No matter who you are, you’ve heard of Jenn Mattern. Jenn is one of the top voices in freelance writing today. Her knowledge is unmatched, as is her All Indie Writers website, a gorge-fest of free resources for writers of all stripes.
I’m proud to call her a friend.
Jenn is a no-BS personality. She’ll tell you what you need to hear, and not always in a gentle way. But her motives are golden — to help freelancers cut through their own BS and make a living freelance writing. You can, and will, learn from her. And you’ll learn it the right way.
Please meet my friend, Jenn Mattern.
Q: How long have you been
freelancing?
Jenn: I’ve written for independent clients on the side since 1999,
though I didn’t start my full-time business until 2004. At that time I ran a
small PR firm, but also took on freelance copywriting and blogging on the side.
That, combined with the PR writing I took on through the firm, meant I was
technically writing full-time then, though I didn’t go exclusive as a writer
until 2008.
Q: What’s your area of focus?
Jenn: I focus on business writing for small and online businesses
and creative entrepreneurs. My most consistent project type is ghost blogging
on behalf of business owners who don’t have time for it themselves. But I also
take on a lot of copywriting (from web copy to press releases), and
periodically I write white papers, case studies, and ghostwritten features for
trades.
Q: How were those first few
years of freelancing?
Jenn: Scary. I was mostly working for indie musicians early on —
not exactly a high-budget market. And I was totally on my own. So there were
definitely times when I wondered if I should just hang this up and go back to
nonprofit PR or another more traditional job.
usually find a way to get what I want. I was determined to see it through,
scary or not. So I did — largely through creative marketing and PR. For
example, I launched a regional online publication to promote indie artists. It
became the biggest in the region (and I’m in prime indie territory).
few good connections and word spread. Clients were finding me through referrals
and that site, and they were coming to me instead of me looking for them.
That’s probably why I’m such a fan of platforms and inbound marketing and PR in
what I often refer to as “query-free freelancing.”
focus though. I started spending time in webmaster and online business
communities learning more about managing and promoting the site as it was
transitioning to more of an international resource. (Fun fact I don’t think
I’ve shared with even my own readers: my ultimate plan at the time was to stop
consulting, take the online publication to a glossy print format, and open my
own venue.)
under-served market. I turned my attention more to them, taught them a lot
about PR (and specifically how to use press releases the right way — as in,
not just for SEO), and I became the go-to PR writer for many of them.
much reach I had in my previous market when the budgets just weren’t there. It
involved having to juggle too many clients, and while I loved them and the
work, it wasn’t going to cut it for me for the long haul. This newer market —
one I’d largely carved out for myself — had bigger budgets, was full of
clients open to learning, and there was a real need to be filled. So things got
far less scary, and far more stable at that point. That was just a couple of
years into my business.
challenge? Why?
challenges, but I don’t know that I could pick a “toughest” one. I’m
the type of person who lives for a challenge. So I don’t tend to let them
discourage me or hold me back. I see them more as opportunities to do something
great, surprise people, and sometimes even surprise myself.
don’t look back on any of them as particularly problematic. Even when I was
sick for years (certainly one of my bigger challenges), I learned to adapt.
I’m always testing, always experimenting, always tweaking. I learned early on
that there’s a fine line between committing to something and letting your
business become stagnant. I’m not afraid to let a project go to pursue
something better. I’m not afraid to re-prioritize things, even if I’ve already
announced plans (it’s always about what’s best for my business, and knowing
what that is).
overly ambitious goals knowing I sometimes will. Success, for me, has been all
about pushing, learning, growing, and a wee
bit about that always-delightful “f*ck you” to anyone who ever
told me “you can’t.”
– the event or circumstance that shifted your perspective or had you changing
the way you do things?
morphed over the years several times. I previously talked about finding my new
market and carving out a specialty for myself. That was certainly an a-ha
moment. But it wasn’t my only one.
pursuing web publishing in addition to client work. And that’s become a huge
part of my business, having run not only All Indie Writers but also blogs in
the small business and PR communities that were quite popular during their
times (one’s being overhauled now actually, and I’m considering re-launching
the PR blog to bring back what I used to refer to as my “Big 3” sites
— in addition to what’s now All Indie Writers). That blogging played a huge
role in attracting clients and bringing in other revenue that I was able to
re-invest in the business.
myself full-time. When I realized that nonprofit PR wasn’t something I wanted
to do anymore, I had a big decision to make.
plan). I could look for a corporate job. Or I could take a leap of faith and do
what I really wanted to do with my life, even if it might be the hardest route.
I’m a total glutton for punishment, so I went with Option C.
spend another day in a job I didn’t enjoy. I wanted to have fun. And,
ultimately, I wanted a stable business already in place if I ever started a
family (so I could be around more for my kids). So I traded in a decent office
for a desk in my old apartment’s bedroom — and later the lovely home office I
work from today. Having kids hasn’t happened for me yet, but I’ve sure as hell
had a lot of fun! And I wouldn’t trade that decision for the world.
freelance writers one thing to help them build a better business, what
would that be?
to be everything to everyone, or by trying to be someone else.
great if they’re a good fit for you. But many aren’t. And many don’t know the
first thing about your specialty area. So take what you can from all of us. But
learn to evaluate and test that advice, think critically, and come up with your
own plan.
businesses you want to run (such as targeting similar client types or charging
certain rates). And avoid trying to become the carbon copy of any single one of
them. You will never have the full
picture of how they achieved their own success.
mistakes. But understand that true success will only come when you’re ready to
take the reigns and figure certain things out for yourself.
Thanks for inviting me Lori. 🙂
I should note that NakedPR's relaunch is no longer just a possibility. Since answering Lori's questions I've decided to move forward, and the project is in development. So. Back to my "big 3" it is. And I can't wait. 🙂
Good to learn more of your story, Jenn. You're definitely a straight-talking role model for all writers, and that's the best kind.
Thanks Sharon. 🙂
Jenn, your story doesn't mirror mine, besides maybe your determination to make it work because you didn't want to work in a job you didn't like. I was there 100%. I really wish I was as brave as you are! And as diverse. I would really like to do that one day.
Always happy to have your thoughts on these pages, Jenn. 🙂
Jenn's stubborn?
Actually, she's the perfect blend of smart, stubborn, and talented. The rest of us are just darn lucky she shares her insights with other writers.
Thanks Lori. But woman, you need to stop flattering me so much every time you mention me. Some day it's going to go to my head. 😉
Paula — Very, very stubborn! And thank you for the kind words. 🙂
Ashley — I don't consider myself "brave." It really was sheer stubbornness early on. I had family telling me to give it up. I had friends who didn't take my work seriously. It was infuriating. But it made me that much more determined to prove myself.
So, pep talk time. 😉
It's really all about your mindset. My general philosophy is that if I want something in life, it's up to me to make it happen. So I do. While, sure, there are little things that don't go your way, or you ultimately change your mind about what you want, and some things take time to achieve, I can honestly say there's only one thing I've wanted badly in life that I haven't been able to have. And that's out of my hands, so I focus on the rest. If you sit back and take "no" as an answer all the time, you won't get very far. Always focus on progress where you can make it. Sometimes that means changing gears. And sometimes, in that process, you'll find that what you want changes and you get back on the right path.
Look. I don't know if it's going to make you feel any better to hear this, of it's going to help you in any way. But I get discouraged, and even downright depressed sometimes when I don't meet goals I set, just like anyone else. I beat myself up over bigger mistakes. I'm harder on myself than anyone else ever could be.
So no. There's definitely no bravery involved. I've just conditioned myself to respond to the "Nos" and "You can'ts" by immediately thinking, "Oh yeah? Watch me." And the hardest part was learning how to react that way to myself when my internal critic rears her ugly head.
It's an ongoing process even — something I'm going through all over again as I get ready to submit my first short fiction to publications. I feel completely inadequate, question my abilities, and over-analyze every decision for fear of making a fool of myself. But in the end, I know I'll pull the trigger and do what needs to be done.
Ask yourself: What's the alternative really? Doing nothing and never knowing? If it comes to that or taking a chance on something with the potential to be great, I will always choose the latter. The things that matter are worth fighting for, no matter how discouraging they might get and no matter how hard they might be at any particular moment. In the end it just comes down to deciding what really matters and deciding to fight for it, whether that's hitting a certain income target, earning specific bylines, or even expanding into new revenue streams.
Speaking of which, what's holding you back on diversifying? If you don't want to talk about it here, feel free to shoot me an email (jenn@allindiewriters.com) and I'm happy to chat with you about it if you need tips or ideas.
So much valuable thought process here that I hesitate to point out my favorite parts…stubbornness as success component, run your own plan, willingness to experiment/test/fail. Good pep talk in the comments, to boot!
Thank you Jake. 🙂
Jezzuz, Jenn — even your comments are post-worthy! Love it, particularly the "Oh yeah? Watch me" part.