How New Copywriters Can Get More Clients These 5 Ways

New copywriters often finish training but have trouble getting clients. They face several challenges. For example, many businesses do not appreciate the value of copywriting.
They realize they can’t put up a website. After all, HTML is a whole new language. But they are probably writing in the same language you are. Unless you are trained as a copywriter, it’s easy to ignore subtle elements of writing that make a huge difference in sales.
Here are 5 ways to get more clients. You will probably resonate with some more than others.
(1) Make cold calls.
This is the best way to get business fast. I haven’t done this myself but it’s effective when you make a commitment.
Make a list of businesses and pick up the phone. If you don’t want to make calls yourself, you may be able to hire a telemarketer from Elance or Craigslist. Create a simple pitch. “I’m calling on behalf of James Smith. He works with businesses like yours who want to sell more products via the Internet.” Or, “I’m calling on behalf of Lucy White. She develops brochures and business cards for small businesses who want to brand themselves on a budget.”
The downside of this method is that you have to make the calls. You need research to be sure you have an actionable target market. You need some sales skill and, if you hire someone, you have to be sure they’re really going to make the calls and sound professional.
(2) Write copy for your own products.
This method will be especially effective when you write online copy. After all, if you are a copywriter, you ought to be able to sell your own products, right? Some copywriters become so successful this way that they stop looking for business. Anyway, you never have downtime. I like to say, “I am my own best client.”
The only downside is that you have to invest the time in creating products or buying a product where you are allowed full resale rights. If your product doesn’t appeal to your target market, copywriting won’t save you. But you knew that, right? I bet that’s what you tell your own clients.
(3) Join forums associated with your target market.
Copywriting forums will help you increase your skills, but you can answer questions from people who are just like your own clients. I joined a forum of independent professionals who were marketing themselves. Several participants signed up for my ezine and a few even took my classes.
Forums let you display your knowledge and expertise over a period of time, so participants get to know you. As a bonus, you can revise your answers and repurpose them as articles and blog entries. These articles and posts tend to get attention because you address real problems of real prospects.
The downside is that you can’t sell. If you promote too aggressively, you get reprimanded or even banned. You also have to accept the norms of the forum, which usually mean, “Everybody’s opinion is equal.”
So participants can downplay the need for copywriting and there’s nothing you can do about it. On one forum, a well-known marketer wrote, “It’s no big deal; just write your own copy and pay someone from Craigslist $35 to edit it.” Did I hear a shudder from the experienced copywriters?
(4) Hook up with a copywriting guru.
Top copywriters often have more business than you can handle. Usually they refer the overflow to their own students. When you consider attending a copywriting training program, you should always ask about the possibility of referrals.
The downside of this method is that serious, high-paying clients won’t settle for anyone less than the guru. Often prospective clients call a big-name copywriter asking for a “student” who can help with a project. Translation: they want guru-quality copy on a newbie budget.
(5) Social media marketing.
Many of my clients have come to me through Facebook and Twitter. You get a chance to communicate your skills and present yourself as a three-dimensional person, if that’s important to your market. You can direct your Friends and Followers to blog posts and articles where they learn even more about you.
The downside is that many business owners on Facebook, like business owners everywhere, do not recognize the value of copywriting. They may go into sticker shock when you quote a ballpark price for a sales letter or website. If you can offer smaller-ticket items you might achieve more success, opening the door to bigger projects later.