Author: Carlos Sequeira

Last modified: March 18, 2022

Are you wondering how to sell your freelance copywriting services?

In this guide I’ll explain the whole process and how to do it.  

Let’s get started…

Selling is at the core of every business.

In order for a company to be in business it needs to sell.

If you’re in the field of freelancing or freelance copywriting you need to know how to sell yourself and your services.

I would say selling yourself is a skill that is just as important as your writing ability.

It is important to have both selling skills and writing ability because you need to demonstrate to the prospect that you are capable of handling their copywriting project.

Let’s dig deeper into how to sell your freelance copywriting services.

Selling your freelance copywriting services starts by identifying your prospects

Start by identifying your prospects.

Do you have a profile of the type of customer you want to work with?

What industry do you want to target?

Create your ideal customer profile with the characteristics that you are looking for.

For instance, do your prospects have the budget to afford your services?

What are their buying patterns?

Where do your prospects go when they have a need for a product or service?

Do your prospects shop mostly online or offline?

What are they interested in purchasing and how often?

Where do your prospects go when they need information, do they read the newspaper, read trade journals, or search the internet?

Moreover, what marketing methods are you using to find prospects?

Let’s explore Outbound vs Inbound marketing.

Wordstream defines outbound marketing as to any kind of marketing where a company initiates the conversation and sends its message out to an audience.

Creating advertisements such as TV commercials and print ads in newspapers are all part of outbound marketing.

Marketo defines inbound marketing as the process of helping potential customers find your company.

Types of inbound marketing include blog posts, having your website or social media profile optimized for SEO and content marketing.

Decide how you are going to reach your potential prospects.

Typical ways of finding new prospects include email marketing, blogging, social media and paid advertising.

How to market your freelance copywriting services to new customers

• Prospects can sign up for your email marketing newsletter and could potentially become new customers.
• Blogging can be effective because prospects can learn something from your articles that they can apply to their business or life.
• Social media is a wonderful tool for finding prospects because it builds a following of loyal fans that have trust in you and what you have to offer.
• Paid advertising can be used to find prospects that have a need for your services.
• Paid advertising can be in newspapers, social media advertising, or advertising in trade publications.

Gaining a prospects trust

Once the prospect has been identified, the work is just beginning.

Sales are ultimately about trust.

Freelance copywriters have to be open and transparent at all times with their prospects and customers.

For instance, do you have the availability to handle another project or are you currently booked with customers.

By being open and transparent with the customer they will have trust in you.

Trust is crucial in building long-term relationships with customers.

Look for ways to deliver personalized experiences.

Tailor the conversation to specifics about that industry or niche.

Also, it is important to always make yourself available.

Customers will want to contact you to see how the project is going or to ask any questions that they might have.

As a freelance copywriter you want to make the customer’s life as easy as possible.

Make the customer feel they are making the right decision for their business by choosing you to create the copy for their promotion.

When you satisfy clients over a period of time, you gain a positive reputation in your industry.

When customers are happy with your services they are more likely to send referrals and recommend you to friends and family.

Convince and convert states 83% of Americans are likely to buy a product or service when they receive a recommendation from a friend or family member.

I suggest reading my guide on What is Direct Response Copywriting? + Real World Examples

Listen to your customers

In order to do business with prospects your listening skills have to be sharp.

Prospects have an idea in mind when they want to create a promotion.

As a freelance copywriter, it is your job to enhance the vision that your prospect has in mind.

Get a feel for what the prospect is about, their company’s values and what they want to get from the copy.

Listening gives you a better understanding of the prospect’s personality and let’s you make a decision as to whether or not you are a fit to work together.

Additionally, by listening to customers you will have a better idea as to how to write the copy according to the customers guidelines.

By listening to the customer you will provide relative comments about the project and your personality will shine through.

If you ever work with the customer in the future you can recall from your mental notes about your customer’s personality, how it was to work with this particular customer and what types of interactions did you have during the project.

Help your prospects discover their pain points

Pain points are what drive prospects to seek out solutions to their problems.

For instance, a typical paint point for any business might be that their product or service is not generating enough sales.

Another pain point might be that the brand is new to the market and their business does not have the authority as a leader in their industry.

Also, if a client is into email marketing, their pain point might be about their emails not being opened or clicked-through.

Pain points do not have to be about business at all.

Sometimes, pain points come from the frustration of not working with the right person.

Finding a person to complete projects in a satisfactory manner is a difficult task.

For example, working with a freelance copywriter that does not follow-up or does not complete projects within deadlines can be very detrimental to a business.

What’s the best way to find the prospects’ pain points?

Just ask the customer. Get an idea of their pain points, empathize with them and provide a solution to their problem.

Explain to the prospect that you understand their market and the difficulty they are encountering.

Moreover, demonstrate to the prospect that you possess the skills to solve their issue and they will be completely satisfied with your copy and your customer service.

Check out this guide on persuasion: Persuasive copywriting techniques to boost sales

Use stories to create a connection

Stories can help you build rapport with prospects.

When assessing a customer’s situation, if you already encountered the problem before, tell a story to the prospect to help build your credibility.

Tell the customer what hurdles you encountered and what methods you used to find a solution.

Stories help because prospects will feel better knowing that you have encountered the situation before.

Stories help paint a positive experience in the prospects mind.

By telling stories with real-life experiences and real-world solutions customers will have more confidence and trust in you and your ability to get the job done.

Be flexible

Always be willing to work in customers’ best interest.

If the customer tells you that your services are too expensive, modify the project to accommodate the customers budget.

For instance, if the prospect cannot afford a 10 page white paper cut it down to a 5 page white paper.

When you’re willing to work with clients and provide a solution to their problem they will leave happy and become repeat customers.

Also, if the customer does not like your copy and wants to make changes to it.

Don’t take it as an insult to your copy skills.

Sometimes the copy you write is not what the customer is looking for.

Modify the copy to the specifications the customer see’s best for their business.

By being flexible it shows a level of professionalism and that you truly care about your customer.

Ask for the sales

During the initial conversation when you decide that you and the prospect are a fit.

Move the conversation by asking for the sale.

It’s important to know how to close sales when you provide freelancing or freelance copywriting services.

Make sure that the prospects’ pain points have been addressed and that you have created a need for your services.

Once you have created a need for your copywriting services the prospect will be more willing to work with you.

If the prospect agrees and you close the sale, congrats, now you have a new customer.

Explain to the newly acquired customer how you work with an agreement or contract to start the project.

Also, explain that a 50% payment of the project must be paid before starting the assignment.

Lastly, ask the customer to provide background materials and reply to your email with the agreement.

If the prospect is not ready to commit or start the project.

Don’t force the sale.

Instead provide the prospect with materials that will help them remember you in the future.

For instance, provide the prospect with a FREE article or brochure about your copywriting services.

Follow up

After the sale has been closed.

Follow up with customers to let them know you are working on their project.

Status updates about the project help the customer feel at ease because they know the project is being worked on.

Following up by phone or email go a long way in building a relationship with a customer.

Also, after the project has been turned in and the customer is satisfied with the copy.

Follow-up in a few weeks to see how the copy performed.

Customers will appreciate the gesture and will have you in mind whenever they need to complete the next project.

Don’t dwell on sales that did not close

Don’t focus on the negative.

Freelance copywriting has its ups and downs.

When we focus on the negative aspects of a sale or an interaction, we tend to get depressed and we don’t want to continue.

Instead, focus on your positives and look for areas of improvement in your interactions with your prospects.

Having a positive attitude really does help.

Find motivation within yourself or find motivation from others in your field who have overcome similar adversity.

Also, practice your sales routine with family or friends.

Find a family member or friend who will role play with you.

Think of common questions that will be asked by your prospects.

By practicing your interactions with family or friends you will be better prepared for the next opportunity.

Prospecting does not stop

Ideally you want to have your sales funnel full at all times.

Just because you have customers working with you today does not mean they will be working with you tomorrow.

As a freelance copywriter, look for ways to better market yourself and position yourself as an expert in your field.

Continue with your marketing efforts and always look for ways to stay in front of your clients.

Summary

Freelance copywriting is all about learning how to sell your services.

Remember, sales are all about trust.

The prospect has to trust that you can deliver and exceed their expectations.

Identify the pain points that your prospects have and provide a solution to their business needs.

Use stories to connect with prospects.

By using stories with real-life and real-world solutions, your prospect will assume that you are an expert in your field.

Be flexible with prospects if they can’t meet your prices or if they are not on the same page.

Offer different solutions to meet their budget and interest.

When the pain points have been addressed and the need for your services has been created.

Ask for the sales to get started on a new assignment.

Follow up with customers in the future to see how your copy performed and see if it helped their business grow and succeed.

Don’t dwell on sales that did not close.

Some prospects are only looking to shop around or are only looking for information.

Take the negative experiences as a learning opportunity.

Practice your sales pitch and interactions with family or friends to be a better seller.

When the next prospect comes around you will be better prepared and you will have more confidence in your sales ability.

Contact me for your next copywriting project. There is no obligation of course.