Entries Tagged 'freelance copywriting' ↓

One question I am frequently asked is how I got started in the world of freelance copywriting.

Whether you’ve worked as a copywriter in an agency or company or whether you are looking to break into the industry from another direction, the thought of going it alone can be very daunting.

• Where do you find your clients?
• How do you get a steady stream of work?
• How do you find leads?

A bit about me

This is how I got started.

Before writing for a living I’d worked in the financial industry and charity world. Writing had always been a bit part of these roles, especially learning how to take on someone else’s voice. But it was my time with the charity that lead me to discover a talent for direct mail and persuasive writing.

While my children were small I did a BA(Hons) degree in English Language and English Literature with the Open University. That was the hardest 6 years of my life – trying to juggle studying with small children. But I graduated in 2007 with First Class Honours and it was at that point that I decided to take the plunge.

I wanted to work but, with a young family, I also needed to be around for them – becoming a freelance copywriter was a perfect fit.

How do you start without a budget?

Yes, I was in that boat too.

The one thing I realised (even with my limited knowledge of the internet) was that I had to be online if I was to succeed. All I had was a lap top.  So I invested some time into building my own website – without any HTML knowledge – boy was that fun! Talk about a verticle learning curve (can you have a vertical curve?) but with a bit of perseverance I got there.

Then I began researching every freelance profile and directory site and listed my details anywhere and everywhere. I didn’t realise it at the time but this would help my SEO later because of all the backlinks I was creating.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, work began trickling through. And I do mean trickle – this suited me, I didn’t need a huge income straightaway. That wasn’t why I began this venture. For me, my copywriting business is about helping people – the money is almost secondary. I get a lot out of helping other businesses – especially when I can see how much better their website would perform if it was professionally written (or their brochures, emails, newsletters etc.).

As my business grew I was able to invest in a new website and the rest is history.

The word of the blog

It wasn’t long before I realised that the best way to build content and links was by blogging. My initial tentative steps into blogging was using a wordpress blog. That was fine as far as it went, but after a huge wakeup call courtesy of WordPress, I realised I needed to get my own blog with my own URL – hence this blog.

The effect was amazing. It had only been going for about 6 months when it was picked up by oDesk in their top 100 freelance blogs. The resulting link catapulted my website onto the front page of Google for several of my keywords.

My blogging and article writing had positioned me as an expert in my field. People could instantly see I knew what I was talking about and my business grew rapidly.

10 top tips to get started

So what are my 10 top tips to break into the world of freelance copywriting?

1. Get online – make your website eye-catching and get your copy right. If your copy doesn’t sell you, how will you write powerful copy for your clients?
2. Start blogging
3. Submit articles to directories
4. Build backlinks
5. Join social networking sites and participate in forums
6. Start tweeting
7. Get out and network with local businesses
8. Get to grips with SEO – it will help you and your clients
9. Don’t be afraid to write for an industry you’ve no experience of – you’ll bring something fresh and new
10. Grow a thick skin

That’s just my story. Today I work with companies all over the world over a vast range of industries. My leads come through this blog and my website plus referrals. I no longer have to go out and find work – it comes to me.

I’m thankful to be able to do something I love, get paid for it, and know that it is helping other businesses (of all sizes) succeed too.

A resource for new writers

Has my story inspired you?

You may also be interested in a guide I recently came across called  Freelance Superstar by Monika Mundell and Gobala Krishnan. It is a complete guide to get started with freelance writing. If you are just starting out it will give you some handy tips on how to set up, find business and cope with the freelance way of life.

Good luck – and if you need any advice just drop me a line.

Sally

Slower than most people, I have just started to get to grips with Facebook pages.

I use social media a lot in the marketing of my business. As a freelance copywriter the vast majority of my clients find me online, one way or another. So, utilising Facebook for business seemed the logical thing to do – after all it’s another web presence and another opportunity to build up content.

These ideas always seem great, but when it comes to putting things into practice, it gets a bit more complicated.

But I now have my freelance copywriting facebook page up and running. Why not pop over there now and take a look. If you like what you see become a fan.

I’m waiting to say hi!

Because copywriting is sales writing it is designed to be read, persuade and sell.

Your writing has to emit a magnetic force that is so powerful it draws your reader in and holds their attention.

This isn’t a God given gift that only freelance copywriters have; it is something that anyone can achieve if they follow a few simple rules.

Want to know what they are?

Be direct

That doesn’t mean “Buy it!” will work.

People have a tendency to ‘over write’ because they think it sounds better – it doesn’t.

For example: “Most primary school children almost certain believe that Father Christmas still exists.”

Long winded or what?

“Most primary school children believe in Santa.” – Much better.

Repetition

This can be done in a good way to create a rhythm that’ll draw your reader in. Repetition can be good when done well. Repetition can be annoying when over used.

Active

If you use the passive voice in your writing you’ll use more words, appear lazy and produce something that’s not engaging. A passive sentence would be “the cat was stroked by the girl” but by swapping round the subject and object of the sentence you will make it active – “the girl stroked the cat”

Being active is much better.

Brief

When it comes to writing, less is most definitely more. When people read, they usually manage the first few sentences and then start scanning. Get your important information in early and don’t waffle.

Short sentences

Short sentences are easy to read. They are easy to understand. When you start getting complicated, and I think we can all be guilty of that at times, people begin to get bored and you run the risk of them deciding it’s not worth persevering with your overly long sentences especially as by the time they’ve reached the full stop they can’t remember what they were reading about anyway. (Gasp for breath!)

Debate

Don’t answer all their questions. Leave them wanting more.

No adjectives

Adjectives are nasty little suckers that sneak into your writing and dull your message. During your first editing read through be ruthless and banish them.

Story

Tell them a story about how your product solved someone’s problem. Understand what your product can do in a real life situation is very powerful.

Informal

Be conversational in your writing. Resist the temptation to write in a regional dialect – that really won’t work. Talk to your reader and they’ll respond; talk at them and they’ll walk away.

By putting these simple ideas into effect you’ll produce sales writing that’s readable and engaging.

Good luck.

We all know blogging is good for business

Just about every business owner out there understands that blogging is good for their business. It will:

• show them as an expert in their field
• add value to their client relationships
• drive traffic to their main website
• raise their profile

As a freelance copywriter I use blogging a lot because it helps me reach out to a wider audience (especially when I couple my blogging with Twitter), I can demonstrate that I do know what I’m talking about and (more importantly) that I can write.

My whole blog is centered around eveything copywriting and marketing. This focus is essential because it’s relevant to my work and, when people subscribe to my RSS feed, they know each post I make will be of use to them – after all they subscribed because I give them copywriting and marketing tips. If I suddenly started posting stuff about recipies and knitting I would loose the relevance and a lot of subscribers.

I don’t know what to write

If I was given a pound everytime someone said that to me, I would have retired a long time ago.

All you have to do is take a look at what your business does – there’s your subject matter. Throw into the mix comments on industry news, debates about new ideas and you’ve got yourself an interesting and relevant library to write about.

Follow other blogs within your industry. What are they talking about? Expand on their ideas (but always link back to the original source of inspiration). You can even get inspiration from print media too – the opportunities are endless.

Do I have to do it myself?

My personal opinion on this is yes.

I know there are many people out there who’ll write and post blog posts for you (for a fee) but, for me, that defeats the whole object of having a blog.

Your blog should be a means of communicating your thoughts and personality to your readers. With each post you are building a relationship. Your readers are getting to know you. If you are using your blog to drive traffic to your main website, your readers are going to feel as though they know you before they do business with you.

If you’re not the one doing the writing, how can they forge a relationship with you? It’s a bit like when, back in the 1980s, Milli Vanilly was found to be a complete fraud and their Grammy was revoked after it was revealed that the lead vocals on the record were not the actual voices of Morvan and Pilatus.

Yes, blogging takes time but isn’t it worth it?

The whole stimulus for this post was actually another blog post written by Chris Brogan called Write Better Blog Posts Today. Chris talks about being focused on your end result. Why are your writing your blog? What do you want your post to achieve? If you have these ideas straight in your mind before you start, you’ll become blogging dynamite.

Producing a regular newsletter for your business is a great marketing tool.

Whether you write the content yourself or you hire a freelance copywriter, you must ensure the content is something your reader will want to read. If not, you’ll be buried under an avalanche of unsubscribers.

What makes a good newsletter?

This might sound obvious, but the clue is in the name – newsletter.

Yes, you’ve got it – news.

Tell them something they’ll be interesting in such as the latest industry news, tips that will be of use in their work, articles that are relevant to their industry etc.

This will help strengthen your relationship with your customers.

What makes a bad newsletter?

A newsletter that bangs on constantly about your achievements, your products and your services.

You walk a fine line because you’ll want your newsletter to generate business for you but you also want to build strong relationships.

How do I achieve the ultimate balance?

You provide information that is useful and relevant and within that copy you weave references to your products and services. Within this context they will appear as being of service to your reader rather than self-serving.

What kind of articles can I lead with?

It’s always a good idea to have a lead article for your newsletter. If you have too many subjects within one issue you’re reader may be left confused. Some great ideas for this are:

• Latest industry news
• Advice
• Analysis on a new topic or product
• How-to article
• Case studies because people love to read real life stories

Your additional material could be things like – product updates, news about upcoming events, general information or reminders and teasers for the next issue

Of course – the final thing to remember (as with all email communication) is to include an opt-out option.