In an ideal world, a client who needed copy would magically find your portfolio site, instantly know you’re the right copywriter for them, and immediately hire you for their many, lucrative projects. <sigh> In the real world, it’s a little more complicated. First, you have to capture a prospective client’s attention. Then, you often have to “nurture” your prospective … [Read more...]
Why You Need to Pitch Clients Around the Holidays
The effort you put into prospecting is directly related to the number and quality of clients you see a few months down the line. So, while it feels like you should slow down your prospecting during the holidays, that can be a problem in the future. Holidays Are Prime Time for Sellers Brands start thinking early about their holiday promotions—and that means … [Read more...]
The Right Way to Offer Free Copy Evaluations
Free giveaways will always be a popular marketing tactic—and they can be a great tactic for your copywriting business, too. Offering free copy evaluations can be a great way to drum up business. But before you jump in with both feet, you need to keep a couple of things in mind to make sure you’re not giving everything away without getting anything (business) back. The … [Read more...]
How to Draw Copywriting Work Opportunities to You
Everyone knows someone for whom things just “work out.” Things go along swimmingly for them, and the things they want just seem to magically drop into their laps. Opportunities seem to appear out of nowhere. The truth is that you, too, can make opportunities appear. People who seem to have opportunities just fall into their laps aren’t magical—they just know how to be … [Read more...]
Building Your Portfolio Copywriting by Working With Small Businesses
The bread and butter of any freelance copywriter is clients. Cultivating a good client base is critical to your business success when you first start as a freelance copywriter and throughout your career. One of the best places to find new clients, keep the work coming in, and get referrals is through small businesses. Freelance copywriters who can write persuasive copy are … [Read more...]
How to Get Copywriting Referrals
Prospecting is an important way to build your business. But there’s another way that, once you get the right plans in motion, is so much simpler. Referral work comes through little to no effort of your own. Sounds nice, eh? Let’s talk about how to build your referral system to get copywriting work. Referrals make up the vast majority of my business now. Don’t get me wrong: I … [Read more...]
Use Your Copywriting Blog to Attract Potential Clients to Your Portfolio Site
One of the biggest challenges any copywriter will face is finding a steady stream of clients. And while active prospecting can’t be beat, there are also a few other tactics you can use for attracting interest and nurturing potential clients. You already know that having an online portfolio is non-negotiable—if you want to be seen as a professional, you have to have a site … [Read more...]
How To Mess Up a Call With a Prospective Client
Recently, I was on one of the worst sales call I’ve ever been on. But let me clarify: This guy was trying to sell me on a solution. And he was terrible. Periodically, I’ll watch webinars and hop on sales calls to see what kind of new information is out there. I’m not an omniscient marketer; I know there’s always more to learn, and there’s always information I can pass … [Read more...]
5 Unusual Places for Freelance Copywriters to Find Clients
Someone once said that “the richest people in the world look for and build networks, everyone else looks for work.” This was American businessman and author Robert Kiyosaki, one of the most successful book writers of the millennium. His meaning? That building a successful business (and earning a good income as your own boss) starts with finding opportunities, not just … [Read more...]
Common Copywriting Mistakes You Cannot Make
There are a lot of variables and flexibility in copywriting, which is part of what makes it such an appealing career for people who love to write. But I can also tell you that over the course of my 20+ years in the industry (and from making my own mistakes...so many mistakes!), there are also certain inescapable truths. Here, for your learning pleasure, are eight common … [Read more...]