Warm Email Prospecting

Sure, I've done this - most copywriters do. Not meaning to diss Ed, but this is hardly his idea. It's adapted from the greats' techniques to establish expertise and form relationships. Ed was mentored by Chris Marlow, who is the original copywriting coach. You might enjoy checking out her work.

It's really impossible to say what your results will be; some people get responses within their first few emails, and others have to send tons before they even get acknowledged. "Trigger events" and mutual connections will help you stand out, but here's the real trick to getting a prospect's attention: Be relevant.

It's been said before, but your true aim should be to work with clients that already understand the value of good copy. It's a heck of a lot easier to convince someone they should hire you if they understand how good writing can earn them more cash and frequently employ it in their business. Trying to get that restaurant owner to pay for a site edit when it's 10 years old and looks to be written by a preschooler? Yeah, not so much.

So... target online magazines (using well-crafted pitches), businesses that need frequent blog posts or press releases, those you know employ direct mail or landing pages. Not the ignorant. It will save you a headache and vastly improve your chances for a response.

Well... I work at an ad agency and it can be a bit tricky to get your foot in the door. If you have a full portfolio then they'll at least give you a once over, otherwise they have so much work and people vying for attention that if you don't have anything to show them you'll get a "Thanks for your message" and never hear from them again.

If that's the way you want to go eventually, you can always create a few spec pieces and ask for an internship. A lot of places will love this idea, so don't be afraid to inquire at your top choices. You'll either work for free or slave wages, but after a few months you might end up with a job (that's how it worked for me) or have a handful of quality samples. Be clear that you're interested in going from temp to perm or part-time (or being one of their freelancers), so everything's on the table from the beginning.

Otherwise, there's really no limit to certain industries, since some companies will be more savvy than others. Do you have a certain topic you'd like to focus on? If so, target anyone in that industry that has the criteria I mentioned before: blog, press releases, sales letters (affiliates can always use these). There's the National Mail Order Association (Mail Order and Direct Marketing Association) as well. Great resource. Go check out the vendors there and you've got a huge list of companies that are advertising and sending letters.

Check out print magazines, look for people that put in ads and see which ones suck, then get in touch with them and tell them you can improve them/get a bigger response. I know article writing/blog writing isn't always a copywriter's dream, but all magazine/news sites need them and can actually pay quite well. Good way to work on your writing, and I think most people underrate journalism.