Freelancer Spotlight: Polly Clover

Welcome back to the Freelancer Spotlight series! This series is all about shining a light on the amazingly talented freelancers that are part of The Freelance Writer’s Guide community.

Today’s freelancer spotlight is on Polly Clover, a freelance copywriter based in U.S. Virgin Islands, and a former 1:1 freelancing mentorship student.

You can view Polly’s freelance portfolio website here. Keep reading to learn Polly’s full freelance story!

When did you begin freelancing?

I started freelancing in 2018.

What freelancing services do you offer?

I offer SEO blog writing and other copywriting services.

What is your niche?

I work with lifestyle brands.

Give us your background. What were you doing before? Why did you want to become a freelancer?

Before I became a freelance writer, I was a teacher. When I became tired of being broke and burnt out, I quit teaching and started traveling the world. I spent a few years traveling around Southeast Asia and road-tripping around the United States. Of course, I needed a job that supported this lifestyle. I started freelance writing because it allowed me to have a flexible schedule and work remotely.

What resources did you use to learn more about your niche, freelancing, and copywriting in general?

To learn about freelancing and copywriting, I spent countless hours searching Google. I read blog articles, found experts in the space to follow, and took a couple of workshops and courses. One of the first workshops I did when I was first diving into freelance writing was yours. I've also used a lot of The Freelance Writer's Guide templates and watched most of the YouTube videos.

Tell us how you launched your business. How did you carve out time to get started? How/why did you choose your niche and services? How did you leave the research stage and start taking action on your business?

I just did it. I kind of started without thinking much about it or researching. I found a random job on Upwork and did it. Having to write blog articles because I committed to it meant I had no choice but to learn.

For my first few articles, I was researching while writing. Then, after I knew I could actually do it (and liked it), I started researching how to create a successful writing business.

For the first year, I mainly worked with travel brands because I was a traveler and knew I'd love writing about it. These opportunities led to others, and I began writing for photography businesses, wellness brands, etc. Many people say to niche down, but I've gotten to where I get a lot of business through referrals, and if I know about the brand and enjoy the topics related to that brand, I'm happy to take on that client.

While I primarily focus on marketing my blogging services, I also do other website copy if the project interests me.

How did you find your first client?

I found my first client on Upwork.

What methods do you currently use to find clients?

I get clients through referrals from other clients, SEO marketing via my own website, and Instagram.

On average, how much do you make per month as a freelancer?

I usually earn about $5,000 per month.

On average, how many hours do you work as a freelancer?

I work around 25 hours per week – about 15 hours on client work and 10 hours on marketing and scaling my business.

How much do you charge for your services as a freelancer?

My rates vary because most of my current services are packages customized to fit my clients' needs. That said, I know I want to earn about $80 per hour on client work, so I charge accordingly.

For example, if I'm doing keyword research and writing 2 articles per month for a client, that'll take about 8 hours. So I'll charge about $700, give or take.

What are your next goals as a freelancer?

I'm working on scaling my business, earning more, and working less. To do this, I plan to increase my rates and create digital products to sell.

What have you struggled with most in your freelancing business? How have you overcome those struggles?

I've struggled most with knowing my worth. I spent years undercharging and feeling like making a comfortable income meant working long hours.

To overcome these struggles, I've had to dig deep into where these limiting beliefs came from and change how I think about work and money. I've also started charging more for my work and not letting imposter syndrome get the best of me.

Whenever limiting beliefs come up, I immediately challenge those thoughts with logical ones.

Do you have any tips for new and/or experienced freelancers?

My biggest tip for fellow freelancers at any stage in their business is to develop a positive and loving relationship with yourself.

Starting my own business, where I have to rely on myself so much and spend a lot of time with just me, made me realize a healthy relationship with myself is critical.

I think all freelancers can benefit from learning to love themselves more. We all have unique value to offer and are worthy of success in this business.

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