When new copywriters want to get clients, they make the process too complicated.
They do things like:
- Set up a blog and start posting articles.
- Run Facebook ads to a landing page.
- Create social media accounts and pitch their services.
Sure, these could all work, especially if used over a long period of time. The problem? These tactics take lots of time, lots of money, and there’s no guarantee that you’ll get in front of clients who need a copywriter!
So what’s a better way?
Go to the place where your clients are and show them you can help with their copy!
But how to do that?
I came across this post by David Tendrich that had a simple but genius idea:
- Find an event that your ideal clients will be at.
- Wear a shirt that sells your services for you.
I used David’s idea exactly as he described it, even down to the design of the shirt: all lower-case, black t-shirt, white letters, “copywriter.” I used a website to make it in about 15 minutes, and it looked like this:
I wore the shirt to TechDay NYC, which is billed as the “Largest Startup Event in the U.S.” Here’s proof:
I had to wait on a loooong line for about two hours to get in:
Much line. Very hours. Many long.
Even though the line was long, it was a good use of time because I got to talk to cool people and even got some of my first connections before entering the event.
Once I finally got inside, there were three types of responses from people who talked to me:
I followed up with these people, hoping to get them on a call.
My plan for following-up:
Specifically follow-up and ask for a call with companies who said they need a copywriter now.
Now, before I tell you about the results, let’s compare this strategy to another popular client-getting strategy – sending cold emails. Cold emails involve this process:
- Google around and find relevant clients.
- Craft a personalized email to them.
- Follow-up.
- Exchange emails and maybe get on a call.
- Take up HOURS OF MY LIFE.
This t-shirt experiment reversed that process in a way. Each time I stood in front of a booth was equivalent to one cold email. The founder looked at my shirt and me, was able to think about if they have any interest in a “copywriter” and reach out to me if it looks like a good fit. In about 3 hours of walking around and talking to people I got
- 30 total contact information shared
- 5 people who told me they specifically need a copywriter immediately
- 3 agencies who said they often contract out extra work
So far these are the results of the PEOPLE WHO SAID “WE NEED A COPYWRITER” GROUP:
5 people approached me like this:
3 people jumped on a call with me soon after the event:
2 people became paying clients so far!
This was my first time using this strategy. But now I have the shirt, so I’m definitely going to use it again. How could I make this work even better?
If I could find out the list of companies in advance, then I can save a lot of time. One, I could talk to the founders whose companies interest me, and show them that I know about their business. I could also look at which startups are growing fast or hiring, as they might have more money to spend on copywriting consulting.
I could even look at the copy of some of the startups in advance, and come prepared with advice to give them.
The best part of this “Human Billboard Experiment” is that it is an example of what Seth Godin calls Permission Marketing.
Basically, I had permission to pitch startup people who needed a copywriter by walking by them with my shirt on. I wasn’t spamming them or demanding their attention, I was just presenting a useful offer that they could choose to engage (or not engage) with.
Sincerely,
Gerard Dawson – Copywriter
GerardDawson.org
contact@gerarddawson.org
P.S. Here’s some more resources on getting copywriting clients:
- “Copywriter” Tshirt
- More Kopywriting tshirts
- Consulting as a side job
- How to become a copywriter
- Get your first writing gig
- Make a Copywriting Command Center
- Make your first copywriting portfolio
This is a genius idea, which gave me an idea with some of the swag that I’m selling.
WOW! This is an awesome idea, never thought of attending networking events with a plain shirt titling my profession. It really breaks the ice!
Sandwich Board.
This is such a great idea Gerard. I love his technique for marketing. I’m going to try this out.
What worked very good with me in the beginning of my copywriting career was a direct mail campaign. I was sending out little plants (for the green experts: bryophyllum) in a mini bottle (I’ve asked them in the chemistry).
This typical plant has little ones on the leaves. If you put the tiny plants in water they start to grow and become a strong plant on their one.
My message was: “Like this plant I’m already little but with a good environment and feedback I can grow as quick as this bryophyllum. Find out for yourself. And even if you decide not to give me a try, you can hold this tiny green one. I’ll promise: you’ll never get rid of it”.
It worked like grazy. Almost every receiver asked me to come present myself. And so I managed to get my first assignments as a newbie.
I’m just getting started as a project manager in the online space. And this sounds like a great idea to modify for my business-thank you for sharing!
Well I am brand new to this, but I have one idea!
I write a blog called One New Thing, where I try one new thing a week and write something amusing about my experience. My idea is to get people involved while I am doing the New Thing.
Let’s take Skydiving as an example. When I meet other people at the activity (possibly also doing it for the first time), I could invite them to be a part of my post. Even if they did not want to participate, they might still check out the blog because they were there and met me :)
Maybe that’s not super out-of-the-box, but like I said, I’m new here :D
Thanks for the inspiration. I am definitely going to make a T-shirt too, because, really… why not?? In fact, I think my New Thing this Friday is going to be Bleach Stencilling a T-Shirt! DIY amirite? Plus, I would much rather advertise myself than Nike or Ralph Lauren. I think they have enough traction already, don’t you ;)
Hey Liana – the “one new thing” idea is awesome. As simple as it sounds, *doing stuff* is such a powerful way to get people’s attention because everyone is stuck behind their phone or computer. And I think you’re totally right that it would be a great way to grow attention for your blog.
This is actually a really great idea.
Let us know how it works out.
Outstanding! Love the idea and the enthusiasm driving it. Thank you, Gerard.
Thanks for reading, Mike! Just trying to make it in the world, perhaps as “marketing misfit” : )
Right?? This shows a lot of hustle on Gerard’s part :)
I was invited to a business networking event last year and on a whim, decided to make a new set of name cards for it.
Got a simple design done via Fiverr:
Front (RED):
In the middle – Hello! My name is Amanda. I’m a Direct-Response Copywriter
At the bottom – Business Owners: If you want more cashflow in your business, turn over right now.
Back (WHITE):
At the top – Attract Paying Customers Again & Again With Great Sales Copy!
Get your free customised report to discover how – visit (my simple website) to find out more.
At the bottom – A huge QR code which leads to the same website
Then during the 30 sec intro to the room, I enticed people to look for me to get one of my name cards as “there will be a special offer available that can get you more leads and sales”.
This way, I didn’t have to talk to everyone there one-on-one just for them to find out more about my services. I just needed them to get a name card from me and let the process do the magic. The name card also stood out as it was red in an ocean of boring white and black.
Anyway, there were really people who went to check out my website as a few of them sent me a text to say my website was down LOL. Got a couple of referrals too. Even one year later, someone from that event contacted me to ask about my services.
I still have a box of them collecting dust so I’ll most likely attend another event to use them. Well, perhaps this time if I wear a “Copywriter” t-shirt to boot, the results will be even better? ;)
This is a cool idea, Amanda. I like the idea of offering something valuable on the business card instead of just the same ol’ boring contact info that everybody uses.
That’s blandness of business cards has been one of my reasons to resist getting them – but your idea changes that. Giving the prospect something to be curious about seems like the way to go.
I like the t-shirt idea. But t-shirts never last.
So what lasts?
TATTOOS!
So I was thinking: what if you get a copywriter tattoo?
The investment of a tattoo is by far more everlasting than a t-shirt.
What’s more? People tend to look at tattoo’s. They’re fascinated by them.
People will ask you about it. And before you know it, they refer you to someone, or they need one themselves!
I think a tattoo is by far the most cost-effective way to do advertising. All you have to do is make it very clear that you are a COPYWRITER and go to crowded places a lot!
So, those are my $0.02. It might be a controversial idea. But I think it’ll work.
– Jasper
Jasper I think you can test this out and report back : )
The tattoo-approach works. My hairdresser has tattoos: on each of his fingers a hairdressers-tool and on his arm theirs a huge hairdressers chair.
I love this strategy. Seen it done at multiple conferences but never felt compelled to try it myself.
This post has changed that. I’m about to build an entire “human billboard” wardrobe now 😆…
My current outreach strategy was taught to me by Sean Vosler, whom I consider to be client marketing’s most unsung hero. He would fearlessly reach out to big names in the digital marketing space with provocative (and sometimes cryptic) messages like “Is SEO really dead?”
Somehow it works every time lol
Bahahha, the new style for 2018 is “Human Billboard” 😛
It makes perfect sense though. I remember wearing a plain old “Google” shirt to a lot of conferences back in the day, and about 20 times per day I’d get “So do you work for Google?”
Such a simple wardrobe decision changed how I interacted at a conference.
Yes Gerard! You’re on fire 🔥.
We could use these kind of simple, fun merch ideas like this for Kickstart Reading!
Love following your rise from teacher, dad to Kopywriting Krusher!
Bahhahaha, Rob you should wear a shirt that says “We make videos that teach kids how to read” :-P
Nev, you may have just come up with our new tagline.
I’m sending you a $10,000 invoice for my personalized Tagline Creation Service 🤑
Nice man. I’ve been wearing a Copywriter tee for several months now & the results have been awesome too!
Nice! Thanks for the share Steve!
ha nice job rewriting my comment…keep up the innovative work
You really are Homer Simpson: https://media1.tenor.com/images/d7dbde8b06d3768daef22a3a3e2d1d75/tenor.gif
Hey Steve, yes I modified your comment to remove any site promotion.
My reasoning:
1.) You had no previous commenting history.
2.) You (108.50.231.53) were promoting a site with a very similar proprietor owner location (zip 07093).
If this is an error I apologize, but I do my very best to avoid overt promotion in the comments unless asked for. Thank you for commenting!
I’ve been known to reach out to people in Facebook offering to help them (where I’ve seen their copy ahead of time). It gets me clients, and even if they don’t become clients, they’re often happy to exchange a testimonial for my help (assuming they like what I’ve done with their copy).
That’s awesome Suzanne! Making people AWARE that you even offer copywriting as a service is super important, and most people hide that behind all sorts of complicated funnels and signups.
Sometimes just putting it out there is the best :)
My most simple, yet effective strategy is to use video in cold emails (instead of text only). Nothing fancy here – just a one or two-minute video introducing myself and explaining why I’d be a good fit for their project.
This resonates with clients on a number of different levels. For instance:
1. It shows you care enough to make the extra effort
2. It’s memorable – not many others are doing this
3. It builds a connection (it’s harder to say no to someone after you’ve seen their face and heard their voice).
Making a video does take a little extra time, so I save it for the prospects I’m most interested in working with. It’s definitely not a “spray and pray” type approach.
But when used correctly, I’ve seen noticeable improvements in my response rates.
Hey Ryan, great advice, possibly shirt-worthy :)
I have mixed feelings on the video proposal cold email.
1.) They DO work. I’ve seen people get clients from them.
2.) Sometimes they make them too long, and now I have to sit through a boring ass 13 minute presentation. Ugh.
But if you’re only making them 1 or 2 minutes, that sounds reasonable.
Great strategy! If you’d ever like to feature some of your cold email proposals on a guest post, lemme know (neville @ kopywritingkourse).
Thanks, Neville.
Yep, brevity is the key. I like to think of the video as dessert – your proposal is still the main course.
Might take you up on the guest post as well.
these short personalized videos seem really effective,(if you can get someone to open.)
Vidyard has a great free chrome addon that helps.
Ryan, would you share one of your sample videos?
This is super cool Rob, shared it with some ppl. Any extra unique personalization sales people can get is important. Thank you!
Great idea, Gerard, and impressive followthrough.
I think it may be a good idea to wear it everywhere. Prospects are everywhere.
I planned to use my email signature more effectively to get leads and clients. After reading this post, I have decided to add a photo of me wearing the copywriter t-shirt – the one Neville is going to send me. {:-)
Just like Steve Jobs wore the same thing everyday, Gerard will now wear a “COPYWRITER” shirt 24/7 :-P
Recently, I terminated my daughter’s contract for field hockey goalie training as she will enter her final high school year after the summer. The goalie school asked me for feedback. I complimented them for their professional and energetic practices. I had no further input to improve that.
Their website, however, does not clearly explain what the year-round goalie practices comprise. Nor does it represent the quality of the practices we experienced. The total price is quite high, but if you convert it to each practice and consider the professional trainers, it’s really worth the money. So, I gave them a few pointers and excused me for my professional habits. Next thing I knew, is they wanted to talk to me. Now, I’ve written the copy for a flyer and soon I will start with the first web page.
That’s awesome, Annemarie! I think it’s a great beginning of a client relationship when you are a current/former customer because you already understand the product.
Plus, you were able to demonstrate your skills and knowledge by giving them some points for free before doing any paid work. Nice!
Amazing how that kind of stuff works out Annemarie!
My very first large freelance contract was for a Ducati motorcycle dealership I was buying a scooter from. After a little talking about how crappy their website was and how to improve it, I had a $5,000 check to re-do it for them!!
Hi Neville
I’m an author. I’ve had 10 x #1 bestsellers in category for my short read eBooks. A few months ago my UK publisher released my latest novel.
I thought that with a half decent track record I’d get my book in book stores fairly easily. Nope. wrong!
I tried approaching stores myself but no real traction.
So I decided to call stores several times over the course of a week to ten days using various accents asking if they stocked any C T Mitchell Books. Naturally they didn’t.
But after receiving a ‘ton’ of enquiey from a broad range of the community, C T Mitchell was top of mind when the book store owner received an email seeking to have my new book on their shelves.
Not everybody jumps at the idea but an independent store in the area where my books are written ordered 50 via my publisher.
I’m pursuing more stores who should stock ‘this rising star’
Thanks
C T Mitchell
Nice.
This is somewhat similar – on a smaller scale – to what Charlotte Parker did for the first Terminator movie.
Hmmm I think I can adapt this idea.
I could call a store and threaten them with termination if they don’t stock my book.
I wonder what accent I should use?
C T – this idea is a little sneaky but genius. It reminds me of Ryan Holiday’s ideas in his book Trust Me, I’m Lying about engineering “events” related to his company or clients that would then get covered by the media.
I’d imagine that once you do this a few times, you might get a social proof effect by saying something like, “I’m already stocked in 10 stores within a 50 mile radius of here,” or something like that.
Yes I just need a few big bookchains to take it on
BAHAHAHAHHA that’s amazing CT!
I remember Sara Blakely of Spanx had a similar story where she’d go to Neiman Marcus where her first products were sold and would move the display up to where the registers were (that’s where people would make last minute impulse buys).
I wonder which accent got you the most buys? :-)
Not sure if it was Indian, Chinese or American.
But I know one thing I had to make the calls short otherwise I tend to roll all the accents together and we all end up very confused
I was gobsmakced when I read this. Genius.
So simple. But then, the best ideas usually are.
I’m thinking maybe put a banner on my car saying something similar with a phone number to contact me. I’d get a number specifically for this, though.
Rezbi – that sounds like the makings of another experiment! I always wonder how those car wraps do in terms of marketing…
Hahahha, I wonder if that would work!
This is a great idea Gerard! I’m a designer and might use this trick at the next conferences.
Thanks, Sandy! Yea, any creative professional who can describe their services in a simple way can take advantage.
The only folks who may struggle with t-shirt marketing are those who call themselves something like “integrated-omnichannel-small-biz-lead-gen-digital-marketing-consultants,” but they probably have some other things to figure out first… : )
Very true, this could probably work for any freelancer or professional :)