How to Market Your Writing Business
We’ve talked a lot about how to launch your freelance writing career and get your first freelance writing client. But what if you’re already an established freelance writer and you want to grow your business? That’s where marketing comes in. If you want to learn how to market your writing business, keep reading!
WHY IT’S A GOOD IDEA TO MARKET YOUR WRITING BUSINESS
So, what are the benefits of marketing your freelance writing business? Well, once you’re an established freelance writer with clients, you’ll have less and less time to cold pitch. Why? Because you’ll be spending all your time doing client work and making money. Woo!
However, you’ll still need to take on new clients from time to time. Enter marketing. Marketing allows clients to find you rather than the other way around.
By utilizing the tips below, I haven’t sought out clients in over two years. They come to me! And we’re not talking like a couple prospective clients here and there. I am often overwhelmed with people reaching out to me about potential projects! Not bragging, but I’m just telling you that this stuff really works.
If you’re familiar with the principles of economics, you know that prices go up with demand. So, if you learn how to market your writing business and wind up with more clients than you can handle, you’ll soon be able to charge higher fees and make more money (or work less for the same amount of money, if you prefer).
So, to reiterate, this is why you should learn how to market your writing business:
You will spend less time pitching.
You’ll be able to raise your freelance writer rates.
Marketing is key if you want to grow your freelance writing business.
NEW WRITERS, TURN BACK!
Please note: this is NOT where new writers should begin. Unless you’ve already created a decent freelance writer portfolio, landed your first few clients with cold pitching, and gathered a collection of glowing testimonials, hold off on marketing for now. Bookmark this page and come back later! Why? Two reasons:
You don’t yet have enough experience as a freelance writer to convince prospective clients to contact you.
Trying to get your freelance career off the ground is overwhelming enough as it is. You don’t need to throw marketing into the mix just yet. The reason I say this is because marketing can take a lot of time, and you should be spending your time cold pitching clients and improving your writing skills. Period.
So, if you’re a new writer, don’t waste your time setting up an Instagram account for your writing business. Stay focused on the goal, which is to get new freelance writing clients through cold pitching. I want you to start making some money before you start worrying about this other stuff.
If you’re a new freelance writer, you need to prioritize honing your craft before creating an Instagram.
MARKETING YOUR WRITING BUSINESS: THE BASICS
Before you start learning how to market freelance writing business, ask yourself this: who is your customer? This will depend entirely on your niche and the kind of writing that you do. For me, my customers are beauty startup founders and marketing managers at beauty brands. They tend to be women living in the United States and the United Kingdom between the ages of 25 and 45. Who are you selling your services to? Get super specific about your demographic, because you’ll need that for the next part.
Next, put yourself in the shoes of your customer. If they wanted to hire a freelance writer for a project, what would their first steps be? I’ll give you a little hint. They’re probably going to do one of the following:
They’ll search for freelance writers on Google.
They’ll look on Linkedin for a freelance writer.
They’ll ask people in their network.
HOW TO MARKET YOUR WRITING BUSINESS: DOS
Now that we know how your potential clients will begin their search for you, we know where we need to position ourselves to get in front of them.
Here is what you can do to show up in each of those channels:
1. Master Search Engine Optimization
The first thing we want to do is make sure that you are appearing on the first page of Google when your potential clients are looking for the service you provide.
For example, since I am a beauty copywriter, I want to show up at the top of search rankings when my potential clients google “beauty copywriter”.
One way to do this is to create your own freelance writer website. You’ll want to make sure that one page on your website (preferably the homepage) is optimized for your particular service. Not sure how to do this? Read SEO Copywriting 101 and report back.
However, it’s difficult to get your website to rank on the first page of Google search results, especially if your website is brand spanking new. Google gives preference to big, established websites.
But don’t worry! You can use this to your advantage. All you have to do is make sure that you are showing up on a big, established website. My suggestion is to create an Upwork profile and optimize it with your keywords. Not only will you gain new clients from Upwork’s high search ranking, but you’ll also potentially win new clients through the Upwork platform itself.
2. Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile
Some clients will start with a LinkedIn search rather than a Google search, so you want to make sure your profile gets their attention. Here’s how to do it:
Upload a clear, professional-looking headshot for your profile image.
Use your keywords in your headline.
Create a new job for yourself that describes your freelance writing services. If you have an LLC, use that as the business name. Otherwise, just say that you’re self-employed. List the kinds of writing services that you provide, and utilize the portfolio function to upload examples of your best work.
Write a summary paragraph that describes the work you do and lists your most impressive clients. Make sure to include as many keywords as possible. Bonus points for including testimonials from your clients!
3. Get Out & Network!
Some potential clients prefer to get recommendations for contractors from their network. So how do you get in front of these people? By growing your own network, of course!
Here’s how to do it:
Connect with people in your industry through Linkedin. But don’t just randomly send people invites. Shoot them a little message to let them know why you’re interested in them and their work. Quality over quantity, people!
Attend professional networking events. Get on Meetup and see what your city has to offer!
Literally just tell everyone you meet what you do for a living. You never know who knows someone that needs your help on a project. For example, I have a call this afternoon with a potential client that found me through a French dentist who briefly dated my Norwegian friend while we were living in Portugal. No kidding!
Network as much as you can! You’ll be amazed at the connections you make.
THE # 1 MISTAKE FREELANCE WRITERS MAKE WHEN MARKETING THEIR WRITING BUSINESS
Okay, so we’ve talked about the right way to market yourself as a freelance writer. Is there a wrong way? Yes!
Look, your time is limited and precious. You want the most bang for your buck, so any marketing channel that isn’t going to get your clients is definitely a no-no. When it comes to marketing, the #1 mistake I see freelance writers make is wasting time on social media.
Friend, you do not need to create an Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook page for your freelance writing business. In fact, I would encourage you not to. Social media is a major timesuck, and the chances that a potential client will find you through your social media pages is pretty slim.
Why? Because your potential clients aren’t looking for contractors on social media. I mean, if you were a marketing manager and needed to hire a freelance copywriter ASAP, would you start your search by jumping onto Instagram? Of course not.
I’m not saying it can’t happen, but it’s not as likely as through Linkedin, Google, or networking. So why waste your time?
Plus, the temptation to spend all your time on social media is just too damn high. Allocate your precious time to marketing techniques that will actually get you results and forget about social media.
Do you have any advice on how to market your writing business? Let me know in the comment section below!
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