Hey š Iām Caleb ā a financial copywriter from London.
In this publication, youāll find everything you need to know about copywriting and how to make money writing online.
I also write about SEO, AI and other relevant writing topics.
If youāre new here, check out this post below šš
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Finding clients ā the number one problem most new copywriters get stuck on.
A lot of people find that they can write well, but struggle to then find people to write for.
But the strange thing is, there are so many companies out there looking for good writers.
The demand is huge, but so many good writers struggle to bridge the gap.
I was stuck for ages.
I was always told cold email was the way to do it, but I found it so hard. I couldnāt land any clients, and was wasting hours.
To add insult to injury, all the fake gurus of YouTube and LinkedIn were telling me all they had copywriting ātechniquesā and āhacksā to land crazy-high-paying clients, but wouldnāt tell me what they were, or they were in their Ā£997 course.
They would also reveal nothing about what they actually sent.
In this guide, I will show you exactly what I do and the exact emails I send to land clients.
1. Get an email list
I used to scrape the internet for my own leads.
This would just be me going onto various websites or LinkedIn profiles, finding an email of some random person and then emailing them.
I had almost no responses, and it takes hours and hours.
However, I then discovered you can automatically scrape leads using tools. It looked a bit advanced for me, so I went on over to Fiverr, and saw that people are offering this service to
There are many options available, and you can go cheaper or more expensive.
I paid Ā£30 for a list of around 100 leads which comes as an excel sheet, with their LinkedIn profiles alongside it.
This was the exact gig š
https://www.fiverr.com/hrapp98/provide-a-custom-list-of-names-numbers-addresses-and-emails-of-any-business?source=order_page_summary_gig_link_title&funnel=aa725721d34641bf8ebf93cdfa00eb58
2. Make a mini sales funnel
A sales funnel is a path that you follow, generally online, that leads you into making a purchase, and then several other purchases after that.
Often people abandon making a purchase because of a poor sales funnel.
Basically, they donāt know where to go.
This is why shops put effort into a nice shop window. It makes them look inviting but most importantly trustworthy.
The way I do it is making a nice email handle, a good LinkedIn page and a website. These things on their own might not have much use, but they demonstrate that Iām serious about what Iām doing, and that Iām legit.
My website has previous work Iāve done, and my LinkedIn carries my credentials, i.e. where Iāve worked.
My signature š
3. Cut the fat
Donāt tell them your life story.
The shorter the better. If theyāre interested, theyāll click on the links in the signature, or reply back straight away.
At the end of the day, theyāre either looking for a copywriter or theyāre not, so donāt waste your time or their time.
Keep it short and sweet. Open the conversation.
I get emails like the one below pitching me SEO services for my website that are absolute shockers.
This is the crucial point: at first glance, how do I reply to this? What is going on?
If you read it, it asks me to āwrite backā.
So I now have to chase them, which implies that I have to ask for their services ā but I never wanted their services.
If they just simply asked if I needed help, I may have considered it more, as I would feel like it would be my decision.
Itās so dense and odd. I donāt really trust it.
Check out this one:
I had an aneurysm trying to understand this.
I literally have no idea what heās going on about.
āYou read it rightā. Read what?
āBut after using this service i am totally Freaked Outā. What service?
Thatās another thing. Make sure itās all neat and grammatically correct, especially if youāre offering content services.
4. Be there at the right time
Your email is not there to change their mind.
Simply show that youāre available, so that if they need a copywriter, youāre the first choice.
This is the exact message I send:
Subject line is always:
Need any help with your content [NAME]?
Notice there is no selling here, itās just opening the conversation, seeing if they need help.
I address them by name, and refer to their company.
It shows Iāve actually done the research, and Iām not a bot.
If you email someone at the right time, youāll get a response:
5. Volume negates luck
Send as many as you can. You literally cannot outreach enough.
If you get no leads, send more. Keep going until you get some interest.
I do it in batches of 100, and try and get through that list in a few days.
Once youāre done, wait a week or so and then follow up.
Here is my follow up email:
I go with āstill interested?ā so itās just a gentle check in.
Many times people miss an email because theyāre busy, or got distracted with something else. Often a follow up will get a response.
6. Get them on a call
As a copywriter, itās your job to serve the client.
Reply to their response promptly and set up a call with them to discuss what you need.
If youāre late emailing back and you expect them to sort everything, theyāre going to think youāre more trouble than youāre worth.
Make agreeing to work with you a fantastic decision to make. A call makes sure youāre both aligned, and they can properly meet you.
7. Stick around
Adding them on LinkedIn is a great way for the clients to keep you in the loop.
You never know ā one day they might need you, and then they know where to find you.
I had one client reply seven months later, as an opportunity came up and I was already top of mind.
Email as much as possible, and grow your network.
Opportunities crop up in all sorts of ways.
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Haha, I canāt believe you used Harlanās gig! What a nice dude. Iāve been chatting with him on Twitter for a few months now!
Iāll try your strategy once my LinkedIn and website are ready to go. What are your usual conversion rates with this method?
Iāve seen a few people can help with funnels on Fiverr too but Iāve never tried it.