How Can You Help as a Copywriter?

In my last post about writing a sales pitch, I have talked about catching your potential client's attention by baiting him with the first few lines of your letter.

The next step would be to follow through with concisely written information about your credentials and experience as a copywriter, and why you're the one who's most qualified to help your potential client.

Look at the following paragraph written as follow-up information for Mr. Ramirez:

With your passion for community outreach in mind, I would like to propose a project for Kennel Club that will come in the form of a public information campaign. 

I would like to help you craft solicitation letters so you can raise funds to publish a monthly newsletter with articles for dog owners, breeders, and active participants of dog shows. This newsletter can be sent through postal mail to the members of your Club to keep them abreast of current information about their hobby.

(In this part of your sales pitch, you are speaking authoritatively as you make a suggestion about a possible partnership with Mr. Ramirez. Notice that you have to be as specific as possible about what you hope the project will achieve, and you thought about the kind of readers that will most benefit from your newsletter project.)

I am a freelance copywriter with seven years of experience in conceptualizing and implementing cost-effective marketing campaigns, and I have spent the last two years helping professionals identify their goals in their careers or businesses and guiding them towards achieving their goals by taking concrete steps.

(This part of your letter requires that you cite the credentials that make you qualified for the project. Remember, your sales pitch is not the place for you to be modest about your skills, since you'll likely be competing with a number of other freelancers.)

I would be glad to hear from you to further discuss my offer. You can get in touch with me through the contact numbers I have provided in my business card, which I have enclosed along with samples of my past work. I can set up an appointment with you at a time that is mutually convenient.

Sincerely,

(Your Name Here)

(The last paragraph of your letter is crucial, since you have to encourage Mr. Ramirez to take action. There are freelancers who prefer conducting the bulk of their correspondence through email, so if you don't want to take phone calls, provide your email address.)

Stay tuned, because in my next articles I'll talk about jobs in design and illustration.

Pitching Your Skill: How to Write a Sales Letter That Gets Results

Let's say you have identified the type of small business or cause raised by a non-profit group to whom you would like to offer your copywriting services. As a professional freelancer, how should you make your presence felt to your target client?

In magazine writing, there is a term freelance writers use called pitching. And just like the act of pitching in baseball, to pitch in freelancing means to throw, or offer an idea for an article, to the magazine's associate or managing editor.

When writing a sales letter, you aim to "sell" your copywriting services by pitching your offer to small business owners or heads of non-profit groups.

But let me warn you. Great care should be taken when crafting the right pitch for your sales letter, since you want to increase your chances of getting noticed and hired by the people you're targeting.

So how do you do this? Here are several guidelines:

Make your letter sound as personal as possible.

I remember a time when I got a packet from the mail informing me about a group of artists who paint and design greeting cards and sell them to earn a profit. A letter of solicitation was enclosed, informing me how I can place my order.

And yet, no sooner have I gone beyond the first paragraph of the letter when I felt my eyes going droopy from boredom. I felt as if I were reading "marketing fluff," which is nothing but cliched phrases hashed and rehashed in an effort to make a sale.

So the key here is to think about your intended recipient. Be engaging. It must be evident right from the first few lines of your letter that you believe in his cause or would like to support his business. Here's an example:

Dear Mr. Ramirez:

(Notice that I used the person's last name, and not just a generic "Sir" or "Madam.")

A leading citizen among the suburban community. A man devoted to raising  awareness as to what can disturb neighborhood peace and order.

You've been described as such by various newspaper reporters. You're extremely busy, and yet, you  took time to organize a Kennel Club to keep stray dogs away from the streets, and encourage dog lovers to be more responsible towards taking care of their furry, four-legged friends.

(When you write this way, your reader will be impressed because you took time to find out what's most important to him. In Mr. Ramirez' case, his concern for the community and dog owners made him well-known to the suburban population.)

In my next installment, I'll talk about explaining how you can help Mr. Ramirez reach more people to get in on the bandwagon of his altruistic endeavors.