How to Freelance for an Ad Agency
Freelance writers, editors and graphic designers find a significant amount of work in advertising. Ad agencies around the United States keep an open call out to freelancers to keep their long-term budgets low and bring fresh ideas into their meeting rooms. You can leverage your creativity and experience to land a freelancing job with a prominent ad agency.
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Instructions
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Work on a Contract Basis With an Ad Agency
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Promote your writing and design work online by creating a personal website. Most ad agencies want freelancers to demonstrate past creative endeavors and technical savvy through the Internet. This website should be updated as you complete projects to show your attentiveness to prospective employers.
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Network with advertising professionals and agency managers at sponsored events in your community. You should bookmark the websites of potential employers and attend public events for informal discussions about freelancing.
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Maintain a check list of contacts and industry professionals who you have provided information in the past. You should avoid handing out more than one business card to the same agency managers within a six-month period.
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Remain flexible when discussing work locations with an ad agency. Many agencies will allow writers to work remotely to save office space, but design professionals may need to use proprietary programs and databases in house to complete a project.
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Demand a freelance contract with an ad agency before you begin working on a project. This contract should feature a solid pay rate, commission rate and details about reimbursement and company policies applicable to your situation.
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Clear up any issues of exclusivity with an agency before your freelance work begins. Ad agencies will ask contract and freelance workers to sign a confidentiality agreement regarding product information. You may also need to sign an exclusivity agreement which prevents you from accepting other freelance work while working with the agency.
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Track payments and hours spent working on a project with each freelance opportunity. You need to account for every dollar for freelance work on your income tax. A ledger of hours spent on each project helps assess the value of your work.
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Continue networking with other agencies and studios while you freelance with an ad agency to build a reputation in the industry. You should strongly consider short-term projects from other agencies if you do not have an exclusivity agreement.
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Tips & Warnings
Negotiate for supply and gas reimbursement with ad agencies you have worked with in the past. Advertising freelancers may need to purchase a subscription for stock photos, presentation materials and updated software necessary to get work done.
