Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Locating Copywriting Assignments

By Ray Edwards


There are many ways to acquire copywriting assignments. This article will discuss how to take advantage of personal contacts and websites to locate copywriting projects.

Subscribing to an online freelance marketplace is the easiest way to locate projects. There are many different online freelance marketplaces. Here are the three best sites: www.guru.com, www.elance.com, and www.findafreelancer.com. Guru.com is the biggest online marketplace. Findafreelancer.com is a European version of the other two and is smaller than them as well, but its still very helpful. These websites have search agents which will e-mail jobs to you based upon search criteria you give them. These sites charge a subscription fee, but are a great investment. They give you access to jobs you usually can't find.

Cultivating personal contacts will also produce many opportunities for work. This will allow you to creatively sell yourself. The Internet is not the first stop for many companies looking for a copywriter. Local contacts and sources will often be their first choice because they prefer to physically meet with someone. You can take advantage of this if you make contacts in your region. You should join local civic groups and your Chamber of Commerce. Make business cards and prepare a thirty-second explanation of what you do but do not to sell yourself, rather just let people know who you are and what you do. It is better to simply make the connection and then let potential customers come to you. People are more willing to do business with someone they know over someone who just gave them a sales pitch or from the Internet.

Further more, you need a website. Many copywriters do not have a website, which can be advantageous for you. Having an indexed website will give you an edge over the competition. This way people searching for a copywriter will discover your site and possibly hire you. You can publish some of your past assignments on your site so that potential customers can look at your work. This is a great way to sell yourself and you do not have to worry about e-mailing anyone, they will contact you if they're interested.

Creative thinking is the key to finding work as a copywriter. If you establish yourself well and follow these techniques, then you will find more than enough work.

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