Truth in Your Own Advertising

What’s on the iPod: Unbelievable by Diamond Rio

Today is absolutely one of my favorite days. I look forward to it every year – it’s the longest day! That sun will be out (and in this case, blazing hot) until late. So will I. Once I get this work pile whipped under control, I’m giving myself a time out.

Yesterday was a mishmash of work not completed, but much-needed communications sorted and scheduled. I got in touch with a few clients about upcoming and ongoing projects, and I cleared up at least one invoice issue. Another invoice issue is proving more troublesome as the client has gone silent on me. No worries — the late fees are about to kick in, as they were informed, and I don’t collect my own late bills. I let collection agencies do it. I give that time to worthy clients and their projects.

I was helping my daughter with a few proofing/editing tests I’d given her (she’s my intern, remember?). It got me thinking — she’s doing this work to earn the line item on her resume so she’ll get the next job. I won’t allow her to list any more work than she’s done for me, and maybe that’s the better lesson — she’s learning not to embellish her own experience.

I love when professionals, especially writers, know their own worth. Still, there’s a fine line between stating your obvious value and overstating it. It can be tempting to the new writer (or even to the veteran writer who’s got a bit of an insecurity) to overstate the portfolio. Sure, you have to show the work, but sometimes by stating it, you think it makes it fact.

How are you overstating? By not being clear or by deliberately calling a spade a club. Some examples:

I’m a business writer. True you write about businesses, but if you’re writing from the consumer side, you should be stating that quite clearly like so: “I write consumer-focused business content.” It’s one thing to write about Apple’s newest products, but quite another to write about the management processes and financial strategies that helped the company achieve its current superstar status. One is only loosely a business article — the other is clearly one.

I have over eight years of experience in writing for consumer magazines. Do you really? Or have you written for “consumer”-read local newspapers for four years, stretching that credit out further than it should go? Tell the exact truth. What I tell my clients is what is true: I have over 15 years of writing experience, 12 of which are in the risk management and insurance subject areas. I have been writing since 1988, but there’s no way I’d claim I’ve been writing in specialized areas for 22 years. It’s not true.

A word about understating: Beginner writers, you have a difficult situation in that you tend to exclude any credits that you could be claiming. For example, you worked for three years on the college newspaper, yet you weren’t paid so you think that doesn’t count. Or you have written six proposals for local businesses or charities, but think because you volunteered, you can’t list that. Yes you can. Clients don’t need to know that you’ve not been paid — only that you can handle the job.

I’m an award-winning writer. Please. Unless you’ve been handed a prestigious, well-known award from a legitimate publication or organization, don’t think that “Top Bloggers That Jen Likes” award is enough to add that to your credentials. When the client asks what award, you’re going to appear foolish and amateur. Plus the line has been used so often it’s become a throw-away line, almost cliche.

I’ve published countless articles. Just because you refuse to count those ten or twelve articles doesn’t mean you can claim they were “countless” in number. Be as specific as possible when listing credits. It’s better to say you’ve published “a number” of articles, or simply not mention number at all.

What overstatements have you seen?