In this week’s in box alone, I’ve received close to 60 pitches from PR people, most of whom did not do their homework. “…, 63% of millennials say the desire to travel is the primary reason they work, second to paying for basic necessities (83%), and well ahead of saving for retirement (58%) and paying…
Guest Post: SEO 101 for Freelance Writers
Jenn Mattern is the Traffic Queen. If anyone can grow an audience, it’s Jenn. Part of the reason she has such superpowers is that she knows SEO. She really knows SEO. So when she offered a guest post on SEO for freelance writers, you bet I said yes. Do yourself a favor — once you’re done…
Writers Worth: This Job Not That Job
You know, sometimes I get so hopeful when the seasons change. A time of shifting circumstances, a clean slate, a transition into something new. It’s all good. Unfortunately, the only shift in lousy job postings is when someone adds an F to “shit.” What just grinds me big time about these offers, and maybe particularly…
Well, That Was Interesting …
Tuesday of last week, I was pushing through two projects, tying up revisions on a third. I stopped to get a quick lunch, answered my mom’s phone call, then sat back down to finish. That lasted about 20 minutes. In that time, this annoying little pain in my right side, which felt very much like…
Monthly Assessment: The Return of Freelance Accountability
Not so long ago, I posted my earnings, marketing, and such every month. I stopped when I redesigned the site because I wanted to lump them under a new area of the blog and, hopefully, get you to participate. That was the plan. Funny thing about plans that involve technology and yours truly. I’ve put it…
Putting Action Back in Your Freelance Action Plan
I saw you. You made that fantastic marketing/networking/business-building plan, complete with steps on how you’re going to succeed and when. Then what? Then nothing. It sat there. When it came to mapping it all out, you read all the blog posts and articles and culled the advice that fit your business. Then you did nothing….
Keeping Customer Service Fails Out of Your Freelance Writing Business
Here’s a lesson in how customer support can go so very wrong: Got an email from a company I no longer do business with. Once again (it’s a recurring problem), I looked for the opt-out link. Once again, I didn’t find one. Given that I had some time (not a lot), I decided to read…
The Freelance Saboteur
Sometimes you can’t find freelance work to save your soul. Sometimes it’s there, but either the timing is off or you’re missing some of the must-haves the client is looking for. Or the client and you are not a good match. Sometimes everything that could possibly align in the right way does. And you still…
Seismic Shift
It’s cliché to say it, but there’s no more accurate way to describe it: It feels like it just happened. Not 18 years ago. Not nearly two decades. Right now. I was sitting at my desk at the magazine, answering emails and scheduling interviews. A coworker from the graphics department popped her head into my…
Freelance Files: How You Appear to Clients
Thanks to a few recent interactions, I’ve come to realize that some freelance writers aren’t really presenting ourselves as freelancers. In public-facing situations, there are some pretty major missteps that some freelancers are making that could be causing potential clients to look the other way. Maybe you’re doing it too and don’t realize it. Let…