What a great Twitter chat yesterday! Thanks to everyone who participated. The questions were great and the camaraderie was amazing. Yes, we plan to do it weekly. As soon as we manage through when, we’ll keep you posted. Follow along with the #writingsquared tag.
Know that Webinar Anne and I are hosting? Well, for about an hour or so yesterday we panicked and cancelled. Why? Because technology ain’t my strong suit. We were seeing no registrations. None. I was scratching my head and having a meltdown. What’s wrong? What the heck aren’t we doing right?
Turns out the answer was we weren’t confirming our email address with PayPal. Mind you, I know I did (first thing, in fact), and when I got on the phone with support, I walked through it again (and the website gave me “You’ve already confirmed” message). So perhaps having a human involved behind the scenes was the magic ingredient. But Anne was going through some techno-nightmares on her side (her site, then her email, then her phone…), so we weren’t leaving anything to chance. All is well and the Webinar is still on.
But since we were having such glitches (woman-made and otherwise), we decided to extend the deadline for early registration. So now you have until Monday, June 20th to get the discounted rate. Join us! We promise the same fun and frolic we had yesterday on Twitter.
One of yesterday’s participants asked how to break into a particular market. Because Twitter allows you a whopping 140 characters, I had to say “Study the market” and “Read the pubs.” It seems like throw-away advice, but it’s not. Both are things every writer needs to do in order to fashion a query that targets the right pub with the right material.
But there are other things we can do.
Introduce yourself. Paula hooked me on the idea of letters of introduction. What a great way to introduce yourself to a potential client! You tell them about yourself, your background, and you touch on your writing – what you are proposing perhaps. One great inclusion is noticing something they’re doing right. For instance, “I notice you publish a number of case studies that spell out the benefits of your company’s services.” Then you ask for the sale. “If I can be of any help in putting those together or handling editing, please let me know.” Or ask in a more powerful way. Just ask.
Ask writers who have done it. Rarely have I had a writer protect his or her in with a particular publication. Those who do have their own insecurities, but if you choose to ask someone whose work appears regularly, you’re less likely to bump up against someone’s fears and more likely to get a positive response. If you’re nervous about asking someone who writes for the pub you want to write for, ask someone who writes for one in that same genre. Tell them which pub you’re targeting and ask if they can help you understand what editors in general are looking for.
Ask the editor directly. You may not get a response because editors are nutso-busy, but asking what they’d like to see versus sending them something that doesn’t fit and clutters up their email is always a better idea. Make it a short note – ask if they’re accepting submissions, how the editor prefers to receive it, and what he/she is looking for specifically.
Attend online and in-person events. If the pub or the industry hosts a Webinar, attend it. If there’s a Twitter event, go. If there’s a conference you can get to easily, make time and do it. If your target client hosts it or attends it, what better way to rub shoulders and get direct access?
Join their groups. Follow their editors on Twitter and mingle with them in LinkedIn groups. Be present and be part of the conversation.
How do you break in to new markets/meet new clients?
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