Can’t get over your copywriting clients? Here’s how to detach and work through it.
The main tactic to employ if you don’t want to fret and fuss over copywriting clients and how your projects proceed, is this:
Remove your ego from the writing work.
This means controlling your emotions… not becoming attached to what you produce… because, after all, you’re here to deliver for the client and therefore they get the final creative say.
Start seeing writing itself for its infinite possibilities.
Consider the manner in which content gets shared on the web and the proliferation of ideas… the viralness of the internet, if you will.
Think about going viral, and you’ll recognize the infinite potential of content in becoming.
A single idea, as it passes from mouth to mouth, mind to mind, has the capacity to morph, grow, pivot…. meander side paths, go into hiding, stay dormant… and finally, burst forth to evolve.
When you think about the limitless potential of an idea, you will realize that the work you do for clients, the words you write that end up being altered… mean nothing in the grand scheme.
Copyright exists, but it’s just a warning bark not to directly swipe words verbatim. Meanwhile, true creative license is always free, because of the endlessly morphing, viral nature of an idea…
Remember that your ultimate function as a copywriter is to serve the client.
Keep in mind that when you’re working with clients, even though you’re supposedly there to advise, they’re not always going to listen or follow your lead.
If a client professes to know better, or prefers to go with their own inclination despite your suggestions, you kind of just have to give them what they want.
Modify the way you work with certain clients.
It’s worth changing your approach to copywriting projects when you work for particular clients. Why? Because if you don’t, you’ll be working against their general tendencies. As a result, you could end up wasting a lot of itme.
Wasting time impacts your bottom line and drives down your hourly worth. So figure out how each client works… and if you can, adjust your methods to flow with their projects the way that they best need, and that makes the most sense for productivity’s sake.
If the client always functions a certain way, be the converse of that.
Get good at predicting the client’s actions. This way, you can provide whatever they may need… the unspoken part of why they need you, that goes well beyond writing.
Many people reach out to solicit the services of a copywriter, thinking that a writing expert will help them get more done in less time.
What ends up happening, not necessarily consciously, is that their need for a collaborative partner is met.
You must come to terms with this reality of working with clients. Decide what they need, and function as such.
Create on Your Own Time.
If you feel the need to express yourself, and the client doesn’t seem to be honoring that… it’s okay. Your time will come.
This is why as a copywriter, you must protect your own work… save your best ideas for your own projects, done on your own time.
Don’t worry. It’s not worth getting worked up over.
You’re paid by the hour, so the more head space your client manages to take up, the less time you have left to produce income in other ways.
After the computer is shut down for the night, focus on doing things for you — and draw that mental and emotional boundary.
Whatever is bugging you can be resolved in the morning… and you do not owe the client this “extra” space that they’ve managed to occupy in your head. So take it back, and worry no more.
Getting Over Your Copywriting Client Dynamics: Key Takeaways:
- Write without ego when working for clients.
- Know your role as they need you to function. Get good at predicting outcomes: “If I do A, client will do B.”
- Know the process for each client- this will vary from one copywriting client to the next.
- Be ready to work with the client in whatever way they need you to.
- Express yourself creatively on your own time.
- Stop worrying, and don’t overthink things.
Again — you’re serving the clients… so just be okay with that. There are ten million and one other ways to flourish creativeyl thanks to the internet, and you’re free to pursue this at will.
Launch your own projects, run your own content-based business, and create passive profits online with YOU at the helm of the creative, if that’s what lights you up.
BUT in the meantime… if you work for clients, decide to serve those clients in the way they need, and pursue your own passions on your own time.
REMEMBER… as long as you’re helping someone be more productive… as long as they’re making sales and you’re making money… then you’re doing your job as a freelance service provider, and that’s all that matters.
Hope these tips for new copywriters helped you out! I’ll have lots more for you, and some copywriting courses coming soon, too.