VOLUME 25, ISSUE 9 – SEPTEMBER 2026
THIS MONTH’S MENU:
I. ‘Tis the Season to be Pitching… Book Holiday Copywriting Work Before it’s too Late
II. Be Present Where Your Prospects Are
III. Give Client Files a Refresh with a Quick Catch-up
I. ‘Tis the Season to be Pitching… Book Holiday Copywriting Work Before It’s Too Late
Now is a great time to line up some semi-last-minute holiday copywriting work. While holiday campaigns can be planned much earlier than this, it’s not too late to lock in new projects with some clients.
Think back on work you’ve done over the past year.
Did a client run a big holiday promotion and have you create an email marketing campaign, social media content, or other copy to promote it?
Did any client launch a new product over the past year where they might benefit from a holiday promotion?
Reach out.
If you’ve done similar work, ask if they’d like to do the same this year. If not, but you see an opportunity they might have missed, suggest it.
In both cases, it shows clients you’re thinking about their business and what you can do to benefit them.
It’s not only holiday marketing copy.
For example, you might have clients that need help preparing their annual reports or other year-end projects that need to be started early.
One of my own long-time regular clients runs consumer surveys every fall exploring holiday shopping plans, budgets, and economic sentiments. When results come in, I write up the report and an accompanying article or press release to promote it.
When I delivered another project for them yesterday, I followed up about it to see if (or when) they expect to do the same this year so I can leave some time open.
This kind of quick and easy outreach is a great way to bring in more seasonal work, and it applies to any timely event or holiday throughout the year.
II. Be Present Where Your Prospects Are
In my career, the #1 way I’ve attracted freelance clients is being where my prospects are, and I still highly recommend it.
When I was starting out, that meant different things as I transitioned from music PR to working more with digital marketers and online business owners. In the former case, it meant being physically present where artists were. In the latter, niche forums were even better.
There was one very large forum where I made myself a fixture. I even became a moderator, which helped build visibility and trust.
This doesn’t work if you only show up to promote yourself.
Instead, answer questions, educate people, and put your expertise on display. You’re a member of a community, not an advertiser.
Not only did that keep a steady flow of clients coming in, some of whom I’ve worked with for over 15 years now, but I benefitted just as much learning from others.
That doesn’t mean forums are the right tool today for the prospects you want to reach. But you can do similar in other types of communities, whether that’s online or in locally in-person.
Just keep it targeted (specific groups vs just being on LinkedIn for example, and focusing on prospects rather than fellow writers). Also, be a helpful resource people grow to trust.
It boils down to a mix of being generous with information while expanding your professional network. It takes time to build trust, but once you have within the right communities, you won’t be short on clients or projects.
III. Give Client Files a Refresh with a Quick Catch-up
You have client files, right? A place where you store background information on each client, their businesses, their key staff…
These kinds of files come in handy in a variety of commercial writing projects.
For example, you might be asked to write an executive bio. Or a backgrounder or fact sheet for a new product. Or boilerplate for press releases.
Your client files feed into this copy. If you don’t have these yet, I highly recommend creating them. If you do, it might be time for an update.
Business information changes. Staff turnover happens.
If you haven’t updated your client files (or backgrounders or boilerplate you wrote for them in the past), contact those clients. Set up a call or email them to see if any information in your records should be updated for future projects.
As someone who writes press releases, I’ve found these periodic client file updates to be big time savers. No one wants outdated stats or references in their boilerplate, and having the most up-to-date info at my fingertips saves time when new projects come in.
Besides, updating these records is a great “excuse” to reach out to clients you haven’t talked to in a while… maybe sparking a conversation that leads to a new project or two.