The War Wagon

Ah, the catch 22: how do you get your first client without any past clients to reference? Here’s a couple quick tips:

1. Have you launched any of your own sites? Reference them as past projects you’ve done. Gather any quantifiable data you can. If you optimized it, what phrases ranked in the search engines, how many unique visitors did you get monthly, etc.
2. Partner with someone who has more experience. Split the project fee at an agreeable ratio; you do the work and they oversee.
3. Create clips on the fly! Want to land a copywriting gig? Ask them what kind of clip they’d like to see, create one, and send it their way.
4. Provide a satisfaction guarantee. No risk to them - if they aren’t satisfied then they don’t pay. This should be a last resort, and make sure you sign a contract entailing exactly what their expectations are, what “satisfied” means, and quantify it as much as possible.