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Personal name or business name?

by Papercut
7 replies
I know many successful copywriters market themselves using their own name. But I’m not sure that’s the right path for me.

After writing ad copy and news releases on a part-time freelance basis for about a year, I’m almost ready to start my own business. I write for a specific niche and I’d like to better market myself to this industry. My ultra-common name probably won’t earn me much attention; it certainly won’t help brand development.

And since I’d also like to eventually hire a few freelance writers to boost capacity, I’m leaning toward using a business name that doesn’t include any trace of my real moniker. But I tend to be a tad indecisive about these things.

If anyone has any thoughts on this, I’d appreciate it.

Thanks.
#business #personal
  • Profile picture of the author Shazadi
    Using a business name is fine, you can honestly find success both ways. Clayton Makepeace has Response Ink, for example, but everyone knows it's run by him. You can even have your cake and eat it, too - Drayton Bird uses "Drayton Bird and Associates." Whatever is meaningful to your audience (since you mention you write for a certain niche, you could cater to that). Like you said, some people just use their name, and as they gain fame it stands on its own. But I've never heard of something less direct damaging one's reputation.
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    • Profile picture of the author Alex Cohen
      By all means, form a company. There are good financial and legal reasons to do so.

      But don't hide behind it. Be out there front and center.

      Establishing personal relationships with your clients will help your company grow much faster.

      In regards to your common name, also use your middle initial. That will help some.

      Alex
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      • Profile picture of the author AT-Copy
        Originally Posted by Alex Cohen View Post

        By all means, form a company. There are good financial and legal reasons to do so.

        But don't hide behind it. Be out there front and center.

        Establishing personal relationships with your clients will help your company grow much faster.

        In regards to your common name, also use your middle initial. That will help some.

        Alex
        I completely agree that you need to put yourself out there. People don't want to deal with an anonymous copywriter - they want to get to know someone they can trust. Ideally, you want to be your clients "go-to" guy, but that's much harder if they see you as a faceless business without a personal relationship.
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  • Profile picture of the author JRVogt
    Having a brand/company name is good to give yourself a professional edge. But folks are going to want to know who *you* are as well. So I'd say it's not really an "either/or" decision in this instance.
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve The Copywriter
    Lets say there's a copywriter called John Smith and he specialises in the self improvement niche.

    He could call himself -

    John Smith - The Self Improvement Copywriter

    Or to add a spark of personality...

    John Smith - The Self Improvement Copywriter

    (Yes, my name could be improved but my copy can't - it really is the best!)


    Steve
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    • Profile picture of the author ERPLeadsWriter
      As what others have said, there is a good case for anonymity but there is also a good case to show use a name that is actually real.

      Although in your case, if your name is really that generic, I would lean towards a business name as a front. Giving a real name can soon follow once it's time for you and your customers to get to know each other better.
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  • Profile picture of the author Corey Geer
    Originally Posted by Papercut View Post

    I know many successful copywriters market themselves using their own name. But I'm not sure that's the right path for me.

    After writing ad copy and news releases on a part-time freelance basis for about a year, I'm almost ready to start my own business. I write for a specific niche and I'd like to better market myself to this industry. My ultra-common name probably won't earn me much attention; it certainly won't help brand development.

    And since I'd also like to eventually hire a few freelance writers to boost capacity, I'm leaning toward using a business name that doesn't include any trace of my real moniker. But I tend to be a tad indecisive about these things.

    If anyone has any thoughts on this, I'd appreciate it.

    Thanks.
    You know, some of the most successful sites or business ventures were done by people who used pseudonyms or character names.

    The Rich Jerk comes to mind.

    There's nothing wrong with using a real name but there's a certain level of mystery that comes with a character name that increases curiosity and sometimes increases the conversion rate.
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