A good while back, I was doing my usual marketing — send the LOI, follow up, try to get a conversation going …. you know the drill. One contact in particular stood out in a weird way. He’s a guy who’s moved his way up the food chain at his company from assistant to director….
Marketing
The Introvert’s Guide to Building a Freelance Writing Business
Don’t you love all the great advice you find on blogs and in articles? If you do all the reading and really absorb what’s being said, you’ll have a great blueprint for achieving a successful freelance writing business. The steps go something like this: Study your market, including prospective clients Write a killer letter of…
4 Must-have Elements of Trade Magazine Writing
I love it when people say “Trade writing is boring.” Actually, I don’t love it. The “boring” part is not true. What’s boring about finding an interesting angle to a technically challenging topic? What’s boring about making it reader-friendly? What’s boring about making people remember that article because you, the writer, went out of your…
The Most Profitable Freelance Writing Niche
I saw something on Twitter yesterday that made me click. It was a blog post promising the most profitable freelance writing niches right now. I read through the list. Uh huh. Some of them I agreed with. But all of them sounded limiting. I won’t fault the blogger for pointing out what in essence is…
Your Freelance Writing Sweet Spot: How to Find It, How to Nurture It
I can’t tell you the last time I actively marketed. That’s a confession coming from me, the one who hammers “market constantly” into your brain. Aren’t I the one who convinces you to send those LOIs every day, follow up every week, and repeat the cycle often? And here I am, saying I’ve not practiced…
Marketing Monday (on a Tuesday): No More Weasels
What I’m listening to: Get Out by Frightened Rabbit Okay, okay. So it’s Tuesday and I’m giving you a Marketing Monday post. Sue me. We had a long weekend (started on Thursday), and it meant a lot of driving, most of it done by me. When I got back last night, there was no way…
Writers Worth: Fear Not Your Time Away
Some lessons are easy to adopt. Today is one of those lessons. Today’s Marketing Move: Take Time Off Seriously, it’s Memorial Day. If you’re working, stop it right now. Who cares if you have deadlines? Work late tomorrow. Today, don’t be afraid to walk away from the lists and the deadlines and the research. Today…
Writers Worth: Fear of Taking it Seriously
I need to stay off writers’ forums. A recent conversation that started seriously enough turned ridiculous far too quickly. The guy asked a serious question: How do you know if freelance is your choice? Facing a full-time offer, he was having second thoughts about taking that offer. While right there he’s pretty much answered his…
Marketing Monday: Your (Non)Formula for Success
Late start for me today — my apologies. The weekend was just too glorious to stay inside writing. When it comes to marketing, we writers tend to think if we build it, they will come (they being the clients). That’s not necessarily true. While it works when your marketing approach meshes with their needs, it…
Breaking Out of Your Writing Rut
What I’m listening to: We’re Going To Be Friends by White Stripes I don’t need to tell most of you that a successful freelance writing career means you have to be part chameleon. Today you’re writing nothing but blogs. Tomorrow, you’re inundated with magazine work. A month from now, you might be writing website content…