fall Workshop on Thurs., Oct. 10. While the focus of Bowerman’s talk “Love to Write, But Hate to Starve?” was how to be a successful commercial writer, he mentioned a number of networking and marketing techniques that most any kind of writer can use to find rewarding, high paying work.

In an age where social media reigns supreme, it’s easy to network online, but that doesn’t necessarily make the kind of lasting impression that will lead to more writing gigs.

“You have to proactively network, not just online,” Bowerman said. “People get endorsed by strangers every day for skills they don’t have on LinkedIn, so if you want to leave a lasting impression, you have to contact people directly.”

For many, that’s easier said than done. But, Bowerman argues, contacting people directly can leave a more lasting impression. Bowerman suggests first building a website, then making a list of people and companies who might be interested in your writing services, cold calling those on the list, and, lastly, following up with those who were interested.

“As far as a website goes, you need something simple and effective. You’re a writer, so companies aren’t expecting you to have a perfectly designed website. As long as you have your contact information, portfolio, and what you can do for them on the home page, that’s good enough,” said Bowerman.

From there, Bowerman suggests making a list of people and companies who might be interested in your writing services. Depending on the type of writing you do, the list will vary from well-known publications to industry-specific titles. While various publications may first come to mind, Bowerman encourages writers to think outside the box by contacting graphic designers, marketing firms, PR firms, and companies in industries with which you are familiar because they will need writing services or they will likely know someone in need of writing services.

“Writing is not something that companies are going to outsource to another country. They’re going to need writing services at some point, so they’re going to either use someone in house, hire out through a marketing or PR firm, or use a freelancer. That’s why you network with as many people as you can. If you’re persistent, eventually you’ll catch someone at the right time when they need you,” Bowerman said.

Bowerman warns that while 80% of those you call won’t be interested, they’re usually nice about it.

“People always think calling strangers is scary, but when they actually do it, they find out it isn’t so bad,” said Bowerman. “The more you procrastinate calling, the scarier it is, but when people do it and find out it’s easy, they get on a roll.”

If you fear rejection, Bowerman suggests not putting all your prime prospects on a list to be called all at once. Mix the prime prospects in with some others that you’re not as anxious about to lessen the stress. Additionally, he suggests making realistic goals. For example, if you aim for 40 calls in a day versus three prospects and two jobs, the task will be less stressful.

“The more calls you make the more you’ll be able to keep your list relevant and only contact the people who will need you,” Bowerman said. “Remember that it’s a human on the other end of the phone. If you’re nervous, make a script.”

At some point you’ll call someone who says they’re not currently interested but to keep in touch, and Bowerman says that’s an opportunity to follow up with a postcard. Sending postcards is another way to make a lasting impression.

“Traditional marketing is not obsolete because of social media. Direct mail and brochures are still necessary and effective,” said Bowerman.

When it comes to direct mail marketing, frequency trumps creativity. Bowerman suggests sending postcards every two to four months.

At the heart of it all, remember to keep the focus on what you can do for your client.

“When people buy a quarter inch drill bit, they’re not really buying the drill bit, they’re buying the hole,” said Bowerman. “They don’t want to know how awesome you are, they want to know how you can help them.”

For more information on Peter Bowerman, including examples of his commercial writing and his books, check out his website, WellFedWriter.com.

Mandy Shunnarah is a freelance writer and editor, and an aspiring novelist. When she’s not writing, she can be found reading, learning to letterpress, watching Downton Abbey and Game of Thrones, and finding stray cats to cuddle with. Follow her on Twitter at @fixedbaroque and @awhitewrites.