So you've watched a couple of YouTube videos
and decided that you want to give
this whole copywriting thing a try.
Yeah you do.
Well, let me tell you, you are in the right place.
In this video, I'm sharing the first six steps you must take
to start a freelance copywriting business,
and make money doing what you love ASAP.
(upbeat music)
Welcome to the raddest, baddest crew
of copywriters on the Internet.
This is the place to be if you are looking
to turn your passion for writing into a business.
Yes, it is possible, I promise you that.
But before you get too gung-ho and rearing to go,
there are six very important steps
that you need to take first before you find a client
who will want to give you their money.
Now, you might remember that I made another video
pretty similar to this one
way back when I first started my channel in 2019.
But as you guys know, I am all about learning and evolving
to stay on top of the latest trends, techniques, and tactics
that are working today.
As I like to say, I keep it real so you can stay relevant
and this video is my latest and greatest spin
on that 2019 classic.
Now, while all the advice in that video still applies today,
I wanted to freshen it up with some new tips
that I think you'll find insanely helpful,
especially step number six.
So make sure you watch to the end for two stories
that will completely change the way you think
about the right way to get clients.
Hey guys, it's Alex.
As always, I'm here to help you
create the life of your dreams
by building a successful freelance copywriting business,
so if you're into that, give me a thumbs up below
and if you're new around here, welcome.
I put out a new copywriting and marketing tutorial
every single week, so if you're looking to ignite
your freelance copywriting business this year,
go ahead and hit subscribe below,
and don't forget to ring that bell to be notified
when my next video goes live.
All right, now let's dive right in to the six steps
to igniting your freelance copywriting business fast.
Step number one, study.
This was number one on my first video
and it will always remain in the number one spot,
because it is seriously that important.
You have heard me say over and over again
that learning never stops, and yes, believe it or not,
even after doing this for 10 years,
I am still learning and growing my copywriting
and marketing skills every single week.
You simply cannot binge on YouTube videos for one week
and then consider yourself an expert,
it doesn't work that way.
If you really wanna be successful in this business,
you have to commit yourself
to the continual pursuit of knowledge.
So go out there and listen to podcasts,
watch YouTube tutorials like this one,
buy books and actually read them, attend events
and sign up for practical copywriting
programs and challenges.
And listen, I got you covered with all of that and more,
and the first place you need to be is right here
on my YouTube channel, so you're already on the right track.
But if you haven't subscribed yet, what are you waiting for?
After this video, I suggest you dive deep
into the dozens of other videos that I have
waiting for you on my channel.
Step number two, practice.
All the knowledge in the world won't do you any good
unless you can actually implement it.
Now I know that everyone wants to learn
what they need to know and then go out there immediately
and find a paying client,
but I am telling you right now
that you'll definitely wanna practice writing copy
before you go out there and call yourself a copywriter.
First of all, you'll be really hard pressed
to find a client if you can't actually prove to them
that you know what you're doing,
and second of all, your first few attempts
at copywriting will be bad.
Yes, I said it.
Let's all just accept this as fact right now,
because I don't care who you are,
when you're first learning this craft,
or any new skill for that matter,
you're not gonna be great at first and that's okay.
The way you grow as a copywriter
is to first write bad copy and then fix it,
and that is the Copy Posse golden rule
and the only way you'll ever get better and better.
So write this down:
You gotta write crappy before you write copy.
So that's exactly what you should be doing right now.
With this video or every video and podcast
you're learning something from,
go ahead and actually put into practice what you learn.
What matters is that you're getting your hands dirty
because that is the only real way you'll learn anything new.
My favorite way to practice is to re-write headlines
that I find online.
So the next time you see an ad, a landing page, or an email,
try to re-write it in your own words.
Or better yet, head on over to my Instagram page
and stay tuned for my next edition
of "Can You Make This Headline Even Hotter?"
It's a fun way to practice
and see what other copywriters are doing.
Moving on to step number three, find a community.
I truly believe this is the single biggest needle mover
for those looking to start a new business in anything,
so you'll wanna do this sooner rather than later.
Connecting with a community of like-minded peers
will be massively beneficial to you
because I'm just gonna go out on a limb and say it,
you probably don't know many other copywriters, right?
So who can you really talk to about your struggles?
Who can you ask to review something you write
and give you honest feedback?
Who can you reach out to for tips on landing clients,
or what to do once you actually do land a client
and need support?
Having an online crew that you can connect with
will make your journey that much easier,
because trust me, you are going to have some questions
along the way and you're gonna want support,
guidance and encouragement from people
who get where you're at.
Now you can find tons of groups and communities online,
like on Facebook, Instagram
and other social media platforms,
my own badass Copy Posse community included,
and if you wanna join my premium members only community,
you can do that by joining my write and ignite challenge.
You can find the link to that below.
But here's the real kicker, you guys,
you need to actually engage with the people in these groups.
You know, be active and be real
and build a relationship with them,
because people will always be more willing to reply
to your questions and posts if you've proved
that you're an active and value-driven member
of the community first.
All right, step number four, write your elevator pitch.
So this tip is kind of like three tips in one,
so make sure you pay close attention.
Once you start practicing and building confidence
in your craft, it's time to get clear on how you plan
to serve your future clients.
So think of your elevator pitch
as your personal sales pitch.
You need to be able to quickly and effectively communicate
what you offer, who you serve and how you do it,
and you should be able to communicate that all
in 10 seconds or less, or the amount of time
it takes an elevator to move a floor,
which means that your pitch needs to be quick
but it also needs to position you as the person
who can help your clients achieve their goals.
So let's break this down a little bit.
What do you offer?
Will you offer copy or content or both?
And go a step further to nail down
exactly what your ideal niche is, or in other words,
what would you like to be your area of expertise?
It could be personal development, online education,
beauty, health and fitness, the list goes on and on.
So ask yourself, what do you truly enjoy researching,
learning about and writing about,
and that's what you should pick as your starter niche,
because remember, you're gonna have to write
about this topic every day for the foreseeable future.
But don't worry, picking your niche right now
isn't a lifelong commitment.
You can pivot at any time.
Next up, ask who do you serve?
Do you want to help coaches, entrepreneurs or authors?
Female-led brands, local businesses,
natural and sustainable products?
SaaS sites, eCommerce companies?
You should narrow down and get specific
on who your ideal client would be.
And finally, how do you do it?
What services will you offer?
Do you do blog posts, sales copy, video scripts, emails,
social media, home pages, websites, ads?
There are so many different types and mediums
of copywriting out there.
Now I know what you're thinking.
You're thinking, "Wait, I can't narrow it down that much.
"Won't it be super hard to find clients or get work
"if I am that specific?"
Listen, I know it's scary
and it can feel like you're cutting yourself off
from tons of opportunities, but trust me,
when you get specific, it actually helps you
find and land clients.
Let me prove it to you.
Which one of these elevator pitches do you think
is most likely to land a client?
"I help coaches craft website copy that is clear, effective
"and personal to help them attract more leads and sales."
Or, "I'm a copywriter and I can write copy for you."
Yeah.
It's pretty obvious that the first one stands out.
It's short, clear and concise.
Now it doesn't mean you have to turn away work
that falls outside of this, it just means you now
have a laser focused approach for finding clients
that you're actually super excited to work with.
All right, step number five,
start building your portfolio and profile.
So you know all that practice you've been doing?
Yeah, now it's time to organize it all
into one neat and tidy place, so that when you have a client
that's interested in possibly working with you,
you can showcase your skills in a way that's professional.
The key here is that if you haven't actually been contracted
to write any of that work yet,
make sure you are very clear that what you're showing
are just samples, and then of course you can add in
any other relevant writing samples you have
that showcase your skills and abilities.
Now I have a video on how to build your portfolio
with zero experience, and I'll link to that
at the end of this video for you to watch next.
But a question that I get literally all the time is this,
"Alex, which software should I use to build my portfolio?"
And you guys seriously do not have to overthink this.
I have every single one of my students
create their portfolios in Google Drive.
It's free, it's easy and everyone knows how to use it.
It's great because you can add
as many documents as you want,
add folders organized by niche and brand
to make it really easy to navigate,
and it's super simple to share your work.
Remember, all you have to do is prove to your clients
that you know what you're doing.
Copywriters aren't designers,
so I promise you that your clients aren't expecting
your portfolio to be pretty.
Well organized and structured, yes,
but fancy shmancy, no.
All right, now last on the list is step number six,
get visible.
Now this is when you put yourself out there
and start looking for clients.
There are many different methods for finding
and creating clients, but something that I think
is even more effective than sending cold outreach emails
to 5000 people is networking.
So my advice is get out there
on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook,
attend live and local events,
and start having value-driven conversations.
Make it super clear who you are and what you do,
enter your elevator pitch from step number four.
The key here is to make yourself as visible as possible,
because sure, you can spend hours actively looking
for clients, but you could easily attract clients to you
by showing up and connecting with the right people.
I am a big big big believer in something
my friend and freelancing expert Jay Close says,
and that is to ask your network to advocate for you.
So yes, that means letting your friends and family
and former classmates, coaches, bosses, and colleagues
know what you're doing now and how you can help people.
Now I know a lot of people shy away from doing this
because it's a public declaration
of you trying something new and what if you fail?
I get it.
Or worse, what if everyone feels the need
to share their opinions and unsolicited advice?
Yes, I have been there too.
Now I know it might feel scary
debuting your new copywriting skills to the world,
but think of it this way,
who is more likely to advocate for you
and send possible clients your way?
Is it people who know, like and trust you,
or people you've never even met?
If you're not letting your network know
about what you're doing, you are missing out
on a ton of potential connections and opportunities.
In fact, one of my Copy Posse launch pad coaching students
shared this powerful story with our class
and I wanna take a minute to share it with you.
She said, "I have specifically not told anyone at work
that I'm doing this course
because I'm afraid of retributions.
I'm afraid that they could say I'm not giving 100%
because my attention is divided between my job
and copywriting, and I've imagined
100 different conversations with my superiors
that all end badly."
"Well, tonight my boss invited me over for dinner.
When we were sitting around the kitchen,
we started talking about finances and the future,
and after thinking about it for a second,
I decided to tell her."
"I told her I'm in a copywriting program right now
and looking to get some freelancing jobs in the future.
She asked a few questions about copywriting
and I explained a little bit about what I'm learning.
She was really excited and said how happy she was
that I was investing in something like that.
"Then she said, 'Actually, we could really use some help
with that kind of stuff at work.
I've been writing all of our content
and trying to keep our site updated,
but I really don't have time for any of that.
Let me know whenever you're ready
and I'd love to give you some projects.'"
Um, what?
Yeah.
How amazing is that?
Now here is another story that one of my students shared.
"Holy cow, you guys!
I went public on my private Instagram page last night
and shared a post about my new copywriting business.
Less than 24 hours later, I have a client meeting booked."
Yeah!
So now it's your turn.
Get visible, be active, and put yourself out there
in whatever way feels right for you.
You never know what might happen next.
All right guys, that's it for today.
Until next time, I'm Alex.
Ciao for now.
All right guys, if you enjoyed that video,
make sure to check out the next one from me right here,
and you can click right here to get a free gift.
Ah yes, probably the biggest
freelancing catch-22 of them all,
how do you build a portfolio if you don't have clients,
and how do you get clients if you don't have a portfolio?
Trust me, there is a way, five in fact,
so keep watching to learn my five tips
for building a portfolio with zero experience.