Get Your Copywriting Career Started Fast -- Without Any Contacts, Testimonials, Or Even A Portfolio
By: Ben Settle
"Ben, I've studied dozens of copywriting books, have hundreds of 3X5 index cards filled with headlines and marketing ideas, I read The National Enquirer every week, I've studied Schwartz, Collier, Caples, Halbert and Carlton and can probably recite their stuff back to you verbatim. I write out ads long hand every stinkin' day of the week, over and over and over again. But...I just can't seem to get a client. What do I do?"
That was an email recently sent to me posing a very good question. How do you get that first client when everyone wants to see a "portfolio" of your stuff and a list of people who will vouch for you?
Well, besides trying some of the more "mainstream" ways -- such as using elance.com, sending offers around your home town, networking, etc -- there is a little-known way to get started few people know about...or are willing to do.
And even though it takes a lot of guts and confidence in your abilities -- and will stretch you way out of your "comfort zone" -- it'll improve your skills by leaps and bounds...and spare you the inconvenience and hassle of licking anyone's boots to get those first few assignments.
Listen to this: The way I got started -- and you can do the same thing today -- was by going to www.sendfree.com and signing up for their free auto-responder service. And when you sign up for their free autoresponder service (whether you use it or not) they'll automatically enroll you in (or give you the option of enrolling in) what's called "The Sendfree Roundtable".
This, my friend, is one of the best kept secrets on the Internet. Especially if you're just starting out, looking for that first gig to "jump start" your career.
Here's why: This "round table" is nothing more than a big email forum, like you see on "Yahoo! Groups", where you're encouraged to introduce yourself, tell everyone what you do...and even submit an offer to the entire list.
True, you could do this at any online forum, especially if they have a section for joint ventures and special offers. The only problem is...the majority of people reading those sections are submitting offers, not necessarily looking for offers.
But with the Sendfree Roundtable everyone on the list gets emailed your offer...and thus, sees it. And since they only send out about 4 or 5 offers and introductions at a time, there's a good chance most people will see your offer.
Obviously, for someone just starting out as a copywriter, wanting to get their "feet wet", it serves as an invaluable tool.
Now, here's I used it to get started: When I introduced myself, I included an offer to write copy in exchange for 5% of the gross sales. No upfront fees, no binding contracts and no strings attached. I was basically writing for "free" in a sense.
Did it work? Well, let's put it this way: That very same day alone...I got over a dozen responses. And in the end, I managed to get 4 or 5 quality jobs out of the deal...gain a ton of "real world" experience...build a decent portfolio...and learn an awful lot about the business side of copywriting (i.e. dealing with clients).
And you know what? You can do the exact same thing. Plus, if you deal with the right people...and work hard enough...you could very well end up collecting a few checks along the way.
About The Author:
Ben Settle is one of the few direct response copywriters in the world who really puts his money where his mouth is - structuring his deals so he gets paid only from the results of the sales - and not on any up-front fees. Although Ben is not currently accepting new clients, he freely shares his ideas and tactics on his blog at: http://bensettle.com