There are some self-inflicted wounds that just leave you wondering if there’s a death wish involved.
I saw an insane exchange on a writers forum recently that had me thinking the writer was either 1) way too sure of himself, or 2) really that foolish. I’m leaning toward a combination of the two.
In the exchange, a writer posted his way of “boosting” his career. “I cut corners where I can without cutting quality” and “If you spend half of your time marketing, you’re going to make half as much money as you would spending time getting paid.”
All together now: HUH?
That’s right. This scholar was telling everyone who could read that marketing, my friend, is a colossal waste of billable hours. Because those clients, they just stick around forever, don’t they? So, marketing to get more clients is actually causing you to lose money…. and admitting openly that he cuts corners.
Right. We know where this career is headed — either toward a massive wake-up call or a major flame-out.
There is so much wrong with his logic. The obvious being that if you’re sticking with the same clients, you’re not moving up any food chain. Your earnings are stagnant.
There’s also that little bit about telling every member of the writers group, many of whom are there to hire, that you cut corners. How? I know where my mind went immediately. While this fellow may not be plagiarizing, he hasn’t really said how he’s cutting said corners.
But wait. There’s more.
This writer said that in fact, you could boost yourself into better earnings by targeting outlets you want to write for.
And how do we contact them, I ask you?
By sending a pitch. You know, by marketing.
This is just one example of how some writers get lost in their own heads. At the same time he’s saying you don’t need to market, he’s assuring you that you can climb the earnings ladder by hey, marketing.
[bctt tweet=”#freelancewriting careers are being murdered by their makers every day. Is yours one?” username=”LoriWidmer”]
It’s the double-talk BS that has held back more than one career. There are plenty of things out there holding the gun to the freelance writing career. Here are a few.
Stupidity on display.
Saying out loud to a roomful of potential clients (and colleagues) that you don’t know anything about marketing and you hate it (to which I would ask “How do you know you hate it if you know nothing about it?”) is saying you’re okay with a comfortable gig that doesn’t make you think too hard (remember, we cut corners). That signals that you’re not all that concerned with what you’re paid. Oh, you may be very concerned, but that’s not the message your sending.
Fix it: Stop revealing things that can handicap you. Instead, spend that typing time actually studying the areas you don’t understand. Be careful what you say online in general, but certainly don’t admit knowing nothing about a very basic concept.
Failure to vet.
There are a barrage of people looking for writers, and they post all over the internet. Invariably, a larger pack of freelancers descend on these posts like ravenous jackals. Yet a few things are missing — for one, those freelancers who post “I’m interested” are definitely not the ones who check out the poster’s background to make sure they actually want to work with someone like that.
Case in point: a poster put up a call for freelancers. In her profile, there was enough information to make me forget her post altogether.
I help entrepreneurs sell products & services with emails that convert!
That was the profile. The post was “I want to network and I may have some opportunities for you in the near future.”
People, people. Please. The caveats she includes here alone are enough to make one realize the carrot she’s dangling is of the substance-free variety. Just that sentence made me cringe. Couple it with her “mission statement” on her own profile, and you have someone who’s possibly a bottom feeder.
Fix it: It takes a few minutes at most to vet someone even on a basic level. Who are they? What’s their history? What’s their real purpose? Even if they have no handy “tell” like this woman does, you can guess by the profiles on LinkedIn if these people are legit or someone you want to be dealing with.
Desperation as a badge.
Desperation makes for bad decisions. Too often, I’ve seen writers so desperate for a client that they ignore the requirements of the post and chime in with their “Pick me!” style of “I’m interested” response. It’s the immediacy of your response, but it’s also failing to find a way to reach out privately that earns you that badge.
Fix it: Stop. Reread. Make sure you’re understanding who this is, what the offer is, and if this is the best way to reach out. Always try to find a more private method of contacting a would-be client, and stop leaping on their every word. Instead, craft a better response and send it privately.
Laziness as your marketing plan.
Yes, the client said “Send me a direct message” so you thought it was fine to say you were interested right there on the thread — even after that guy said “I will not be choosing anyone from this thread, just those who respond privately.”
I’ve seen writers say “Here’s a link to my profile. DM me with any questions.” Seriously? It’s now on the job poster to do the work? If you want that client, that gig, how about you get off your ass and work for the gig?
Fix it: What I just said: Get off your ass and try to get the gig. Put together a good pitch — who you are, but more importantly, how you’ll help them. Give them samples in the simplest format you can. Personalize the note where you can. Improve your odds by knowing something about that job poster before you send that message.
Arrogance as a side dish.
What I love is when writers argue with the job poster. I remember one instance years ago in which the guy wanted someone with very specific experience. He didn’t want a wanna-be — he needed someone who already knew intimately the topic he was writing about.
There must have been four dozen people on the “Get off your high horse!” train. Because when one writer speaks up, others tend to think it’s okay to get snippy with a potential client. There were a small handful of writers who said “He wants X. If you don’t have X, he’s not your client and you’re not his writer.” To no avail — he needed to be told that they could write about anything and he’s a jerk for expecting more.
And not one of them was hired. Go figure.
Fix it: Accept that clients know what they want from their writers. I know plenty of writers who think they can write about anything. To them I say: Try writing about brownfields and environmental risks as it pertains to the construction company’s insurance program. Or where insurance wrap-up programs could have expensive gaps in coverage. Better yet, accept that you don’t know everything, can’t write about everything, and let clients decide who they should hire. Then if you want to learn that area, put your back into it and learn it before you think someone owes you the job.
Writers, how are you seeing writers murdering their careers?
What foolishness have you seen mucking up the bandwidth?