1. Create a Business Plan
Your freelance copy-writing business will run more smoothly if you plan ahead. You will want to make basic decisions such as what your goals are, how you will deal with employees, and what your company’s name will be. It is also important to plan your marketing strategy. Research will help you find effective ways to get the clients you want. The planning stage is also a good time to set rates. You will need to decide how much to charge and whether to charge by the project or by the hour. Choose a rate carefully, as you will not want to change it very often.

2. Get Your Tools Ready
To have a professional image, you will want some business essentials, such as a letterhead, business cards, and printed brochures.  Presenting well-designed materials to potential clients will help them take you seriously.

3. Develop a Portfolio
It is very important to have several writing samples in your portfolio to showcase your talent. You will want to spruce up any materials you have already created to make them look as good as possible. If you don’t have many published works, you can create some speculative advertisements (SPEC ADS). To write a SPEC AD, you simply find an ad that you think is lacking something, and create a new ad the way you think it should be. It is a good idea to create some SPEC ADS for the industry you want to work in. 

4. Prepare a Contract
Have a contract ready before you start working. A clearly worded contract will help to prevent problems with clients. With a contract, the client knows what to expect from you. And if you have a client who won’t pay, a signed contract will help you to enforce payment. 

5. Get Out There
To find clients, concentrate on smaller businesses in your area. A freelancer fits smaller businesses because they are less likely to be able to afford a full-time copywriter. Another good way to find clients is to go to local business conventions. Remember to take along your professional business cards and your portfolio. You could also pick up anywhere from small to full-time copywriting jobs by placing bids on work posted on freelance websites.