How To Get Clients As A Freelance Copywriter: 11 Steps
Make it stan
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
If you’re a creative in the freelance space, you likely have wondered how to get clients as a freelance copywriter. Copywriting is forecasted to grow by 7.6% between 2016 and 2026, so rest assured you’re not the only one asking this question.
How you answer this question is crucial to your long-term success. While there is no single course, online marketing strategy, or secret action that guarantees your copywriting success, there are steps you can take to up your chances.
Whether you dream of writing for business owners or hope to be the one employing freelance writers one day, these eleven tips can aid in the process.
Securing Potential Clients
Brands and companies are all potential customers until you get a hard no. This is good news because you can make use of various types of marketing you need to reach them. Once you market to your potentials, have a conversation, and make a deal, you have successfully booked your first client.
Want to write for a brand that specializes in digital marketing? Open your mobile apps and get to work networking. Want to write for a bestselling author? Sign up for their newsletter to get a feel for their writing style and voice.
But what are the steps between browsing the web to find clients and actually working for them? Getting clients comes down to your tactics.
#1 - Learn Social Media Marketing
You may hear copywriters referred to as digital entrepreneurs. This simply means that they pursue business with the foundation of digital media. If you want to write for companies around the nation or even globally, learn social marketing.
When you understand social media and how to market yourself, you break down geographical barriers and open yourself up to potential clients around the world.
#2 - Study Copywriting Like It’s Your Career (it is)
Even if you are the best marketer in the business, if you can’t write great copy, you won’t last long. As you familiarize yourself with what copywriting is, best practices, and how to stand out, you’ll realize there is a world of study on the topic.
This field is not just about writing but about psychology, sales, marketing, and interpersonal relationships. The more you understand your potential customers, the higher chance they become recurring clients. Study copywriting like it’s your career…because it is.
#3 - Create A Standout Website
If your client sources come through digital marketing, your website is your online resume and portfolio. Additionally, if you use business cards, where do potential clients look you up? That’s right—your website. Creating a full-time income as a copywriter does not take much overhead, so consider investing in maintaining a great website. First impressions matter.
#4 - Establish Your Products And Services
Once you have a website, you establish yourself with a quality online presence, but you also give yourself the opportunity to identify exactly what you offer. When someone browses your site because they need a month of social media posts batched, they will know immediately whether you are the right person to contact.
Be clear in what you offer, as it will help in three key ways:
Keep you out of long email threads with individuals who are looking for a service you don’t offer
Save other people time by only contacting you if your services fit their needs
Bring in customers who need what you offer
Need I say more?
#5 - Dare To Engage In Traditional Marketing
Magazine ads may seem archaic, but you never know what a well-placed ad could bring. If you choose to invest in traditional ads, do your research to ensure you find the right platform targeted at the best market. Your ideal client may flip through the magazine at the dentist, after meeting their new concierge doctor, waiting at the golf course, or in line to pick up their kids from school.
#6 - Show Up On Digital Marketing Channels
Online channels are a fantastic way to get your name out there. Whether you choose something as familiar as email marketing or go with affiliate marketing, showing up is key. Remember, showing up doesn't always need to mean paid ads.
Curate your social media profiles to align with your brand. You’ll likely be surprised at the DMs you bring in when you show up in an on-brand manner.
#7 - Don’t Exclude Email Marketing
If you are more established or simply want to aim high, develop an email marketing campaign for newsletter subscribers. Marketing via email is a big step in walking potential clients through your sales funnel…and working together at the end. Avoid being salesy, but also maintain your confidence.
#8 - Go Wide, Then Go Deep
Digital media allows you to see what nichés other copywriters choose, get a feel for what’s out there, and then enter the field. In the beginning, it’s important to take the jobs you can get (Within reason, of course. If a potential customer seems off or makes you uncomfortable, pass on the job).
Early on, you may not love a specific project, but it will teach you so much about how to work with clients. Plus, if your first jobs align with where you want to go, all the better.
#9 - Track Your Successes
When you create a website, post content, or engage on social media, you are creating your own digital marketing strategy. Rather than spread yourself thin, be mindful about what works and what doesn’t and track:
The platforms your content finds the most engagement
What type of content brings engagement
Day and time of day you choose to post
Any SEO strategies you employ
Then, track both what does well and what doesn’t. Repeat what’s going well, expand, and spend more time there.
#10 - Understand The New Currency
In a world of online marketing, digital copy, and social media, now more than ever, words sell. When you understand how to harness the power of words and focus them on every single client’s need, you begin to get to the core of copywriting.
The currency of copywriting does not just apply to working jobs but landing jobs as well. Every email you write, DM you send, or blog you put out is an extension of yourself and what you offer.
It may feel like a waste of time to write yet another blog, but when clients come looking (or you go cold calling), rest assured they will look at your writing. The better portfolio you create, the more they will find a reason to place their confidence in your abilities.
#11 - Cold Pitch
Sending an email or DM to someone you’ve never met and most definitely do not know can feel pushy, salesy, and of course, very uncomfortable. However, cold pitches are a great way to help companies out who may not even know they need you. Don’t apologize for offering to use your services for the good of their brand.
When sending out your pitches, make sure you keep a spreadsheet of important information such as:
Companies you think would be a good fit
The date you contacted them and their contact information
The date you hear back
If don’t hear back, if or when you will follow up
What you pitched
General services
A specific post idea
Email marketing campaign
Social media content
A few tips: Be concise about what you offer and why, don’t apologize, and be professional.
Always Engage In Marketing, Including Yourself
Finding jobs, landing jobs, and bringing in recurring clients is a matter of both what you offer and your potential customers’ awareness that you offer it. With this in mind, remember that you are always marketing.
When you post that Instagram reel, share something on TikTok, or tweet out 280 characters of your thoughts, potential clients are watching. If you market yourself as a copywriter, write great copy.
Once you secure your first client, you have your first word-of-mouth marketer. Personally, I’ve found word-of-mouth is the best way to land great clients. Yes, finding your first job can be a bit of a hurdle, but with effort and time, it’s bound to happen. The benefits are worth the investment!
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