Full disclosure: Demand Studios is a sponsor for FWJ. As part of our partnership, I get to bring you some important news. Like this:

Demand Studio continues to find ways to offer opportunities to their writers beyond that of your usual “content mill”. Today, they announced a grants program to their creators including writers, editors, and film makers who have been with the program for three months or longer…and have had approved assignments at least three months prior to the date the grant application is submitted. Those applying for grants must reside in the United States.

The Details…

Grants will be awarded in the amount of $1,000 and twelve grants will be approved each year. Creators are allowed to apply for up to three times per year for the same project. Writers who are collaborating with other Demand Studios writers on projects may only submit one application for the project – not one per collaborator.

Eligible Projects

Eligible projects include works of fiction and non-fiction, essay collections, plays, screenplays, short films and videos, and feature length films. Projects should reach completion within six months to a year from the date the grant is awarded.

Applicants are required to submit a project statement of 400 words or less, a description of their goals, estimated cost and a description of how the grant monies will be used. Projects will be reviewed and approved by the Demand Studios Grant Program Committee.

Complete Guidelines can be found in Demand Studios Resource Center. If you are not yet a Demand Studios writer, editor or filmmaker, you can learn more and apply here.

Here are your details:

Demand Studios is a sponsor of Freelance Writing Jobs

I was up for some time last night thinking about the reaction to the announcment that Demand Studios was offering affordable health care coverage to their freelance writers. To be honest, I’m perplexed by the reaction. I’ll always expect more than a few people to direct negativity in Demand Studios’ direction, but I didn’t expect a flat out rebellion. Call me delusional and naive (and I believe someone already did) but I felt more freelancers would see the gesture for what it was, a sincere desire to do something good to show their freelancers how appreciative they are for their efforts. Now, I’m not asking anyone to be grateful or insisting you have to love the plan, but I think a few points are in need of clarification.

I spend a lot of time with the Demand Studios people and spent several days working with them in Santa Monica and, also, Las Vegas. Some people might find this hard to believe, but they really do want to know what will make their freelancers happy and how they can make freelancing for them a better experience. Knowing how much time, energy and effort went into searching plans and negotiating with health care people, to say I’m disappointed by the reaction is an understatement.  I’m not saying I don’t understand some of the reactions, just that I find it upsetting because I understand what went it this and the motivation behind it. I couldn’t wait to make the announcement because I couldn’t wait for all of the naysayers to see Demand Studios for the positive community and freelance client that it is.

That didn’t happen. Instead there was an uprising. Since so many people sent me notes and commented here expressing their negativity, I thought I might address some of those questions and concerns.

We were lied to. We were misled.

Honestly, you weren’t. No one at Demand Studios said “well let’s lie to them and tell them what they want to hear. They’ll never figure out the difference on their own anyway.”  With all the recent negativity directed towards them, can you honestly say they wanted to mislead their writers? Now I know there are a couple of writers carrying pitchforks who have only been with Demand Studios for a few weeks, and they might not have yet experienced the generosity of the Demand Studios team, but those who have been with Demand for some time should know the team has your best interests at heart. No one lied. No one misled.

It’s not insurance.

It’s a very basic plan. It’s NOT comprehensive coverage. It’s not the catastrophic plan everyone was hoping for, but no one promised that in the first place.  When health care was being discussed the DS community expressed some wants, for example, a low co pay, a low deductible and an affordable prescription plan. Well, the DS team negotiated all these things on their freelancers’ behalf. Now that the plan has been introduced everyone is saying, “well this isn’t going to help me if I get run over by a bus.” Probably not, but that was never promised in the first place. However, if you catch the flu and need a doctor and some meds, you’re covered. Again, no one lied to you. No one said, “Heh. Let’s call it insurance when it’s really  a discount plan, they won’t know the difference.”  If you worked with Demand Studios for any length of time, you will know that they’re very transparent and honest with their community. They wouldn’t pull the insurance card and not use it just to appease you.

You’re paid to say this.

No I’m not. I’m paid to post ads for Demand, post their news and represent them at agreed-upon events. I’m not paid to sooth ruffled feathers and write long drawn out posts for them.  I’m not paid to comment at other blogs on their behalf or spread the joy on Twitter. No one tells me what to write and no where in my contract does it say I only have to say positive things about them. In fact, we agreed before I signed a thing that I would be open and honest, especially if there is something I don’t agree with. I worked very hard to build up this community, my reputation and the FWJ/Deb Ng brand. Do you all really believe I’d toss that away because a content site is paying me?

I’m not impressed.

The same people who are blogging or on Twitter about how unimpressed they are about Demand Studios have been blogging and Tweeting about how unimpressed they are for some time. I’m taking it for what it’s worth. The bottom line is that this is unprecedented.  The folks behind a content site set out to see if they could allow their freelancers access to affordable health care. You may not appreciate the plan, but I hope you can appreciate the gesture.

It was a business decision.

or

It was for publicity

No. It wasn’t a business decision. If anything, negotiating these plans took the DS team away from their work, so if it was a business decision, it was a bad one. As for publicity, people write about Demand Studios every day, they don’t really need the publicity. They were on Fox News yesterday, they can do more of that stuff if they want the publicity.

I’m worried for the poor freelancers who will quit their regular coverage in favor for this plan.

As made clear in my previous posts about this, if you already have good, comprehensive coverage, you’ll want to stick with that. Demands Studios said this upfront as well. Also, I think freelancers are intelligent enough to figure it out on their own. We know enough to research and read all the fine print. It’s kind of insulting to have other people think we don’t know any better and that we’ll automatically give up a comprehensive plan for one that is very basic.

The Demand Studios team are monitoring your comments and hearing your concerns. I’m sure they’re taking everything into consideration so they can revisit this again and tweak their plans to make it more of what their community wants. However, to say they lied and misled their community is incorrect. They have the best of intentions and I’m happy to throw my support behind anyone who goes to these lengths for their freelancers.

Demand Studios made the announcement today that they are offering health insurance options to their freelancers. Though we touched upon this one month ago, the freelance writing community has been waiting with baited breath to learn the details.  Some even wondered if it’s too good to be true.  As this is unprecedented, I can understand why so many people are so skeptical. However, it is happening.

I’m about to get on a call with the Demand Studios team and will bring you any updates. This is what I know in the mean time:

Who is eligible?

Demand Studios freelancers who have worked for at least three months or more.

In an announcement sent to all Demand Studios contributors today, these plan highlights were introduced:

• No deductible or co-pays
• Guaranteed acceptance: There are no medical tests or requirements to disclose ailments or family history, etc.
• Pre-existing conditions are covered. The only exception is if you know you are pregnant, you cannot join the plan for that purpose. (Other than in California where there is no such requirement).
• Plans use the Beech Street network of providers, one of the largest PPO networks nationwide
• Access to Nurseline, with on-demand, 24/7/365 access to experienced, registered nurses via phone or email
• Access to a Patient Advocacy Service, which assists you in finding care and dealing with the complexities of the healthcare system
• A prescription drug card, which may provide you with significant savings on your prescription drugs

Ok so what does that mean?

It means that Demand Studios Creators and Editors have access to several health care plans using the Beech Street Network of Providers. Beech Street is a PPO featuring over 500,000 providers. Because Demand Studios has such a large community of freelancers they were able to negotiate rates far below what the average freelancer would receive on his own. Now, this doesn’t mean you should drop your current plan without doing all your math first. If you or your spouse has health care insurance through your places of employment, you’ll probably want to stick with that. However, freelancers who aren’t covered may want to give it consideration.

How much will it cost?

Well first of all, there are no co-pays with these plans. Monthly rates vary from $91.16 per month for the lowest individual plan to $434.66 for the highest family plan – with several plans and levels in between.

Some of the bennies:

• Access to Beech Street Medical Network Discount Pricing
• Lower costs for prescription drugs
• No network restrictions – See any doctor you likebut you’ll reap the biggest discounts by seeing a Beech Street recommended doctor
• No primary care physician or required referrals
• Coverage from the very first visit

Demand Studios freelancers are receiving a full run down of all the plans and what they entail.  For more information, please contact the folks at Demand Studios or see this helpful PDF.

I just had an interesting Skype chat with Jodee Redmond. We were talking about how shy we were/are in the real world, but received a bravery boost when we began freelancing. Both Jodee and I brought up situations where we were hesitant to discuss payment options, raises, or asking contacts for work – when we shouldn’t have stressed.

I’m surprised by how many people are receptive to my ideas and suggestions – when I finally get up the nerve to ask. I have never been turned down when asking for a client for a raise, and I’ve landed several projects after cold calling or reaching out to contacts and former clients.

When you ask, one of two things will happen. The other party will say “no”, or, he’ll say “yes.” How will you know if you don’t try?

This writing tips is sponsored by Demand Studios.

I was scheduled to give a talk last week about marketing for freelance writers.  The other presentations ran overtime, so I didn’t get a chance to speak after all. However, I still spent a lot of time during meals and recreation discussing the various ways freelance writers can market themselves. I learned marketing means different things to different people. For some it’s becoming a famous name on the web, for others, it’s about getting more work and landing lucrative contracts.  Either way,  it takes a lot of effort and shameless self promotion.

If you want your career to take off in a big way, or if you want to make a name for yourself online, maybe some of these tips can help. These are my methods for networking and they worked well for me.

10 Marketing Tips for Freelance Writers

Note: This isn’t about building traffic, this is about building up your name, your contact list and advancing your career.

1. Treat Your Name as Your Brand

Having a heavy online presence means your reputation is everything.  Treat your name as if it’s a brand. Every job you accept, every business you promote, every client you work with all have a direct bearing on who you are and what people think of you. Carefully weigh every decision. If you don’t have your good name, what’s left?

2. Build Your Online Presence

Nowadays it’s not enough to have a blog or website. An online presence means websites, blogs, social networking and communicating online in a big way. If you’ve been reluctant to embrace some of the less traditional forms of marketing, you’re only hurting yourself. To say, “I’m never going to try FaceBook” or “I’m staying away from Twitter on principle” is fine, but what are you protesting? Social media contains some important networking tools. To avoid them is to miss out on an enormous opportunity.

2. Network with Professionals in Your Area

Many areas host professional luncheons or cocktail hours. Attend some of these events to meet the people who are in a position to hire freelancers. Possible employment isn’t the only reason to attend, and no one likes to hang around with a walking sales pitch. Talking to other professionals gives you a good idea of what’s going on in the real world. What is the market like? What businesses are doing well? Which business are doing poorly? Learning all you can about your local economy and the businesses in your neighborhood, will give you a good idea of who is likely to hire and which businesses are low on funds.

3. Attend Conferences, Summits, Meetups and Tweetups

Conferences are amazing networking and promotional opportunities.  All the people in your industry are gathered in one place and they’re very interested in what you do! Meet the movers and shakers in your field, attend classes, workshops and sessions from the best in the business, and receive new product and service demos. Conferences can be expensive, but they’re generally worth every penny.

4. Prepare Some Promotional Material

When you’re attending conferences and networking events, how are you presenting yourself? How are others remembering you? Create some promotional material such as a business card or brochure. Hand these out to the people you meet. They may not call you right away, but having your name on file could mean they call you first – before taking out an ad to attract others.

5. Advertise Online and Offline

Websites and blogs are perfect for advertising your services but not everyone wants to spend time doing a web search for writers in their area. Think of the different places you can advertise. The local newspaper, church bulletin, Pennysaver, local magazines and area guides are affordable alternatives to taking out a huge ad in the phone directory or major newspaper. Put your details on an index card at the laundry mat and coffee shop. Not everyone is going to need a freelance writer, but maybe one out of 20 people who see your ad will respond.

6. Research Your Target Markets

The question “what do you write” or “who do you want to write for” isn’t always and easy questions. Many writers have no idea what to do beyond what they’ve been doing to survive. Think about your ideal writing gig and research what this type of job will entail. Find out as much as you can about this type of job including the people who are hiring, and the people who are doing this kind of writing. Get to know them all. Network.

7. Define Your Niche

Being a generalist works well but defining a niche can mean the difference between “writer” and “expert.” When you specialize, you’re more likely to attract the attention of businesses and individuals looking to hire in these areas. Consider this, would a business that provides sustainable materials for builder be more likely to hire a generalist to write his web and promotional copy, or someone who is well versed in sustainable matters? Defining your niche doesn’t mean you have to stop writing for other places, but establishing your expertise means a better chance of being hired – and earning more money – in those areas you know best. Having a niche allows for more networking and marketing industry. For example, a generalist might market at events geared towards writers, but someone who specializes food can also attend networking and promotional events having to do with restaurants, catering, desserts, meat, vegetarianism and more.

8. Collaborate with Other Freelancers

Don’t underestimate the power of the collaboration. If you’re not getting ahead on your own, it won’t hurt to team up with others. Project up with a web designer and provide design and content services, take some overflow projects from other freelancers, write some ebooks and courses or blog together. Find others in your niche and see how you can get together and rock.

9. Join a Professional Organization

Professional organizations impress clients and look great on the resume. They also provide tremendous opportunities to learn and network.  Many of these organizations also have areas online for social networking.

10. Always Follow Up

I’m a firm believer in the follow up. If you give someone your card, follow up. If you talk to someone about possibly writing, follow up. If there’s a remote chance for work, follow up. Never leave it up to the other person, if he’s busy he might shove it to the backburner. Take the initiative and follow up.

Please share your best marketing tips in the comments. If you disagree with any of the above, please share why!

This post is sponsored by Demand Studios

Some of my new friends - Demand Studios Creators and Editors

This is NOT a sponsored post. No one is paying to write this post, I’m speaking from the heart.

I’m writing this from Santa Monica, where I’m attending a very unique event, the Demand Studios Creator Conference. I was invited to attend to learn more about Demand Studios, talk with the team, and meet the writers. I can’t even begin tell you what a powerful experience this has been. To say that the folks who are part of the Demand Studios team are passionate about what they do is an understatement. Though they make no bones about wanting to grow and hire new writers to build their websites, they also made clear their desire to help us, the writers, succeed.

In the upcoming days, I’m going to have a couple of the people working from Demand Studios to come by and dispel a few of the myths about them. I’ll also be sharing a lot of what I learned while attending this conference.

I dispelled a few myths of my own yesterday. For instance, I’ve been going on and on about how Demand is such a terrific place for beginners to get a proverbial foot in the door while learning more about the writing process. While that’s true, the truth is ,I didn’t meet one beginner there yesterday. I met intelligent writers and editors with varied and impressive backgrounds. The folks who write for Demand Studios are seasoned journalists and educators. They’re experts in their field.They’re not people who write fluff content off the top of their heads. They do, indeed, know their stuff and they take immense pride in their work.

It’s also been suggested that the folks who write for Demand Studios are a bit…naive. That perhaps they’re not business savvy or smart enough to know what they’re getting into. That’s not the case either. The Creators and Editors I spoke with have been freelancing for years and know everything about the “business end” including taxes and deductions. They take issue with those who suggest they’re being taken advantage of or that they don’t know how to manage their finances.

Over lunch, I asked all my new friends how they felt about the bloggers who suggested their content couldn’t be well written if it was created in 20 to 30 minutes. They were all angry. The Demand Studios Creators who I met take pride in what they do and wouldn’t sign their name to substandard writing. After learning about their backgrounds and their expertise, I agreed they certainly could write articles in their topic areas in under and hour, possibly with time to spare. They also didn’t feel writing for Demand for several hours a day was tedious or boring as suggested on some other blogs. They enjoy their work.

I spoke with editors, managers and V.Ps  and learned about the hiring process and more. Demand doesn’t accept any old writers off the street. They have a rigorous hiring policy and it’s especially strict for their editors. They don’t want to flood the web with content, they want to provide useful, factually correct, engaging, well-written content.

The Demand Studios team is striving to ensure their writers happiness. They know what’s being said about them and they’re working hard to address each of the issues. In the past couple of months, I took a lot of flack for partnering with Demand Studios, but I’m standing firm. After attending the Creator’s Conference this weekend, I can say, without hesitation, that I made the right decision. I look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how my career has evolved from blogging and writing to becoming a serious work at home business. I don’t only write for a few clients here and there anymore. I own a full fledged blog network featuring several writers. In addition, I have clients who send me on business trips to promote their product or brand. This is no mere part time writing gig anymore.

Even if I wasn’t looking to take my career to this whole other level, freelance writers SHOULD look at freelancing as a work at home business. To approach it the wrong way could mean the difference between a few gigs here and there and a successful freelance writing career. Try looking at work with a business frame of mind. Instead of saying “I’m a freelance writer” say, “I have a freelance writing business.” Which do you think commands higher rates and more respect?

Some things to consider:

• Do you want to stay as a sole proprietor, or consider becoming an Inc. or LLC? ( a little more on these in an upcoming post).
• The way you approach the job application process and take on clients can make a very big difference if you apply as a business as opposed to a person.
• If you negotiate pay as someone with a work at home business as opposed to someone who is looking to write while the baby is sleeping, you’ll be taken more seriously and that means a better pay rate.
• Look into some free or inexpensive customer service programs for tips for a repeat clients.
• There are tax advantages to running a small business.
• Consider liability issues. Perhaps it’s better to be an LLC instead of a Sole Proprietor?

Freelance writing isn’t only writing. It’s a business. Do yourself a favor and research all aspects of your business. It can save you money, aggrevation and ensure you’re receiving the money and respect you deserve.

This post sponsored by Demand Studios.

There’s a mistake many of us make in trying to drive traffic to our blogs and websites. We spam.  We’re not trying to. We may not even think we’re doing it, but it happens. If you’re someone who feels blog comments, Twitter, Facebook and other social networks are only for posting links, you’re guilty of spamming.

Here’s the thing:

Using social media tools absolutely works. You can build up some good traffic using Twitter and blogs if you do it right. Build up relationships first. Join in the conversation. Participate in other communities. This way, when you occasionally share a link no one will think you’re an annoyance.

Spamming on Twitter is probably my biggest mistake, one that I hope I nipped in the bud. Though I do spend plenty of time with the chit chat, I tweet a lot of links. I didn’t realize it until I looked at my timeline one day and saw a list of links and nothing else. No one likes spam.If I don’t want a lot of links littering my Tweetdeck, why would I want to do this to someone else?

Are you guilty?

This post sponsored by Demand Studios

You write about sewing. A lot. You blog about sewing. You have newspaper column about sewing. You write about sewing for a green living website. In fact, if there’s any outlet needing sewing content, you’re the one to call. You rock your niche. You’re no mere needle arts writer, you, my dear, are the sewing expert. You never thought your favorite hobby would turn into “expertise,” but it did. Now you’re in demand. Everyone wants you. You’re asked for a quote for magazine articles, picked for panels at sewing conferences and Martha Stewart herself invited you to come down to the studio and give buttonholing tips.

All joking aside, knowing about a topic and establishing yourself as an expert can mean the difference between some pocket money and a series paycheck- especially if you write about the same topic day in and day out. Take that topic to a whole new level by looking for writing opportunities beyond the blog networks and content sites. Query editors in the same niche. Subscribe to H.A.R.O and answer calls for experts. Do Twitter searches for your favorite topic to see who needs help. Go to conferences and give out business cards. Offer to speak at those same conferences. The possibilities are endless.

Move from niche writing to expertise and watch your career explode.

This post sponsored by Demand Studios.

This post is sponsored by Demand Studios.

You talk with your friends about what you do, but how many of them send business your way? When you think about it, friends are perfect for referrals. Here’s something that happened to me recently:

I go out to dinner once a month with a group of women. We talk about everything. We gossip about celebrities, we gripe about work and we talk about our families. At the last dinner, a friend who works for a national brand asked more about my job. We chatted about it and I gave her a card. Two weeks later, a colleague from this same brand emailed me to ask about my consulting services. Now we’re talking about my coming in to help their marketing team plan a social media strategy.

If it’s not too forward, think about giving your friends some of your business cards. Ask them to keep them in purses or wallets in case they hear of anyone in need of a writer. Offer to reciprocate and send business their way as well.  You may land a good local client or two this way. When you think about it, who better to recommend you than a good friend?

This is a sponsored post.

I like to refer to myself as a “thought collector.” I write down everything. I have Post-It’s all over my office and years’ worth of notebooks in my file cabinet. Eventually the ideas on those bits of paper go into my calendar program or a notebook so I can refer to them later.

Every few months I like to take out my old notebooks – some of them dating back to the late 80′s. The trip down memory lane is fun, but it’s also stimulating. I can’t tell you how many new ideas I get thanks to my old ideas.

Most writers have journals and idea notebooks but don’t leave them to collect dust on your shelves. Use them well and use them often. You never know when your old ideas will become the next big topic.