Welcome to THE WELL-FED E-PUB!
The companion
monthly ezine to the quadruple-award-winning how-to
guide, ÒThe Well-Fed WriterÓ (http://www.wellfedwriter.com). Serving up food
for thought and tasty tips for the prospering FLCW*. Come on in, sit anywhere
and bring your appetite!
*FLCW, peppered
throughout the ezine, stands for ÒFreelance
Commercial WriterÓ – anyone who freelances for
businesses (vs. writing magazine articles, short stories, poetry, etc.),
typically earns $50-125+ an hour, and is the sole focus of this
e-newsletter.
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VOLUME
11, ISSUE 6 – JUNE 2012
Publishing
the first Tuesday of every month since May 2002
Read
it Online at: http://www.wellfedwriter.com/ezine/june2012.html
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ATTENTION,
ATLANTA: LIVE PUBLISHING WORKSHOP ON JUNE 23!
Details:
http://www.wellfedwriter.com/seminars.shtml.
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PARTNER
WITH DESIGNERS FOR A LOW-EFFORT FLOW OF WRITING JOBS!
Details
here: http://www.wellfedwriter.com/partnerwithdesignersebook.shtml.
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NEW 1-ON-1 COACHING PROGRAMS: SAMPLE/SITE REVIEW
& ÒSIDECARÓ!
Low-cost peace of mind and guidance: http://wellfedwriter.com/mentoring.shtml.
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Check out The WELL-FED
WRITER BLOG! Weigh in on ÒCommercial Writing Clients with Money vs. Ones
Without: Like Night and DayÓ; ÒLessons IÕve Learned from Landing Clients on
First Dates,Ó & ÒYour Favorite Ideas for Writing Ergonomics, Aesthetics,
Functionality, and Work/Life Philosophies, PleaseÉÓ http://www.wellfedwriter.com/blog.
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ÒTHE WELL-FED SELF-PUBLISHER BLOGÓ IS NOW
LIVE!!
Weigh
in and subscribe at http://www.wellfedsp.com/blog
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I NEED YOUR SHORT (100-200
words) SUCCESS STORIES for the E-PUB!
Landed a great client?
Had a successful marketing campaign? Done something else that boosted your FLCW
income? Send them to peter@wellfedwriter.com.
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THIS
MONTHÕS MENU:
I. WELCOME APPETIZER: SMART COMPANIES LOOKING DUMB (YET AGAIN)!
Web Clinic Underscores How Often ÒSavvyÓ Marketers Get Marketing
Wrong
II. ÒFIELDÓ GREENS: ATTENTION,
EX-JOURNALISTS!
LA FLCW (& Ex-Journo) Serves Up
Inside Info on Landing Work with PR Firms
III. MAIN ÒMEATÓ COURSE: Know Yourself, Know
Your Market and Be Flexible
OH FLCW Shares His Evolutionary Journey to Commercial
Freelancing Success
IV. DESSERT: Sweet Success Stories and Tips
OH FLCW ÒComplainsÓ of Too Much Work (+ Yours Truly Offers a
Few Solutions)
TIP: Are You a Smaller-Market FLCW? HereÕs
a Great Tip for F.R.E.E. Promo!
V. COFFEE, MINTS AND
TOOTHPICKS
- MORE WORK WITH LESS EFFORT? New Ebook
Serves Up the ÒHow-ToÓ!
- THE WELL-FED E-PUB
NEEDS ALL COURSES!
- The WELL-FED WRITER
BLOG is RockinÕ! http://www.wellfedwriter.com/blog
- AWAI Copywriting (& Other) Courses: Register Here, Get
Bonus CD!
- How Can
My Mentoring Service Serve You?
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I. WELCOME APPETIZER: SMART COMPANIES LOOKING DUMB (YET AGAIN)!
Web Clinic Underscores How Often ÒSavvyÓ Marketers Get Marketing
Wrong
I sat through web clinic recently on www.MarketingExperiments.com
(mission: ÒTo discover what really works in optimizationÓ; these folks know
their stuff and offer a ton of freebies) entitled, ÒThe 5 Easiest Changes to Make to Your Landing
Pages Right Now.Ó No, weÕre not all involved in SEO writing, but itÕs
becoming more and more important to understand this arena. Do so, and youÕll be
that much more valuable to your clients.
Not surprisingly, even in this somewhat arcane arena of
marketing, time-tested sales and marketing cornerstones reign supreme. One of
the three overarching principles they laid out up front was this: ÒMarketers
must learn to see their web pages through the eyes of their customers. Too
often we employ company logic instead of customer logic.Ó
Well. ThereÕs a newsflash. Seriously, hereÕs a cutting-edge
web optimization research lab in 2012, earnestly reminding viewers, many of
them serious marketers with Fortune 500 companies, to look through the eyes of
their customers when designing their web sites. Which means one thing: an
enormous number consistently get it wrong.
This is not rocket science. But if youÕve been at this game
for a while, you know it happens because of the insular nature of companies:
theyÕre so steeped in what THEY know about their company, and that drives what
they think is most important to tell prospects (and folks like us can offer
that crucial ÒoutsiderÓ perspective).
They forget that the customer knows NONE of that, and only
cares about one thing when visiting any web page (all together nowÉ):
ÒWhatÕs in it for me?Ó
The very existence of training like this underscores, yet
again, 1) how smart, successful companies across the spectrum still fall down
when it comes to implementing one of the simplest, most basic, FOUNDATIONAL
principles of marketing (and human nature, for that matter); and 2) that this
blind spot spells enormous opportunity for people like us.
And no, knowing itÕs important to design ANY marketing material
(including web sites) with the customer in mind isnÕt the same as being able to
do it well, but just knowing it at all apparently will set you apart from some
pretty august enterprises.
Sorry, no Cliff Notes on the Òfive things,Ó but do check out
the clinic (and subscribe) at:
http://www.marketingexperiments.com/landing-page-optimization/quick-win-clinic-part-i-.html.
ItÕll make you smarter and stronger (like eating spinachÉ). LetÕs eat!
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II. ÒFIELDÓ GREENS: ATTENTION,
EX-JOURNALISTS!
LA FLCW (& Ex-Journo) Serves Up
Inside Info on Landing Work with PR Firms
Coming from the journalism world?
Got this great little piece of advice from LA-based FLCW Andrew Hindes (profiled in TWFW; www.theinhousewriter.com), about PR writing. Andrew knows the PR world, so
listen carefully here. Enjoy!
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One often-overlooked market for
FLCWÕs is public relations writing. Since 2004, my company, The In-House
Writer, has built a healthy business primarily creating press materials for PR
agencies and corporate publicity departments.
Because many publicists are too
busy with other aspects of their jobs—or donÕt especially like to
write—they are usually happy to have someone take writing projects off
their hands. I help them by crafting press releases, pitch letters, corporate
profiles, executive bios, fact sheets, talking points, speeches, Web copy—whatever they need.
PR writing is an especially good
market for someone who has worked as a journalist, as I have, and been on the
receiving end of enough press materials to know what works and what doesnÕt.
Experience as a journalist also helps in terms of finding clients: most
reporters and editors develop relationships with many publicists during their
careers.
When I first tried
freelancing—inspired by The
Well-Fed Writer—I called or emailed every PR professional I knew and
asked if they or their colleagues ever outsourced writing. A lot said no but
some said yes and gave me a try. I was meticulous about delivering the highest
quality work I could, and I soon found I had more assignments than I could
handle myself. I slowly built a
Òvirtual companyÓ based around a roster of talented writers and copyeditors
that I hire on an as-needed basis.
I was recently asked by PR News, the trade paper for the PR
industry, to become a regular contributor to the ÒPR InsidersÓ section of its
online edition. The first piece I wrote focused on one of the most important
but often neglected goals of PR writing: making journalistsÕ jobs easier.
Peter suggested it might be of
interest to readers of the WELL-FED E-PUB who work—or are considering
working—in this area of the freelance writing market.
http://www.prnewsonline.com/free/How-to-Write-for-Journalists-and-Make-Their-Jobs-Easier_15936.html
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III. MAIN ÒMEATÓ COURSE: Know Yourself, Know
Your Market and Be Flexible
OH FLCW Shares His Evolutionary Journey to Commercial
Freelancing Success
Crossed paths with an interesting guy (and prince of a human
being, to boot) last holiday season in Ohio. Visiting family in the Dayton
area, I put together a WFW workshop with the generous and gracious assistance
of a local writer, Gery Deer (the story is featured
in the 2/28/12 post at http://www.wellfedwriter.com/blog,
ÒSpeak Up and Grow Your Commercial Writing BusinessÓ).
In getting to know Gery (http://www.theconciergecopywriter.com)
at the time, he shared his story of getting started in the biz. I asked if heÕd
be willing to write it up for you guys, and he agreed. Lots of lessons here
including: leveraging past contacts, being creative and flexible, and being
open to what can come from adversity. Thanks, Gery!
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My freelance writing career began in October of 1987 as a
staff writer with my college newspaper. ItÕs hard to imagine that a part-time,
$4.75 per hour job set the stage for nearly 25 years of published work and a
uniquely satisfying career.
In college I studied mechanical engineering and computer
science, eventually starting my own on-site, IT support service. I also did
some work in the entertainment industry, both writing and performing. But no
matter where I was otherwise employed, I continued to freelance, writing for
any publication that would buy my work.
In June 1998 I started GLD Enterprises, originally an
entertainment production and media promotions service. Several years ago, when
my mother became sick, I became one of her primary caretakers. To give myself
more freedom to work from anywhere – especially from my motherÕs bedside
– I scaled back the production side of my company and changed my entire
business model to focus on writing.
Fine-tuning my practice turned out to be harder than
anticipated. While most of my work came from small-market newspapers and
magazines, the economic downturn began taking its toll on newspaper publishers,
who began cutting back. Assignments that once drew $200+ were now paying under
$50, and with even fewer of those. Fortunately, IÕd already begun taking on
commercial projects such as white papers, ebooks and
a few ghost writing jobs to help supplement the declining revenue.
Forced to modify my writing practice amidst a
recession-ravaged market, new opportunities began to present themselves.
Growing numbers of small companies were abandoning traditional advertising
methods in favor of more content-rich marketing. Gradually, I altered my focus to meet
this new demand by offering commercial writing services in the form of business
profile stories, press releases, project proposals and other
credibility-generating content.
Around the same time, another blossoming market arose as an
extraordinary number of self-published authors in my region were learning, the
hard way, that the business end of the writing profession was more difficult
than they may have imagined.
Soon I was being hired to write and distribute promotional
material for authors in every genre from religious academic literature to young
adult science fiction. My extensive list of media contacts allowed me to secure
newspaper feature stories and television and radio interviews, increasing
exposure for both my clients and myself. It wasnÕt long before my fellow
writers became some of my most valued customers.
Adjusting to new markets has been the key factor in the
success of my business and recognizing when a change is needed, in advance, was
even more vital. A certain level of determination and a fair amount of luck
also play a part in that success.
I wasnÕt sure how to blend all this into a functioning,
sustainable business model, but success hinged on three things: adjusting to
the market; being a resource for clients; and utilizing connections with
associates and business contacts while constantly networking to increase your
sphere of influence. Regardless of your situation, if you commit to learning
about your market, understanding your own abilities, and leveraging your
existing connections, you can be a well-fed writer, too!
PB Note: Check out the great tip
from Gery coming up (in Dessert) about getting on TV,
and ideally geared toward those in smaller markets (where a FLCW might be
ÒnewsÓ!).
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IV. DESSERT: Sweet Success Stories and Tips
OH FLCW ÒComplainsÓ of Too Much Work (+ Yours Truly Offers a
Few Solutions)
TIP: Are You a Smaller-Market FLCW? HereÕs
a Great Tip for F.R.E.E. Promo!
Got this Ònice-problemÓ scenario of too much work from a Midwest
writer (anonymous here to avoid getting hit up by tons of writers offering to
take the overflow!). There IS no Òcurrent state of freelancingÓ that negatively
affects everyone, as stories like this reveal. Following that, from our Main
Course writer, Gery Deer, is a cool idea for f.r.e.e promo, and tailor-made for those living in smaller
markets.
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Hi Peter: IÕve freelanced for years, but about four years
ago I read your book and applied it to my business. Now IÕm so darn busy I had
to cancel my weekend trip to Chicago. I work day and night, and the work keeps
coming. What do you do when you have more work than you can handle? Turning
work down isnÕt as easy as it sounds—especially when it comes from
established clients. Do you raise your rates? Hire an assistant?
My reply: Plenty of folks would love to have your problem
right about nowÉ There are only so many things you can do. Raise your rates. It
could run off some, but if it's not too big an increase, perhaps you'd just be
as overworked but better compensated!
And of course, finding subcontractors to whom you could farm
work, is another idea. The challenge, of course, is
finding good people you donÕt have to handhold through the process (making it
not worth it). But if you can find good people who can work independently AND
for a lot less than you bill, you can make money off the spread.
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Got this little excellent
sidebar tip/clip from Gery Deer (above) I thought was
pretty cool as a way to land f.r.e.e. promo for your commercial freelancing business.
Gery writes: ÒIÕve also been working with a new local TV
show called, ÒLiving Dayton.Ó I've had a few of my author and business clients
on it and I was asked to do a monthly Ôsmall businessÕ segment – hereÕs
the first one we did a couple of weeks ago:
http://www.wdtn.com/dpp/living_dayton/marketing-strategies-for-small-business
PB: Obviously, this is best suited to those
in smaller markets (youÕre unlikely to land such a gig in a bigger metro),
where a lone FLCW might just be more newsworthy. If youÕre in a smaller market
with similar TV or radio stations, why not suggest it?
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V. COFFEE, MINTS AND
TOOTHPICKS
- MORE WORK WITH LESS EFFORT? New Ebook
Serves Up the ÒHow-ToÓ!
- THE WELL-FED E-PUB
NEEDS ALL COURSES!
- The WELL-FED WRITER
BLOG is RockinÕ! http://www.wellfedwriter.com/blog
- AWAI Copywriting (& Other) Courses: Register Here, Get
Bonus CD!
- How Can
My Mentoring Service Serve You?
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MORE WORK WITH LESS EFFORT? New Ebook Serves Up the ÒHow-ToÓ!
ThatÕs not hype. ItÕs how my business has worked for the
better part of 18 years, thanks to some juicy partnerships with graphic
designers. The result? 1-2 jobs virtually every month with little or no effort
on my part. And I put all the how-to details down on paper. Check it out at http://www.wellfedwriter.com/partnerwithdesignersebook.shtml.
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IÕM
SERIOUSLY LOW ON ALL WELL-FED E-PUB COURSES!
Got a great strategy,
approach or specific expertise youÕre willing to share? Turn it into a Feature
(MAIN COURSE) for the EPUB (500-600 words; query first). ALSO, send your ÒGREENSÓ
(200-300 words), TIPS (150-200) and SUCCESS STORIES (100-300) to peter@wellfedwriter.com. Archived issues at http://www.wellfedwriter.com/ezine.shtml.
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The
WELL-FED WRITER BLOG is RockinÕ! http://www.wellfedwriter.com/blog
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AWAI COPYWRITING (& OTHER) COURSES: Register Here, Get Your Choice of Bonus CD Program! Six-Figure
Copywriting, Graphic Design, Internet Writing, Fundraising, Health Market and
more! http://www.wellfedwriter.com/awai.shtml.
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HOW CAN MY VARIOUS MENTORING PROGRAMS SERVE YOU?
For details and testimonials, visit http://www.wellfedwriter.com/mentoring.shtml.
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