A member on my copywriters forum started a thread on what makes my forum so popular. Everyone chimed in with some great answers, and I appreciate the feedback.

(The cool thing about it is, that very thread also reached an important milestone. It was the 10,000th one! Talk about a coincidence, eh?)

But then someone asked:

“Michel, can I ask how you initially got the word out about your forum?”

My answer revealed a bit more than what the member anticipated. Instead of talking about how my forum became so popular, I went on a tangent and explained the step-by-step process I used to book copywriting projects.

The answer was so well received that I decided to reprint it here.

Now, you may be wondering what promoting a forum has to do with promoting my copywriting services. Keep reading because you’ll soon understand why…

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After reading my articles on how to find copywriting clients, a student of mine, Jeff, asked me an interesting question.

He’s an aspiring copywriter and wants to build his own freelance copywriting business. When he read that I wrote copy for free when I started my career as a copywriter, he asked me about doing the same:

“Mike, my friends have a very small business, and they have asked me to do copy for them. They say they can’t really pay me that much. I have told them I will do it for free as long as I get rights to the copy and can use it for a reference and in my portfolio. I think this is a wonderful opportunity to get more experience, but my wife wants to see some money on the table. I value your opinion. Can you help?”

Here was my answer.

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Freelance copywriters are an interesting bunch. They practice the art of salesmanship in print, yet have difficulty selling themselves. They struggle when it comes to self-promotion.

So instead of being well-fed and content, they often go hungry. Why is this?

I believe it comes down to three fundamental deficiencies. I observed these in myself when I was getting started a few years ago. I have continued to observe them in other copywriters who are launching new freelance careers.

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What seems to have exploded lately are blog networks and multi-author blogs. It’s part of the whole “social” concept that seems prolific in today’s Web 2.0 environment. Take Engadget.com, TechCrunch.com, Performancing.com and others.

Because of the trend, I decided to launch a breand-new blog comprised of multiple authors. Called “Copywriters Blog” at CopywritersBlog.com, this new blog is written not by one or two, but by close to 12 copywriters. All about copywriting.

(If you wish to contribute, you may also do so at the blog. Simply click on “Contribute” while there for details.)

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When I say that my wife is probably the strongest woman I’ve ever met, my words don’t do justice to show how strong she really is.

Since her chemo was scheduled to start next Wednesday, rather than embarrassingly lose clumps of hair over the next few days, Sylvie has decided to turn her loss into someone else’s gain.

She decided to cut her hair before the treatments and donate her now useless mane to a charity called Locks of Love, which creates wigs for disadvantaged kids with long-term medical hairloss.

But there’s more to this story…

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