Notice how the title for this post only includes the number three? Not 13, not 23, not 33? This might be a short post, but I also wanted to cut out ALL the fluff. I only wanted to share with you the ACTUAL ways I’ve found copywriter jobs. I’m not here to write a list of 50 random things that could work for 1 in every 100 people.
One of the cool things about building your own business is the way your business can become self-sustaining over time. When I first started out, I was trying EVERYTHING to find copywriting clients.
Okay, not everything. But I did a LOT of deeeeep dives into those “how to find copywriter jobs” lists with 50+ items.
What I wish I’d known then was it’s a lot better to spend more energy on a couple really successful ways to find clients rather than giving little bits of myself to 40 different things.
3 ways to find copywriter jobs
So, let’s get to it. Here are three effective ways to find copywriter jobs.
Pitch
We’re not all born with the comfort or the skills to pitch ourselves.
For a lot of us, being told to pitch your services sounds worse than being told to take a cheese grater to your own face.
But the good news is pitching gets better over time, and so do you.
The more you do it, the less cringy it feels. Trust me.
I’ll save a deeper dive into pitching strategies for another post, but here are some quick tips I’ll share to start you off.
Quick Copywriting Pitch Tips
- Look for copywriting clients in the industry you want to work in. Chances are, businesses who are ranking well on Google PROBABLY have good copy. Find really good examples of copywriting for that industry in these results. Use these examples for inspiration and ideas. This also gives you an idea of how businesses in that industry are positioning themselves.
- Then find not-so-good, or non-existent copy for businesses on lower-ranking pages. These businesses might not have updated their copy for years. Or maybe they did it themselves and it’s nowhere near being SEO-friendly. Create a list of these businesses who could use some copywriting help.
- Pitch to them! Check out their website and look for the appropriate person to contact. If there’s only a general email, that’s a good place to start. But if you could find, a marketing director, for example, even better.
- Make sure you have work samples to include in your pitch. If you haven’t had any copywriting jobs yet, take on some volunteer copywriting tasks to start building your resume.
- Don’t focus on price right out of the gate. Instead, focus on results and WHY that potential client should hire you. Your fee can come later.
- Be friendly, professional, and personal in your pitch. Make it clear you’ve done your research into that specific client: a copy/paste pitch won’t do the trick here.
- Worst case scenario, they respond and tell you they’re not interested. But your work isn’t done. Always send a quick follow-up email, thanking them for their time and telling them you’d love to chat in the future if their situation changes.
Keep going until you get some bites! It takes time, but if you pitch enough, it’ll pay off.
Use the connections you already have
There’s a good chance you already know someone who needs copywriting work done. The trick is helping them make the connection between that need and having you fulfill it.
One easy way to start is using your existing connections. When I first launched Clear Clever Confident, I shared about it on Facebook. I explained what I was doing, why I was doing it, and how you could get in touch with me. Right away, I got a client from my list of Facebook friends, as well as social shares and reach.
Then, every once in a while, I’d post that I had an opening for a copywriting client. There’s a good chance not everyone will see your first post launching your copywriting services, so occasional, non-pushy reminders are great.
You can also use word of mouth to the same effect. Reach out to business owners you know in a non-salesy way. Let them know what you’re doing and to keep you in mind if they ever need copywriting services. Even if they don’t, there’s always a chance they’ll say, “I’m good, but so-and-so was just saying they need a new about me page…”
Now that I’ve established myself within my industry, I get most of my work through word of mouth. Clients tell people they know about me who tell people they know about me…and so on and so on. Getting copywriting jobs this way can take some time to get going, but you’ll be amazed how quickly it takes off from there!
So, your next task is to go on your social media accounts. Create a friendly, informative post about your services. Ask your friends/followers to share, or offer a way to get in touch if they want to know more.
Upwork
I owe a lot of my copywriting experience to Upwork. I was lucky to get started on it several years ago when the industry wasn’t quite as saturated. You can see my Upwork profile here if you want to check it out.
Now, like I said, most of my jobs come from word of mouth and existing, continued clients. That being said, I keep my Upwork profile live and I have a few contracts that still operate out of there.
If you want to get started on Upwork and find copywriting jobs, it’s not too late. But here’s what I’ll tell you:
You basically NEED reviews and experience on Upwork to be successful. Unless you’re really in no rush to make money or get hired, you’ll have to do a few jobs that maybe aren’t your ideal client or fee to get started.
So the hardest part is really getting your foot in the door. Hard, sure. But definitely not impossible.
The good news is, there’s tons of people looking for cheap work. I KNOW that sounds rough. But if you swallow your pride and take a few of these jobs to start, you can get the experience and ratings you need on Upwork to get bigger and better jobs.
How do you find copywriter jobs?
Now you know the three most effective ways I’ve found for finding copywriter jobs. But I want to hear from you. What’s working and what’s not? Comment below or email me at [email protected] and let’s chat.
In the meantime, you might also want to check out this post with five blog writing tips to boost readability, traffic, and SEO.
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