VOLUME 25, ISSUE 8 – AUGUST 2026
THIS MONTH’S MENU:
I. Find Fresh Opportunities in Company News
II. Publish Your Way to Commercial Writing Clients
III. AI Disclosure Policies Should Go Both Ways
I. Find Fresh Opportunities in Company News
If you’re looking for new commercial writing clients, monitoring company news can bring you a constant stream of leads.
Here are some of the things to look for in company press releases, newsletters, and more:
Funding Announcements
When a company closes a round of funding, that often means changes are coming. These companies could soon need new recruiting messaging, product launch materials (from landing pages to press releases), and more.
Mergers and Acquisitions
The M&A process can also signal an opportunity. When merging, companies might consolidate websites and need new copy. They might need email copy to notify customers about changes. They might even need help with internal writing to keep staff updated on those changes.
New Leadership
Companies (especially larger ones) will often put out press releases around leadership changes, from promotions to new hires. When this happens, they might need someone to help craft executive bios, public announcements like newsletters or LinkedIn content, speeches, or thought leadership pieces.
These types of company news often don’t come with public calls for freelance help. Sometimes companies aren’t even aware of the copy and content that would help them see more impact from these announcements.
But you are. Take these as an opportunity to reach out and introduce yourself.
II. Publish Your Way to Commercial Writing Clients
When I first went into business for myself full-time, I did digital PR and social media work for indie musicians. Much of that work was writing (press releases, artist bios, etc.). And that industry was all about who you knew.
My client focus was regional. So I launched a regional webzine to review and interview area artists. No direct pitching of my services. Just the reference that the publication was from my PR firm.
Not only did I love that work, but it was more directly profitable than I expected. And it led to my now 20+ year career in digital publishing and web development on top of the freelance work I do.
The site brought prospects to my virtual door.
Clients spread the word to other artists in their own networks. It’s how I landed nearly every client I worked with at the time.
An unexpected perk of this inbound-style marketing strategy was that the publication gave me insight into my market’s needs.
I saw countless press kits from artists pitching me for the publication. I didn’t pursue them directly to avoid conflicts of interest, but seeing the work being done elsewhere helped me refine my own services.
In hindsight, using publishing as a means of attracting clients might have been the best business decision I’ve ever made. And that’s why I’ve continued with it for over 20 years.
Launching a niche publication isn’t essential to landing freelance commercial writing work, but it can set you apart.
Having a website, blog, or newsletter that focuses on your target clients as an audience can lead to increased visibility and prospects reaching out to you before you ever have to pitch them. It can work in any specialty.
Think about your expertise and what your target clients are interested in. If you can provide that through some sort of publication, consider launching it. You could end up building a direct revenue stream that also keeps driving new clients your way for years to come.
III. AI Disclosure Policies Should Go Both Ways
Love or hate AI, you can’t afford to ignore it. That’s especially true when it comes to AI disclosures with freelance clients.
While clients might ask how you plan to use AI in your work, or have rules about not delivering AI-generated content, the conversation shouldn’t end there.
You should also ask clients or prospects how they plan to use AI in your process of working together.
- Will they provide AI-generated content you’re asked to “clean up?”
- Can they guarantee they have a right to use that content (evidence it’s not an infringing derivative work)? Hint: If it’s not solely based on something they own the copyright to, the answer is probably “no.”
- Do they plan to run your drafts through AI tools? If so, can they guarantee it won’t be used for training data based on the settings and policies for the tools they use? (If this matters to you.)
- Do they plan to run your drafts through AI detector tools (which are often wrong and get writers falsely accused of using AI when they haven’t)?
If you don’t care, that’s fine. But many writers will.
It boils down to exactly what rights you sell to your writing, what you’re comfortable being involved with, and whether or not you’re comfortable with the risks.