Promote yourself as a freelance artist capable of completing diverse projects.
Advertising freelancers are creative types who have a motivation to excel and impress employers with their diverse talents. Unlike freelance copywriters, photographers or journalists, freelance advertisers are up for any project as long as they can get behind the brand. To come up with ideas for an agency's new campaign, first decide what kind of voice the agency wants. Consider the audience--bring these individuals to the brand or service with a creative but clear-cut course.
Local Flavor
Add local flavor to your freelance advertising campaign. If you are a local in an area, think about inserting a line of copy, a photograph or a graphic to address a regional audience more directly. For instance, if you are freelancing for a sports-equipment company, add a photograph of a local baseball team that uses the company's bats and mitts. Promote your freelance style as "home-grown" or local. Attract local agencies with your knowledge of the immediate area and audience. Create an advertising portfolio dedicated solely to local-area campaigns. Develop a branding voice and design that speaks to an immediate audience.
Blog Writing
Start a blog. Show off your advertising talents in an online journal style. Consider posting about ads you like and do not like and why. For those you do not favor, offer suggestions for improvement in the graphics, copy or logo design. Unlike a personal Web site--which you should definitely consider launching--a blog is less formal, like a sketchpad of ideas and inspirations.
These days, companies search for talent online. The more hits and followers your blog receives, the more likely a company is to find your work online. Keep a steady blog and engage wholly with the freelance advertising community. If you already have a Web site, add a link to your blog on the site.
Creative Copy
Write smart, energetic and honest copy. On your Web site or blog, include examples of your most vivacious and catchy writing. Any company or agency seeks a writer who can captivate an audience with words alone. While copy is generally placed in an ad full of striking graphics or pictures, the text in the ad alone should bring an audience to the page. In all of your e-mails and other correspondence with the company, maintain a consistent tone and error-free writing.
Revise Existing Ads
Create a copy-writing portfolio. If this is your first time freelance advertising, rewrite ads you find in magazines and on the Web. Change lackluster copy into fresh and imaginative text. For incoming junior freelance advertisers, companies treat well-written revised copy as a legitimate copy-writing example. Keep the examples simple and honest. For example, for a home security system campaign, include recent safety statistics in a direct and personal voice.
