Business Cards for Freelance Writers: 5 Examples to Inspire Your Own

A Well-Fed EPUB subscriber, Steven Cohen, asked to see examples of business cards for freelance writers. This post will share examples of business cards submitted by our fellow freelance commercial writers, including Cohen’s own, that you can use as inspiration for creating or updating your business cards.

But first… let’s talk about whether or not business cards are even necessary, and what they should include if you decide to use them.

Do Freelance Commercial Writers Need Business Cards?

This might be surprising, but I haven’t used business cards in at least 15 years. So do freelance writers need business cards?

No.

But that’s a decision based on how I operate my business. I work entirely on an asynchronous, remote basis. Most clients aren’t even in the same country. And I do very little face-to-face networking. It’s also been quite a while since I’ve needed to seek out clients as I work on a “query-free freelancing” model that focuses on attracting clients rather than finding and pitching them.

Business cards are not essential for me. And even I printed them, I wouldn’t carry them with me often.

Whether or not they make sense for your business is another story. Here are some situations where having business cards is a good idea:

• You work with local clients.
• You’re in a position to have them on you most of the time.
• You attend a lot of networking events, or just want cards to bring when you do, such as for conferences.
• You don’t have a professional website yet, or it isn’t easy to find, and you want to help prospects contact you.
• You have no local SEO presence that shows your contact details if prospects search for you.

Business cards aren’t necessary for all freelance commercial writers, but it never hurts to have them.

With plenty of templates available through services like Canva, and a lot of printing company options making them affordable, like VistaPrint, you can always do a small print run to see if they’re worthwhile for you.

What to Include on Business Cards for Freelance Writers

If you do opt to create business cards, what should they include? Here are some things to consider:

The Basics:

• Your name
• A phone number
• An email address
• A website address

Optional:

• Business branding like a company name or logo (if you have more than a personal brand)
• Slogan or tagline if you have one
• Key services you offer

Your business card doesn’t have to be complicated. Just make it clear who you are, what you do, and how prospects can learn more or contact you.

5 Example Business Cards of Freelance Commercial Writers

Five freelance commercial writers shared their business card designs to help inspire you to create your own.

Peter Bowerman’s Business Card

This business card example comes from Well-Fed Writer founder, Peter Bowerman. It’s a two-sided design, with the front mirroring his website design and the back listing key services.

Katherine Andes’ Business Card

This business card from frequent Well-Fed EPUB guest, Katherine Andes, features a bold one-sided design that’s easy-to-read, highlights core services, and makes it easy for potential clients to contact her. She used to use a two-sided design, but wanted to share a tip she’d received: consider one-sided business cards so you leave the recipients somewhere to jot down notes, such as when they meet you.

Steven Cohen’s Business Card

Steven Cohen’s business card features a more muted design with company branding, a tagline, and clear contact options.

Tom Bentley’s Business Card

This business card example from Tom Bentley shows freelance writers can keep things simple while still giving prospects everything they need.

Carol Hillegas’ Business Card

Finally, we have another simple business card design from Carol Hillegas. A basic black-and-white design can keep printing costs down (and make it possible to print high-quality cards yourself if you prefer). It includes the usual essentials plus business branding, with everything in a larger type that makes for a truly accessible design.

Thank you to those writers who contributed their business card designs to help inspire fellow freelance commercial writers. If you have a design you’d like to share, you can link to the image in the comments, or contact me and I’ll consider adding it to the post.