Being self-employed brings with it many challenges. You’re either working in your business or on your business. Being busy is great but your leads will dry up without consistent marketing.
One way to have your name out in the market consistently is to register on directories websites. [Read more…]
In a world dominated by businesses competing for every imaginable facet of the world’s attention, nothing is more important to your marketing efforts than the creation and spreading of a brand.
Encompassing who you are, what you do and what you have to offer, your personal brand is your business’ gateway to the world at large, beckoning customers with logos, catchy slogans and product promises that you hope will draw them in for a closer look.
Knowing how important a carefully constructed and well-used personal brand is, consider attending one of these five personal branding events to visit this year in the name of sharpening your branding skills: [Read more…]
Time was, all writers had to do was write. We did the cool creative end of things and left the business and marketing to other, more qualified souls.
Today, writers can no longer afford to leave their fan base out in the cold. Thanks to the Internet, there are more words than ever competing for readers, so breaking through the clutter requires more than eye-catching marketing. It requires interaction.
I know “marketing” is a scary word for some, but I promise the kind of marketing I’m talking about is nothing to be afraid of. You don’t have to come up with marketing campaigns, slogans, or spend countless dollars on advertising. Marketing today is as simple as striking up a friendship — and just as effective.
I’m talking, of course, about social networking. The whole point of social networks is to bring people together — family, friends, acquaintances, co-workers, etc. — so you can stay connected and share things of interest with their friends. Personal news, photos, videos, cool links, and more; it’s all part of the “stream” of information you constantly receive from your friends on networks like Facebook and Twitter. Best of all, social networks and the services they provide are entirely free.
Even if you’re not a part of any social networks, I’m sure you’ve heard of Facebook and Twitter. They’re the big two, with more users than any other networks, because they do what they do smartly and efficiently. They’re also super easy to use. Yes, they do require you to give up a small amount of privacy (as the news headlines love to remind us), but it’s no different than inviting a new friend into one corner of your life, and any risks are minimal since you have complete control over the flow of information.
But how can a writer use social networking to further their career? That’s the question, isn’t it? There are tons of social websites out there where you can find job listings (including the site you’re reading right now), but that’s not the kind of networking I’m talking about. To answer this question, let’s take a step back and look at the bigger picture for just a moment.
To be a successful writer in this day and age, you have to put yourself out there as a brand. Make your name recognizable to readers who like what you do, and make it as easy as possible for them to find more of your work. Most freelancers write for lots of varied publications and websites, and you can’t count on those places to link to all of your other work for you. So having a way to corral your entire body of work together in one place is crucial.
Start with a website: www.yourname.com. If you don’t have one, get one immediately. Link to all the blogs, websites, and magazines where you write. Put photos of yourself (if you’re camera shy, suck it up, because letting readers put a face to the words they read helps them feel like they know you, which invests them in your work all the more), a bio/resume, and if you’re professionally published, put links to places where readers can buy your work (magazines, books, etc.). Keep a blog and let readers know what you’re working on, what you’ve done that’s generating a lot of feedback, or just whatever’s on your mind. Offer helpful tips on a subject you’re knowledgeable about, or go deeper into a subject that you didn’t have room to expand on in a recent published article or book. Last but not least, link to the social networking sites you’re a part of.
But now we come to it: which social networking sites should you join for the most effective self-promotion? There are a ton of social networking sites out there; feel free to try any and all of them, but only a few of them are likely to reap any results.
Beyond Facebook and Twitter, probably the most crucial one for writers is Scribd. If you don’t have a Scribd account, sign up at once. It’s the best place on the web to share your work with others, and it’s incredibly simple to use, allowing you to upload PDFs, Word docs, or even PowerPoint presentations into online documents that anyone can read. Once you’ve connected with friends there, you can share your work with them, or discover great works by others and share that with your readers, too. Most of the material on Scribd is easily downloadable, or can be read either online or on your mobile device. You can even embed Scribd documents into your own blog or website, the same way YouTube users embed videos. I use Scribd to post free samples of my novels and other creative works. These are things I could post on my personal website, but putting them on Scribd instead makes it infinitely easier for my readers to share my stuff with their friends.
Another great one — particularly for creative writers — is one that most people would never think of: DeviantArt. Their Literature section is host to user-written prose, poetry, scripts, and more. And just like other social sites, you can connect to others and share your work between friends and fans.
There are a ton of social networks out there targeted specifically at writers, but I’m not all that impressed with what I see from most of them. Many of these networks amount to little more than niche book clubs, with only a few hundred or thousand users each, and mostly feature writers hooking up with other writers for critiquing, advice-giving, and general camaraderie. If that’s what you’re looking for — and there’s nothing wrong with those things — then by all means have at it. But with all of the social networks out there, I spend my time only on the ones that can truly help build my brand and get my work in front of more readers.
Of these writer-focused social networks, I find WriterFace and RedRoom to be the most worthwhile. (Be advised that RedRoom is for professional authors only.)
Here are a few other generalized social networks to consider:
With tools like these, you can join the ranks of the savviest modern writers who understand the value of turning fans into friends.
And if I missed any good social networks, please share your favorites in the comments!
Officially, one of the benefits of working as a freelance writer is that you have a more flexible schedule. It’s true, to an extent: if you need to drop everything and go deal with an emergency, there’s certainly no boss to tell you otherwise. On the other side of the coin, though, you have to be the inflexible one when it comes to your schedule — without a boss to tell you to focus on your work, it can be very tempting to slack off.
Setting office hours and sticking to them is necessary if you want to keep moving forward as a freelance writer. It’s nice if you can be incredibly productive during each and every one of those hours, but, even if you can’t, just having them can help.
It’s rare that an employer will let you leave early because you have already completed all the work he has for you. At the very least, he’ll have you get a head start on tomorrow’s work. If you can treat yourself the same way, you can actually do some great things for your freelance career. Completed all your work for today? There are tons of steps you can take to get ahead:
It’s not impossible for a freelance writer to go too far in the other direction — a problem I occasionally suffer from myself. Even when I’m not up against a deadline, I find it tempting to keep working even after my official work hours end. But when you do creative work, like writing, you absolutely have to take time to recharge your creative batteries. Too many late nights spent on getting ahead of the game can eventually burn you out.
It’s important to take your work hours seriously, both in terms of staying on the clock when you might have finished the day’s writing and in terms of leaving the office at the end of the day.
Do you already have office hours set? How do you make sure you stick to them?
You may not want to be a famous online figure, but you do want attention. You want to be a thought leader, a valued contributor to the greater conversation (whatever the hell that means), the recipient of search engine traffic, a recognized name brand, the “go to” person for whatever it is you do, a bestselling writer, a fully-booked and well-paid consultant or something.
You want a presence. Gravitas. Authority. Whatever. You want people to find you. You want them to know who you are. You have your reasons. They’re probably related to maintaining a sufficient balance in your checking account.
So, how are you going to do it? How are you going to go from being just another of 13,397,988 freelance writers to Famous You?
Here are a few models to consider.
Too Legit to Quit
You have a nice, clean website. You do good work for your clients. You participate in online and traditional networking. You may have a blog you use as a platform to provide well-written and well-reasoned perspective on your areas of interest. You participate in visible activities that truly match your personality and to which you feel you can provide a quality contribution.
Congratulations. You’re a pro! If the cream really does rise to the top and if you’re half as good as you think you are, you’ll eventually develop a good reputation and well be held in high-esteem by others. People will begin to find you.
Unfortunately, it’s going to take some time to make this work. It isn’t a recipe for fast fame. And if that “cream to the top” stuff isn’t really true–or if you’re not THAT good, you’ll disappear into the vast sea of other rather traditional professionals who find that very few people are thrilled by the prospect of dealing with Mr. of Ms. Bland. With all due respect to Huey Lewis, it isn’t particularly hip to be square.
Five-Way Bullet Train Collision
You make the standard Internet train wreck seem mild. You’re willing to do anything for a set of eyeballs or the repetition of your name. You’ll cuss as if you’re at a Tailhook reunion party. You’ll pick fights for fun. You’ll scream for attention. You’re Amy Winehouse and Paris Hilton wrapped into one person, in front of the press on a stage littered with Fredericks’s of Hollywood thongs and hypos brimming with smack. You WILL do what it takes to end up on every front page.
Congratulations. People will know you. If you get wild and crazy enough, you can become a truly famous person within your niche. You will receive all of the attention your little personality disorder-cursed mind can handle!
Unfortunately, it’s not the kind of attention that turns into big stacks of cash (or even steady smaller stacks). When’s the last time you’ve heard about a sideshow freak retiring early and luxuriating in his or her wealth? People will gawk, but they won’t take you seriously.
The Pet Mouse
You want a little attention, but you’re a little nervous about the whole thing. You have a friendly little blog connected to a non-threatening little website and you only write safe things about safe ideas. No waves. You may not yell out opinions, but you’re quick to offer friendly, sweet encouragement at every turn. You’re just active enough that people notice you commenting on others’ blogs, even if they don’t read yours. When people see your positive comments, they smile a little bit. You’re so cute, just like a timid little pet mouse!
Congratulations. You haven’t pissed anyone off. Everyone will consider you a friend and you’ll develop some worthwhile professional connections in the process.
Unfortunately, they won’t take you too seriously and they’ll only think of you if you peek out to say hello before scurrying back to the safety of your little nest.
Mr. Big Shot
You’re looking good, feeling great, doing well and want everyone to know it! Either that or you’re completely screwed, struggling like mad and are engaging in an all-out effort to “fake it until you make it.” You substitute bombast for substance and will never hesitate to discuss your numerous triumphs (real or imagined).
Congratulations. For reasons only psych professionals understand, some people are actually attracted to that kind of over-the-top self-adulation. If you’re lucky, you might end up with a little online cult to call your own.
Unfortunately, things generally don’t turn out so well for charismatic cult leaders. Ask Charlie, David, Jim or that dude who had everyone slide into some black Nikes as the magic comet approached. You’ll have a fan club, but most people will find you sleazy, egomaniacal and thoroughly unattractive.
The Creation
You realized that you don’t really need to be little ol’ Eunice Powelisky of Enid, Oklahoma. You can be a tall, svelte former supermodel prospect who left the vacuous world of high fashion just as she was about to get her first COSMO cover in order to pursue a highly successful career as a journalist which then led to a freelance career. Now you write better than anyone and know all of the secrets to success. You might consider selling some of them. The fact that the State of Oklahoma is about to cut off your unemployment benefits and that your 1982 Citation is up on blocks on the red clay in front of your trailer are minor details. This new persona can change things around. You can reinvent yourself and profit in the process.
Congratulations. You figured out how MeMe Roth gets on television talk shows and how Taylor Marsh manages to secure readers for her political “analysis.” Very few people will bother to find out if you’re full of shit or not! You’re walking the same path several skeezy-but-wealthy Internet marketers have blazed before you. It might just work.
Unfortunately, you’ll probably blow it. Being a fictitious character on a full-time basis is tough and there’s always someone smart enough to connect the dots who’ll be more than willing to blow the whistle on your shenanigans. That’s why MeMe Roth doesn’t have her own empire. It’s why Taylor Marsh still isn’t on the radio. For every successful poseur, a few thousand “alts” have died humiliating deaths.
The Right Answer
You don’t have opinions. You know the right answer. Every time. Those who don’t share your opens down to the very last smug remarks are sad little fools who should spend less time drooling on their shoes and more time licking yours clean. You can parlay your certainty and unwavering confidence in the veracity of everything that has ever crossed your mind into an online presence that reeks of authority.
Congratulations. There are plenty of people who absolutely adore people who are willing to do all of the thinking for them. You’ll develop a loyal fan club. A girl from Kansas, her dog, a lion, a scarecrow and a tin man may even march all over technicolor to find you because they’ll just know you have the knowledge they need.
Unfortunately, that ragtag crew will eventually figure out that there’s a flawed, sometimes wrong person hiding behind the curtains of your website. If they don’t blow your cover, the intrusion of real life and the fact that you will eventually be proven Incredibly Wrong about something will. Oh, those followers are only loyal as long as you’re right. They’ll find another wizard, guru, mommy, daddy or nanny to handle their thinking once you’re exposed.
The Technician
You split-test everything. You optimize every blog post for your primary keyword and at least one tertiary keyword. Your on-site SEO is solid gold and you have a carefully devised backlink campaign that’s humming right along. You pore over your analytics like a G-Man trying to put a mobster away on a tax infraction. You don’t take a shower in the morning without checking trend data and performing market research.
Congratulations. You’ll get more than your fair share of traffic and you’ll always know which way the wind is blowing. Your mastery of detail and scientific understanding of credibility building and reputation management will have you resting atop the SERPs–for now at least.
Unfortunately, you’ll probably find out that intangibles have values that don’t always appear on your spreadsheets. Your lack of soul will make you cold and dull. People will see what you’re doing, but they won’t love it. It won’t change them. It won’t forge a meaningful (or profitable) connection. Robots are incredibly practical, but no one takes them home for dinner and a make out session.
You
You see the dangers in these other approaches and recognize their potential benefits. You act accordingly, taking the aspects that work for you while leaving the nonsense that doesn’t. You may not be a technical guru, but you’ll get the basics down pat. You may not be willing to start the First Church of You, but you’re not going to let a little shyness keep you down. You’ll present yourself in the best possible light, but you’ll do it without padding, fluffing and outright lying. You’ll find your place on the continuum that runs between the man in the gray flannel suit and the crazy cat woman who hides in the bushes behind the bus stop screaming about the Freemasons, pork irradiation and how everyone is out to get you.
Congratulations. If you’re sincere, talented, interested, interesting and willing to keep improving, you can make this whole thing work. It won’t always be easy and it may occasionally be difficult to opt for integrity over caricature, but you can do it. Work hard and prepare for life among the sufficiently famous.
So…
What approaches did I forget to cover? I’d love to see additions from the FWJ community.
I hate to admit it, but I know I’ve embraced a few ugly aspects of these strategies from time to time on my site and elsewhere. Fortunately, I tend to come to my senses pretty quickly. Did you see yourself on this list (even a little bit) before we got to the “You” category? If so, are you going to change your slightly evil ways or you proceeding full speed ahead?
So you’ve been searching for freelance writing jobs for several months or more and so far haven’t yet landed a gig. Though it’s a competitive market, good writers should still not have too many problems finding work within a couple of months. There are so many opportunities available during this time, it shouldn’t be too difficult for someone with talent and good writing samples to earn a living. Still many aspiring freelance writers are frustrated because they’re not landing any lucrative gigs, or even gigs at all.
If you’ve been job seeking for some time and you’re still not finding work, perhaps you need to rethink your strategy.
Let’s explore the places where you’re looking for work and types of work you’re seeking.
If you look at the same job board each day or the same types of jobs each day and you’re not yielding positive results, consider expanding your search or rethinking your goals. For example, if you’re a brand new writer and you’re only applying to mid- or senior- level writing opportunities, consider adding some entry level gigs as well. If anything, landing a lower payer will allow you to earn as you seek out some of the more lucrative gigs. Visit a variety of job boards. Explore the different types of opportunities.
Don’t feel you have to be married to one particular form of writing. Explore magazine writing, blogging, writing copy for websites and other opportunities. You might also consider ghostwriting, ebooks, brochures and product reviews. Your heart may be set towards one type of writing but there’s no shame in trying a cocktail of opportunities, at least to get your foot in the door.
Remember that commercial from the 80’s, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression?” No? Just me then. Alrighty…
Recently I recommended a friend of mine for a job and he didn’t get the gig. This was surprising to me because he’s a very good writer. When my client mentioned the writer had great credentials but the writing sample wasn’t very strong, my friend was able to resubmit. The second sample was much better and he landed the gig. The types of samples we send in make a difference. They should be relevant and well written. Choosing any old bit of writing doesn’t always work in our favor. Be careful when choosing writing that you feel is representative of you and your voice.
First impressions matter so much. Consider your cover letter, inquiry or application. You might not be finding work because your of an error that might not be obvious to your eye. If you’re not sure if you’re making a good impression, ask another writer to give your cover letter and samples a look-see. Someone else might find something you’re missing.
There’s a lot of competition for job board gigs, but some of the best opportunities are advertised. Do you know where to find them? You can’t always wait for the gigs to come to you. If you really want to land some terrific freelance writing jobs, sometimes you have to ask.
Here are a few suggestions:
Here’s one of my favorite tips: Go to a job board such as Indeed.com and search for “freelance writer.” Besides the freelance writing jobs, jobs containing the words “freelance writing” in the description will also turn up. These can be editing, proofreading, project management and other gigs….but guess what? These gigs tell you the companies placing the ad hire freelance writers. Reach out to those places and query about opportunities.
What do you mean you don’t have a marketing strategy?
See, when you market yourself as a freelance writer, you’re creating an interest around your name and your brand. For example, though not its original purpose, this blog is a great marketing tool and I’ve landed many clients who found me simply by landing here. My business cards are also marketing tools as are my speaking engagements. Anything that cements my expertise and puts me on the radar is a marketing tool. Having a heavy online presence made all the difference for me. If you’re not landing any gigs, think about how to better market yourself as a freelance writer.
Tough love time.
If you’ve been trying to land a gig for months and all you’re getting is rejection, consider if this is what you’re truly destined to do. If writing is hard for you, and even the simplest of freelance writing jobs bore you, maybe it’s time to re-think you’re professional goals. Not everyone is cut out for the writing life. If you’re landing work or not enjoying what you do, perhaps the freelance writing life isn’t for you.
Talk to us…
What are some of the reasons a writer’s career might not be taking off and how would you remedy that?
If you’ve been following me for a while you know I believe there are no right or wrong ways to use social media, and often complain of “social media police” telling us how we should Tweet or use Facebook, However, that doesn’t mean I don’t believe we shouldn’t use social media to give our careers a boost. There may be no exact rules, but there are certainly tried and true methods for using the social networks and other social media tools to achieve success.
What I like about using online tools for networking and landing clients is how they’re so easy to use. In most cases, all it takes is a user name or email address and password. With that said, I also know plenty of writers who don’t care to use these tools because they either “don’t get it” or they’re uncomfortable exchanging ideas and conversing with others online.
Here are three ways I use social media to bring in clients:
What I like about social media is that it isn’t rocket science. The tools are easy enough to use, and unlike methods such as cold calling, you can stick within your comfort zone. In most cases it’s simply chatting with people online and, as the relationships develop, taking them offline or through a different channel of communication to do business.
What are some of the ways you can think of to use social media to boost your client base?
Make time to market your services.
How many times have you read that bit of advice?
Well, it’s rock-solid. If you aren’t making a point of marketing yourself, the risk of falling into that ugly feast/famine cycle is exceedingly high. If you aren’t building marketing time into your schedule, it’s tough to move up the income ladder.
So, make time for promoting yourself.
But not too much time.
I’ve been working on redesigning my workflow lately in an effort to improve my efficiency, boost my bottom line, maintain something approximating sanity and to provide ample opportunity to catch a number of weekday afternoon Royals games this summer. Following some good advice, I’ve been more conscious of what I do every day and I’ve made a discovery: I spend too much time on the marketing and promotion side of things.
I know that many writers get good results by working through job listings, but I’ve responded to exactly two of those ads over the years I’ve been in the business. I secure client work via repeat clients, word of mouth and rainmaking. It keeps my busy. Maybe too busy. I’ve realized that I need to take my foot off the gas.
Yesterday, for instance, I saw a little Facebook status update from someone I’ve hired in the past to do some non-writing related work. I couldn’t resist dropping him a line about the project he mentioned and discussing a content creation option that might be of interest to him. We had a nice back-and-forth and it might lead to something.
Later, while doing some research on another project, I wandered into a fascinating website that was chock-full of great information. It also looked like it was put together in 1995 (sparkly animated GIFs and the whole works), even though the business is still updating it. I could immediately see how its over-long, rambling pages of almost-impossible-to-find text and images could be broken into individual pages and posts within a WordPress framework to produce a much better site. Some good organization, a lot of rewriting, a little new material, some keyword research, some basic SEO and a few other bits of “this and that” and they’d have something really effective instead of being discoverable only by those staring at a business card or finding it via a link on an almost equally obscure site.
So, I pitched them cold with an email. They responded this morning. Looks like another client.
I don’t keep stats on my rainmaking efforts. However, they produce clients more often than you might think. That’s great–until you find yourself looking at more work than you can handle without cutting other things out of your life.
There are at least four ways I might control the over-marketing problem. I can bump rates to control my workload. I can work on ways to better scale my business for increased growth by bringing in additional people and resources. I can be less aggressive in the rainmaking department. I can say “no” more often. I’m dabbling in all four, but I know this will be a tough nut to crack. Sometimes, I think I need a Twelve Step program on this front.
But fixing my personal issues isn’t really the point of this post. I think the whole over-promotion thing stems from a common fear experienced by many freelancers–what will happen next?
Even those of us who’ve been doing this for a long time have a hard time fighting that nagging feeling that we could wake up tomorrow with nothing profitable to do. The last few years have crushed the old idea of job security for just about everyone, but freelancers don’t just work with an economically ravaged safety net–we don’t have one at all.
We’ve all heard (or have survived) the famine side of the feast/famine cycle at least once and we don’t want to visit that territory again.
In an effort to build a more secure business, we’re always prospecting for work. Some of us do it even when we really don’t need to do so.
So, I’m wondering… Are you successfully managing a promotion addiction? If so, how? Do you consciously limit your business-building efforts or do you just “let ‘er rip” and then deal with the consequences?
I just got off the phone with my Mom. We had a very interesting discussion about customer loyalty, which provides the inspiration for this post. You see, my mom’s contract with her calling plan is ending and she doesn’t want to pay the astronomical new rate. I suggested she contact the company and ask what plans they have in place to reward existing customers for their customer loyalty. She wasn’t aware she could do this, checked it out, and indeed received a discounted rate for the new package.
It occurs to me we should also be rewarding long term freelance writing clients for customer loyalty.
I began asking about customer loyalty programs last summer after being miffed at my cable company for offering attractive packages to newbies but nothing for those of us who have been with them for years. It’s great to want new clients, but shouldn’t we also have measures in place to ensure the happiness of our existing clients? Why should the new guys get all the perks?
It turns out many cable or phone providers do have packages in place for their existing customers, but you have to ask for them.
Why should we have to wait for customers to ask for discounts?
We sometimes talk about sticking to our guns when it comes to rates and how it’s not always a good idea to negotiate, but there are also times we when need to show our clients a little love by offering discounts or freebies. I’m not saying we need to give up the farm but if you’ve been making tens of thousands of dollars writing the content for a long term client’s website, maybe you can offer a free page or other service here and there for no other reason than it’s a nice thing to do.
There’s a client I’ve been working with on and off for the past five years. He comes to me first when he’s looking for a writer, always accepts my pay raises with good cheer, and never missed a payment. Every now and then he gets a discount because I believe it to be good customer service.
Suggested customer loyalty rewards:
Here’s a scenario:
You have a long term freelance writing client. Let’s say you’ve been working together for seven years. You have an excellent working relationship. He pays on time and you meet all deadlines and go on and beyond with your writing. He’s even dropped a bonus or two when you completed the project before deadline. He never had a problem with your pay increases because he knows he has to pay more to get the best. Now, what are you doing to repay his customer loyalty?
If you’re writing for online businesses, you need to have a good understanding of the actual value of your work.
No, I’m not talking about “how much your time is worth” based on your personal assessment of your value and writing skills. I’m talking about the true value of your words.
It surprises me that so many writers who focus on online markets don’t seem to have a real grip on what their words can do and why they can be solid gold for their clients. These folks continue to trumpet vague concepts like “quality” or they rely on clichéd notions like “Google loves fresh content” in their marketing instead of explaining why their words are really valuable to a potential client.
The fact that you write well is worth celebrating. It’s a great skill and it’s something in which you can take great pride. All of that grammatical perfection and your ability to turn a phrase that would bring a big ol’ crocodile tear to Papa Hemingway’s’ eye is worth approximately nothing to your potential clients, however.
You see, they’re not interested in spreading glorious prose around the world. In many cases, they might not be able to discern a truly awesome piece of writing from near-crap. Their interest in words is far more mercenary.
They want to know that giving you $X to write something will produce $X+$Y in return.
That means you need to know why you’re writing can make them money.
That’s easy when you’re talking about a sales page or other more direct forms of copy. You can tell them (and hopefully substantiate) that your copy generates conversions. You write, the product or service sells and everyone lives happily ever after, sleeping on fluffy mattresses stuffed with Benjamins.
Your writing has additional value, though. At least it does if you’re good at your job.
In addition to closing sales, good text can be a search engine booster by virtue of its ability to naturally attract high quality links. It can play with Google’s attraction to specific keyword use. It can pre-sell like crazy. It can increase credibility, building up the ethos leg of Aristotle’s rhetorical triangle. It can clean up messes, provide differentiation, establish brand, clarify the confusing, drive direct traffic from article repositories, serve as list-building inducements, become a go-to reference point, heal the sick, make the old young again and solve the India/Pakistan dispute over Kashmir.
Okay, those last three are a reach. But you get the idea.
You can’t hope to successfully pitch your work at a higher rate if you can’t tell a compelling story about what it’s going to do for the client. Sure, some of the folks looking for writers already have a clear understanding of your words’ tremendous value, but most of the people out there in Buyerland aren’t necessarily at that point. They need a little education to go along with that negotiation and you should be providing it by pitching the benefits of your work.
It’s not good enough to say that you’re worth $X because “Google loves fresh content.” Anyone can provide “fresh content.” You need to be able to explain exactly what it is about your writing that will earn a loving embrace from Big G.
You can’t make that pitch if you don’t know why your writing has value, though. If you try, you’ll end up sounding like my five year-old when she decides to bust out a big new word she heard on TV–cute, but uncertain and unpersuasive.
So, here’s the big question–and your answer is probably worth thousands of dollars if you write for the ‘Net full time–Do you know what you’re selling?
If you do, you’re in good shape. If you don’t, you’re in trouble. If you’re not sure, you probably don’t. If you’re on the wrong side of the knowledge divide, you need to start carving off some time for homework. It pays to understand your clients’ business as it relates to the value of online copy/content much, much better than they do. In many cases, it can be the difference between settling for what people are offering and creating mutually beneficial relationships and well-stuffed mattresses.
