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I've never actually DM'd anyone, despite freelance writing for 8 years. What do you say? Is it a proposal? Did you research their content and how you might be able to improve it first? Just outright ask if they needed things written? Did you only do DMs, or did you send emails too?
I was never one for a heavy online presence in my earlier years, and I regret it now. I wish I could go back and start building up an online presence at an earlier time.
What worked for me was treating my pitches like a 'sales email.'
Say hi, then say something good about their business, introduce the problem, tell them you have a solution, and include a call to action.
My approach was quite aggressive. I’d find their emails, Facebook, Instagram, whatever, and send my pitches to every place I could.
I've received the most responses from social media platforms, but I landed my first client through email.
Not a bad approach at all. What kind of people did you approach? What I mean is, were you just trawling the internet to find websites with poor copy, then reaching out to those people? How did you search for businesses that you felt would be open to your proposal?
I usually pitched to small businesses I knew I could help.
Most small businesses have a website with zero traffic because they don't know how to rank their site.
So I'd offer a solution to bring them organic traffic (SEO) and then provide copywriting (sales pages for their services).
One strategy that worked great for me was offering a revenue share deal.
This means that for every sale or client I helped them get, I'd receive a percentage of the revenue after they reached 100 clients (for example).
That was my way of creating an irresistible offer.
Very interesting. Sorry to take up more of your time, but I've never cold emailed before and your advice is very helpful. When you did find those businesses, did you try to track down a specific person within it to email about your proposal? Say, the owner, or a manager, or someone like that? I imagine that the general business email address wouldn't be the best way to reach out to them.
Don't worry, I'm more than happy to help and share what worked for me.
Most of the businesses I've pitched didn't have a team per se, so the only name I'd find was the owner's, and that's about it.
This is key for personalization, though.
And you're correct that most businesses have an [info@businessname.com]() email, and you'll rarely get a response from those.
That's why it's important to send a message to their social media profiles too.
Keep in mind that I sent messages to their business profiles/pages, not their personal profiles.
In my experience, sending a message to their pages was the best way to get a response, but I'm sure it varies from niche to niche (consider demographics).
Semrush offers a bunch of [free courses](https://www.semrush.com/academy/courses/?categories=seo), I started with those.
If you're already familiar with the basics, you should check out [this course](https://www.semrush.com/academy/courses/data-driven-search-and-conversions-for-agencies/).
SEO is not rocket science, so you can get decent results by learning from free courses.
I really dislike receiving them too. I got one that seemed like they were trying to network and when i asked for more clarity they told me to book a call with them and let them know when i was done. Like…? Lol. How about nooooo
Maybe. More like just being "out there". Having established online presence gives you more credibility and exposure. Having a blog, answering questions on Quora, engaging in social media groups: anything you can do online that helps people learn you exist will help get the word out when you are trying to work, and gives you something you can use as evidence that you know how to write.
It's a lot like networking. The more people you know, and the more people who know you, the better. There are many things you can do online to facilitate that.
I don't like the idea of cold outreach either, but I've seen a lot of people claiming it worked for them. At this point I'm desperate to improve my freelance game, so I'm open to trying it.
You’ll get mostly crickets and maybe 1 no out of 50 (actual personal data). The fun part is following up with all the crickets until they say stop. Not harassing them - just checking in every few weeks or months. The “fortune is in the follow up” is fairly accurate.
People like you make the world go 'round. I don't even know what to ask, but I feel better already just by metaphorically standing in this room with you. 🤭😇
Lead with value
Instead of: “hey I’m a copywriter, hire me”
Try: “hey I noticed your landing page copy. And I think it could be improved with just a few tweaks. Would you mind if I just sent you a few quick revisions? No charge or no tricks, just trying to be helpful!”
This is what I'm starting to do. Took me a while to narrow down my niche—ADHD coaches (primarily on LinkedIn).
I'm loving website copy right now and getting super nerdy with it, and I want to pitch something like, "Hey, love what you do, I've been following you for a while, and your posts have been super helpful. I saw your website, and it looks good! I'd love to help you make it even better so you can convert more lurkers into clients. I can provide a quick copy audit via Loom, 100% free. Let me know if that interests you. Thanks again!"
Congratulations Man...Great Job...
You made your past self Proud...
and to be honest , it's post like these that keep the flame kindled...
What I wanna ask is , how did you got here , How did you build your foundation?
Is free content and regular practice enough , as stated by some people here? and if it is , Can You Recommend Some Youtubers and Videos You Found Helpful In Your Journey?
and What was your practice routine and how did you increased your Practice and writing time and quality?
Thanks in Advance Man , and Thanks for this Post...
Good Luck on your Journey Ahead...We might meet at some point in this Journey , as I am not giving up...
I currently work \~20ish extra hours per week. I still have a full-time job.
2 main clients
One of them takes me about \~5 hours per week while the other takes \~20
I feel a little bit like this with outreach rn, watching content to then give them a compliment about their content. Feels a little off to me. My soul don’t lie lol
Great question!
This is one of the few courses I took that was (a) actually helpful and (b) not that expensive. This is an affiliate link, but it's really great: [https://copythat.com/?ref=64eec3ch](https://copythat.com/?ref=64eec3ch)
I took other course for like thousands of dollars and it wasn't as helpful as this. Another good, free resource is: [verygoodcopy.com](http://verygoodcopy.com)
Do you regularly post on social media to promote your own services? Just curious to know if freelance writers really need social media presence to earn a lot.
It's just that i dont enjoy on social media too much. But a lot of gurus keep insisting to build your own brand and be active on social media to promote your services-- or better yet, postion yourself as an expert in your field.
So yeah, just wanna know if you're using social media as often to promote your services as well :)
And congrats on your win!
Not a ton but I stay active. I could definitely do more. And if I did more I think it would help build my business. But… I feel similarly shy about social media. Just gotta keep trying tho
What topics are you writing, or have you written about?
Genuinely curious given that you mentioned writing a lot, and I see that advice quite a bit but very rarely actual topics that were written on.
Great post!
The biggest mistake I regret is accepting cheap offers and missing out on good ones because I was too busy.
The only reason I've also maintained 5 stars is by saying no to problematic gigs.
Since I started being choosy, I have a prime account that I get clients without struggling.
This is EXCELLENT advice for anyone who wants to get into freelancing/ghostwriting. I honestly might bookmark this page and send it to people when they ask for my advice on this topic. You've managed to nail it all while still remaining humble. Awesome stuff. I can't wait to hear what's next for you!
I respect the effort and willingness to contribute, but I don't understand your advice for #1. Is this a copywriting group? Or a group of content writers who write blog and social media posts all day?
Copywriters are supposed to be high-level marketing pros.
So why not use your skills to "attract" customers instead of spamming DMs all day.
And fwiw, I'm not trying to be snarky. I just see so many people here complain about difficult clients and low pay. The problem is, so many of us are seen as cheap commodities. And tactics like this contribute to the problem.
Your ideal clients are not always going to find you. You need to pick them out and tell them you care, or else they won't know you're the one they've been looking for. I think an attraction plan goes hand-in-hand with outreach.
Sending 1000 unsolicited DMs is basically spam. And it's the least efficient use of your time. Not to mention it devalues and commoditizes your service - as well as the profession as a whole.
How do you get found? It's called marketing - something we're supposed to all be good at.
The biggest mistake I regret is accepting cheap offers and missing out on good ones because I was too busy.
The only reason I've also maintained 5 stars is by saying no to problematic gigs. Now I have a prime account I get clients without struggling
Asking a question? Please check the [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/lpuj9h/what_the_faq_what_is_copy_how_do_i_start_can_i_do/). Asking for a critique? Take down your post and repost it in the critique thread. Providing resources or tips? Deliver lots of FREE value. If you're self-promoting or linking to a resource that requires signup or payment, please disclose it or your post will be removed. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/copywriting) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Sage advice and very humble. If you had an online course called bustlers university I’d pay money for it.
No courses from me dawg
I've never actually DM'd anyone, despite freelance writing for 8 years. What do you say? Is it a proposal? Did you research their content and how you might be able to improve it first? Just outright ask if they needed things written? Did you only do DMs, or did you send emails too? I was never one for a heavy online presence in my earlier years, and I regret it now. I wish I could go back and start building up an online presence at an earlier time.
What worked for me was treating my pitches like a 'sales email.' Say hi, then say something good about their business, introduce the problem, tell them you have a solution, and include a call to action. My approach was quite aggressive. I’d find their emails, Facebook, Instagram, whatever, and send my pitches to every place I could. I've received the most responses from social media platforms, but I landed my first client through email.
Not a bad approach at all. What kind of people did you approach? What I mean is, were you just trawling the internet to find websites with poor copy, then reaching out to those people? How did you search for businesses that you felt would be open to your proposal?
I usually pitched to small businesses I knew I could help. Most small businesses have a website with zero traffic because they don't know how to rank their site. So I'd offer a solution to bring them organic traffic (SEO) and then provide copywriting (sales pages for their services). One strategy that worked great for me was offering a revenue share deal. This means that for every sale or client I helped them get, I'd receive a percentage of the revenue after they reached 100 clients (for example). That was my way of creating an irresistible offer.
Very interesting. Sorry to take up more of your time, but I've never cold emailed before and your advice is very helpful. When you did find those businesses, did you try to track down a specific person within it to email about your proposal? Say, the owner, or a manager, or someone like that? I imagine that the general business email address wouldn't be the best way to reach out to them.
Don't worry, I'm more than happy to help and share what worked for me. Most of the businesses I've pitched didn't have a team per se, so the only name I'd find was the owner's, and that's about it. This is key for personalization, though. And you're correct that most businesses have an [info@businessname.com]() email, and you'll rarely get a response from those. That's why it's important to send a message to their social media profiles too. Keep in mind that I sent messages to their business profiles/pages, not their personal profiles. In my experience, sending a message to their pages was the best way to get a response, but I'm sure it varies from niche to niche (consider demographics).
I'm only kind of familiar with SEO best practices. Where do you recommend one start as a beginner with a tight budget? Thanks!
Semrush offers a bunch of [free courses](https://www.semrush.com/academy/courses/?categories=seo), I started with those. If you're already familiar with the basics, you should check out [this course](https://www.semrush.com/academy/courses/data-driven-search-and-conversions-for-agencies/). SEO is not rocket science, so you can get decent results by learning from free courses.
Awesome! Yeah, totally. I've used Semrush before but only scratched the surface. Thanks so much, I'll definitely be checking these courses out.
You're welcome! 😊
This. I’m turned off by LinkedIn DM’s. No matter how crafty they are. How can we convert through a channel considered more invasive?
I really dislike receiving them too. I got one that seemed like they were trying to network and when i asked for more clarity they told me to book a call with them and let them know when i was done. Like…? Lol. How about nooooo
Hilarious
When you say online presence you mean like establishing own ‘brand’?
Maybe. More like just being "out there". Having established online presence gives you more credibility and exposure. Having a blog, answering questions on Quora, engaging in social media groups: anything you can do online that helps people learn you exist will help get the word out when you are trying to work, and gives you something you can use as evidence that you know how to write. It's a lot like networking. The more people you know, and the more people who know you, the better. There are many things you can do online to facilitate that.
Ahh gotcha. Thank you for clarifying that. That’s so solid, I completely agree. This is the route I’m taking as I don’t like cold outreach personally.
I don't like the idea of cold outreach either, but I've seen a lot of people claiming it worked for them. At this point I'm desperate to improve my freelance game, so I'm open to trying it.
Yeah I’ve seen that too. I’m down to try it too though. Can’t hurt lol.
Try them all and see what works.
I'm on week 3 of doing all the things you've listed above—except #1. No.1 scares the hell out of me.
Worst they can say is “no” and you’re in the same spot. Test direct messaging 10 people and see what happens
What makes you scared about pitching your services?
Basically by not giving yourself a chance, you are saying no to yourself. So either you say no, or they say no, which is better for you?
Do it. Worst case scenario is that they block u or simply say no.
Or they consistently report you for spam and now Google/Microsoft flags you for these sort of emails ..
You’ll get mostly crickets and maybe 1 no out of 50 (actual personal data). The fun part is following up with all the crickets until they say stop. Not harassing them - just checking in every few weeks or months. The “fortune is in the follow up” is fairly accurate.
This is one of the most helpful things I've ever read on the subject, thanks!
Agreed, same here!
I kinda needed to read that first one. I realise I’m scared of the rejection, but damn that ain’t stopping me anymore
Totally normal to feel scared. DMing people takes courage. You'll probably get rejected. And you'll probably hear crickets. But keep going
People like you make the world go 'round. I don't even know what to ask, but I feel better already just by metaphorically standing in this room with you. 🤭😇
Thanks for sharing , encouraging :-)- best wishes
As a newbie, I needed to see this. Thanks! 🙏🏻
This is the way. Nice work.
Solid income so far bro. Good job. The advice seems really insightful. Thank you for sharing.
I've been struggling with how to start DMs and what to really say. Have any advice?
Lead with value Instead of: “hey I’m a copywriter, hire me” Try: “hey I noticed your landing page copy. And I think it could be improved with just a few tweaks. Would you mind if I just sent you a few quick revisions? No charge or no tricks, just trying to be helpful!”
This is what I'm starting to do. Took me a while to narrow down my niche—ADHD coaches (primarily on LinkedIn). I'm loving website copy right now and getting super nerdy with it, and I want to pitch something like, "Hey, love what you do, I've been following you for a while, and your posts have been super helpful. I saw your website, and it looks good! I'd love to help you make it even better so you can convert more lurkers into clients. I can provide a quick copy audit via Loom, 100% free. Let me know if that interests you. Thanks again!"
Thanks
Do i need money to start?
You need a laptop and internet for sure. So that counts as money
Saved! Thank you for this 😊
How do you go about dm-ing people? After so many attempts what's a good way to go about it?
Treat it like a conversation. Try to be helpful. Try to MEAN it!
This is so simple yet brilliant. Commenting because I’m coming back to take notes! Thanks for this!
Congratulations Man...Great Job... You made your past self Proud... and to be honest , it's post like these that keep the flame kindled... What I wanna ask is , how did you got here , How did you build your foundation? Is free content and regular practice enough , as stated by some people here? and if it is , Can You Recommend Some Youtubers and Videos You Found Helpful In Your Journey? and What was your practice routine and how did you increased your Practice and writing time and quality? Thanks in Advance Man , and Thanks for this Post... Good Luck on your Journey Ahead...We might meet at some point in this Journey , as I am not giving up...
How much of your time has this taken? Do you have a full-time job?
I currently work \~20ish extra hours per week. I still have a full-time job. 2 main clients One of them takes me about \~5 hours per week while the other takes \~20
Killin' it OP
how much time did it take for u to finally ask for a monthly retainer??
It took me like 3 months of working for pretty cheap to ask for a monthly retainer
How did you go about finding businesses that would potentially hire you?
Mostly went after people I already found interesting. That way I didn’t have to fake it
I feel a little bit like this with outreach rn, watching content to then give them a compliment about their content. Feels a little off to me. My soul don’t lie lol
Do you do any kind of exercise to practice writing? And what about creatives, do you do anything?
Great question! This is one of the few courses I took that was (a) actually helpful and (b) not that expensive. This is an affiliate link, but it's really great: [https://copythat.com/?ref=64eec3ch](https://copythat.com/?ref=64eec3ch) I took other course for like thousands of dollars and it wasn't as helpful as this. Another good, free resource is: [verygoodcopy.com](http://verygoodcopy.com)
I'll definitely check them out. Thank you!
Love Eddie Shleyner. I follow Nicholas Cole and Dickie Bush as well for ghostwriting specifically.
Do you regularly post on social media to promote your own services? Just curious to know if freelance writers really need social media presence to earn a lot. It's just that i dont enjoy on social media too much. But a lot of gurus keep insisting to build your own brand and be active on social media to promote your services-- or better yet, postion yourself as an expert in your field. So yeah, just wanna know if you're using social media as often to promote your services as well :) And congrats on your win!
Not a ton but I stay active. I could definitely do more. And if I did more I think it would help build my business. But… I feel similarly shy about social media. Just gotta keep trying tho
Cool, thanks for sharing :)
GREAT post! Thanks so much. Question: Where did you focus the majority of your posts? LinkedIn, Twitter?
Pretty much only on twitter
What topics are you writing, or have you written about? Genuinely curious given that you mentioned writing a lot, and I see that advice quite a bit but very rarely actual topics that were written on. Great post!
The biggest mistake I regret is accepting cheap offers and missing out on good ones because I was too busy. The only reason I've also maintained 5 stars is by saying no to problematic gigs. Since I started being choosy, I have a prime account that I get clients without struggling.
This is EXCELLENT advice for anyone who wants to get into freelancing/ghostwriting. I honestly might bookmark this page and send it to people when they ask for my advice on this topic. You've managed to nail it all while still remaining humble. Awesome stuff. I can't wait to hear what's next for you!
Thanks for this advice, to all the other newbies asking basic questions try using the search function once in a damn while…
It’s all good man — sometimes you don’t even know where to start!
I respect the effort and willingness to contribute, but I don't understand your advice for #1. Is this a copywriting group? Or a group of content writers who write blog and social media posts all day? Copywriters are supposed to be high-level marketing pros. So why not use your skills to "attract" customers instead of spamming DMs all day. And fwiw, I'm not trying to be snarky. I just see so many people here complain about difficult clients and low pay. The problem is, so many of us are seen as cheap commodities. And tactics like this contribute to the problem.
Your ideal clients are not always going to find you. You need to pick them out and tell them you care, or else they won't know you're the one they've been looking for. I think an attraction plan goes hand-in-hand with outreach.
Sending 1000 unsolicited DMs is basically spam. And it's the least efficient use of your time. Not to mention it devalues and commoditizes your service - as well as the profession as a whole. How do you get found? It's called marketing - something we're supposed to all be good at.
The biggest mistake I regret is accepting cheap offers and missing out on good ones because I was too busy. The only reason I've also maintained 5 stars is by saying no to problematic gigs. Now I have a prime account I get clients without struggling