Copywriting Testimonials: The Chicken and the Egg
There’s a big, grumpy and grotesquely flatulent sacred cow walking around the freelance copywriting space unchecked.
It’s time it was laid to rest.
You really don’t need testimonials to get clients.
Sure, it helps. But everyone has to start somewhere, and it seems that along the way, lots of people have convinced themselves of this apparent Catch 22:
“You need testimonials to get clients but you can’t get testimonials if you don’t have any clients.”
I think a lot of people who claim they want to be copywriters just stop here and let out a sad little sigh.
Buck up, and swallow these solutions instead.
1 — Make the Skeleton Dance
2 — Write Your Own Testimonials (aka samples)
#1 Use your lack of testimonials as a selling point… or “make the skeleton dance”, as email marketing legend Ben Settle says. You could write something along the lines of “I’m young and lacking experience but I’m bursting with energy and am determined to become a copywriter. I feel like I’m going to explode, and I really wouldn’t want you to be responsible for that. Also, I’ll never be this cheap again.”
#2 Obviously you MUST NOT FAKE testimonials. But you can write “samples”. Find someone you want to write for, then re-write their copy and add these to your portfolio. You need to be clear that they’re just samples, but now you have something for the client to judge your ability on. Beats turning up to the party without a bottle.
Don’t let a lack of testimonials stop you from cranking out THE MOOOLAH…