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I believe that as a copywriter, there is an easier way to build your credibility and grow your client list, and that is through alignment. When you know your ideal client, you can start to align your work with them and even package your work to perfectly suit them. This means that when it comes time to pitch yourself and your services, you stand out, you connect, and ultimately, you get the job.
This post is going to dive into why knowing your ideal client is crucial for success as well as practical steps on how to do it.
What is an Ideal Client?
When I think of an ideal client, the word that most energetically comes to mind is synergy. Synergy is 'the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects'. In simpler terms, things that go together in such a way as to amplify the efforts of all, like a mastermind group. I also think of flow and alignment.
If you put all of this together, you quickly get a picture of a perfect working relationship, and that is the key feeling behind your ideal client. That's what it feels like to be working with one- perfect. Your ideas are aligned; your voice matches their voice; you value and like their brand; you are instantly filled with ideas on how and what to write for them; you are excited to write for them. If all of that is true, then you have found yourself an ideal client.
How do you Determine Who your Ideal Client Is?
As mentioned above, what you are looking for in your ideal client is a natural alignment between them and yourself as a copywriter and as a person. As such, you want to begin your search knowing the things that are core to you, so you know what to look for in them. A great place to start is by asking yourself a few questions:
1. Who or what interests you?
2. What do you like to learn about for fun, and what content do you consume?
3. Which of these areas of interest would you actually like to write about?
4. Who needs this kind of copywriting?
By searching for the answers to these questions, you will begin to narrow in on the kind of work you would most like to write about, work that excites you and that lights you up. I believe that part of the 'ideal client contract' is that writing for them brings joy to your work. It has to make you happy. That's not to say it has to be easy, but if it is challenging then it has to be the kind of challenging that you enjoy.
Most copywriters have had the experience of writing for a client they don't like at least once (and those are the lucky ones), so I'll assume this to be true for you as well. Think about how this felt, think about the dread of having to painstakingly put word after word on the page at a rate that felt like 'too slow' regardless of how fast you were typing. Think about the breaks you took, the second and third tabs you opened just so you could give yourself a mental break from the soul-crushing thing you were writing about. Just sit with that feeling for a little bit and fully understand how much it sucks.
Writing for your ideal client feels like the opposite of that. It feels fun, engaging, exciting, and life-giving. It sucks your time but in the 'Oh wow, it's been an hour already?!' kind of way and not in the 'OMG, I can't believe I've wasted an hour of my life on this' kind of way. So, very different and worth doing your part to try and make sure you get the first kind. This brings me back to the questions above, I really suggest you take the time to uncover the answers for yourself.
As an example, working your way through them may go something like this:
1. Who or what interests you?
Food, travel, fashion, writing, books, babies, and childcare.
2. What do you like to learn about for fun, and what content do you consume?
Copywriting hacks, book publishing, cooking tutorials, fashion breakdown videos. Notice that from questions 1 to 2, travel and babies and childcare fell off. This could be because although they interest me in general, they are not areas of content that I consume for fun. They might be things I consume more in an educational capacity. Maybe I read blogs on tips to help me get my baby to sleep faster etc.
3. Which of these areas of interest would you actually like to write about?
Copywriting hacks, book publishing. Again, notice how the list got smaller as I applied another filter to it. This question is critical as it centers around the idea of you liking to write about something which, as you remember, is a crucial component of the 'ideal client contract'. In this example, while I may enjoy cooking tutorials related content- I recognize that I am not the best fit to create it. I don't want to write about the perfect way to sauté spinach- in fact, I know that having to do so would drive me crazy.
By applying this filter to your possible niches for your ideal client, you weed out all the areas that wouldn't fit. Doing this before you search for clients will save you so much aggravation and dread. You don't want to find yourself in the situation of being happy you got a client (yay) but frustrated that you now have to write about 'How to roast a leg of lamb' when all you would love to be writing about is 'How to get more copywriting clients'.
You've been there, done that. Now you want to write for clients that you like on topics that you like even more. So ask yourselves these questions and answer as honestly as you can. Remember, even if you've spent a great deal of time writing in a particular niche and have gotten very good at it, you may actually not like it. This may be a surprising revelation, but just give yourself permission to admit it and then search to find what you do like. It will be worth it.
4. Who needs this kind of copywriting?
Finally, once you've zeroed in on your perfect niche, it's time to identify what people or organizations work in this space because they are your pool of candidates for finding your ideal client. In the above example, this would look like searching for: writing coaches, authors, publishing houses, printing presses, writer blogs, etc. These are the groups in which you will begin your search to find your ideal client.
If you're able to be even more specific, you can narrow your list even further. For example, if you want to specifically write about copywriting and would really rather never have to write book reviews, then eliminate the publishing houses and printing presses, etc. Keep going until you have a solid list of possible clients that you feel confident would be looking for just the kind of writing you're (excitedly) looking to do.
To recap: You should now know what you want to write about (and how) and you should have a list of possible clients that would be looking for a copywriter to do just that. With that, you're now ready to first study your ideal client to create a profile before crafting the perfect pitch for them. Both of these topics will be covered in future posts so stay tuned for that.
Talk soon,
Nonjabulo
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