Freelance copywriting can be a very lucrative online business.
Relatively recently I had a client in the golf industry that hired me to do some marketing funnels for him.
We went back and forth on the best strategy for our plan, and I set to work doing the copywriting. It consisted of about a dozen emails, a sales page, and a script for a VSL.
I got paid as a percentage of the total launch.
During a 5 day sales period we made over $300,000 with the launch, and I got a nice little percentage of that for doing the copywriting and marketing stuff.
I could do a whole separate post on the benefits of product launches, but today we’re looking at one simple trick for getting freelance copywriting clients that you probably aren’t doing.
In fact, very few people are doing it. But when you take an extra 15 minutes to do this one thing? Your chances of getting a positive response increase dramatically.
And if the numbers above are any indication? If you’ve got some writing skills, freelance copywriting should be at the top of your list of businesses to start online.
And if you’re still not sure what copywriting is all about? Check out What is Copywriting (and How to Become a Copywriter).
Video Examples of This Freelance Copywriting Tip In Practice
How to Get Freelance Copywriting Jobs
I should preface this by saying that this works not just for copywriting work, but any type of freelance job.
It’s great for actually getting a response from someone that you might not hear back from otherwise.
It doesn’t natter if you’re trying to get work, setup a coffee meeting, or pitch a guest post – whatever it is, this strategy will greatly improve your chances of a positive response.
So, what is it?
It all comes down to one word:
Video.
I can hear you now:
“Video?!”
Yes, video.
Hear me out on this.
Imagine if you’re the person at your company in charge of hiring freelancers. Whether its content writers, copywriters, marketers – whatever.
You probably get a lot of crappy pitch emails and resumes.
But imagine if one day you receive a thoughtful, well written email, and at the end it says:
“I also shot you this quick video to introduce myself. Check it out here.”
What? A personalized video?
And then when they click the link and see a 2 minute video of you introducing yourself, explaining why you’d be so excited to work for their company, and proving you’re willing to go above and beyond all the other people asking for work?
That stands out.
At the very least, it should get you a response. Even if they aren’t hiring or it’s not a good fit for whatever reason, you’re doing something that is unique and memorable that no one else takes the time to do.
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A Few Unique Example of How I’ve Seen This Work
The standard intro videos that I outlined in our YouTube video above are great, and should dramatically increase your chances of both getting a response, and getting new clients.
But I’ve seen people have a lot of success by taking this same general concept, and putting their own unique spin on it.
Here are a few examples that have worked on me specifically.
1) The Video Walk Through
So in the video above I recorded two different examples of how I might put this into practice if I were trying to get freelance copywriting jobs.
But I’ve seen different variations of this work well on me over the years as well.
Just recently, I had a guy who had emailed me a few different times over the previous 18 months, send me an email about wanting to do marketing work for my site Breaking Eighty.
The email outlined exactly who he was, why he was a good fit, and what he’d like to do for me.
Then he also recorded a 17 minute video that walked me through in detail exactly what he wanted to do.
It showed me that 1) he was smart. And 2) he really wanted to help me.
When you factor in the thoughtful email, and shooting/editing the video, he probably put at least an hour into that pitch – when most people will take less than 5 minutes.
The result?
I gave him a shot and now he’s helping me with some of the writing projects on the site I haven’t had time to do myself.
2) The Video Testimonial
The most powerful thing you can give any business owner is a wonderful testimonial.
If you follow the steps on one of my blog posts or within Location Rebel Academy, have success, and then record me a video to tell me about how I helped you achieve that success?
There’s literally nothing better you could send me. Ok, I’m sure I could find something better. But you get my point.
With a testimonial like that, I’m going to at the very least respond to you. But more than likely I’m going to want to follow up, have a conversation, and see how else I can help you – since you’re obviously a person of action.
So this doesn’t work as well if you’re just trying to get a cold freelance copywriting job, but if you already have some kind of relationship with the person you’re reaching out to? It’s an excellent tactic.
My buddy Garin used this strategy on me awhile back, and it led to him doing a guest post here on Location Rebel.
3) The Video Endorsement
One of my favorite stories about using video to land a job is from Vincent Nguyen. Vincent followed me on Twitter and through one of my tweets learned about a job availability at the website selling company, Empire Flippers.
One of the requirements of the job was going to be reaching out and building relationships with people online.
So what did he do?
He reached out to a bunch of very influential people and got them to record videos on his behalf to use for the application video.
He wrote a post telling the story about it awhile back. And here’s the video he shot:
Why I Like This Strategy so Much for Freelance Copywriting Jobs
As you can see, there are a lot of ways you can put a spin on this basic strategy and make it work to your advantage.
But the reason why I think it’s such a good fit for freelance copywriters looking for work, is because essentially what you’re trying to do if you’re a copywriter is persuade people.
So being able to do a video where you have the opportunity to persuade someone to respond to you, or better yet, hire you, is a fantastic opportunity to show that you really do know what you’re talking about.
While this strategy is a thoughtful and personal approach, it is still a form of you marketing yourself and showing off your marketing abilities.
So get creative, experiment, and go shoot a personal video and send it to someone you want to work with. Chances are, they won’t be expecting it, and at the very least you’ll open up the door for a new relationship.
More Freelance Writing Articles
If you enjoyed this article, here are a few more freelance writing posts I recommend checking out:
- How to Become a Freelance Writer – If you’re brand new to the idea of freelancing, definitely start with this post.
- Why Start Freelance Writing? 7 Reasons You Should Start Freelancing – If you’re still not convinced this is the best online business, then read this post.
- Our Freelance Writing Archives – All of our freelance writing posts (hint: there’s a lot of them).
Sean Ogle
Sean Ogle is the Founder of Location Rebel where he has spent the last 12+ years teaching people how to build online businesses that give them the freedom to do more of the things they like to do in life. When he's not in the coffee shops of Portland, or the beaches of Bali, he's probably sneaking into some other high-class establishment where he most certainly doesn't belong.Join over 40,000 people who have taken our 6 part freelance writing course. Sign up below and let’s do this together.
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