How To Get Clients as a Freelance Copywriter

So, you want to grow your freelance copywriting business and stop waiting for clients to magically appear. 

Whether you're brand-new or levelling up, this guide walks you through practical steps on how to get clients as a freelance copywriter in the UK.

And when you start landing clients, a Wise Business account makes it easy to invoice in over 40+ currencies and get paid like a local without hidden exchange-rate markups. 

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Step 1: Create an 'Ideal Customer Profile'

Before you blast your pitch everywhere, narrow down who your ideal clients are. Targeting the right client makes all your next moves more effective.

Having an Ideal Customer Profile makes your messaging clearer. After all, writing for a specific industry or content type sounds more compelling than "I write anything." 

You'll target the right clients and avoid wasting time chasing businesses that don't need or can't afford your services. 

More importantly, you can build authority in a niche¹, which lets you charge more and stand out. When building an ICP, think in terms of:

• Industry or vertical: e.g. SaaS, health & wellness, fintech, local service businesses, e-commerce
• Size and maturity: startups, scaleups, established firms, agencies
• Marketing budget / revenue: you don't want to pitch to businesses with no capacity to pay
• Pain points they have: e.g. they don't have time to blog, their conversion rate is low, their email marketing is weak
• Where they hang out / whom they follow: LinkedIn groups, trade associations, newsletters, events

Step 2: Tailor your pitch to your ideal customer

Generic pitches get generic results. Clients want outcomes, so your pitch should show that you get their challenges and are not just another generic email in their inbox.

A big part of how to pitch your services is the presentation: make sure your email is well formatted, has a professional tone, has no typos, and feels human.

Keep the copy short and skimmable. Studies suggest concise outreach performs better: emails in the 50–125-word range often see higher response rates² (yes, your mileage will vary, but being brief wins attention). 

In the UK, especially, people appreciate polite clarity over hype.

A pitch that works has the following five traits:

1. Context hook: One sentence showing you've looked at their world (site, product, campaign)

2. Problem framing: Name the specific issue in their words (e.g., "Checkout drop-off is 78%. It looks like the value story disappears on the final step.")

3. Mini plan: 2–3 bullet points on what you'd do first (e.g., audit hero messaging, rewrite PDPs, test 2 subject lines per send)

4. Relevant proof: One link to a similar project or a before/after metric

5. Soft CTA: "If helpful, I can send a one-page approach with scope and fixed fee."

Step 3: Increase your visibility on the right platforms

Figuring out where to find clients is often the biggest hurdle for many freelance copywriters. The key thing to remember is that you don't have to be everywhere. 

You need to be visible where your ICP actually looks for writers. Pick a small set of platforms and commit to a rhythm you can sustain.

Key platforms to consider:

LinkedIn: A lot of client leads start from commenting and engaging on LinkedIn³. Use the search tool to find people posting "looking for a copywriter" or "need content help." Join niche LinkedIn groups and contribute.

Freelance marketplaces / job boards: Upwork, PeoplePerHour, ProBlogger, and UK-specific platforms are good for getting early clients. Use them carefully because competition can erode rates. You can build your name there, but look into diversifying eventually¹.

Industry forums, Slack/Discord groups, Facebook groups: Join where your target clients or marketers hang out. Look for "I need a copywriter" posts.

Content marketing / blog / newsletter: Write helpful articles for your ideal clients (for example, "5 email subject lines that increased SaaS click-throughs") and share them. You attract clients by proving your expertise.

Guest posting / collaborations: Write for trade publications or partner with complementary service providers (designers, agencies).

In real life: Attend conferences, local business meetups, or events related to your niche. Face-to-face connections build trust fast.

Step 4: Create a reach-out plan

If you wish to get clients (and keep existing ones), following up after the initial reach out is just as important as writing tailored messages. 

Many deals are won in the follow-up, so don't give up after the first message. Data suggests that adding at least one follow-up can significantly lift reply rates, and a second touch often boosts responses again⁴. 

Timing matters, too. You'll get stronger results when you follow up promptly (e.g., within a day) and during late-morning or early-afternoon windows⁴. Use these as starting hypotheses and test your audience. 

Treat outreach like a mini campaign run on a weekly rhythm, and remember that quality beats volume.

A simple, repeatable weekly plan (that doesn't eat your life) can look like this:

• Prospect list (Monday): 15–20 leads that match your ICP (name, role, reason, asset you can improve)
• First touch (Tuesday): Short, specific email or LinkedIn message. "Noticed your pricing page could surface proof earlier. Happy to share a 3-line fix."
• Second touch (Thursday): A value-add or small loom walkthrough (60–90s)
• Third touch (next Tuesday): "Still useful?" nudge with one new idea or micro-win
• Light "breakup" (two weeks later): Polite close-off that keeps the door open

Legal notes on UK cold outreach

For B2B email, UK PECR rules let you email corporate subscribers (e.g., company addresses) without prior consent, provided you identify yourself and offer an easy opt-out⁵. 

For individuals/sole traders, consent rules are stricter, so don't send marketing emails without it (exceptions like "soft opt-in" apply to your own previous customers).

Always follow the ICO's guidance and keep a suppression list.

Discover what makes Wise Business the perfect business account for freelancers

As soon as you land cross-border work, getting paid can become the bottleneck. If your clients are in different countries (or pay you in different currencies), traditional bank fees and exchange-rate mark-ups can quietly erode your income.

A Wise Business account is built for writers with international clients. It has a wide array of features to stop bank fees and exchange-rate markups from eroding your income. 

You can hold balances in 40+ currencies, send money to 140+ countries, and receive payments with account details for 8+ currencies.

Plus, you can streamline your admin with accounting software integrations for tools like Xero and QuickBooks, and even create and track invoices directly from your account. 

Open your Wise Business account today and experience first-hand what makes it the all-in-one money stack designed to give you fewer admin headaches and more time to write.

Be Smart, Get Wise.

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"I’ve been with Wise Business for five or six years now. I manage multiple currencies, and when I was searching for a business account, Wise stood out. It was the quickest, easiest, and probably the best one to use."

Tye Bate, Founder of 230 Media |

FAQs

How do I find clients with no experience?

Start with practice projects that solve real problems: rewrite a startup's homepage (with permission), craft an email welcome flow for a charity you support, or improve a local shop's product descriptions. 

Publish before/after examples and "thinking process" breakdowns on LinkedIn and The Dots so decision-makers can see how you work, and list yourself where UK clients already search.

Which platforms actually bring copywriting clients in the UK?

For many freelancers: LinkedIn (direct outreach + content), the ProCopywriters directory (clients search there specifically for UK copywriters), YunoJuno (keyword-driven profile search), and The Dots (creative network used by agencies/brands). 

Choose based on your ICP, then go deep instead of going everywhere.

Is cold emailing legal in the UK for freelancers?

For corporate recipients, UK PECR rules allow B2B marketing emails without prior consent if you identify yourself and include an opt-out⁵. 

You must not send marketing emails to individuals or sole traders without consent (with limited "soft opt-in" exceptions for existing customers). 

When in doubt, check the ICO's guidance and err on the side of permission. 

What's the ideal length for an outreach email?

Short, specific messages tend to perform better. Analyses of large datasets indicate ~50–125 words is a solid starting point², then test for your audience. Keep your subject lines clear and your ask small.

What's the best follow-up cadence?

There's no one "best" number. Plan a short sequence (e.g., 2–4 touches) with a clear value add each time, then adapt based on replies and your audience. Remember that consistency matters more than arbitrary counts.

Sources last checked on 11th November 2025