I get emails from folks all the time claiming “Copywriting is too crowded…have you been on Upwork recently?!”
Yeah, Upwork blows.
(ughhh)
I’ll get hate mail from those making a full-time living from Upwork (kudos). But, going to sites like Upwork and Freelancer.com is like setting up your hot dog stand next to 20 other hot dog stands.
Customers pour out of the stadium, they see 20 hot dog stands lined up…how do they make a decision?
Umm…
They can only base their decision off one thing, and one thing alone…because they have zero info on any of you weenie dealers.
They base their decision on price. And then you’re fighting like starving puppies for every job posting. Low ball game ensue.
.I’ve tried Upwork before and hired people from it. Look — it’s definitely a place for beginners to pick up some samples and build up a portfolio.
But…if you ever want to make $100 – $500 per hour writing copy…you need to find companies who have copy budgets. Million-dollar companies, ad agencies, info-marketers, ACTIVE advertisers.
To do that…you need to learn how to sell yourself. Upwork you wait around for some dude in a basement to post a job posting. [DISCLAIMER: Yes, you can find potential clients where you could get retainers and such, but that’s few and far between]
1. FIND COMPANIES ALREADY ADVERTISING!
Best place to find them?
Facebook.
Every info-marketer, publisher, anyone who uses long copy (long copy is where the money is), advertises on FB. There are sites out there where you can find who advertises on FB. (Maybe someone can post the best ones). I don’t use them now as I know which companies (niche) I target. They all advertise around the web.
THE KEY: If they advertise, it means 2 things:
1.) They know the power of advertising
2.) More importantly, THEY HAVE A FLIPPIN’ BUDGET
2. FIND THE DECISION MAKERS ON LINKEDIN OR THEIR WEBSITE
Look for their:
– Director of Marketing
– Copy chief
– CMO
– If it’s a smaller company, just target the CEO/Founder
This takes some legwork…if you aren’t willing to put in this work, then give up. This is the easy stuff.
3. FIND THE DECISION-MAKERS EMAIL ADDRESS:
First: Download “Streak” for gmail. You can hook up any personal email to gmail. You can find tutorials on that through your web hosting company.
Download “Rapportive” plugin (I assume you use Chrome as it’s the best).
– Try variations of a persons name with their website. For example, for Apple.com, you might try: jcassandra@apple.com, joecassandra@apple.com , etc. At some point, “Rapportive” will trigger that they found this email registered to a network.
– Google “@apple.com” email and look for people’s name. All you’re looking for is how someone’s name would be for a company email as it is typically the same for everyone.
– NOTE: “Rapportive” may not always register an email. So, you may have to send some emails that bounce. Again, if you aren’t willing to put in the work…can’t help you.
4. SEND EMAIL:
Hi Joe,
Saw a recent post you did on X [OR ANY PERSONAL PIECE. AGAIN…RESEARCH]
Thought it was interesting and wanted to reach out. I write copy for [NICHE OF PERSON YOU WRITE TO – IMPORTANT] to help them get [e.g. more recurring customers or orders, etc.]. I’ve also worked with other companies like: X, Y, Z [CLOSER OF NICHE YOU WORK WITH, THE EASIER THE SELL]
Is there an appropriate person to ask if you work with outside writers?
Thanks,
Joe
KEY:
1) You keep it relatively short (less than 75 words)
2) You make it as tailored to their niche as possible. (That’s why I always recommend working in one niche. LEVERAGE LEVERAGE)
3) You aren’t asking “Hire me? ” You’re asking for a softer ask: “Who should I ask about this?”
5. NEXT POST —> FOLLOW-UP
The key to all sales…follow-up. I’ll do another post later on this.
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Again, if you’re trying to make this a career or to build up a cashflow for other ventures…reaching out to million-dollar companies will always hand you more.
That said, I’m sure you could find potential retainers on Upwork. But, you’d rather spend time actually interacting with Directors of Marketing at companies than spending an hour on a proposal and sending it into a black hole.
If I was starting out again…:
1. ) Pick a niche
2.) Find as many jobs in that niche you can —> get good at it with samples
3.) Find larger companies who are in the niche —> Reach out again and again
——————
I’ve tried hiring Upwork people to do this research above for the emails, but they all failed miserably. I discovered it’s something I have to do myself, or hire someone in-house to do, which I don’t want to do right now.
