We all have dream clients: Companies that are so cool or so interesting or so inspiring that it would rock our worlds to write with them.
And maybe you can even expand that to a whole group or list of clients that seem interesting or exciting. They certainly don’t need to fall into the same niche (and probably shouldn’t—learn when to break the copywriting niche rule), but they appeal to you personally.
That’s great.
But they shouldn’t encompass your entire client list. There are four very important reasons to work with clients that don’t initially interest or excite you.
1. Limiting Yourself Limits Your Business
First, let’s just be practical here: There are a whole lot more clients in the world than just the ones you’re interested in and limiting yourself is going to limit your business. Why impose a limit on your business??
Plus, these falls under our “don’t make assumptions” rule. Assumptions will cut your copywriting business in half (if not more!). You have no clue whether you’ll enjoy working with a business until you at least hop on a discovery call with them. Even then, it’s hard to know until you actually start doing work. The best part about being a freelancer? You can always wrap up a project and move on to the next client!
Even if you’re full-time, nothing says you have to stay in a job for a certain amount of time any more. You, of course, want to give it enough time to distinguish moving outside your comfort zone with true dislike for the work.
The more you can identify what is maybe a challenge and pushing you to grow versus what truly drains your energy, the more opportunities you’ll have.
2. Challenging Yourself Grows Your Copywriting Skills
Second, challenge is good for you as a person and especially as a copywriter. Remember that a big part of your job is putting yourself in the target audience’s shoes, and if that’s not a perspective you naturally have it’ll be a great growth experience. As a copywriter, you’re tasked with making a message interesting to the target audience, even if you, personally, don’t find it interesting.
Learning how to make something interesting to a group that you don’t innately understand is a VERY important skill to develop as a copywriter.
3. Digging Deeper Will Likely Spark Interest
Third, there’s a good chance that once you once you dig in and learn more about companies, what they’re offering, why they’re offering it, and why their target audiences want it, you WILL find it interesting.
One of my most interesting clients ended up being a residential tractor company! I would have NEVER thought I’d be interested in it at the outset, but learning more about what they had to offer, the unique subset of people that were looking for that unusual product, and WHY they wanted it became fascinating.
It becomes a puzzle that you need to solve. How can I best connect this target audience with the solution to their need?
4. Taking Diverse Work Makes You a More Valuable Copywriter
Fourth, having a variety of work for a variety of different types of clients broadens your client base, of course, but it also broadens the types of work in your portfolio—and that makes you much more interesting and appealing to other types of clients.
Remember, you’ll get the most success by demonstrating the depth and breadth of your skill in your portfolio and working with clients you’re not initially “wowed” by can do just that.
Watch More: How To Write Compelling Copy
On episode 153 of the Build Your Copywriting Business podcast, Nicki and Kate are digging into how you can write powerful, compelling copy—even when the product or service initially doesn’t seem all that compelling.
The truth is, as a copywriter, you’ll likely write for companies where you are not the target audience. This isn’t a bad thing! In fact, it’s quite the opposite. You can bring a fresh lens to projects. That’s the fun of being a copywriter; you get to put yourself in the target audience’s shoes. You get to solve a puzzle in which the end product is compelling copy that makes the target audience say, “Oh my goodness they get me!”
Watch for more tips on how you can make your copy compelling—and even reframe how you’re thinking about what is “compelling” in the first place.
Your Turn
So, there you have it! Have I convinced you? Are you open to working with clients outside of your “dream” list? Let me know in the comments below!
Last Updated on December 11, 2023
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