By Carol Tice
As most freelance writers know, Google recently changed its algorithm to give lower search-result rankings to content-mill sites such as Demand Studios (whose newly public stock has taken a beating as a result).
What you maybe didn’t know is that Google’s change is opening up a world of freelance writing opportunities. A recent Wall Street Journal article reveals that many legitimate ecommerce businesses have seen their rankings tank, too.
What are the businesses doing about it? They’re hiring freelance writers.
The story outlines three different types of writing ecommerce businesses are trying to boost their traffic now that Google is ranking them lower:
Uncertain times for mill writers
Finally, for anyone who’s reliant on Demand Studios for income, it may be time to think about a new earning strategy. Consider this analysis from the highly regarded financial blog Seeking Alpha:
…this attitude change of Google toward content farms creates questions on the viability of Demand Media’s business model itself.
If you don’t believe it, take a look at the Alexa charts in that Seeking Alpha story that show eHow and other Demand sites’ plummeting traffic since the Google change happened a few weeks back.
The story theorizes that per-article rates at mills may soon start to decline because of the lower ad revenue less traffic will bring (like the rates aren’t insulting already). That’s a pretty solid prediction in my view — just makes sense that less traffic = less ad revenue = lower rates. We learned from the IPO filing that Demand isn’t making a profit on what it pays writers at current rates, so that’s another compelling reason rates may sink.
It’s clearly time for mill writers to diversify — and when I say that, I don’t mean sign up with a couple other mills. They’re all taking the same kind of hit from Google’s new algorithm.
The good news is, Google’s change creates a lot of need for businesses to use more freelance writers. I’m betting rates will be better for these assignments than the mills paid, too.
By Carol Tice
Is fear holding your writing career back?
I’ve learned fear is an epidemic in the freelance-writing world.
Fear your work will be laughed at.
Fear you won’t be able to deliver the quality writing a gig demands.
Fear that one flubbed assignment will spell the end of your freelance writing career. That you’ll never be able to earn your living through that thing you love…writing.
Well, fear not.
I met someone at SOBCon who knows all about fear and how to beat it to unleash a life of achievement and prosperity — and below is his system for growing self-confidence. He is Tim Sanders, a former Yahoo! executive, author of the popular book Love is the Killer App and a new book, Today We Are Rich: Harnessing the Power of Total Confidence. Tim gave me permission to share the gist of his inspiring talk with you.
Tim related to the SOBCon audience the story of his hardscrabble childhood. He was basically a throwaway kid and ended up raised by his grandma, Billye, from the age of four. She brought him up on her farm by herself and put him on a solid path to college, but his world fell apart in his twenties, when his dad was murdered.
After 15 years of floundering with his self-esteem in the tank, he finally got back on track by returning to the basic values Billye instilled in him from childhood. Here are his rules:
Know that success is not a destination — it’s a direction. Keep moving forward.
There’s something about editors that writers don’t get:
They’re not the know-it-all, don’t-have-time-for-you, I’ll rewrite-this-because-I-can people you think they are.
When it comes to editors, it’s easy to default to that kind of attitude if you’ve been on the receiving end of too many rejection letters or rewrites.
But if you can see past the “Thanks but no thanks” emails and the sometimes off-putting behavior, you’ll realize it’s not always about you. You’ll discover editors – most of them anyway – are just trying to get their jobs done and looking for people who can help them do that. You could be one of them.
Many editors work as writers before trading places, and a lot still do both. I fall into that category. Since late 2009, I’ve worked as the freelance editor of a finance website, where I set the editorial calendar and manage about 10 freelance writers, and also as a writer and blogger for a handful of business and consumer publications.
Based on my experience on the other side of the desk, here are some secrets about editors you need to know:
1. Deadlines aren’t as immutable as they seem. Editors build wiggle room into due dates to accommodate problems with stories or other unexpected situations, vacations and holidays, etc. That doesn’t mean you should regularly turn in copy late, especially if you work for an online news organization that cranks out stories 24/7. But if you’re working for a monthly or weekly and or just need a couple extra hours or days, go ahead and ask. The answer might surprise you.
2. Editors will break policy for a great story. No editor in his right mind would turn away a new-to-them writer with a hot story because the publication currently only works with their existing freelance pool. A scoop takes precedent over policies and procedures any day. That said, if you’ve got a story you know is perfect for your dream publication, you better be 110 percent sure, not only of the subject, angle and fit for the market but also of your ability to pull it off. If an editor is willing to take a chance on you, you better be able to deliver.
3. Editors like talking to writers on the phone. It’s common to hear writers worry about a situation with an editor when they could easily rectify things by picking up the phone. Granted, editors are busy and won’t appreciate getting called every time a writer has a question. But if it’s a biggie or just too complicated for email, by all means call. Better yet, email ahead of time and ask for a couple minutes of phone time. On the flip side, I write for some editors who think nothing of calling out of the blue if they have questions about something. It used to bug me, but now I appreciate it, especially if I can use the opportunity to talk about future assignments.
4. Editors don’t do rewrites for the heck of it. As an editor, if I never have to exorcise passive voice from another writer’s manuscript I’d be a happy woman. Editors do a lot more than read copy — they plan editorial calendars, make assignments, sign contracts, put payments through, appear at conferences or seminars, and go to internal staff meetings. So if they’re taking a red pen or “Track Changes” to your copy, it’s probably for good reason. It could be because the tone or voice of your piece don’t fit what their publication uses. Or you turned in 1,500 words when they asked for 750. Or you wrote a piece in second person when their style is third person, or vice versa. Before turning in copy, look at it from your editor’s POV:
If so, you’re good to go. If not, you may have more to do before hitting “Send.”
5. Editors feel bad saying no. Editors love getting pitched: the more ideas coming in for an issue, the fewer they’ve got to dream up themselves. Editors love great queries. Editors want to love your queries, but they can’t if your queries aren’t aimed at their readers or are too similar to something that’s already run. Before you pitch, read the publication, writers’ guidelines, media kit, what Mediabistro, Writer’s Digest or other writers’ forums say about it. It doesn’t matter what you read, really, as long as you use it to figure out what the editor wants. Then pitch accordingly. Because editors really do want to say yes.
6. A short email message doesn’t mean they’re mad at you. I work with a few editors whose work and feedback I respect and enjoy. But sometimes their replies to my email questions are brusque to the point of being rude. After awhile I realized the tenor of their notes has nothing to do with me and everything to do with them. When they’re on deadline or under pressure, their emails are limited to a few words or less — that’s really all they have time for. When deadlines are off, they’re completely different. Now that I spend a lot of time editing, I notice myself sending the same two- or three-word messages. Don’t take it personally.
7. The editor you write for today could be the writer you edit tomorrow. The only constant in the news business is change, especially as the industry shifts from paper to pixels. People switch jobs, go from staff positions to freelance and back again. Moral of the story: it pays to maintain good relationships with editors because you never know when your paths will cross again. In the past 18 months, I’ve worked with three freelance writers who in previous years had been my editors at other publications.
By Carol Tice
One of the questions freelance writers ask me most is, “How can I find better-paying clients?”
Another one is “Where are all the good-paying clients hiding?”
A third one is, “Why can’t I find any good-paying clients?”
I’m sensing a theme here, that people want to know more about how to connect with great clients.
There are many ways to hunt these elusive good clients, but today I want to talk about two of my favorite in-person techniques for connecting with good-paying clients.
That’s right, these methods involve leaving your writing cave, going out, and meeting live humans.
Don’t be scared!
Once you get the hang of it, networking is actually a lot of fun. Or it should be — so remember to have fun with it.
Here are two techniques that are pretty fail-proof and simple for maximizing your in-person networking time:
When I used to work big trade shows, I did this all the time. If you’re at an all-day or weekend networking event, there’ll be lunch. Often, there’s a big food court in an exhibition hall where people will wander in and eat at various times.
Start early — I usually go in around 11:15 and eat my own lunch, so that I could talk when others sat down. I keep a little on my plate so it looks like I’m still eating lunch.
Shortly, new people arrive with their lunch.
“Do you mind if I sit here?” they ask. “Of course not — sit right down!” I reply.
They take a bite or two of food, and then I start shmoozing them up, just like you see those two guys in the photo doing at a business event. “Where are you from? How are you enjoying the conference? What does your company do? Interesting…do you use freelance writers at all at your company? Who’d be the best person at your company to talk to about that?”
Often, I could keep sitting there chatting with new prospects until 2 pm. As people finish lunch, new people arrive, and you begin again.
I love this technique because you’ve got a captive audience — they’re chewing. If you do it pleasantly, they won’t become so annoyed they pick up their plate and leave. Everyone’s in a good mood and on a mental ‘break’ while they eat, so it’s a great time to meet people.
If you’re in a scenario where everyone sits down to lunch in one place at the same time, circulate amongst the tables. When you go back for a second roll or dessert, sit back down at a different table, and begin your shmooze-up over again with the new crowd.
If you’re going to take the trouble of going out to a networking event, you can put in a tiny bit more effort and ensure you meet every single person who attends the event. How? By being the host or co-host.
My writing bud Michelle Goodman is the co-host of my localMediaBistro networking events, and I’m jealous! It is a great gig.
Why? Here’s how hosting helps you meet the largest number of people and be seen in the best possible light:
First, the host gets to stand by the check-in table and greet everyone as they pick up their name tags. You can chat up a lot of people that way.
Next the host gets to make a little speech somewhere in the proceedings to thank everybody for coming, in which you can say a bit about what you do…so anybody the host didn’t connect with on check-in now knows what you look like, and a little about your freelance writing business.
Finally, it’s my experience that when attendees leave a networking event, nearly all of them do one thing: They go over and thank the host for putting it on.
In other words, the host gets to meet basically every single person who attends the event. Those people all come away with the impression that you are a happening coordinator of events as well as a freelance writer.
Networking doesn’t get more effective than this. It’s a big payoff just for setting up a table, printing out a few nametags, and maybe sending a couple promotional emails.
I know one writer who took event hosting to another level — she drew up a list of all the editors in her market and sent them postcards before each of her quarterly networking events.
Now, if she wants to pitch any of them a story, it won’t be difficult, will it? She can introduce herself with, “Hi, you may know me from the postcards I’ve sent you about my writer networking events. As it happens, I have a query for you myself, may I sent it to you?” She’s opened the door to every editor’s office in town by becoming known for her event.
By Susannah Noel
A month ago, I took one step closer to my dream of being a full-time freelance writer: I went down to half-time at my day job as a marketing manager, with the intention of using my newfound time to build my freelance copywriting business.
Two weeks ago, after the initial thrill of having more time to sleep and exercise, I realized I had something else: panic.
The cold, hard truth is that being half-time gives me, well, half the money. And building a business is slow work; so far, I have no new clients. Instead of feeling entrepreneurial and in control, this move to part-time has made me just feel . . . scared.
There is a well-worn story about a young woman during olden times who vows to see the world and sets out from her comforting village with her trusty mare and some dry biscuits. She realizes, a week or so into her journey, when she’s hungry and scared of marauders, that she’s made a terrible mistake. Only she knows, on the deepest level, that she can’t possibly go home.
Legend or no, that’s exactly how I feel. Although I’m supposed to now have several extra hours a day to build up my writing career, I never really feel them. I just pick up the boys early and take a spin on the treadmill, and there goes my extra time. I’m living off credit cards, and I have no real plan in place.
But I can’t go back. I was burning out so fast I could smell smoke. Working a full-time job an hour away from home while taking care of my two kids was an exercise in exhaustion. I still long for that gilt-edged freelance life — making my own schedule, doing interesting work, and earning solid money, all while keeping up with the boys’ school, karate, and playdates.
It’s come to my attention — through a couple of excellent books and the ministrations of a dear friend — that I’m somewhat lacking in the spirituality department. I don’t necessarily mean religion, but the practices and rituals that keep me in touch with my core values and remind me of a higher purpose, whatever I feel it to be.
In fact, I’m not even sure I know what my core values are. And higher purpose? I want to glibly say, “Less work, more money,” but I know that’s a cop-out.
And yet, I do feel the need to be guided by something deeper — something that can give me courage as my horse and I stumble through the vast forest.
Loving my kids to pieces and wanting to give them a healthy home with the most awesome mom ever is a great starting point. But it has to go further than that. I need to explore what else, in addition to my children, I consider most important. Until I do that, I’ll be driven by the understandable but unbalanced need to achieve, achieve, achieve.
Despite what my brain tells me in the middle of the night, I have come a long way. For instance, a year ago, I would never have imagined I’d have a writing mentor or be guest blogging on one of the top 10 blogs of 2010/2011.
If I simply keep taking baby steps, then eventually the trees will thin out and I’ll come out of the dark wood. I’ll have some clients, I’ll be actively networking online and in person, and I’ll be making real money from my freelance writing. (Scheduling my second phone conversation with Carol will also provide a huge boost.)
And as I move toward that goal, instead of getting caught up in the worries of income, clients, and schedules, I need to develop an understanding of my core values, and then make it a habit to renew my commitment to them, regularly. I also must take time every day to recover from the stress of my hectic life. This should be just as much a priority as reading yet another blog or listening to one more podcast about how to improve my Vermont copywriter website.
The dream is still alive. With my horse and my blossoming spirit — as well as a business loan so I can stop living off credit cards — I’ll get there yet.
Susannah Noel is a Vermont SEO copywriter.
By Carol Tice
When I talk to successful freelance writers, I find we all have one thing in common.
It’s pretty simple — we have goals. We’re following a game plan for what we want to do with our writing career.
When I take on new writers in my mentoring program, my first questions are:
What is your goal for your freelance writing career? (Or, if you’re a blogger — what’s the goal of your blog?)
I find that lack of goals creates lack of momentum. The big problem with freelance writing is there’s no ‘boss’ standing over you saying, “Get 40 cold calls done this month!”
So you don’t.
Without goals, it’s easy to give in to fears about whether your writing cuts it, and not send that query letter, or make those business calls.
There’s also the chance to dither endlessly about what direction you plan to take. Will you only write for magazines? Write a novel? Target legal businesses? Many writers are overwhelmed by all the options, so they write nothing — or nothing that pays.
The change that happens when you have goals
I find when you start setting goals, there’s a shift in your mentality. You start to view your freelance writing business like a business. Which is what you have to do if you want it to pay your bills.
Setting goals creates deadlines — something freelance writers understand. Start making your own deadlines your top priority, over any current deadlines you have for others. In the long run, they’re even more important.
Setting goals doesn’t mean carving anything in stone. I’m always on the lookout for new opportunities that crop up, that might change my direction. If you’ve been trying one approach a long time and nothing’s happening, it may be time to try a new angle.
Stay flexible — but have a game plan to start.
The most important goals
Here are the three questions I like to ask writers about goals:
Where would you like to see your freelance-writing business five years from now?
One year from now?
Next month?
You need a big picture and a near-term picture. Then it’s time to break it down into a to-do list for this month. What, specifically, do you think you could realistically get accomplished in the next 30 days that would move your writing career forward?
I find the one-month span allows you to avoid overwhelm — after all, it’s only 30 days, so you can only do so much. It frees you to find small steps you can take to try a new marketing angle, get a writing project finished, send a query.
Ultimately, that’s the most important step to take — break down your freelance-writing dream into some actionable, simple steps you can accomplish right away. Then next month, do that again.
Keep doing it until you’re earning what you want.
If you have trouble sticking to it, find a writer’s group, a friend, or a mentor who will hold you accountable for meeting your goals.
You know what’s coming next:
What’s your goal for this month for your freelance writing business? Write it down. Then, go on the weigh-in forum thread and tell people about it. That’ll help keep you on track.
By Carol Tice
Editors. We writers may complain about them, but the good ones can drastically improve your writing.
Some writers hate editors and would love never having to deal with an editor again…but I heard recently from one reader who’s unhappy without an editor. Linda writes:
“I’m a career journalist who went freelance in 2009, not because of the recession per se, but because I felt suffocated in the corporate media. I feel there’s a wall I can’t completely break through, and I think it’s because I miss the dynamic of having an editor when I am working for business clients.
“I’m confident about my skills as a writer and communicator. However, I’m not a good editor.
“I miss being challenged by a good editor. I miss the encouragement. I miss the teamwork. I miss someone saving my butt when there’s a big mistake.
“What would you do to overcome this handicap? I guess the most logical thing is to try to hire a freelance editor for my projects. But I’m barely making enough money to justify my freelance status right now. It seems like a real dilemma.”
I’ve got six ideas for how Linda — and all freelance writers — can build editor relationships:
By Carol Tice
Someone recently asked me how many hours a week I spend on writing my blog.
I said, “No way I’m telling you that!”
I spend a lot of hours on this blog. It’d be embarrassing to tell you how many.
Isn’t that weird, for a profit-focused freelance writer like me, who spends all her time teaching other writers to earn more, and not take crappy jobs?
What makes me do this crazy blog, anyway?
I thought about it, and I realized there’s one thing all great bloggers have going for them. I believe you’re never going to build a successful blog without it.
The secret ingredient that makes blogs succeed
What is this elusive quality?
It’s the burning desire to make your blog great. In a word, it’s drive.
Are you driven to work on your blog? Here are a few telltale clues that you are a driven blogger:
If you’re passionate about building your blog, then you’re on the right track. You’re probably blogging about a topic you love — one where you won’t run out of post ideas. That’s essential to making your blog grow.
Nobody could make you put in all the time you need to build a successful blog. That desire has to come from within.
By Carol Tice
Are you having trouble getting started in freelance writing? Maybe you feel unsure of whether your work is ready for publication.
Or maybe you’ve gotten started in freelancing and remember how hard it was to get those first few clips. If so, you might be able to help a reader out today.
I recently got an email from a brand-new writer. “Bunny” writes:
I have been reading you for quite some time now. I am still in those early stages of writing wherein I have nothing published.
I am more than willing to work on that. Your article to invent your audience was of some help, but again I fall short of good content (great is something far far away, I feel) whenever I sit to write.
In the early stages of writing, could you please suggest something just so that I can feel confident enough to publish my first blog post?
Warm Regards–
Bunny
I was intrigued by this question, as I don’t think I’ve ever gotten a note from someone who has not published anything, even on their own blog.
My response:
Given the insecurities I’m sensing in what you’ve written above, Bunny, writing for your own blog is a good place to start.
When you first start a blog, very few people are reading it, so it’s a great opportunity to publish a little. Imagine that no one is looking — you won’t be far wrong.
Play around with your posts and experiment! Be creative. The only way to develop your voice and discover what you really enjoy writing about is to write a lot.
A couple ideas for overcoming your fear of publishing that first blog post:
In the end, at some point, you have to start. You have to say an article is good enough, and let it out into the world. If you can’t do that, you likely can’t be a freelance writer.
You have to get over your fear that your content isn’t “good” and give it a whirl. See this post I did a while back for WM Freelance Writer’s Connection about overcoming writing fears for some funny stories about my own irrational fears when I started out, and this one for 10 strategies for fear-busting. We all had these fears when we started…but just did it anyway.
Get started, and the more you write, the more quickly you’ll improve. Know that most writers look back and cringe when they read work from years back. All you can do is keep striving to get better.
Photo: Stock.xchng – wagg66
By Carol Tice
I recently attended an interesting Webinar about affiliate selling as a way to make money off your blog. It was put on by successful online business entrepreneur Erica Douglass of Erica.biz. Her guest was $1 million Amazon affiliate-seller Chris Guthrie of MakeMoneyontheInternet.
Chris told a story that reminded me of a simple truth about blogs:
Many blogs go wrong from the very start.
He related that his first website didn’t make any money. Eventually, he unplugged it and started another one.
What was the problem? The site was for fans of the game Halo 2. There was no way to earn from this topic — everyone visiting the site already owned both the popular first-person shooter game and an Xbox.
Readers were happy to come on and chat all day about how much they all loved Halo 2, but what could Chris sell to this crowd? Nothing much.
So he started another site with a broader topic, where he could review and sell many different games to visitors as new games were released. Presto! Big money.
How to put your blog on track to make money
When you want to earn from a blog, the best time to start thinking about how the blog will earn is before you ever push it live. What audience are you going after? What sort of things might that audience be buying already, that you could sell them?
Many bloggers don’t ask this question before they start. They start blogging about whatever catches their fancy, with a dim idea that it would be great if the blog earned money — but no clear idea how. Then, they end up with a blog that’s tough to turn into a money-earner.
Like any other business, a blog should start with a business plan if its mission is to earn income.
If your blog is already going, think about who your readers are. What do they buy in the course of their regular, daily lives, that you could sell them?
Bloggers who just stick up a bunch of random ads often find readers drifting away. But if you can find that sweet spot where you can provide what readers want to buy, readers will feel you are kind and helpful, not sleazy, when you offer those items for sale.
