Here’s a question for you…
Which market has the most work for freelance copywriters and business writers these days? Is it corporations? Small businesses? Non-profits?
None of the above.
As you can guess from the title of this post, the answer is: Ad Agencies and Design Firms.
In fact, it’s always been a hot market. There are more than 70,000 of these firms throughout Canada and the United States. And most hire freelance writers regularly.
How do you break into this market?
A couple of years ago I did a teleclass program on that very topic. I explained step-by-step how to approach ad agencies and design firms, land good-paying projects, and work effectively with these types of clients.
Today I’m giving my readers (like you) free access to that teleclass recording.
You can listen to part one here:
By the way, this teleclass recording is not a teaser. There is no upsell at the end. There’s nothing else to buy. Everything I know about writing for ad agencies and design firms is in the teleclass.
Enjoy!
Thanks for the telecast, Steve!
As a sales/marketing guy for the past 12 years, it’s nice to see that your main technique for contacting the right acency folks is by simply trying. Just contact them! Makes perfect sense.
Good timing, too…today is my first day as a full-time freelancer!
I’m adding this telecast (and my corresponding notes) as an essential tool for generating leads.
I’ve been reading a lot about the effectiveness of sending USPS Certified Mail or FedEx to agencies and design firms. I’m going to call several firms today with your method and once I get the contacts, send them a follow up via FedEx. If I get work from that method, I’ll let you know.
I’m looking forward to the next telecast.
Thanks for everything.
Cheers,
Steve
Good luck with the prospecting, Steve. As with any prospecting technique, I recommend you test it first to see how it’s working. The last thing you want is to rack up a huge FedEx bill and not see results.
Thanks for this Steve; you’ve loaded the class with valuable information. It seems like a great place to start for a new copywriter.
Thanks, Kevin. I’m glad you’re finding the information helpful. Don’t forget to listen to part two next week.
I gave up on marketing to ad and design agencies because I found they were too price sensitive. Does this teleclass delve into that issue and present ideas for handling it?
Hi Jessica. Yes, that’s the downside of writing for ad agencies and design firms. They tend to be price sensitive. You can expect to get 20-30% less than you would a corporate client. The upside is that ad agencies and design firms can give you a lot of work.
Yes Steve, I’m learning about this price difference right now. I’ve got one agency client that is balking at prices that my direct clients pay without blinking. The agency understands my fees, but just can’t get them from their clients. IMO I’d rather deal with the client directly to explain my value, instead of relying on the agency to convey it instead. Thanks for the insight!
Thanks, Steve. Looking forward to the second one!
Wow, Steve, thanks so much for this great info!
I have a few questions:
1. How extensive of a portfolio should I have before reaching out to agencies? Also, it is a problem if most of my work is web-based?
2. If the ideal contact info is not available, should we contact through the general e-mail or phone?
3. If it seems like there are multiple positions that could be valuable to contact – e.g. human resources manager and account manager – is it best to try one first, or contact both at the same time?
I look forward to your response and really appreciate you time! Thank you!
Melissa
Those are a lot of questions! If you look through past issues of this blog you’ll find in-depth information that addresses them all.
But here are should answers to each:
1. a) two or three good samples; spec is okay. b) No.
2. No. Somehow get a name.
3. Both. You market to people, but businesses.
Hope that helps!
Helps a lot. Thanks for answering!
Hi Steve. I was blessed to start my copywriting career with an ad agency that exploded during the dot com book. I later went to another agency, then got a lucrative contract with the Government, which lasted three years. Then back to agencies, but as a freelancer. This is where I got a real taste of freelance life and discovered my main problem: if I went to large agencies the timelines were tough and it was hard to negotiate a good price. Smaller agencies, or two man shows used me, but said they would pay me when they got paid, which meant I often waited several months–they paid themselves, and partners and staff, and then the freelancer. Hell on family life to have thousands in receivables. ANY TIPS for find or negotiating reasonable time frames and payment and terms. Also, some of the project timelines can be well not great; either clients ran roughshod over their review times but expected you to meet deadlines, or things dragged on in other departments, like design/printing or web dev. It made me sick and I had to quit. I’d love to go back but work in a smarter way. YOUR THOUGHTS WOULD HELP. 🙂 Sincerely, Chet