Eileen, super idea. I'd add also spend to attend conferences in your writing specialty areas. The connections you make there will feed your client base for years to come.

Amen, Wendy! Try every day. Fake it until you make it, as I like to repeat. 🙂

How many people forget that, Jake? They forget that every client is a potential repeat customer. You can't grow a business by throwing away clients.

AMEN, Cathy! What works for you may not work for the next writer and vice versa. We're all better at various things. Some of us pick up the phone and call clients where others give good email. 🙂

Very true, Paula. Specializing is one thing, but if you're excluding all other forms of writing or markets, you'd better have a deep pool of clients from which to draw new business.

In other words, carve out a niche of expertise (mine is TV, a friend of mine specialized in HR topics, another focuses on education), but be open to writing about unrelated subjects.

Give it a chance, but if it's not working, there are always other options. If you try to be on every platform, you'll spin your wheels and frustrate yourself, with less than satisfactory results. Pick a few & go for it.

This isn't to say you can *ignore* your average clients, only to say that the standouts deserve an extra measure of your best work. Don't EVER take them for granted. Over the long haul, your relationships are every bit as important to your business as your writing skills.

Don't give up too easily, keep trying. Even if you have to change directions and market somewhere else.

Say "thank you" when you ask for advice and someone takes the time to give it to you. You can choose not to use it, but don't be combative towards someone who took time (which equals money) out to answer your questions.