Q: I read all of the display ads in my local paper for leads. I consistently find ads that, while the content is pretty good, have grammatical errors. How would one approach such businesses to offer his/her services without offending them?
A: I’m not sure that’s the best way to land work, unless, perhaps, you’re doing it just as a door-opener, as an entrée to bigger projects) or you can dramatically improve them (and not just grammatically). Sounds more like an editor than a copywriter. If there are a few errors, they may want to know which ones and then you’re done. Doubtful that they’re going to hire you for any kind of significant $ just to fix their grammar. As for how to approach them, you can just say, I noticed your ads and can see how they can be improved, and then they’ll ask how, and then you’re back to the above scenario. You’re better off trying to land ongoing clients with bigger projects, as I talk about in my books. Just my two cents.