Your Copywriting Services Business: Work from Home Today

Want to start a great home-based business? Copywriting skills are in high demand and as a copywriter, you can work from home, and work the hours you please.

Here’s how to start a successful copywriting services business today.

1. Collect Samples of Copy You’ve Already Written

Your potential clients want to see examples of copy you’ve already written. If you’ve written copy in your day job, ask whether you can use any of the documents as samples. Most clients are happy to let you do this; it means wider distribution of their advertising and news releases.

If you haven’t any examples, you’ll need to create some. Look in your local paper, and write sample advertising. Writing off-the-cuff samples is an accepted practice, as long as you don’t attempt to pass them off as “real” copy you’ve written for clients.

2. Brainstorm a Target Market — Who’ll Hire You?

Next, consider who might hire you. With my copywriting students, I always recommend that they start by targeting businesses in their local area.

Why? Simply because it’s easier. Not only are local businesses more open to a copywriter who’s a local, there’s also much less competition. Often, you’ll be the first copywriter who’s ever made himself known to a local company.

Local businesses you could target include: agencies (advertising and graphic design); government agencies; realtors; manufacturers… Every business needs copywriting services.

Remember however that very small businesses with fewer than five employees are less likely to have a large marketing budget, so focus on companies with upwards of 20 employees.

3. Create a Terms of Service Document, and Set Your Fees

Your Terms of Service document covers things like rights transfers, the retainer you’re paid, and also the form which payment will take.

Setting fees is a challenge when you first start out. You don’t have the experience to charge top dollar, but don’t set your fees too low. Tip: charge by the project, rather than an hourly rate. Businesses are more comfortable when they know exactly how expensive a project will be.

4. Publicize Your New Business

To be able to hire you, businesses must know that you’re open for business. The easiest way to publicize yourself is to write a press release and send it to your local newspapers. Often a local paper will run your release as-is, giving you a huge boost of publicity.

If you’re lucky, a local paper may decide to do a news story on you, and feature you in their business pages. This is a great coup.

So there you have it — start your copywriting services business today. It’s a great way to work from home, with an income which increases month by month, as you become known.

Become a Copywriting Master Fast

Copywriting is writing for business: promotional writing. Copywriters write material like advertisements and compared to most writers, they’re VERY highly paid.

The explosion of the influence of the Web means that copywriters are flooded with offers of work. Even new copywriters find it easy to get copywriting gigs and to build their copywriting services business.

If copywriting intrigues you, join me in my Copywriting Master Class. I’ll take you from copywriting novice to pro.

“Copywriting Master Class – Ten Weeks to Copywriting Genius” gives you a comprehensive copywriting course, as it helps you to set up your copywriting services business.

Technorati Tags: copywriting, copywriting tips, learn copywriting, copywriting services, home business, copywriting course, freelance copywriting