Marketing 101 for Freelance Writers #10: Here’s Where the Good-Paying Clients are Hiding

Have you wondered if all the great-paying writing clients are all hiding out under a rock somewhere? Writers constantly tell me they’ve looked and looked at those online job ads, but they can only find the $5-a-post gigs.That happens because most of the really good writing gigs are never advertised. To find them, you’ll have to understand how these prospects think, and why they need writers.

Then, you’ll have to go out and proactively locate and contact these prospects. That right there is the difference between low-paid writers and well-fed ones.

Inside the mind of a great writing prospect

The good jobs begin when an editor or marketing manager is sitting at their desk, amidst piles of overflowing workload. They work at a major publication, custom publisher, company, or nonprofit. They are thinking something like this:

The stable of freelance writers I have now leaves something to be desired. These writers don’t turn things in on time. They’re less than brilliant.

OR

One of my staff writers just quit, and I don’t know how I’m going to get my stuff written by deadline. I can’t overload the other staffers, or they’ll quit, too.

AND

I wish I could find some new writers. But I don’t have any time to look. I definitely don’t have time to look at 300 resumes off a Craigslist ad.

So now you know the sort of situation you want to find — a quality publication or company that needs writer but doesn’t have time to search for them.

Identifying good-paying publications

It’s pretty easy to find publications that pay the best. Besides asking around in your own writer community, you could get the Writer’s Market online. Then you can set their database search to $$$$, the top pay level, and start searching.

Presto! A nice list of top payers to target. You can also scan publications including the Wooden Horse magazines database, Editor & Publisher, and Media Bistro’s How to Pitch Guides for more publications intel.

One of the best and least-frequently looked niches for good-paying publications is trade publications. Trade pubs cover a particular industry in-depth, for business owners in that field. Daily Variety, for instance, is for executives in show business, and Ad Age is for marketing execs. You can see lists of them at tradepub.com, or just Google “[industry] trade magazine,” and see what comes up. If you have some related knowledge, think about marketing yourself to trade-pub editors.

Another great niche is custom publications. These are magazines and newspaper inserts created for companies by a publishing company. You can check out custom publishers — many of whom publish many publications in an industry niche — at their industry group The Content Council. I’ve had one custom-pub client — easy, $.50-a-word work on newspaper special sections, where they hand you all the sources. These can be steady sources of good-paying work.

Identifying good-paying companies

The key here is to think big. Many writers get stuck writing for solopreneurs or small businesses. These don’t have big marketing budgets. To earn more, you need to identify larger organizations with bigger budgets.

How big? Well $1 million is a good start, $10 million is better, $100 million better than that, $1 billion really terrific, and the Fortune 1000 are awesome. Depending on where your writing career is at, one of these categories should work for you.

For example, my first copywriting client was a small local startup that sold call-center software. The second was a $1 billion global corporation. You don’t have to pay your dues for years and slowly inch your way up.

To get started, target industries where you have some experience or find the business owner easily accessible. These could be:

  • An institution you have personal life experience with, such as a rehab clinic that took care of your sick mom.
  • A local, independently owned store you love to shop.
  • A small business in an industry where you once worked.
  • A small, local nonprofit where you’ve volunteered or whose cause you believe in.

If you’ve got a few clips from small-business clients and are ready to move up, here are seven resources for finding bigger clients who may need marketing writers.

  1. The business section of your local paper. Scan for news of growth, acquisitions, new locations, new products, new funding. All of these may spur new marketing efforts. You can assume most of the stories you see here originated with the business doing publicity to promote what they’re doing. They do marketing, so they may use freelancers.
  2. Your local business weekly. Similar to the above situation, except these are all business news, all the time. Smaller ones may flat-out reprint companies’ press releases or do pages of release-driven “business updates.” Grab an issue, and you’ve got a prospect list.
  3. A Book of Lists. These directories of the top and fastest-growing companies in every imaginable industry are available for more than 60 markets.
  4. An industry directory or guidebook such as the Chain Store Guides. The deal with these is they give free trade-publication subscriptions to all the companies willing to give them their data for the guide…which often includes revenue, so you can quickly focus on larger companies with bigger marketing budgets.
  5. Venture capital news. It’s my experience that newly funded startups spend like big companies — they often need to quickly ramp up their business to satisfy investors. VCAOnline has a great searchable news database where you can search by city name or industry buzzwords to find companies that have landed venture funding.
  6. Your library’s database subscriptions. Many libraries have useful databases they subscribe to that could make your searches easier — maybe they’ve got the paid level of Hoovers or Lexis-Nexis for searching press releases. Be sure to ask your librarian what resources they might have to help you identify companies and their size.
  7. Niche job boards. As I mentioned in installment #3, there are better boards to look at than Craigslist. Find them and use them.

I can’t tell you how many writers have the misimpression that if it’s not on Craigslist, a writing gig doesn’t exist. Start using these prospecting sources, and you’ll discover a whole new world of quality clients just waiting for you to reach out to them.–Carol

Homework: Take the one-week challenge. For one week, don’t look at any online job ads. Instead, use your marketing time to do your own research and identify some good clients you’d like to target.

P.S. Next time on Marketing 101: How to do a lot of marketing, but-quick.

 


Marketing 101 for Freelance Writers #11: The Quick Way to Hit a Ton of Prospects

old-fashioned telephone

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:

  1. Develop a great list
  2. Find the appropriate contact
  3. Write a simple script
  4. Have a strong call to action

1. How to develop your list

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.

2. How to find contacts

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?

  • Try a Google search on “marketing manager + Company Name” or something similar
  • Search on LinkedIn using similar parameters
  • Call up the company and simply ask for the appropriate contact: “Who is the marketing manager who would hire freelancers?”
  • Ask your network if anyone has worked with the company and knows a contact

3. A sample script

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:

  1. Hello — I’m an experienced freelance writer specializing in [your niche here].
  2. I really like what your company is doing, and I’m wondering if you ever work with freelance writers.

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.

4. Call to action

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 bonus benefit

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.

 

Marketing 101 for Freelance Writers #12: How Social Media Really 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:

  • Begin by listening. Social media is a conversation. Listen in and find out what’s going on. Start learning about trends and topics that are of interest to people in your niche.
  • It’s about being helpful. Social media is like a gigantic networking meeting. Focus on finding out how you can help others, and you won’t go wrong.
  • Start searching. Begin looking for people who are popular and talk about your subject. Watch what they do. Start reading their stuff.
  • Learn the etiquette. Every platform has its own flavor. On Twitter, there’s hashtags that help you follow topics, for instance. Get the hang of the slang.
  • Make new friends. You can meet the most amazing people through social media. Read and follow people whose stuff you like. Then, connect with or follow them, and start a conversation. Invite them to take a Skype virtual lunch with you. Find out how you could collaborate.
  • Reach out proactively. Don’t wait to get discovered like Lana Turner on a barstool at Schrafft’s drugstore on Hollywood Boulevard in the 1930s. That might happen — that’s actually how I ended up guest posting on Copyblogger — but you don’t want to bet the farm on it.
  • Once you’ve gotten acquainted with some influential people, start sending them stuff and asking them to share it with their audience, as in “Your readers might like [LINK].” If you do this right, the result looks like this tweet below, that I received from Darren Rowse of ProBlogger:
  • Don’t expect tit-for-tat. People are not going to retweet your post because you retweeted theirs, because that’s not the point of social media. It’s not a link-exchange club. Every person is on social media to help their audience with useful stuff and build their reputation so they can occasionally promote their own stuff a bit, too. They’re going to spread your content if it’s amazingly helpful to their followers. If it’s not, they won’t.
  • Bring great stuff. You become successful in social media by offering terrifically helpful information to people. Concentrate on writing to serve your readers, and social media will be a great tool for you.
  • Don’t waste time on it. You shouldn’t need to spend more than a half-hour a day on all your social media work combined. Don’t turn it into a time-waster.

–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!

 

Marketing 101 for Freelance Writers #13: How to Get Editors to Notice You

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:

  • Speak their language. Absorb the tone of their publication and write your LOI in that exact tone.
  • Do your research. Learn something about this market that you can mention.
  • Get a referral. Obviously, this won’t be possible every time, but a referral will greatly up your odds of success.
  • Stress your expertise. Why are you the absolute best writer for them to work with? Share your experience with them.
  • End with a call to action. A good one is “May I send you some clips?”

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.

–CarolHomework: If you haven’t sent queries or LOIs, see if you can put a pitch together. Then, send it out. Lather, rinse, repeat.

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!

 

Marketing 101 for Freelance Writers #14: How to Earn More by Giving Stuff Away

free butterfly

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:

1. Pro bono gigs for clients

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:

  • A client with a great reputation
  • The subject matter and type of writing is of high interest to you, and you want to do more of it in the future
  • The owner promises to refer you new clients and give you a testimonial
  • The owner is willing to keep confidential the fact that you did the gig for free

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.

2. Public speaking & free classes

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.

3. Write giveaways for your blog

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.

4. Guest post on popular blogs

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.

 

Marketing 101 for Freelance Writers #15: How to Get Prospects 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.

A query letter is out

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?

My five best LOI tips

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.

Marketing 101 for Freelance Writers #16: How to Earn More Just From Schmoozing

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:

5 Rules for Networking Success

  1. Know what you’re looking for. Be ready to answer questions about who your ideal client is. People will want to help you, but they can’t if they don’t know what sort of referrals you want.
  2. Have a “me” speech. As we’ve discussed earlier in this Marketing 101 series, you should have a short, 90-second speech ready that describes the type of writing you do and types of clients you’re looking for. Practice saying it with a friend until it feels conversational and comfortable.
  3. Ask about them. Writers say they hate networking because they don’t like talking about themselves. But really, you don’t have to say much. Everyone else would love to tell you all about what they do. Ask about who their ideal client or project is, and they’ll talk for ages.
  4. Have fun. Smile!  You’re out of your cave and out in the big city having a drink. Project confidence, faking it if necessary. Nobody wants to stay in touch with people who sound desperate and broke.
  5. Follow up. The real networking begins after you go home from the event. You’ve met people — now it’s time to take that stack of business cards and cement those relationships. Connect in social media to stay in touch, send them relevant articles, send them job leads. Meet interesting people for coffee. Keep the conversation going.

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.

7 Good Places to Network

  1. Casual networking. Chat up those other moms and dads while you’re watching that soccer game. Do they have a business? Who do they work for that might use freelance copywriters?
  2. Business groups. Check out your local chamber or business association — some are pricey to join while others are quite affordable. Many put on occasional open-house events you can crash. My local chamber puts on a variety of events every month, from casual after-hours get-togethers to sit-down luncheons.
  3. Regional or national events. Hitting a big-time event such as SXSW, World Domination Summit, or the New Media Expo (NMX) can give you a chance to meet many people at once, and to meet more big guns in your target industry. Yes, it can be a major financial investment to fly to one of these — but my experience has been that if you work this opportunity, you will grow your business many times more than the cost of that plane ticket and hotel.
  4. Pro networking groups. BNI is one of the best-known in this category, and I believe the most expensive. Advantage here: You will be the only freelance writer in the group — they only allow one person per occupation in each local chapter.
  5. Social media in person. My local Linked:Seattle group, for instance, routinely sees more than 500 people turn up at its live events. This is a great way to make deeper connections with those tweeps you hang with online.
  6. Writers groups. You might be staying away because you think these events will just be a bunch of sad, desperate, starving writers crying into their cheap glasses of chardonnay… but it’s often not like that. Growing your network of other writers who know your talents can put you in their downline for referrals when those writers get leads they don’t have time for or that aren’t their speed. They’re also great to know for reality-checking prices and snooping around about whether that prospective new client is a nightmare. I’ve gotten several great clients through attending MediaBistro‘s live events.
  7. Skype calls. I like to book at least one Skype call a week with someone who might help my business in some way. If you don’t live near a major city, this can be a great way to build connections when it’s hard to appear in person. The phone-company people used to say this, but Skype really is the next best thing to being there.

Which type of networking will be best for you? You won’t know until you get out there, experiment, and meet people.

–CarolHomework: Find a networking event you could attend and get out there. Consider the first one a dry run — no pressure, just go, listen, smile, and see how it works. From there, keep trying events until you find the one where you have a great time, like the people, and you find quality clients or get great leads.

P.S. Next time on Marketing 101…it’ll be laid-back. You’ll see.

 

Marketing 101 for Freelance Writers #17: How to Get Clients the Lazy Way

Given how far into this course we are, you may be feeling a bit overwhelmed at this point. I know I’ve laid out a lot of different strategies for marketing your writing.

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.

The magic of partnerships

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:

  • Graphic design
  • Photography
  • Videography
  • Translation
  • Editing
  • Website design and layout
  • Website SEO

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.

How to find partners

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.

Marketing 101 for Freelance Writers #18: The Amazing Strategy No One is Using


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:

What are all the other writers doing?

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?

Do something else

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.

Marketing 101 for Freelance Writers #19: Are You Missing This Key Ingredient?

Naked girl with sunflower

In this Marketing 101 series, we have discussed many ways to market your writing.

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.

What’s wrong?

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?
So — did you spot the problem?
That’s right.

It’s got no personality

It doesn’t answer one of the most important questions every prospective client wants answered about you:
Who are you?
Clients want to know what it would be like to work with you. Are you fun-loving, a big business dork (like me), do you make jewelry in your free time?
Too many writers create marketing materials that read like a business letter from the 1960s. They’re dull as dishwater.

How to reel in the clients

As my friend Danny Iny wrote in his Naked Marketing manifesto, marketing today is about authenticity.
It’s about revealing who you are, and what you want.
Not naked like full-frontal nudity — especially if you weigh 300 pounds — but naked as in not phony.

Be yourself

It’s what gets you hired.
Even better, if you’re really honest and genuine in your marketing, you will get exactly the type of clients you want most.
Take a look at your About page of your writer website.
Do you talk in the first person on there, right at the client?
Do you tell them some things about you that help them understand where you’re coming from, and what sort of writing you’d enjoy doing for them?
If you do that, the very people you want most — the ones who’d appreciate your sense of humor, your skills — will call you.
Contrast that letter up top with this one my writer friend James Patterson wrote to a bakery chain near him:

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

Do you feel like James just pulled up a chair and had a chat with you? Did you get that he’d like to do Facebook marketing? Can you feel his naked lust for cupcakes here?
This pitch probably took a few minutes longer to write than that first one. But it slayed. Because it’s honest and real — and fun. We could all use a little bit more of that, too.
And yeah, it got him a gig.
Next time, I’ll wrap up Marketing 101 for Freelance Writers with the final installment in this series, which outlines three things you must do in your marketing to get where you want to go.

–Carol

Homework:

P.S. Next in our final Marketing 101 installment: Help for the overwhelmed.

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