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...]
Copywriting Q&A: Software Programs for Copywriting Professionals
There are a billion and one new software programs for tracking projects, sending invoices, sharing screens, and all of the other tasks you need to perform on a regular basis. But how many of them are worth it? Let’s break it all down… Today’s question comes from Julia R., who asks, “I was wondering if you could share resources that you use to step up your ‘professional game’ … [Read more...]
Prepare Your Copywriting Business for a Sick Day
No one can tell the future, but sometimes we can make some educated guesses. For example, it doesn’t take a psychic to know that it’s likely that you’ll get a touch sick at some point this winter. But getting sick may mean not working, and not working may mean missing deadlines—and that’s a problem. Here’s what you can do to prepare. If you know you have a chance of getting … [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 Perform a SWOT Analysis as a Copywriter
You already know that thinking strategically is an important part of being a copywriter. But how, exactly, can you start going about doing that? And how can you think strategically when it comes to your own business? A SWOT analysis is a great way to start. What Is a SWOT Analysis? A SWOT analysis is a tool for figuring out where you (or your business) is and where … [Read more...]
Avoid Burnout as a Copywriter
Persistence is key to building a great career, but persistence can also lead to overworking and put you on the road to burnout if it’s not appropriately managed. Here’s how to avoid burnout as a copywriter and why rest is essential. This might sound a little crazy coming from me since I’ll be the first one to tell you that being willing to put in the effort is one of … [Read more...]
Why I Won’t Use Google Docs for Copywriting
Technology has provided us with a lot of more efficient ways to collaborate with peers and clients. Screen-sharing is a game-changer for working with designers remotely and Zoom (and other video conferencing tools) mean you can have a face-to-face meeting with anyone in the world. There’s one technology, though, that gets in the way of great copywriting: using Google Documents … [Read more...]