Starting a business relationship with a new client is exciting—there’s the excitement of starting a new project (and the forthcoming paycheck!), there’s the potential to build a relationship that can become long-term...and there’s also the potential to quickly and easily mess things up entirely. In a lot of ways, the first few interactions with a new client are some of the … [Read more...]
A Powerful Self-Inventory for Freelance Business Success
“Know thyself” isn’t just good advice from a self-help perspective; it’s also crucially important when it comes to building a successful freelance business. And a million different “gurus” can give you a million different pieces of advice about the “right” time to get up, the “right” way to organize your day, the “right” order to accomplish your tasks and all of that—but none … [Read more...]
4 Pieces of Terrible Advice New Copywriters Get All the Time
Let’s start out today with a reminder: Just because someone is loud, doesn’t mean they’re right. Also, just because something is prevalent, doesn’t mean it’s correct. We can agree on those, right? Okay, good. Because today we’re going to bust some very prevalent myths and debunk some very popular pieces of advice. Why? Because not only are they wrong, but they’re actually … [Read more...]
How Do You Land Your First Copywriting Clients Without Experience or Samples?
Here’s what most people think about breaking into copywriting: You need experience to get clients and you need clients to get experience. And that’s a catch-22 that stops a lot of would-be copywriters dead in their tracks. But the truth—and good news—is that that’s only half true. Today, we’re going to talk about which half is true, which isn’t and how you can get … [Read more...]
Why Business Owners WANT You to Pitch Them Your Copywriting Services
When I tell my copywriting students that they need to pitch their copywriting services to potential clients, there’s often a lot of push back. A lot. And I get it: They’re afraid of reaching out to strangers. Of bothering them. Of asking for their business. Of potentially not getting that business—or, what they anticipate will feel like rejection. So some students … [Read more...]
3 Things New Copywriters Worry About…That They Really Don’t Have To
Last week, we talked about ways clients can tell you’re a brand-new copywriter. And don’t get me wrong: There’s nothing wrong with being new. But there’s a lot wrong with seeming inexperienced to your potential clients. Today, we’re going to take a different angle, and talk about three things that new copywriters often worry about—but that they don’t actually have to. So let’s … [Read more...]
Oops! How Clients Can Tell You’re a Brand-New Copywriter
There's nothing wrong with being new. Even the most seasoned, successful copywriters were once new to copywriting. So if you’re starting out right there at square one, guess what? You’re in exactly the right place. That said, though, no one wants to hire a brand-new copywriter. It’s nothing personal: YOU are a fabulous human being. But hiring anyone to do anything is a risk, … [Read more...]
How to Know if You Should Charge Copywriting Clients Upfront
Recently, one of my copywriting students asked me if she should be charging her copywriting clients upfront and, if so, whether she should be charging the full amount, 50%, or another percentage. Here’s the thing: I suspect the copywriters that have their clients pay upfront comes from a fear that the client isn’t going to pay them at all and getting some of their fee is better … [Read more...]
Do You Need to Incorporate?
First, a caveat: I am neither an attorney nor an accountant and none of my advice should be taken lieu of talking with a professional. Never let a blog post make your legal decisions for you. Also, all of this information is based on US law and law as of the date of publication. That said, this blog post is based on a few facts, my experience, and my advice based on these. … [Read more...]
The 3 Types of Clients and Why You Need to Identify Them
It should go without saying, but not every client is the same. But often, we hope every client will react in exactly the same way to our pitches: With resounding YES! In reality, clients tend to fall into three groups—and if we approach these clients in the right way according to their groups, we’re much more likely to get that “yes.” The Three Types of Clients Clients fall … [Read more...]
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