Fellow Copywriting Professionals keep asking us how we manage to find new copywriting contracts all year long. We never rest and we are very good at rejecting bad clients. It’s as simple as that: be good at working hard and saying no.

Copywriting Jobs & Networking

It’s not what you think. Really, it’s not!

We give 10% of our working hours in pro bono services. We offer our 10% copywriting services for free, for companies or entrepreneurs that are in danger to close their businesses. In plain numbers, our SEO Copywriting Agency has the capacity to handle 25 projects per week. So, 2 or 3 of them are given free of charge.

Usually, we find these projects in Facebook groups or among our circle of friends. You know how it goes, a friend of a friend asks for a helping hand and usually it ends up being added to our Pro Bono List. One major key point is that we focus on our local community, for each country. When you help a company to stand back on its feet, they spread the word about your brand, like fire.

During 2020 (the big pandemic year) we helped 12 companies and 6 freelancers to get back in business through our free services in SEO, Copywriting, Digital Marketing, and Branding. We also build one Eshop (100% free) for a women-based association in Crete.

What happened next? Word of mouth effect: they shared the good news with the people around them about what we did and who we were. Each Pro Bono project returned 6-10 new paid clients. Not bad, right? This year we still receive requests for paid projects from the pro bono projects in 2018, 2019, and 2020. That is really the best way to invest in great networking.

Find Copywriting Jobs on LinkedIn

Set the alarm notification system ON for all copywriting jobs listed on LinkedIn. You may not want to be hired at the moment, but it gives you a great sense of what is really in demand. For example, in April 2020, we noticed a high demand for Ecommerce Copywriters.

We published new content around all hot questions regarding E-commerce. In 50 days, 10 big clients landed our SEO Copywriting Agency in Greece. They wanted services for:

• Website copywriting
• Products descriptions
• Blog content
• SEO optimization
• Social media microcopy
• Email copywriting
• Branding strategy
• SEO strategy

They still trust us for all the new sections they create. Also, they have brought us more new clients that follow their steps. In other words, we didn’t chase them, we only waved our flag and attracted their attention. Pay attention to the market’s needs and create helpful content that actually answers to specific needs. Get rid of the old-fashioned “Buyer Persona model” and concentrate on the pain points.

One golden tip: Each person is a unique Buyer Persona, but needs are solid as rocks. Hear the needs. Be the person who heals the thirst for specific requests.

Evaluate the Potential of Each Project

Always, I mean always, talk in person with the client. Learn more about the way they think, their mission, their goals, and their dreams. Ask them where they see themselves 10 years from now. When we make the right questions it becomes easier to evaluate if we can work with a new client or if we should move on to the next one.

Get comfortable with the rejection process; both giving and receiving. Deal with it with grace and politeness.

Most SEO Copywriting Agencies stop the journey at this point. We don’t. When we reject a client we prefer to give them great alternatives to the existing competition in the market. That’s correct: We send clients to our competitors because we want to have a healthy market in our region. We pick up the phone and introduce them like we would do the same for a friend. Why?

B2B (business 2 business) networking and collaboration start from this step: first, you give and then you wait… When you give away a client to another Agency they will send you one when it comes to that point. They will remember you… Not all of them, but for sure 80% of them, will return the favor. Besides that, it is really good to have open communication with other Agencies.

Provide your support when a fellow Agency struggles to survive. Share a piece of the pie because above all we are all humans. In 2020 many Marketing Agencies went through hell due to business restrictions. With my team, we did everything in our power to share projects with other Agencies, even with the ones that we don’t get along with very well. My mother taught me to share the water with all the people around me. Kindness and compassion are better than bitterness.

There is an unwritten law in the market putting Respect above Profit. When other professionals respect you and your company, doors open effortlessly. You see, the values of character & ethics still make a huge difference in the world.

Copywriting Jobs for Beginners

If you are a freelance copywriter and just starting your copywriting portfolio then go create a decent personal blog on WordPress and start creating content. After your first 10 – 20 pieces get out there introduce yourself on Social Media and try the waters in job listings.

At the same time, apply for any interesting copywriting jobs on these platforms:

1. All Freelance Writing
2. AngelList
3. Behance
4. Blogging Pro
5. Contena.co
6. Cloud Peeps
7. Craigslist
8. Dice
9. FlexJobs
10. Freelance Writing
11. Freelance Writing Gigs
12. GlassDoor
13. Journalism Jobs
14. Indeed.com
15. Media Bistro
16. ProBlogger
17. Remote.co
18. RemoteOK.io
19. Solid Gigs
20. We Work Remotely
21. Virtual Vacations
22. ZipRecruiter

Spend at least one hour every day, searching for new copywriting jobs. Your main goal should be in producing great content every single day, so dedicate 2-3 hours to daily writing. You may get some new entry copywriting jobs from your friends. Have you asked them if they need a copywriter for their website or their social media?

Make room in your weekly schedule for educational reading and activities. This line of business needs endless studying. Keep a list of trendy hot topics and create content for possible searches that will occur along the way. Copywriting is one part of a major sector in Marketing. Try to learn as many parts of this sector as possible. Dive into the deep waters of Digital Marketing, SEO, Technology, Design, and Branding.

Freelance Marketplaces for Copywriters

Let’s see in detail the best approach to copywriting job search through freelance marketplaces like Upwork and Fiverr. We will not just stick to the usual professional advice for new copywriters but we will go deeper behind the first reading of a listing.

In this section, we have gathered the most useful tips and keys that successfully decrypt freelance marketplaces. The goal is to save time and immediately evaluate the information contained in these platforms in order to use your skills and experience and land new copywriting jobs.

• Create your profile
• Follow the guidelines of each platform
• Follow the example of established freelancers
• Begin with low prices and gradually raise them
• Get as many as possible new clients and ask for reviews
• More reviews will bring you more clients
• More clients will bring you better projects
• Better projects can help you raise your prices
• Pick a platform and focus

Usually, it takes almost half a year to gain the level of work that can support your living. At the end of the first year, invest in your own personal clientele and contract system. Create your own mailing list for achieving continuous growth of your business.

Careful study of the projects of high achievers and read the pattern of their growth. Learn from their success story and how you can handle promotion and branding for your personal business. Hey, don’t forget to update your LinkedIn profile for all your new steps and skills.

LinkedIn can become a strong source of new clients. Remember to fill the description area of every new job with the keyword – SEO – sensitive professional role and a short description of your role in each new copywriting job. The responsibilities give a clear message about what you can do for your potential clients.

Keep a Journal with all your Contracts

Keep a clear journal with all your contracts, deadlines, payments, delivery, and reminders. In the beginning, it may look empty but after six months you may need help to handle the workload while following up on the deadlines. Write down all the important information for each project.

Eventually, it will help you evaluate the strengths & weaknesses of each copywriting job you take. When you see the process of building your business path, framed in a six months calendar, it’s easier to decide your next move for your own professional development. It is useful to keep a record of the jobs you respond to and ideally, the samples you send.

Gradually you will notice that the range of your responsibilities may overlap with other specialties or may not be strictly within the usual work context. For example, a Web Designer handling a Content Management System may ask for your help for backend entries. Learn new skills as they come!

What is a Copywriter?

A copywriter is a person who is paid to create “copy” – content made from words (or other forms of copy) designed to drive action. A junior copywriter works directly below the senior copywriter, usually in the marketing and advertising industry. Nowadays copywriters are found in other industries related to copy-relevant communication. In general content creators start from the use of words.

Copywriter Responsibilities

The role of a copywriter can vary from agency to agency, from project to project, and from goal to goal but in all cases, it’s common to engage in SEO activities that include:

• Write content for blog posts and advertisements that promote products or services,
• Create copy or text to complement visual concepts across many platforms,
• Create content for marketing materials,
• Press and print advertising copy,
• Press releases content,
• Newsletters content,
• Articles content,
• Brochures

Read this detailed article about Copywriter’s Responsibilities.