Landing copywriting clients is a lot easier than you may think.
(Reminder: CCA students, you have entire courses on how to find and land clients!)
But one of the most overlooked ways to find clients?
Talking to people.
On this episode of the Build Your Copywriting Business podcast, Nicki and Kate joke about finding clients at the grocery store. But, truthfully, you can find clients almost anywhere!
It all starts with accepting that you’re a copywriter—and getting comfortable telling people you’re a copywriter.
CCA students share in the student-only Facebook group all the time that they landed a client just by making casual conversation.
Because you really don’t know who could use a copywriter! And, because we’re writers and like writing, we take for granted that there are SO many people who don’t like writing.
But, we know, you’re thinking: “Nicki, I can’t just go up to people and say, ‘Hi, I’m a copywriter!'” And you’re absolutely right.
So, listen to this episode to hear us share our tips for making 100% non-awkward conversation.
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Looking for closed captioning or a transcript? Watch the episode on YouTube!
A Sneak Peek at the Episode
[02:32] One of the first ways you can find clients is by going to industry events and talking to people. If you go in prepared with what questions to ask and how to follow up, you have a good chance of converting people that you talked to at this event into clients later on.
[03:13] Can you land clients anywhere? Yeah, absolutely. It’s all about getting comfortable with talking about the fact that you are a copywriter.
[03:30] When somebody asks you, who you are and what you do, tell them that you’re a copywriter. We don’t realize how much opportunity there is just by having conversations with people. And it can come from an authentic place. Like pitching, it’s not about being sales-y.
[05:47] Look for industry events. This is where you can meet people who may eventually become your clients or meet people who know people who may become your clients. There are authors who will put on events. There are companies that will put on events. See what’s going on in your area or nearby areas.
[07:40] Google advertising events, marketing events, software events, and even your local chamber of commerce.
[08:53] All you have to do is ask people questions: “What do you do? What brought you here? Oh, you’re in Piñata sales! Interesting. How did you get into that?” That is going to start a conversation.
[10:10] You’re not being pushy as in saying, “I can help convert your leads into customers.” It’s “What do you do? I’m a marketing and advertising writer. I’m a copywriter, so I write emails that help my clients convert people from subscribers to purchasers.” That’s it.
[11:00] Have it come from a place of genuine interest. It’s a conversation. So you’re not giving a speech. You’re not going to be put on the spot and need to give a 60-second soliloquy or elevator pitch to this person. No one wants that.
[11:53] The whole concept of an elevator pitch is you’re trying to get something from someone, and that’s not what this is about. You’re just meeting new people, making connections, letting them know who you are and what you do.
[12:58] We want—as much as possible—to be the ones in the driver’s seat of making sure this conversation continues. Especially if you enjoyed the conversation. Stay connected. Ask, “What’s your email?” And you put it on your phone. It’s just building the relationship.
[13:41] Be proactive. That follow-up email can be very, very simple. Remember: we send value-oriented pitches, helpful pitches. You’re reaching out to someone, letting them know you enjoyed the conversation and you have an idea that may help their business.
[14:40] Take notes in your phone about your conversation and the connection you made, especially if you had anything in common. This will help remind you of the conversation. Write down anything you need to set yourself up for later success. Use this information as your friendly opening line. You can reference something that you actually talked about.
[16:50] Look for an event, go to Google, look for events in the city near you or it could be meetups too. For the ones that aren’t free, just think of it as a business expense.
[17:59] Find an event, go to the event, come prepared with a couple of questions you’re going to ask. People want to answer questions about themselves. Then, the same questions you asked, they’re going to ask right back to you.
[18:30] If you are the copywriter that they met, when anybody in their circle is like, “Our company needs a writer, a marketing person,” they’re going to say, “I just met someone.” Our challenge to you is to find an event and go to it.
[18:52] Nicki shares that she hates going to events alone. But it doesn’t kill you. It’s uncomfortable. It makes you a better professional. That discomfort, it doesn’t last. Once you get in, you realize, “Oh, everybody else is just as uncomfortable as I am! Let me talk to people.” It’s absolutely worth it.
Must-Hear Takeaways
As with every episode, we highly encourage you to listen to the entire conversation! But here are a few of the highlights:
“There are various groups that put on various events. Going to these events, you can learn a lot of different stuff. It can be a great opportunity to get out of the house. It can also be a great opportunity to interact with other people.” – Nicki
“Figure out what works for you, but don’t overthink it because it’s gonna be someone asking you a question and you just genuinely answer that question. Get rid of the idea of an elevator speech. I feel like it’s pretty antiquated and no one wants to hear someone talking at them for 90 seconds.” -Kate
“You’re not being pushy as in saying like, I can help convert your leads into customers. It’s asking, ‘what do you do? I’m a marketing and advertising writer. I’m a copywriter, so I write emails that help my clients convert people from subscribers to purchasers.’ That’s it.” – Nicki
“If they asked you your email, you can take back control of the conversation. ‘Hey, sure, I’ll send you my information. What’s your email?’ We want be the ones to follow up.” – Kate
“You had a conversation with someone. You had a connection. They seem like someone maybe you’d like to know more about their business. Take a look at their website and see if you have any ideas.” – Nicki
“Be open to what events you could attend. And you don’t necessarily have to stay there the whole time. If you go and it doesn’t seem like a good fit, that’s fine.” – Nicki
“It can be so simple and it can be very, very effective for finding clients and just broadening your network because every person that you meet knows hundreds of other people.” – Nicki
Mentioned in the Episode
Related Links
- 5 Networking Steps to Take This Month
- Find Copywriting Clients by Networking in the Right Places
- The One Question That Makes Copywriting Networking Easy
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About the Build Your Business Podcast
Ready to turn your love of writing into a successful copywriting career?
Join professional copywriters Nicki Krawczyk and Kate Sitarz to get the tips, tools, and training to help you become a copywriter and build a thriving business of your own. Nicki and Kate have 20+ and 10+ years of experience, respectively, writing copy for multi-billion-dollar companies, solopreneurs, and every size business in between.
Whether you want to land an on-staff job, freelance full-time and work from wherever you want, or make extra money with a side hustle, the best place to start learning is right here.
