Friday, January 2, 2009

An Introduction to Freelance Copywriting

By Ray Edwards

The opportunities afforded to freelance copywriters are attracting a lot of attention these days. If freelance copywriting interests you, then you should take a look at what it takes to be a freelance copywriter.

1. Learn when to say "no." Freelance copywriters have to know when to say "no." At times you will have to say "no" to new projects because your schedule won't allow for more work, and knowing when that point has come is very important. Otherwise you can jeopardize your entire business by taking on too much work and inhibiting yourself from meeting your deadlines. Other times you have to say "no" to the suggestions your clients offer. Remember that you are the advertising expert and they are not, that is why they are hiring you. You must be able to say "no" and offer a better alternative in a gentle way.

Sometimes clients will insist on a particular point, if this is the case then you have to learn how to compromise without surrendering. Learning how to manage persistent clients will make your life a lot easier. There are also situations from which you just need to walk away. These kinds of clients are not worth the money or the time.

2. Be polite, persistent, and positive. Always communicate professionally with your clients. Listen intently to your clients and be persistent with your ideas if you must. Your persistence must be two fold: You must constantly look for work, and persistently stand by your ideas on how to market your clients' products. This will help improve your success dramatically.

3. Educate yourself. There are always new things to learn and the most successful copywriters see themselves as lifelong students. Learning new ways of writing copy will help your business stay competitive. There is plenty of material out there, so go ahead and start learning.

4. Take time to relax. Getting away from a stressful work environment is one of the main reasons copywriters switch to freelancing. So make sure not to make your new work environment equally as stressful! Set aside time to relax, write it into your schedule and stick to it. Not only will this help you lead a happier life, but consistent relaxation will also help you write better. So in the end, you'll be more productive, happier and writing better copy if you take time to rest.

5. Learn to keep a positive attitude. In order to be successful, you have to love your job, even in the hard times. If you let the stress of your work consume you, then you will come to hate your job and miss out on all the great opportunities that freelancing has to offer. So learn to keep a positive attitude now.

6. Actively nurture your personal life. Your life should be well rounded. You need to take care of your personal health and spend time with your friends and family. Even though you're working to become more successful, what will it profit you to gain the whole world but spend your life alone? Your work is an important part of your life, but not the most important.

7. Practice good work ethics. It is really important to be a person of honesty and integrity. Only make promises you know you can keep and don't cheat your clients. Let them know if you're falling behind and won't be able to make good on your end of the agreement. And never compromise on your morals in order to secure financial gain.

8. Learn to manage your business. Freelance copywriters run every aspect of their business and need to know how to do it well if they are going to be successful. Read up on how to effectively run a small business and know the laws that can protect you.

You should always be aware of the most recent ethical standards, laws, and tax reforms. You should also update yourself with the current pricing guidelines, learning new effective negotiation skills, and looking for better ways to maintain your records.

9. Do not take rejections personally. Your personal worth and intrinsic value is not determined by what you do or how much money you make. Therefore try to keep a professional composure when clients reject you and do not take it personally. There are plenty of reasons that a client can reject your bid that has nothing to do with your ability to write good copy.

10. Do not miss deadlines. Missing deadlines will severely hurt your chances at success, so you must make every effort to manage your time well and get your projects completed on schedule.

Hopefully this article helped you better understand the word of freelance copywriting. There is plenty of information out there if you're interested in learning more about freelance copywriting.

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