Start And Run A Copywriting Business - Take The Article Fast-Track To Clients And Credibility

Starting your own copywriting services business can seem like an overwhelming project. Relax. It's easy. Businesses are desperate for copywriters, and before you know it you'll have a stable of clients who look on you as "their" copywriter. But how do you get that first client when you're a brand new copywriter? You can take the article fast-track to get clients.

Your Clients Want To See Your Writing Expertise - Show Them

The easiest way to get writing credits is to write articles. You can send the articles to print publications if you wish. You can also publish the articles on your own Web site, and in article directories. If you don't already have a site, then create a site quickly - you can create a blog in a couple of minutes - so that you can promote your writing services via the links in the articles you've posted on article directories.

Simply write three or four articles, and post these as writing samples on your own Web site. Voila! Instant credibility.

The Topics For Your Articles Depend On Your Prospective Clients - Target Their Interests

When you're thinking about topics for your articles, think about your audience. Who will hire you?

Perhaps you want to target:

* Realtors

* Small businesses

* Corporations

* Educational institutions

* The travel industry

All businesses need copywriters. However, very small business with from one to five employees often don't have the profit margins to be able to afford on-going writing services. Therefore, target large businesses, and corporations in specific industry sectors.

Or, you can just target local businesses. For example, I'm in Sydney Australia, and for years wrote copy for local businesses. Local businesses are easy to write for, and you may well be the only copywriter they've ever heard of.

Whatever the businesses, or industry sector you choose to target, write your articles about their concerns, not about your own. It's a mistake to focus on articles about copywriting for example, unless your target audience is other copywriters, or you want to brand yourself. In the first couple of years of your business, your aim is to get clients. Once you've been in business for a few years, you can address branding issues.

So, if your target audience for whom you want to write copy is the travel industry, you'd write travel-related articles. This shows your audience that you're on the same page they are, and that you're aware of their concerns and issues. The same applies to every other industry: in your articles, talk about them, and what they want and need.

Build A List Of People Interested In Your Copywriting Services

Many prospective clients who read your articles won't need your services immediately. If you don't have a way to maintain contact with them, they will have forgotten your name five minutes after they leave your Web site. The solution? Collect their names and email addresses and stay in touch with them, via a regular newsletter or ezine, or just the occasional email update.

Create a sign-up form, and put it on every page of your Web site. You'll need to give them a reason for you to collect their email, so write a short report about business or copywriting, and offer it free in return for their email address.

So there you have it - the article fast-track to copywriting clients and credibility, and an easy way to start your own copywriting services business.