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So you've watched a
couple of YouTube videos
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and decided that you want to give
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this whole copywriting thing a try.
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Yeah you do.
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Well, let me tell you, you
are in the right place.
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In this video, I'm sharing the
first six steps you must take
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to start a freelance copywriting business,
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and make money doing what you love ASAP.
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(upbeat music)
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Welcome to the raddest, baddest crew
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of copywriters on the Internet.
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This is the place to be if you are looking
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to turn your passion for
writing into a business.
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Yes, it is possible, I promise you that.
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But before you get too
gung-ho and rearing to go,
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there are six very important steps
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that you need to take first
before you find a client
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who will want to give you their money.
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Now, you might remember
that I made another video
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pretty similar to this one
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way back when I first
started my channel in 2019.
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But as you guys know, I am all
about learning and evolving
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to stay on top of the latest
trends, techniques, and tactics
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that are working today.
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As I like to say, I keep it
real so you can stay relevant
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and this video is my
latest and greatest spin
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on that 2019 classic.
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Now, while all the advice in
that video still applies today,
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I wanted to freshen it
up with some new tips
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that I think you'll find insanely helpful,
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especially step number six.
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So make sure you watch to
the end for two stories
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that will completely
change the way you think
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about the right way to get clients.
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Hey guys, it's Alex.
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As always, I'm here to help you
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create the life of your dreams
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by building a successful
freelance copywriting business,
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so if you're into that,
give me a thumbs up below
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and if you're new around here, welcome.
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I put out a new copywriting
and marketing tutorial
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every single week, so if
you're looking to ignite
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your freelance copywriting
business this year,
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go ahead and hit subscribe below,
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and don't forget to ring
that bell to be notified
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when my next video goes live.
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All right, now let's dive
right in to the six steps
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to igniting your freelance
copywriting business fast.
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Step number one, study.
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This was number one on my first video
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and it will always remain
in the number one spot,
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because it is seriously that important.
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You have heard me say over and over again
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that learning never stops,
and yes, believe it or not,
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even after doing this for 10 years,
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I am still learning and
growing my copywriting
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and marketing skills every single week.
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You simply cannot binge on
YouTube videos for one week
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and then consider yourself an expert,
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it doesn't work that way.
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If you really wanna be
successful in this business,
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you have to commit yourself
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to the continual pursuit of knowledge.
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So go out there and listen to podcasts,
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watch YouTube tutorials like this one,
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buy books and actually
read them, attend events
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and sign up for practical copywriting
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programs and challenges.
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And listen, I got you covered
with all of that and more,
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and the first place you
need to be is right here
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on my YouTube channel, so you're
already on the right track.
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But if you haven't subscribed
yet, what are you waiting for?
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After this video, I suggest you dive deep
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into the dozens of
other videos that I have
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waiting for you on my channel.
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Step number two, practice.
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All the knowledge in the
world won't do you any good
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unless you can actually implement it.
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Now I know that everyone wants to learn
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what they need to know and
then go out there immediately
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and find a paying client,
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but I am telling you right now
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that you'll definitely
wanna practice writing copy
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before you go out there and
call yourself a copywriter.
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First of all, you'll
be really hard pressed
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to find a client if you
can't actually prove to them
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that you know what you're doing,
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and second of all, your first few attempts
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at copywriting will be bad.
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Yes, I said it.
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Let's all just accept
this as fact right now,
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because I don't care who you are,
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when you're first learning this craft,
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or any new skill for that matter,
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you're not gonna be great
at first and that's okay.
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The way you grow as a copywriter
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is to first write bad
copy and then fix it,
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and that is the Copy Posse golden rule
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and the only way you'll
ever get better and better.
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So write this down:
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You gotta write crappy
before you write copy.
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So that's exactly what you
should be doing right now.
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With this video or every video and podcast
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you're learning something from,
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go ahead and actually put
into practice what you learn.
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What matters is that you're
getting your hands dirty
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because that is the only real
way you'll learn anything new.
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My favorite way to practice
is to re-write headlines
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that I find online.
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So the next time you see an ad,
a landing page, or an email,
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try to re-write it in your own words.
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Or better yet, head on
over to my Instagram page
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and stay tuned for my next edition
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of "Can You Make This
Headline Even Hotter?"
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It's a fun way to practice
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and see what other copywriters are doing.
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Moving on to step number
three, find a community.
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I truly believe this is the
single biggest needle mover
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for those looking to start
a new business in anything,
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so you'll wanna do this
sooner rather than later.
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Connecting with a community
of like-minded peers
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will be massively beneficial to you
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because I'm just gonna go
out on a limb and say it,
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you probably don't know many
other copywriters, right?
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So who can you really talk
to about your struggles?
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Who can you ask to review
something you write
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and give you honest feedback?
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Who can you reach out to
for tips on landing clients,
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or what to do once you
actually do land a client
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and need support?
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Having an online crew
that you can connect with
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will make your journey that much easier,
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because trust me, you are
going to have some questions
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along the way and you're
gonna want support,
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guidance and encouragement from people
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who get where you're at.
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Now you can find tons of
groups and communities online,
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like on Facebook, Instagram
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and other social media platforms,
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my own badass Copy Posse
community included,
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and if you wanna join my
premium members only community,
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you can do that by joining my
write and ignite challenge.
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You can find the link to that below.
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But here's the real kicker, you guys,
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you need to actually engage
with the people in these groups.
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You know, be active and be real
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and build a relationship with them,
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because people will always
be more willing to reply
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to your questions and
posts if you've proved
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that you're an active
and value-driven member
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of the community first.
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All right, step number four,
write your elevator pitch.
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So this tip is kind of
like three tips in one,
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so make sure you pay close attention.
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Once you start practicing
and building confidence
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in your craft, it's time to
get clear on how you plan
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to serve your future clients.
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So think of your elevator pitch
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as your personal sales pitch.
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You need to be able to quickly
and effectively communicate
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what you offer, who you
serve and how you do it,
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and you should be able
to communicate that all
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in 10 seconds or less,
or the amount of time
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it takes an elevator to move a floor,
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which means that your
pitch needs to be quick
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but it also needs to
position you as the person
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who can help your clients
achieve their goals.
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So let's break this down a little bit.
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What do you offer?
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Will you offer copy or content or both?
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And go a step further to nail down
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exactly what your ideal
niche is, or in other words,
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what would you like to be
your area of expertise?
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It could be personal
development, online education,
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beauty, health and fitness,
the list goes on and on.
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So ask yourself, what do
you truly enjoy researching,
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learning about and writing about,
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and that's what you should
pick as your starter niche,
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because remember, you're
gonna have to write
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about this topic every day
for the foreseeable future.
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But don't worry, picking
your niche right now
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isn't a lifelong commitment.
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You can pivot at any time.
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Next up, ask who do you serve?
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Do you want to help coaches,
entrepreneurs or authors?
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Female-led brands, local businesses,
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natural and sustainable products?
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SaaS sites, eCommerce companies?
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You should narrow down and get specific
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on who your ideal client would be.
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And finally, how do you do it?
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What services will you offer?
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Do you do blog posts, sales
copy, video scripts, emails,
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social media, home pages, websites, ads?
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There are so many
different types and mediums
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of copywriting out there.
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Now I know what you're thinking.
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You're thinking, "Wait, I
can't narrow it down that much.
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"Won't it be super hard to
find clients or get work
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"if I am that specific?"
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Listen, I know it's scary
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and it can feel like
you're cutting yourself off
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from tons of opportunities, but trust me,
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when you get specific,
it actually helps you
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find and land clients.
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Let me prove it to you.
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Which one of these elevator
pitches do you think
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is most likely to land a client?
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"I help coaches craft website
copy that is clear, effective
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"and personal to help them
attract more leads and sales."
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Or, "I'm a copywriter and
I can write copy for you."
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Yeah.
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It's pretty obvious that
the first one stands out.
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It's short, clear and concise.
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Now it doesn't mean you
have to turn away work
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that falls outside of
this, it just means you now
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have a laser focused
approach for finding clients
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that you're actually super
excited to work with.
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All right, step number five,
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start building your portfolio and profile.
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So you know all that
practice you've been doing?
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Yeah, now it's time to organize it all
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into one neat and tidy place,
so that when you have a client
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that's interested in
possibly working with you,
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you can showcase your skills
in a way that's professional.
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The key here is that if you
haven't actually been contracted
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to write any of that work yet,
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make sure you are very clear
that what you're showing
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are just samples, and then
of course you can add in
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any other relevant
writing samples you have
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that showcase your skills and abilities.
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Now I have a video on how
to build your portfolio
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with zero experience,
and I'll link to that
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at the end of this video
for you to watch next.
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But a question that I get
literally all the time is this,
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"Alex, which software should
I use to build my portfolio?"
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And you guys seriously do
not have to overthink this.
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I have every single one of my students
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create their portfolios in Google Drive.
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It's free, it's easy and
everyone knows how to use it.
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It's great because you can add
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as many documents as you want,
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add folders organized by niche and brand
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to make it really easy to navigate,
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and it's super simple to share your work.
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Remember, all you have to
do is prove to your clients
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that you know what you're doing.
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Copywriters aren't designers,
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so I promise you that your
clients aren't expecting
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your portfolio to be pretty.
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Well organized and structured, yes,
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but fancy shmancy, no.
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All right, now last on the
list is step number six,
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get visible.
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Now this is when you
put yourself out there
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and start looking for clients.
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There are many different
methods for finding
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and creating clients, but
something that I think
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is even more effective than
sending cold outreach emails
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to 5000 people is networking.
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So my advice is get out there
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on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook,
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attend live and local events,
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and start having
value-driven conversations.
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Make it super clear who
you are and what you do,
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enter your elevator pitch
from step number four.
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The key here is to make
yourself as visible as possible,
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because sure, you can spend
hours actively looking
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for clients, but you could
easily attract clients to you
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by showing up and connecting
with the right people.
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I am a big big big believer in something
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my friend and freelancing
expert Jay Close says,
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and that is to ask your
network to advocate for you.
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So yes, that means letting
your friends and family
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and former classmates,
coaches, bosses, and colleagues
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know what you're doing now
and how you can help people.
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Now I know a lot of people
shy away from doing this
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because it's a public declaration
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of you trying something
new and what if you fail?
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I get it.
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Or worse, what if everyone feels the need
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to share their opinions
and unsolicited advice?
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Yes, I have been there too.
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Now I know it might feel scary
00:10:25
debuting your new copywriting
skills to the world,
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but think of it this way,
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who is more likely to advocate for you
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and send possible clients your way?
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Is it people who know, like and trust you,
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or people you've never even met?
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If you're not letting your network know
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about what you're doing,
you are missing out
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on a ton of potential
connections and opportunities.
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In fact, one of my Copy Posse
launch pad coaching students
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shared this powerful story with our class
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and I wanna take a minute
to share it with you.
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She said, "I have specifically
not told anyone at work
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that I'm doing this course
00:10:53
because I'm afraid of retributions.
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I'm afraid that they could
say I'm not giving 100%
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because my attention is
divided between my job
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and copywriting, and I've imagined
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100 different conversations
with my superiors
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that all end badly."
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"Well, tonight my boss
invited me over for dinner.
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When we were sitting around the kitchen,
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we started talking about
finances and the future,
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and after thinking about it for a second,
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I decided to tell her."
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"I told her I'm in a
copywriting program right now
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and looking to get some
freelancing jobs in the future.
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She asked a few questions
about copywriting
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and I explained a little
bit about what I'm learning.
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She was really excited
and said how happy she was
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that I was investing
in something like that.
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"Then she said, 'Actually,
we could really use some help
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with that kind of stuff at work.
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I've been writing all of our content
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and trying to keep our site updated,
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but I really don't have
time for any of that.
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Let me know whenever you're ready
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and I'd love to give you some projects.'"
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Um, what?
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Yeah.
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How amazing is that?
00:11:45
Now here is another story that
one of my students shared.
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"Holy cow, you guys!
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I went public on my private
Instagram page last night
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and shared a post about my
new copywriting business.
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Less than 24 hours later, I
have a client meeting booked."
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Yeah!
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So now it's your turn.
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Get visible, be active,
and put yourself out there
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in whatever way feels right for you.
00:12:04
You never know what might happen next.
00:12:06
All right guys, that's it for today.
00:12:07
Until next time, I'm Alex.
00:12:09
Ciao for now.
00:12:11
All right guys, if you enjoyed that video,
00:12:12
make sure to check out the
next one from me right here,
00:12:15
and you can click right
here to get a free gift.
00:12:19
Ah yes, probably the biggest
00:12:20
freelancing catch-22 of them all,
00:12:23
how do you build a portfolio
if you don't have clients,
00:12:26
and how do you get clients if
you don't have a portfolio?
00:12:29
Trust me, there is a way, five in fact,
00:12:32
so keep watching to learn my five tips
00:12:34
for building a portfolio
with zero experience.
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