How To Establish Yourself As A Copywriter, Without Previous Credibility, Testimonials or Experience

12 replies
Hey guys,

For new or aspiring copywriters,


"How To Establish Recognition and Credibility As A Copywriter,
Without Previous Customers, Testimonials or
ANY Copywriting Experience"


... and make money while doing it.


I just read a post below :

I am new to warriorfourm and therefore to build my credibility and to show what I can actually do, I need some work and you need some to work for you.

I am willing to write for you for $50 as I am here for now to build my credibility. If you find that I will be of any use to you then you are free to contact me.

As Rick said, "People have to start someplace" this is my place to start.
(Hope you dont mind me using your post!)

Problem

When starting out, most aspiring copywriters get caught up
in the whole...

"How can I prove Im a good copywriter, when I have no previous clients?"
"No Testimonials"
"Hmmm, What do I charge?"

etc, etc,

(ONE) Solution

Start Selling!!!

Go into your garage, cupboards... your parents garage/cupboards,
your friends garage/cupboards...

and Start Writing ADs and Sales Letters for all your the stuff That YOU DO NOT WANT.

and just because you, your friends or family do not want that stuff,
doesnt mean others dont want it!?

Just remember, "Another Mans Trash, Is Another Mans Treasure".
That phrase can be GOLD to an aspiring AD or Copywriter...

Start writing ADS and Sales Letters for those products
on Gumtree, Craigslist, eBay, Facebook etc, etc...

You can start selling in just minutes from now!

This does 3 things for you;
  • 1.) You start making money sooner, rather than later. (So you earn, while you learn).
  • 2.) The Experience gives you Feedback, you'll get better at it
    and more importantly you'll get "Real World" Feedback.
(Instead of people trying to tell you what works and what doesnt)
You'll find out for yourself and remember... NEVER be afraid of Failure...

In my mind there is NO Such Thing As Failure... Only Feedback!
Failure = FEEDBACK!

This simple mind switch will allow you to break any mental blocks
you may have, regarding "Self Sabotaging" thoughts ...

and help get yourself up and runnning, faster.
  • 3.) Start taking screenshots of your ADS and Sales Letters
    That Get You Great Results!
And there's your proof, recognition and credibilty as
a copywriter, right there in front of you.

As it was all along... you just needed someone to
help you point it out

Dont think you can call yourself a copywriter just by that?

I believe you can...

Because with the screenshots/great results from your own ADS, etc,

You could run a Classified AD in the Forum here, a WSO,
"Need A Quick AD or Sales Letter? - Blah, Blah, Blah..."

Start off with a low price (and tell them why - i.e. "You're an aspiring copy/ad writer),
Demonstrate your proof (from your own screenshots/results AND your AD itself)

Build your portfolio/testimonials... and Start Raising Your Prices along the way

And there you have it!

NEW! MR or MRS Copywriting Genius,



- aj


p.s.


Of course this does all revolve around ACTION!

But as Copywriting legend Rick Duris and the original quoted poster states;
"You need to start somewhere and this could be one way of helping you.
#copywriter #credibility #establish #experience #previous #testimonials
  • Profile picture of the author wcmylife
    I liked this one AJ - and I would endorse this....for guys who have never written copy or sold anything - go see how well you can package and sell WHATEVER....you get a whole lot of confidence when you close a single sale and you might just set up another new stream of revenue.

    Cheers
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  • Profile picture of the author Mac Deyak
    Best thing to remember is that everyone has had that first client... Imagine a surgeon had a first patient, a criminal lawyer has had a first client and so a copywriter has to have that first client...

    You don't have to be on top of your game to start out, you just need to be more knowledgeable than your client, so that you can help them out...

    Once you get going, you can grow your clientele and your fees as your write progressively better converting ads and copies. And a twist on AJ's method of selling your stuff, is if you have any knowledge on other subjects (IM or not), you can make free products, low-ticket items just to write converting sales letters that you can use for your portfolio...

    Remember a one-eyed man is king amongst the blind...

    Hope it helps

    -Mac
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    • Profile picture of the author straygoat
      I went about it a slightly different way - I offered to do some small projects for marketing agencies for free. Only 2 took me up on the offer, but I did the work, they were happy with it and it led to my first paying gig. Then I did the same thing with a web design company, and now they are one of my main clients.
      Signature

      Craig Wright
      UK Copywriter - SEO Copywriter, Web Copywriter
      www.straygoat.com

      Looking for reciprocal links from copywriters - PM me please!

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      • Profile picture of the author Dan Axelrod
        John Carlton talks about something called "The Shameless Whore" phase for copywriting.

        It's when you take any job you can get, charge pennies (or nothing at all), while you build your portfolio up.

        The easiest place to do this is the freelance sites like oDesk.com (my favorite), freelancer.com, and elance.com.

        On one of my first assignments, a company wanted a web page done for $20, which is ridiculously low to begin with. I cut the bid in half and offered to do it for $10, snatched the job, met the deadline, and got a great testimonial and portfolio piece.

        In comparison, I sometimes charge $150 for a short email these days.

        You do need to guard your time in terms of productivity and stress management, but in terms of pay, leave your ego at the door, and never pick it back up. Have no shame in charging low amounts, or even doing free work.

        For one friend's business, I sent him a flyer and said "I just did some copy for your business without your consent. Hope you don't feel too violated." He ended up using it, and BOOM, another reference and portfolio piece.

        I'd like to thank the original poster for bringing this up.

        --Dan
        Signature
        How to Improve Your Sales Conversion Rate 50% to 283 %

        Start Making Sales NOW With My Help
        http://www.realsalescopy.com

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  • Profile picture of the author elise
    This is great. I really want to start getting into copywriting but had no idea how to go about it. I will use this plan
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  • Profile picture of the author 04real
    The only way to gain experience is to start gaining experience! When I started out in freelance writing my first few projects involved creating mini sites -- 50 or so pages of keyword optimized 'fluff' to promote a web site. I'm telling you -- after spending hours and hours of writing really repetitive stuff, copywriting for something that has essence becomes easier.


    JP
    Signature
    I wrote and published an 8,000+ word book in 24 hours.
    If I can do that, imagine what you could do.

    Get Your Free Copy >> Shut Up and Do It: How to Achieve Your Goals and Change Your Mindset in 24 Hours
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  • Profile picture of the author propadoo
    I'd advise giving away your product/service just to get some testimonials.

    Here is a case study showing video testimonials increase conversions 201%:

    Using Testimonials Effectively
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  • Profile picture of the author Shantideva
    Hello, right now I'm a insurance agent and I'm always selling way above my quote, so I guess you can say I'm successful that way. I want to enter the copywriting world as I want to start working from home and be own house with a job that I can do from anywhere in the world, I have no experience in copywriting, but I do have experience selling, can anybody tell me how do I start to become a copywriter and getting well paying clients, also there is a course that Paul Hancox is offereing through the internet, do you think is worth taking the course or no?


    Thank you,
    Shantideva
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    • Profile picture of the author Kees Hoekerd
      Originally Posted by Shantideva View Post

      Hello, right now I'm a insurance agent and I'm always selling way above my quote, so I guess you can say I'm successful that way. I want to enter the copywriting world as I want to start working from home and be own house with a job that I can do from anywhere in the world, I have no experience in copywriting, but I do have experience selling, can anybody tell me how do I start to become a copywriter and getting well paying clients, also there is a course that Paul Hancox is offereing through the internet, do you think is worth taking the course or no?


      Thank you,
      Shantideva
      Hi Shantideva,

      It's definitely value for your money, if you're talking about Super Power Copy. Probably the best part...he shows how he writes a couple of sales letter, from scratch.

      You can already check his website and download four videos for testing. But you might have already done that. :p
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    • Profile picture of the author aidacopy
      Shantideva,

      Paul's course is top notch! He is attentive, knowledgeable, and able to immediately point out what you could be doing better (and how). The modules are thorough and helpful.

      You may get all the knowledge you need from books, and there are plenty of them out there. But there is something to be said for training under a copywriter who knows his stuff inside out.

      By the time I finished his course my copywriting ability and confidence increased tenfold. And it all culminated when I realized, I mean REALLY realized, that I am now someone people pay to have copy written. Pretty amazing stuff!
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  • Profile picture of the author Alex Cohen
    Originally Posted by Aj Wilson View Post

    Hey guys,

    For new or aspiring copywriters,

    "How To Establish Recognition and Credibility As A Copywriter,
    Without Previous Customers, Testimonials or
    ANY Copywriting Experience"

    ... and make money while doing it.

    I just read a post below :

    (Hope you dont mind me using your post!)

    Problem

    When starting out, most aspiring copywriters get caught up
    in the whole...

    "How can I prove Im a good copywriter, when I have no previous clients?"
    "No Testimonials"
    "Hmmm, What do I charge?"

    etc, etc,
    (ONE) Solution

    Start Selling!!!
    Reminds me of the guy who wanted to become a world-class surgeon.

    So he Started Cutting!!!

    Brains, hearts, gall bladders. It didn't matter to him. He fixed them all.

    Well, at least he tried. Most of his patients died on the operating table... and those who didn't died from infections.

    Alex
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