Great! Now what?
Whether you're looking for freelance copywriting work or graphic design projects, you have to have a plan and set it in motion.
Put Your Name in Print: Business Cards
First thing you should do is head to your local print shop and order business cards. Nothing fancy. You simply need a card that has your name, address, phone, fax (if available), Email and Web address.
You can usually order a set of business cards for under $20. Check VistaPrint.com for a great selection as well.
Wait a Minute. Did She Say Web Site?
In the computer age, everyone needs a Web site. Even on the most basic terms.
You can simply include your pricing info, samples of your work (if you have any) and your Email address. Your own domain name isn't a requirement. Just make sure you have a respectable-sounding Web host and your URL isn't WildmanRulez.info. Bizland.com offers a professional URL such as yourname.bizland.com.
Get Ready for Clients. Create an Info Packet
Besides your Web site information, you need a print information packet. Your Web site and print info packet can even mirror each other. They go hand-in-hand and provide your potential clients with everything they need to evaluate your freelancing skills.
First off, design a simple letterhead that you'll use throughout your packet pages. You're trying to land a freelancing project, not get a job in a stationery store. So don't go into elaborate detail on your design.
Bottom line: clients want to find out what you can do for them. They're not going to call you because you used a Helvetica font over Arial.
Include pricing information, what you guarantee (if anything), turnaround time and your general procedure over several pages. Sure, you really don't have a general procedure just yet. But you will soon and clients need to know how you're going to work with them.
Uh-oh! I Don't Have Any Writing Samples
Even if you don't have one single credit to your name, you can still become a freelancer. Take a look at a print ad in your favorite magazine. If you're looking for copywriting work, rewrite the ad. If you're seeking graphic design projects, create this ad with different graphics.
This tells a prospective client you have a creative mind, despite your lack of credits. Plenty of people have made it in this business with nothing but sample ads in their portfolio prior to their first project.
