3 Surefire Methods for Landing New Copywriting Projects

Do you often wonder how to find copywriting clients? I’ve been a freelance copywriter for over two years, but my cold calls always seem to fall on deaf ears and my prospecting emails go unanswered. It’s so discouraging!

I wanted a way to find new copywriting projects without all the emotional drama of cold calling, so I devised a foolproof plan for sourcing projects.

When I worked in fundraising, a development officer told me, “If you’re a florist looking to sell more flowers, your best bet is to target the people who already buy flowers.”

Though he was discussing charitable donations, the crux of the idea is simple: If you’re hoping to sell more product and increase your earnings, market to the people who already purchase your product.

If clients have hired you in the past, they typically have copywriting needs and are a great source of new copywriting projects. Yet clients are often extremely busy, and they don’t have the time to reach out and check your availability. Therefore, you need to know the best ways to offer additional services and stay “top of mind.”

Avoiding the Between-Projects Lull

When we’re busy, we never spend enough time sourcing prospects and bringing in new clients. Unfortunately, this leads to stretches of time when our workloads dip off, and we find ourselves between projects, with no new leads.

For me, the moment I notice I’m wrapping up a couple projects at once, I immediately turn around and touch base with clients I haven’t heard from in a while.

Instead of going directly to cold calling, I send out numerous short, friendly emails to past clients. I remind them of:

• My breadth of services
• My willingness to take on new projects

These emails are a great plug for your skills, and they let your clients know you’re available to work with them again. I consistently implement one of the following three methods for reconnecting with clients, and the results are always astounding.

Follow up on the status of an invoice or project

One of the best ways to make a plug for your services is to include it in a follow-up email. I like to do this when checking on outstanding invoices or when asking for final versions of completed work.

Here’s an example of an email I sent to a client asking for the final version of a case study. (Please note: I write B2B copy for the healthcare industry. Feel free to use any of these email templates, and simply swap my list of copywriting services with your own.)

Hello Katherine,

I hope you’re doing well. I wanted to reach out and see if the final version of the Company W case study had been designed and completed. I’d like to have a copy of it for my records.

Also, I wanted to touch base to see if you need copywriting assistance on any upcoming white papers, special reports, or case studies. Let me know!

All the best,

Allison Kirsch

I like these follow-up emails because when you reference a current or past project, you’re practically guaranteed a response.

However, if you don’t have a reason to follow up with your client, and you’re not waiting on anything—don’t worry. There are two other methods you can use to reconnect.

Send a simple email to “touch base”

When you haven’t heard from a client in a few months, you have the perfect opportunity to reach out with a helpful email.

Clients love when you touch base with them because it means they don’t have to think about contacting you. I can’t tell you how often I’ve sent a short email offering further assistance, and received a response that says, “Perfect timing! We have a new project coming up…”

Voilà! That’s immediately a new copywriting project!

So how should you word your touch-base email? Before reaching out, decide if you want to:

• Pitch a new idea, or
• Write content similar to a previous project

If you have a suggestion for a piece of content you think would benefit the company, make a short pitch with your idea:

Hi Cynthia,

I got an email from your newsletter saying you’re extending your partnership with Company X. That’s great news; congratulations!

I was wondering if you and your team had considered using your experience with Company X as the basis for a new case study. It seems from your newsletter that they’d be able to provide some good quotes as support. Let me know what you think.

All the best,

Allison Kirsch

On the other hand, if you know they have a need for regular content, you can always offer a service you’ve provided in the past. In that case, I find that short, sweet emails work wonders:

Hi Cynthia,

I wanted to touch base and see if you have a new topic you’d like me to begin researching for an upcoming blog post.

Thanks!

Allison Kirsch

Though both emails offer different services, they amount to the same thing: you’re demonstrating you’ve considered your client’s needs, and you’re staying top of mind.

However, I feel the final email option is consistently the most successful of the three.

Leverage contacts for referrals and new copywriting clients

Referrals are a gold mine when reconnecting with past clients because good clients will refer you again and again. Your clients know your work ethic, and they know how talented you are. If you can use them to network, they’ll sing your praises to everyone they refer.

I’ll quickly give you a bit of background on this email: A previous client introduced me to this contact. After collaborating on a couple of projects, I reached out and offered my services directly to his consulting firm. Though they didn’t have any projects at the time, he did have a colleague at a marketing agency who desperately needed a copywriter.

This introduction turned into an extremely fruitful relationship, and I worked with the marketing agency on multiple projects over the next year.

But after a year or so, I felt a lull in my workload. I started reaching out to past contacts and sniffing around for more work. Remember, these clients had copywriting needs in the past—if you want to sell more flowers, this is where you start!

(I also began this email with a thank you. Never forget that your clients are the most important part of your business. Make sure you mind your P’s and Q’s to build strong, successful relationships.)

Good morning Ted,

It’s been a while since we’ve spoken, but I wanted to thank you again for putting me in touch with Anna at Company Y. I’ve been freelancing for them for the past year, and I really appreciate the introduction!

I wanted to reach out and see if you or your colleagues have any upcoming projects at Company Z, on which you may need some additional copywriting assistance. I’d be happy to help with white papers, case studies, or other marketing content.

Thanks again, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Best,

Allison Kirsch

This email proved extremely successful, because not only was Ted happy to hear from me, he was also excited to connect me with the Chief Marketing Officer at his consulting firm. This then led to an introduction to a new contact! And the best part is: in a few months, I’ll be able to reach out to Ted, thank him—yet again—for his help, and make another plug for more work.

Successful networking relationships are vital to your business because they open doors to new opportunities.

Never be afraid to reconnect with a friend, colleague, or client because personal connections are the most valuable. These people know your strengths, know your work ethic, and know you’ll make them look good when they refer you.

So don’t wait!

Think of two to four clients whom you’ve worked with in the past but haven’t heard from in a few months. Reach out to them with a question or a word of thanks, and include a friendly plug for your services. You’ll be amazed at the results!