Making $100,000 a year as a freelance copywriter is not just possible—it’s a realistic goal if you know the right moves. Bob Bly, a veteran direct-response copywriter, has compiled answers to every question new copywriters wrestle with when they’re staring down the prospect of going solo.
The guide tackles the tough stuff head-on: How do you price your services? What do you do when clients ask for samples but you don’t have a portfolio yet? How do you keep the pipeline full so you’re never scrambling for the next gig? Bly’s advice is refreshingly practical. Charge by the project, not the hour, for most work. His fee schedule ranges from $750 for a simple print ad to $15,000 for a complex direct-mail package. For royalties on winning packages, he recommends negotiating a mailing fee of 1 to 4 cents per piece after the initial test.
For those worried about landing that first client, Bly recommends a combination of direct mail and strategic networking. When he started, he sent 500 letters to creative directors at ad agencies and got 35 replies—enough to launch a thriving practice. The key is consistency. Market yourself twice as hard as you think you need to, and the work will come.
One standout insight: Don’t oversell yourself. Promise less and deliver more. “Be modest in your promises to the client,” Bly writes. “Don’t tell him you will beat his control; tell him you will write the strongest package you can.” That approach builds trust and creates long-term client relationships that generate repeat business and referrals.
The Rule of One: Why Great Copy Focuses on a Single Big Idea
Marketing legend Michael Masterson spent more than 20 years writing copy before he uncovered one of the most powerful principles in direct-response advertising. The revelation came when he analyzed the highest-rated issues of his newsletter and discovered something striking: Every top-performing piece presented just one idea.
Readers don’t want everything you know about a topic crammed into a single message. They want one useful, actionable insight they can grasp immediately and act on. Masterson calls this the “Rule of One,” and it applies far beyond copywriting. The best-selling books, the most memorable ad campaigns, and the highest-converting sales letters all follow this principle.
Take Victor Schwab’s “Top 100 Headlines” from his 1941 classic How to Write a Good Advertisement. Ninety percent of them were driven by a single idea: “How I Improved My Memory in One Evening,” “The Secret of Making People Like You,” “To Men Who Want to Quit Work Someday.” Each headline promised one clear benefit and delivered it with precision.
The temptation for most writers is to throw in every feature, every benefit, every reason someone should buy. Masterson calls this the “tossed salad” approach—and it’s a recipe for mediocre results. Strong copy requires discipline. You have to choose the one most compelling idea, support it with one engaging story or fact, evoke one core emotion, and drive the reader toward one inevitable response.
When Masterson applied this rule to his own work, the results were undeniable. Promotions that followed the Rule of One consistently outperformed those that didn’t. The principle works because it respects how people actually process information: one thing at a time.
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