If you’ve been copywriting for a while and want to learn how to land high-ticket freelance writing jobs without freelancer platforms, yay for you. Remember this as the moment your writing business changes for the better.
Maybe you started your writing career on freelancer platforms. You collected a few testimonials from a handful of gigs, and now you know you want more. Many writers rely on platforms like Upwork and Fiverr to find freelance writing jobs online, but these platforms are notorious for low-paying clients, underbidding from the competition, and you build your reputation on borrowed land.
How do you get off the freelancer platforms and build a name for yourself? No more low-paying blog posts or per-word pricing or bidding for a small project that someone can always do cheaper.
We’re talking about good clients with good budgets and cool projects. Yes, please.
I’m about to show you how to land high-ticket freelance writing jobs without depending on freelancer platforms. Instead, you can charge premium rates, work with better clients, and build a sustainable career as a freelance copywriter. Build a business instead of taking orders.
Why the best freelance writing jobs aren’t on Upwork or Fiverr.
I started my career as a freelance copywriter by applying for gigs on Craigslist.
Yes, the Craigslist. Does it even exist anymore? I’m outing myself as an elder freelancer.
This was before Upwork got popular. Before freelancers posted on Instagram for business. And before I knew what I was doing. I landed my first freelance writing jobs by cold pitching, and the next ones by a combination approach of cold pitching and replying to sketchy, vague posts for content writers on Craigslist.
Like pick me! 🙋♀️🙋♀️🙋♀️
My story is common. So many of us find our first freelance jobs on platforms like this.
The problem with freelancer platforms—and back in the day, Craigslist—is that these often attract entry level clients. Sure, they’re a good way to get experience quickly. You put yourself out there, try things, and learn what you like.
But you also get underbid by others trying to land the same freelance writing jobs. You have limited control over your business: Your pipeline, boundaries, rates, etc. And if you do build a brand here, it’s kind of like social media in that your brand is on that platform.
It’s time for you to build a name for yourself as a freelance copywriter.
When you’re ready to take your writing business seriously, and make some real money from long-term, high-paying opportunities, you want the path of least resistance. Promoting on borrowed land and positioning yourself next to the competition often isn’t it.
This isn’t to say you can’t grow as a freelance copywriter on these platforms. Some have seen great success, including Rob Perry who was on The Copywriter Club Podcast. But the way I’ve seen more copywriters land high-ticket freelance writing jobs online is by getting uncomfortable and letting go of the training wheels.
The best freelance jobs come from direct client relationships, and memorable brands, not bidding wars.
Like any career, relationships matter.
When you prioritize building and maintaining relationships with the people you work with, your freelance writing business will grow. All the fancy marketing tactics are nothing more than attracting people to kick-start those relationships. And even the best marketed business won’t be successful long-term if you don’t prioritize client relationships.
Basically, you need to treat people well. If you treat them well, the results from the rest of the advice here will compound.
Create your own niche: The key to landing high-ticket clients.
As you grow as a freelance copywriter, you’ll notice that there are different types of clients. Maybe you’ve started to notice this already.
High-value clients don’t browse freelancer platforms—they seek specialists who solve their specific problems.
They don’t want to sift through pitches, portfolios, and resumes to find someone to help them. High-ticket clients want to find the perfect person. The unicorn who can solve their copywriting problems.
Your job is to become that unicorn. You do that when you create your own niche.
If you’ve learned anything about building a freelance business, you’ve probably heard the beginner’s guide to choosing a niche: identify a lucrative industry, tailor your messaging, and establish authority as a freelance copywriter.
The high-value freelancer’s niche strategy is different: eliminate the competition by creating a tier of your own. Become known for something—your results, your service, your specialty. What makes you unique?
Creating your own niche is the foundation of attraction marketing. People come to you—the unicorn—because you have exactly what they need.
Freelance writing jobs come to you if you create your own niche.
The best part about this strategy is that it can be simple. You don’t need to complicate what you do in order to create your own niche. You just need to be clear about what you have to offer.
Here’s some examples:
- You nail a certain deliverable every time, like launch emails or website copy.
- You have a twist or style to the way you write, and people like it because it works.
- You know that by following your process or framework, you get results.
When I first started to create my own niche, I wanted to be known for something. I loved doing brand messaging and website copywriting, so I made a bunch of content for Instagram around these topics. I landed website copywriting projects just from posting a series of 5 videos talking about common mistakes I see with website copy, and how my approach is different.
Other freelance copywriters also write websites.
Other freelance copywriters market their services on Instagram.
And other freelance copywriters probably share website copy mistakes.
But I talked about my skills and suggestions in a way that resonated with a certain type of person, and those people reached out to become clients.
If you don’t know how to start creating your own niche, think about this: Who do you want to reach? Start there.
How to position yourself as a premium freelance copywriter.
Part of the above example I shared involved positioning myself as the go-to freelance copywriter for brand messaging and website copywriting projects. People started to recognize me for this, and associate me with this type of work, which made it easier to land those types of freelance writing jobs online.
To attract high-paying clients, you need a strong personal brand and authority—not a freelancer platform profile.
Here’s some ideas to position yourself as the go-to freelance copywriter in your niche…
Do good work. Then build a portfolio that showcases results. Write case studies after your most successful projects if it’s work you want more of. There’s a million different ways to share the work you do, but integrity needs to come first. Without good work, there’s nothing to show.
Leverage social proof. Obviously, you can write good copy. But what’s often more powerful than even the most persuasive marketing words is social proof—what other people say about you. Let testimonials and case studies speak for you and your work as a freelance copywriter. More freelance writing jobs will come.
Show what you know in your marketing. Establish credibility through your content by creating pieces that you like, and that help your audience. Be your own PR agent by guesting on podcasts, writing blog content for related brands, and collaborating with peers.
Find and pitch high-ticket freelance writing jobs.
Where do you find these better clients? High-paying freelance writing jobs exist—you just need to know where to look, how to pitch, and how to keep people coming back.
Here’s some ideas to get you started with outreach for freelance writing jobs, even if people aren’t explicitly hiring.
The customized cold pitch. Get comfy with some direct, cold emails to the best fit businesses. Give them legitimate solutions to problems they want to solve. Be helpful, and they’ll notice.
Make sure you track your pitches too, so you can followup with everyone you connect with. This resource will help you if you don’t already have a process for pitching.
Build a community around you—online and in real life. Networking, but again with the intent to connect with and help others. Collaborate with others. Join conversations. RSVP for that networking happy hour in your city even if it feels scary. You never know who you might meet.
The first networking event I ever attended netted me $16k immediately (like the next week), and thousands more from the relationships built by going back. This is a great community for copywriters.
Provide a rave-worthy client experience. Develop a workflow and experience that clients can’t wait to tell all their business friends about. Every detail won’t be perfect right away, but if you lead with an intent to serve your clients, they’ll feel that. You can refine as you grow.
5-figure proposals to land premium clients and freelance writing jobs.
A high-ticket client won’t hire you just because you say you’re good—prove it with your proposal. Premium freelance writing jobs need to be won. Now that you’ve created a niche of your own, positioned yourself as an expert, and started direct outreach with potential clients, it’s time to revisit your proposal process.
That’s the vehicle to landing those big gigs.
Everyone has an opinion on what needs to go in a proposal. Or if you even need one.
I’m in the you definitely need a proposal camp. And I think there’s a few key inclusions you need to have in your proposal in order to land high-ticket freelance writing jobs.
Add these to your proposals to land 5-figure freelance writing jobs.
Your proposal is an asset to close those sales. Let it do the heavy lifting for you.
Parrot their words throughout. Show you listen and understand the client’s business and goals. You could start with a summary of their needs, then explain how you’ll help them achieve what they want. Recap what they said in the sales call.
Reinforce the transformation. Make the ROI for your clients clear—don’t just list deliverables. For example, a freelance writing job to create 10 blog posts for a client isn’t just writing content. You’re creating traffic-drivers to get more visitors to their website, fill and support their funnel.
Value-based pricing. Often, value-based pricing is better for freelance copywriters than per word (an adoption from journalism). Frame the value you provide with package rates.
Social proof to back up your claims. If you’re trying to land a freelance writing job for blog content, use a testimonial that says how you helped another client increase their website traffic from organic search.
Explain how it works. Include a distinct process or typical project workflow that makes them feel supported before signing.
There’s more you can do to land those high-ticket freelance writing jobs with your proposal, but this is a solid place to start. You’ll learn what works as you go.
Delivering a premium client experience to keep clients coming back.
High-ticket clients want high-end support. Give them that. Guide them through your processes. Once you land a high-ticket client, a great experience ensures they keep working with you instead of returning to freelancer platforms.
You get bonus points with this strategy because good processes make things easier for you too.
Client experience must-haves can be small and simple at first, and grow to be more robust through automations and tech tools as your freelance business grows.
- Simple onboarding so they know exactly what to do to seal the deal with you.
- Make it easy for them throughout the entire time they work with you.
- Proactive communication—always be one step ahead of frequently asked questions.
- Surprise and delight with little extras if it makes sense within your relationship. Ex. I buy clients coffee sometimes, send books, or throw in an additional small deliverable at no charge (if they spend over a certain amount consistently).
- Over deliver on promises. This could mean completing work early, or going above and beyond to help them solve problems (while respecting your scope and boundaries).
- Continuing from that last point, try to solve more problems. Figure out what their goals are, and help them move roadblocks out of the way.
If you do client experience right, they’ll rave about you to their business friends and you’ll probably land even more freelance writing jobs from those connections alone.
Customer retention: Turning one-off freelance copywriting jobs into ongoing work.
The best freelance copywriting jobs aren’t one-time projects—they turn into long-term, high-paying relationships. If you focus on developing relationships with clients, serve them well, and get results, they’ll welcome proposals for more work with you.
Here are a couple examples.
I turned a $10k lead into $67k in revenue with an e-commerce skincare company by continuing to identify and offer solutions to their problems. They initially came to me for brand messaging strategy and website copywriting. First, we added additional pages onto the website project to better educate customers. Then we identified gaps in their email automations that could be filled with a full setup project. We found blog content that could be optimized, products that needed to move soon and could be sold via a funnel, and email campaigns that could nurture and convert leads into customers.
I had a lead for a rush website project for a coach. It started at about $8k total, but she appreciated my work so much that she came back for more. First, to help optimize launch collateral. Then for a series of day reservations / VIP days. Then for email marketing support, bringing the work up to $44k in revenue from this client alone.
Strategies to max retention with your freelance writing jobs.
Retention strategies are one of my favourite ways to find more revenue in the business. These are people who already trust you and like you! Assuming you like your clients too, you can find more ways to help them.
Try these ideas for yourself:
- Positioning yourself as a strategic partner, not just a service provider.
- Find problems that align with their goals, and offer to help solve them.
- Actually care about the results you get people. Track and refine over time.
You’ll notice that this relates closely to the client experience you offer. If you do one well, you do both well.
Mindset shift: You’re a business owner, not a freelancer.
The most impactful thing you can do for your business growth and your ability to land high-ticket freelance writing jobs: Separate yourself from your business.
When you think of yourself as an owner running a legitimate business, you will naturally enforce boundaries differently and have more confidence. For example, it will be easier to raise your rates and act in a way that supports the business’ health—not falling into people pleasing tendencies a lot of freelancers struggle with.
You’re a business owner, not an order taker.
This is how the business operates, and those boundaries benefit everyone involved. People trust you to lead projects. This simple shift works wonders on your bottom line as a freelance copywriter.
You’re closer than you think.
You don’t need freelancer platforms to land high-paying freelance writing jobs online—you need to position your brand on a tier of its own, do good work, and provide a premium client experience.
What tactic will you try first? Pick something, and let us know how it goes for you.
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Not quite fitting into a single title, Jill Wise is a business and marketing problem solver. She pushes through the noise of the online world and the “rules” of what you’re supposed to do, instead guiding her clients to show up authentically as they build, grow, and scale businesses that feel good to them.
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