Does it take you all day to write one prospecting email? Does writing a query letter to a magazine take you a week?
If doing written marketing triggers your perfection-itis gene and slows your marketing effort to crawl, know that there is a faster way.
You could contact scores of prospective clients, cut to the chase, and find out if they might use a freelance writer like you — all in a single day.
This marketing method I’m about to tell you about scares the heck out of a lot of writers. But I rarely meet a writer who’s devoted any serious time to it who hasn’t gotten at least one good client.
Strap yourself in, writers. Today, we talk cold calling.
Yes — cold calling involves having to introduce yourself to total strangers dozens of times a day, and explain that you’re a freelance writer.
But here’s the magic:
When you develop your own lead list of quality prospects and then proactively call the companies you’d love to write for, you are swimming in the right pool — the one with good-paying clients. As opposed to swimming in the wrong pool, like you do when you’re responding to Craigslist ads that a bazillion other writers are reading, too.
Effective cold calling relies on just a few basic points:
I went over resources for developing a prospect call list a few weeks back in this series, so you can review that if necessary. Remember to look at how big prospects are — bigger is better. Bigger means bigger marketing budgets, and a better shot at ongoing writing assignments for you. Whatever size clients you’ve got now, start targeting the next rung up the ladder.
Once you’ve committed to building a list, keep your eyes peeled anytime you’re reading your daily paper’s business section, watching TV news, or scanning local magazines. Everything you read is a potential source for finding great businesses you might pitch.
My tip is to concentrate on a particular industry or two in developing your list, and on your city or region for starters. Otherwise, you’re likely to be overwhelmed thinking about all the possible clients you could call. Try those, and if nothing pans out, then move on to another industry or region.
Once you have your list, you need to identify the right person at that company to talk to — depending on the situation, usually a publications editor, online/social media manager, or marketing manager. How can you get these names?
The thrill of cold calling is you’re not spending hours researching each prospect. Once you’ve identified your people, you want to go right ahead and call. Peter Bowerman goes into tons more detail on this in his Well-Fed Writer book, but to sum up, say something along the lines of:
That’s about it! If you happen to have noticed something interesting about their current marketing effort, you can mention it inbetween lines 1 and 2 there.
If they say, “Actually, we do use freelance writers,” that’s your chance to chat them up and find out what sort of needs they have. What projects might be coming up? If you have relevant experience, talk it up.
If the prospect expresses at least some mild interest, you need to end your call with an action item they should do next — something that will keep this budding relationship alive.
My pal Linda Formichelli likes to close with, “May I send you my clips?” This is a low-commitment, non-scary question that prospects can easily say “yes” to without committing to much.
The more you say to people, “I’m a freelance writer,” the more you will get your head around the idea that you really are. It’s a bit mystical, but the more you say that out loud, the more you will believe it, and the more you will take your freelancing seriously.
–Carol
Homework: Even if you think cold calling isn’t for you, I challenge you to try it. Make a tiny list, even five or ten names, and give them a ring.
P.S. Next time on Marketing 101: Real social-media marketing that works.
Recently, I was reminded that many freelance writers are still new to social media. One Freelance Writers Den member commented that she was down on Twitter.
Why? She had tweeted some writers’ stuff, and they had not immediately reciprocated by retweeting some of her stuff.
So now she was mad at them. She also thought social media didn’t work. She didn’t see how using it would help her promote her writing.
I’ve given out tips on social media before — on how to get the most out of Twitter, and LinkedIn…and I had a guest post with more tips on using LinkedIn, too. Plus a fascinating one recently on Pinterest, and even one on Facebook. I consider LI and Twitter currently the two most important platforms freelance writers should get to know, but if you’re using one of these other platforms, you might want to think about whether it could help you writing career. (Lots of how-to tips for each platform on those links, so feel free to check that out if you need to learn the etiquette.)
But it seems like we need to back up and talk first about how social media works.
There are a million different platforms, but the principles are basically the same. If you read this a year from now, there may be some new platform that’s the hot thing. But I think the basic idea of how to use social media to promote yourself and find clients won’t change.
The first thing to know is social media is a viable platform for promoting yourself and finding clients, as well as sources for stories, trend ideas for pitches, and lots more. I’ve gotten hired by several Fortune 500 companies through LinkedIn, and did $14,000 of business with just one editor I reached out to on Twitter last year.
So yes, social media is worth doing — if you know what you’re doing.
Here is how social media really works:
–Carol
Homework: If you have no social media presence right now, set up a LinkedIn or Twitter profile, and get started lurking and learning how these platforms work. If you’re already on there, start connecting with influential bloggers who could help you. Put in 15 minutes a day to explore and learn. Then, start reaching out to editors and marketing managers. (One of my favorite easy opening lines is, “Are you the right editor to pitch for X section of X magazine?” Feel free to steal.)
P.S. Want to learn how to effectively use your social media to consistently sell more books, gain more followers and grow your author brand WITHOUT using ads or feeling salesy? Make sure to check out Self-Publishing School’s mini-course on Social Media for Authors!
Would you like to write for big, national magazines, or high-traffic websites?
All you have to do is impress an editor.
It’s not always easy to do. Most editors I know get a hundred or more pitches every week.
But there are a few ways to cut through the clutter and stand out:
Schmooze power. I’ve met editors in person at networking events and pitched them ideas on the fly. Which is why you should always have a lot of them up your sleeve.
Hang out with them. I’ve heard great things about the weekend events the Journalism and Women Symposium holds, for instance — I gather editors from the big magazines go.
Connect on social media. With a simple reachout on Twitter or LinkedIn — I like “Are you the correct editor to query about X topic?” — you might catch their eye. Then you can follow up with some story ideas.
Smile and dial. I have one mentoring student who gets all his assignments from talking to editors on the phone. If you can get through the voicemail and snag an editor live on the phone, and you’ve got that gift of gab and story ideas at the ready, this can work. The advantage here is if they don’t like your first idea, you can quickly pitch another — or ask about what types of stories they’re looking for right now.
Query letter. This is still the golden ticket of editor-reachout methods, in my view. A well-written query that spotlights a fresh idea that’s a perfect fit for a publication’s readership will get you in the door every time. You don’t need connections, a lot of clips — just that sparkly, fine idea.
If you’re not getting responses, learn more about how to write a strong query. My experience having reviewed many writers’ pitches is that most queries are pretty weak. Here are a few links to help you with that:
Letter of introduction. For trade publications, magazine inserts and other markets where it’s hard to tell what articles they might need, a strong LOI is your ticket. My quick LOI tips:
No matter what approach you take, know that getting editors’ attention takes time. It’s a numbers game — send more LOIs and queries, and you’re more likely to get results.
If you’re not getting results, get some feedback on that query or LOI and make it better.
If you’ve been querying and haven’t seen results, learn more about how to write a great query letter — read a book, or get some feedback from a writer friend, or in a writer’s group
P.S. Next time on Marketing 101: Freebies!
My mission with this blog is to encourage writers to find better-paying gigs.
But sometimes, when it’s done strategically, doing free work can be a great marketing tool.
The trick is being very selective with your unpaid writing time, and making sure you choose situations that have a strong chance of benefiting you and leading to income.
Here are four basic approaches you can take where an unpaid effort can pay off big for you:
If you need a writing sample of a particular type, you might volunteer your services for a nonprofit or business. The right scenario is with:
In a situation like this, you end up with a strong writing sample and a good source of referral business. If you have few clips, investing a bit of time in a free project or two can be one of the best ways to improve your portfolio and start impressing better-paying prospects.
I know bloggers who get most of their paying clients by holding free introductory classes.
Offering this much value to prospects helps them feel comfortable that you would be a trustworthy person to plunk down their money with, and that you will deliver valuable information.
Doing any public speaking can be a great way to get exposed to new prospects. Any time you’re asked to speak at a public event, try to make time for it.
Writing your own free products is one of the most powerful marketing strategies around. It can bring you new blog readers who might buy your paid products or services later, or it can help you find paying clients.
One of the most basic free products to create for your blog is a free report, ebook or course for your blog subscribers. As soon as you have a freebie offer, your subscriber rate usually skyrockets.
Your offer should be of great interest to your target blog audience. Dov Gordon of The Alchemist Entrepreneur calls this a “hand-raising” offer.
In other words, it’s so good that readers will have their hands in the air saying, “Me, me, please let me have your freebie!” It’s a no-brainer for them — something they simply can’t do without.
Some people create a freebie for freelance-writing prospects — a set of business-writing tips, for instance. Offering this type of giveaway in exchange for an email address allows you to build a marketing list of possible clients.
Even better is the situation where you have your own paid products you’ve written, such as ebooks, and your freebie report helps sell your other writing. Once readers have a taste of what you offer, they may well be hungry for more in-depth information.
I’m going to be experimenting this year with putting free and very low-cost ebooks on Amazon to help create a new lead-generation channel that helps readers discover my blog…can’t wait to see how that works.
Personally, I wish more big blogs would pay for posts…but in the meanwhile, writing free guest posts for high-traffic blogs related to your niche can be a great way to get a lot more visitors, comments on your blog, and subscribers.
And subscribers are your best potential customers.
Also, guest posts bring you to the attention of those top bloggers, who may spread the word about your other posts in social media, bringing you even more traffic.
These bloggers might also help you by guesting on your blog, or by introducing you to others who might collaborate with you on projects.
In blogging, it really is like high school — it’s about being known and liked by the right people. Learn how to get the attention of top bloggers and write successful guest posts for them, and it can be your ticket to massive amounts of exposure, new readers, and ultimately, more income.
–Carol
Homework: If you need more or better-paying clients, think of some local company or organization you might be able to do a free project for, that would position you as more qualified for the work you want. Reach out and see if you can arrange to write for them.
P.S. Next time on Marketing 101, we’ll get all warmed up.
One writer recently asked me about how to reach out to trade publications and businesses.
Unlike magazines, where you pitch a story idea in a query letter, it’s hard to know what sorts of articles this other kind of prospect would like.
The writing work you want may not even be articles, but web pages or brochures.
You’ll need to find another way to connect with these kinds of prospects.
“Would it be acceptable to simply write and introduce myself and mention I am a freelance writer?”
Well, yes it would, Virginia. This marketing approach is called a letter of introduction, or LOI.
While the basic premise is fairly simple, writing a successful LOI isn’t all that easy. We all know how many emails we get.
To get a positive response and a writing assignment — rather than a quick trip to the “delete” folder — your LOI needs to be creatively written and compelling. It needs to quickly hook your recipient and convince them you are the writer they should hire.
In other words, you need to warm up your prospects. You need to make a connection with them that makes them feel comfortable hiring you.
How can you do that?
1. Get a referral. Ed Gandia, co-author of The Wealthy Freelancer, says he gets nearly 70 percent response rates on marketing emails he sends that have a subject line like this:
<Prospect’s friend’s name here> sent me your way
No other method gets as strong of a response. So it can really pay to get out and do some old-fashioned, in-person networking to make more connections who might refer you. Or tap your social-media networks to see who might know someone at a company you’re targeting for a reach-out.
2. Do your homework. Another way to create a ‘warm’ connection is to research the company or publication you’re targeting. Then, in your LOI, you can mention something you noticed — an interesting article, or maybe the lack of case studies or a strong “About” page on their website.
3. Target relevant niches. Your best bet is to send LOIs to publications or industries where you can show some similar work experience — or, barring that, some relevant life experience. For instance, I’ve been able to get a lot of gigs writing legal content because I was once a legal secretary. Ditto for insurance, which my dad sold, so I sort of grew up around that industry and had at least a vague idea how it works. Of course, the ideal is if you can show similar writing work and talk about the results you got for a previous client in their niche.
4. Get to the point. An error I see in a lot of LOIs is that the first paragraph sounds like a fan letter. “I loved your piece about styles in shower doors. It really captured the trends!” This may cause the editor to delete it before finding out you want a freelance writing gig. Try to work that fact in right away. I’ll sometimes start LOIs with something like, “As a freelance writer who covers kitchen and bath trends, I was fascinated by your piece on shower doors…” This way, there’s no confusion about why I’m writing.
5. Copy their style. Take a look at the writing style this prospect uses, and then hand it right back to them in the style of your query. Soak up their tone — is it casual? Snarky? Businesslike? — and then use it in your LOI.
–Carol
Homework: Identify some good prospects where you need to write an LOI. Use the tips above to craft and send out LOIs. Remember, it’s a numbers game, so keep on sending them out.
Need help refining your LOI? We’ve got a forum for that in Freelance Writers Den. Or for a ton of feedback on your LOI from real editors, check out Pitch Clinic.
Earlier in this Marketing 101 series, we learned that the most effective way to do nearly any form of marketing is to get a personal introduction to the editor or marketing manager you want to hire you.
Do you know the best way to get more of those personal connections? You need to get out and meet people. Ideally, in person.
Before you start up, I know — you’re shy. You hate parties.
Think of it this way: You’re going to earn more money just by standing around shooting the breeze with people. Just like those people there on the right, in the picture. There will often be drinks and snacks involved.
That doesn’t seem like agony, now does it?
You can do this. And you really want to, because people who do in-person networking, are usually the ones who earn more. It’s just that simple.
Why? The connections you make when you meet people face-to-face are way deeper than those of those Twitter followers you’ve got. Those personal connections will open doors for you and grease those marketing wheels for you, making everything happen easier and faster.
Need a crash course in how to network? Here are the basics:
Hopefully, I’ve sold you that in-person networking will not kill you, is actually fun when done right, and should be an important part of your marketing effort to grow your writing income.
Once you’ve got that in your head, the next question is where to network. There are many choices.
Which type of networking will be best for you? You won’t know until you get out there, experiment, and meet people.
I can hear you asking: Isn’t there some easier way to get freelance writing gigs?
Actually, there is.
You could get other people to do your marketing for you.
As a solopreneur, you probably can’t afford to hire a sales staff.
The good news is, you don’t have to.
In many freelance writing projects, the writing is just one aspect of what needs to be done. Among the other skills that may be needed:
Each of these service providers are in a good position to refer you or partner with you on a project.
I highly recommend getting to know at least a few professionals in these related niches, in case a client wants you to provide a complete package and you need to hire a visual or SEO pro.
Even better, they may do the same, and send you a client who needs writing in their project.
To line up marketing partners, you need to get out and do a lot of networking, to make connections with related service providers.
I’ve met designers at big networking events, and at more intimate ones. I’ve also looked them up in my local Chamber directory and taken them out to lunch.
I take a look at their samples and they do the same. If we like each others’ style, we agree to stay in touch about possible gigs. It’s just that simple.
Well-Fed Writer author Peter Bowerman likes partnering with graphic designers so much, he wrote a whole book on it — Profitable by Design.
Partnering is a proven way to grow your income — while you kick back and relax. After all, how much work is it to bring up that designer’s name next time a prospect asks if you if you could refer them to someone talented?
At one point, my husband got a ton of referrals for his videography business, because he connected with a Website designer who’s pitching his clients that they need to add video to their sites.
This technique may not pay off instantly. But it’s really worthwhile to line up some partners. It can pay off handsomely down the line, as you build those relationships and keep referring each other.
–Carol
Homework: Hit your local Chamber of Commerce and check their directory to find freelancers in related niches, with whom you might be able to form referral partnerships. Call them. Take them to lunch. Stay in touch. And watch the referrals roll in.
P.S. Next time on Marketing 101: No one does this…which is why it works.
Writers are always asking me if I can tell them the one, best way to market their writing.
More exactly, you’d like to know the one, easiest, low-cost, and most effective way to market your writing.
Unfortunately, I can’t.
It’s not that I don’t want to — it’s that there is no one answer to that question. Different marketing strategies work for different people.
One writer might spent three days writing every marketing email, so that strategy is ineffective for them, while another one whips out ten a day and lands tons of clients.
One writer is afraid to pick up the phone, so they only make a few cold calls. Another cranks out dozens a week and grows their business.
However…there is one strategy everyone can use, and it often works great.
To use it, you’ll have to do a little research. You need to find out:
Ask around. Seriously.
You’ll need to ask a decent number of writers for this to work.
You need to know: What are they doing, and what is getting them the best results?
Maybe all the writers in your town are going to BNI meetings.
Or they all send query letters. Or do cold calling.
Talk to enough writers, and you’ll start to see a pattern on what writers in your town do for marketing.
(And no, “nothing” does not count.)
Now you’re ready to to put the amazing strategy into practice.
Have you guessed what it is?
That’s right. The key is to zig where everyone else is zagging.
You can stand out from the pack by doing a different type of marketing.
For instance, my Other Den Mother, Linda Formichelli of The Renegade Writer, has done direct-mail postcard campaigns to find copywriting clients. She told me that works real well.
Yes, it’s a bit of expense. But it’s creative and unusual.
No freelancers do direct mail marketing. So you can imagine that postcard jumps right out at the marketing manager, as opposed to trying to stand out in the 100 emails they got that day.
Everyone you know sending marketing emails? Maybe you want to send yours as InMail on LinkedIn instead.
Bust a marketing move. Do something different.
You may just find the marketing strategy you need to get noticed by the prospects you’ve been dreaming of landing as clients.
–Carol
Homework: Do some sleuthing about how local writers are marketing themselves. Then, consider busting a move and doing something different.
P.S. Next on Marketing 101: Something you won’t want to miss.
We talked networking, cold calling, and warm emailing.
We went over query letters, partnering, referrals, social media marketing…you name it.
Maybe you’ve tried some of those things now, and it’s just not working.
No customers want to hire you.
There could be something missing.
I’ve looked at hundreds of writer websites, and reviewed scores of query letters and letters of introduction in Freelance Writers Den. Many of these marketing pitches have the same problem — they have a missing element.
See if you can spot what it is — take a look at this LOI one writer proposed sending out to a prospect that was advertising a full-time writer job. She wanted to see if they also use freelancers:
Hi there, not looking for full-time, but I have the skills you need. I’m a [city]-based freelance writer.I could fill in the gap until you find someone. Do you use freelance writers?
Dear (Cupcake Company Owners),
First of all, it’s late and I wish you guys were still open because I just got a hankerin’ for a grasshopper cupcake like you wouldn’t BELIEVE…but, alas, you closed 14 minutes ago.
Which made me think to look you guys up on Facebook…and there you are.
Let me back up for a minute. I’m a freelance writer and social media consultant. Usually I work with health and wellness companies, but I’ve been wanting to do something a little different lately, and I’ve expanded into working with some locally owned restaurants. Mom and Pop type places, no big chains. I thought about you tonight thanks to my rumbling stomach and thought I’d drop you a line.
Here’s the deal. I’m not contacting any of your competitors in the area with this same pitch. Scout’s Honor. Why? Because I think you guys have the “stuff” when it comes to marketing. I can tell. You’ve got the look, the swagger, the sass. And I only work with people who “get” it. And so I know that you know that Facebook is absolutely where it’s AT when it comes to marketing to your demographic. It’s so dang cheap when compared to everything out there, and it’s so dang effective.
But the key is to not just DO Facebook, but do it effectively. And, I love you guys and I love your cupcakes, but I’m gonna shoot straight with you: you’re not maximizing your potential on Facebook.
Don’t get me wrong, 800 fans is great, but you guys, with your locations and what you have to offer? You should have at LEAST 2,000 fans by now. Seriously.
I use proven Facebook techniques to help organizations build their Facebook followers and then keep them. Right now I’m working with a local hospital in our area. In just two months, they’ve gone from not even having a Facebook page to now being on the cusp of breaking the 600 mark.
I’d love to work with you guys. I think you’d be surprised how affordable it could be.
Give me a call or email me back and let’s talk about how to take your social media presence not just to the next level, but through the roof.
Hit me back.
James Patterson
Homework:
P.S. Next in our final Marketing 101 installment: Help for the overwhelmed.
I’ve imparted a boatload of marketing ideas in this marketing-basics series.
But there may still be a problem.
Have you started implementing some of these marketing strategies yet?
Only a little? Maybe…not so much?
Mm-hmm. I thought so.
To be a successful freelance marketer, you’ll need to take a few important final steps. These will get you over the hump and started doing your marketing.
When you think about everything you’d like to get done in your freelance writing business this year, it could make your head explode.
So I don’t advocate looking at that long of a timeframe. At least not at first.
For now, decide which of these marketing strategies appeal to you most, and are the best fit for the types of markets you plan to target.
Take a look in the mirror and think about what form of marketing sounds intriguing to you. Maybe even sounds fun. That’s what you should try first.
Choose perhaps two or three methods you will use. Maybe you’ll do in-person networking and send query letters. Or you’ll work on your writer website, find local designers to partner with, and reach out to past editors on LinkedIn.
Whatever feels doable to you and easiest.
Then, write down your realistic goals of what you can get accomplished in marketing in the next 30 days.
Your marketing plan might be three sentences, or it might be pages long. Totally depends on how you like to do these things.
That’s all. If you want to learn more about creating your plan, you can check out my e-book Freelance Business Bootcamp. Got templates and everything.
Now that we have a plan, the question is — what will make you actually do it?
In my experience, the biggest problem freelance writers face is that there is no boss standing over us saying, “OK Carol, make sure those five query letters get out by the end of the week, or else.”
So we don’t do it.
The answer here is to find a way to create accountability. To find someone who could stand in for that boss and make you feel like, “Hey, this is expected of me. People will be disappointed if I don’t get it done.”
In other words, someone who will help you develop a sense of massive guilt if you are not marketing your writing business.
Three great ways to do this:
At the end of month one, take a look at what you got done.
What felt easy? What was agony?
It will be a little early to look at actual results. Allow several months before you do that.
For now, just get a sense of whether you are getting marketing done, and how you feel about different types of marketing.
As you write your next month’s marketing plan, maybe adjust a bit to go in the direction that feels right in your gut.
Once you’re 3-6 months into marketing, it’s time to look back and reflect.
Did you get new clients? If so, were they great payers and the types of writing you really want? Which marketing efforts brought you the most clients? The best clients?
I recommend you at least analyze your marketing success annually. Doing his has saved me a boatload of time on marketing initiatives that weren’t getting me quality clients.
If you go a few months and you’re not getting any results with your marketing, there may be things you could do to improve your marketing pitch.
You might learn more about how to come up with marketable story ideas, or how to write a stronger query letter or letter of introduction.
You might work on your in-person networking pitch.
But whatever you do, don’t beat your head against the wall. If something’s not working, either figure out why and get better at how you’re doing marketing, or try another method.
It can be slow going at first.
Make a promise to yourself that you won’t get discouraged.
Remember that the single best, most empowering, and potentially career-changing thing you can do to take your writing career to the next level is to simply put one foot in front of the other, and keep marketing your business.
If this series helped you, I’d love to hear your success story. I turn some of those into guest posts that I pay $50 for, so if you’ve used these tips, just reply to this email and let me know about it.
Best of luck with your writing —
P.S. Need more resources for learning about freelance writing? Besides Freelance Writers Den (which has a new program for mid-career freelancers, Den 2X Income Accelerator), be sure to check out the courses I co-teach with The Renegade Writer’s Linda Formichelli — they’re over at Useful Writing Courses. Our classes include Escape the Content Mills, 4 Week Journalism School, Freelance Writer’s Pitch Clinic, and Article Writing Masterclass.