How to Get Copywriting (Business Writing) Clients
By Angela Booth

Copywriting is fun and easy, but you have to get clients. You get clients by looking for clients. When you start out, and for perhaps the first year, you'll spend more time looking for clients than copywriting, but this is how you build a business.

I often say that if you can write a coherent email message you can write copy, but this doesn't mean that you should take the requirements of this kind of writing lightly.

The more you strive to develop yourself and your skills, the better you'll get at writing copy. And the better you get at writing copy, and the more you market, the more copywriting clients you will get.

==> Develop  yourself and your skills

You develop your copywriting skills in four ways: you find out as much as you can about how business works, you get passionate about writing copy, you write copy for free, and you write other stuff as well as copy.

==> Know how business works

The more you know about how business works, the better you'll be at writing copy.

Every area has a community college. Take some evening classes in small business development and marketing. Not only will you learn how to run your own small business, but you'll also get an insight into the way your clients think.

Read a couple of books on psychology. As a copywriter (or any kind of writer for that matter) your education never ends.

==> Get passionate about writing copy

Read magazine advertising with the same interest you read the articles. Read your junk mail.

If you call marketing and advertising agencies scouting for work, get interested in the people you're talking to. Ask questions.

Your own energy and drive, or the lack of it, will come through in whatever you write, so it's vital that you're enthusiastic about what you do.

==> Write copy for free, as practice for your portfolio, but NEVER give it away

Your motto should be: "if it's free, it's for me." Put your good work into your portfolio.

Many novice copywriters feel that they should do a couple of jobs pro bono, to get material for their portfolio. My feeling is that if you're going to write for free, write for your local church, or for your children's school, but don't write for companies free.

The only time you should write for "free" is for self-promotion. In that case it's hardly free, since it's advertising for your business.

==> Write other stuff as well

Get comfortable with other forms of writing as well. Every other kind of writing you do, whether it's short stories, novels, or magazine articles, will inform your copywriting skills.

==> Market

To market, to market. Marketing never ends, and it doesn't matter what kind of marketing you do, as long as you do it consistently.

==> Get on the books of editorial agencies

If you've had a few writing sales, even if they're not copywriting, get on the books of the editorial agencies in  your area.

Some agencies are good, and others are pathetic, but it's worth getting on the books of as many as you hear about. Even if an agency only gets you one job a year, being on their books is useful for the number of contacts you can make.

==> Be prepared to write lots of proposals

Learn how to write proposals, and write them for the companies you're interested in working for. Writing proposals isn't difficult, and it's much more effective than sending out your CV.

==> Get a Web site

You need a Web site. It's much easier (and cheaper) to refer someone to your Web site than it is to send out bulky folders of material.

You don't need a fancy site. Get a site with one of the dozens of companies which offer site hosting at less than $10 a month. Choose one which gives you point and click templates. The templates mean that you can build your own site in an hour, just by copying and pasting text and graphics.

As you market, you'll contact many people who'll say: "Send me a brochure." Nine out of ten of these people just want to get you off the phone. Refer them to your Web site.

==> Browse the Internet

Don't surf aimlessly. Be critical. Look at a company's Web site and ask yourself whether you could help the company to do more business. Then e-mail them a proposal.

==> Browse your local papers

When you're starting out as a copywriter, read your local papers and get to know the companies in your local area.

Join the local Chamber of Commerce. Meet other business people. Scan their marketing material. Make friends. Remember that people prefer to do business with people they know, so get known.

==> Know it's a numbers game

All marketing is a numbers game. Marketing is a vital part of your copywriting business. If you don't market, just like any other business, you won't have a business.

==> Be confidently casual: if you can write a coherent letter, you can write copy

As you work to develop your skills, and as you market, have confidence in yourself. Copywriting is a skill, and few people have that skill. Be proud of yourself and what you do.

==> Writers: Turn Your Talent Into Dollars <==

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Author and copywriter Angela Booth crafts words for your business -- words to sell, educate or persuade. Get in touch today for a free quote: http://www.digital-e.biz/ 

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Copyright © 2002 by Angela Booth