Income-boosting resources for commercial writers (a.k.a. copywriters, business writers, corporate writers, marketing writers, etc.)
Six Reasons Why Your 55+ Readers Would Want to Know About the Commercial Writing Field!
(and why I’m the guy to write the article about it…)
Today’s 55+ crowd is redefining “retirement” like never before. No newsflash there. They’re staying professionally active and engaged well into their 80s and beyond – but doing it on their own terms. Enter the commercial writing field. Why is it a fit for many “seasoned” citizens who know they’re good writers? I’ll give you six reasons, right after I fill in a few blanks…
My name is Peter Bowerman and I’m the author of The Well-Fed Writer, a 2000 award winning, Book-of-the-Month Club selection, and its 2004 companion volume, The Well-Fed Writer: Back For Seconds. (https://wellfedwriter.com/books-2/). See my bio at the end…
Both books are detailed how-to guides for breaking into the lucrative and surprisingly accessible arena of commercial freelancing – writing brochures, ads, newsletters, web sites (and about a zillion other project types) for businesses, large and small.
So, why is this field a fit for the 55+ crowd?
#1 – Downsizing & Outsourcing: THE trends in companies of all sizes, as many in this group have undoubtedly – and perhaps, painfully – experienced, firsthand. Yet, outsourcing means freelancers. Why not be on the upside of the trend?
#2 – Experience: By definition, this demographic has a large body of career experience, which can be leveraged into full- or part-time writing income. Wouldn’t a client rather hire someone who knows their business, industry, culture, and vernacular?
#3 – Work Ethic: Copywriting buyers routinely lament the scarcity of reliability, excellence, and thoroughness in those they hire. A more traditional grounding tends to give the 55+ set a stronger work ethic and an intimacy with these very core values.
#4 – The “Age-ism” Antidote: The commercial writing field is very democratic, in that it’s virtually all performance-based. One’s education, credentials, or age (which can often, unfairly, impact women more) matter far less than one’s ability to get the job done.
#5 – Income: Whether someone needs to bring in a decent income or wants to scale back their work pace, with hourly rates in the field of $50-125 in most major metropolitan areas, this field delivers handsomely for the time invested. And that being the case…
#6 – Flexibility: A near-universal sentiment of the 55+ set is the desire to spend more time with family or involved in the activities of their choosing. With the income potential offered by this field, it truly allows its practitioners to craft a life on their own terms.
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? peter@wellfedwriter.com or 770/438-7200
Want to see review copies of one or both of my books? Let me know!
P.S. If you’d like a more detailed overview on the commercial writing field, check out my free report: “Why Commercial Writing?” at FreeCWReport.pdf.
BIO: Peter Bowerman has been a freelance commercial writer and columnist in Atlanta since 1993. His commercial client list has included The Coca-Cola Company, BellSouth, IBM, UPS, American Express, Mercedes-Benz, Cingular, The Discovery Channel, Junior Achievement and many others. He has published over 250 columns and articles, leads seminars on writing, and is a business coach for commercial writing start-up and self-publishing.
www.wellfedwriter.com (book site); www.copywriter.pro (commercial writing site).