Copywriting can be a wonderful career, and many businesses will require your services. While getting employment as a copywriter with a company can be a stable career option, there is also the opportunity to become a successful freelancer in this field as well. If you are an individual who has always wanted to be self-employed and manage your time and workload how you want to, you may have already considered this venture. However, being self-employed does come with various challenges, and copywriting can be very competitive. So, if you want to make sure that you’re securing good clients, here are some tips to help you improve your portfolio and networking strategies to get the best results.
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Social Media
You will need to have an online presence if you want to be seen by clients, so you do need to be mindful of how you use social media. You may have personal accounts to share updates with your friends and family, but it is a good idea to create separate professional accounts as a freelancer as well. Make sure that any personal accounts are set to private if you don’t want to worry about what potential clients may see, and always provide them with links to your professional pages. You may also want to join groups for freelance copywriters where you can find further tips, job posts, and more that could help you boost your profile. LinkedIn, in particular, is worth having as a way to connect with professionals.
Create a Professional Website
Connecting with people via social media is a good start, but if you want to show your professionalism, having a website that reflects this is also a good idea. This is a space where you can share more information regarding your experience as a copywriter, as well as showcase your portfolio and introduce your brand as a freelancer. If you are trying to cater to a specific industry, for example, more corporate-style copywriting, make sure that your website reflects this. You should also consider having a blog on your website where you can produce fresh content, as this will could help your SEO strategies and be additional examples of your writing style.
Keep Learning
If you want to be taken seriously as a freelance copywriter, you need to show that you understand what constitutes quality content and how this is utilized in marketing strategies, as well as other professional areas. Do make the time to keep learning about new developments and concepts, and even follow the campaigns of some brands that you are passionate about to see the type of written content they are producing. Using copywriting resources such as blogs and other publications to keep yourself in the loop is also beneficial. For example, this post on how to boost your content marketing efforts can provide some interesting insights for content strategies.
Show Some Variety
Although you might cater to a specific niche in terms of copywriting, you should still show some range in your portfolio so that clients can be more confident in your abilities. If you do want to attract more business, opening yourself up to various styles of writing and industries would be ideal, but this is something that you can choose about based on your skills and career interests. Either way, having a mix of different writing styles and tones can give your clients a better insight into the kind of work you can offer them. This could be things such as writing copy for sales catalogues, social media posts, blog posts, long-form articles, website copy, etc.
Consider Using a Shared Workspace
Working from home is not unusual for freelancers, but after going through a pandemic, getting out of the house might feel more important than ever. Not only can separating your living space from your work help you mentally but using a desk in a shared workspace might benefit you professionally as well. Being around other freelancers could provide the opportunity to network and make new connections, and perhaps even the chance of a collaborative project. You don’t have to go into the shared workspace every day if you don’t want to, but even doing this once or twice a week could help you meet new people and boost your professional profile.
Attend Networking Events
You should also take the time to search for any possible networking opportunities in your local area or bigger events in towns or cities nearby that you can travel to. These could be in the form of trade fairs or conferences where you might find your target client base, and remember to take with you some business cards to hand out to anyone who might be interested in using your services.
Use Websites for Freelancers
Having a professional website ready is always a good thing, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still use websites that are designed for connecting freelancers with clients. Having profiles on these sites can boost your visibility and increase your chances of getting hired. A lot of these websites tend to have a ranking or points system, so you will need to stay active on them if you want your profile to get noticed and put you in a better position for paid work.
Setting yourself up as a freelance copywriter can be exciting, but it can also be overwhelming at times, too. If you want to be successful in this line of work, you do need to make sure that you have a rich portfolio and the drive to keep reaching out to potential clients and other professionals that could help to boost your profile. The tips listed above are just some of the basics you will need to improve your portfolio and networking strategies, but they are all good places to start if you are new to freelance copywriting. See how they can help you start making those all-important connections and impressing new clients, allowing you to move from strength to strength as a freelance copywriter.
Continue Reading: 11 Tips for Success as a New Freelancer
About the Author
James Daniels is a freelance writer, business enthusiast, a bit of a tech buff, and an overall geek. He is also an avid reader, who can while away hours reading and knowing about the latest gadgets and tech, whilst offering views and opinions on these topics.
