NOTE: This month, IÕm sending out the E-PUB on the first Wednesday
instead of the first Tuesday, to steer clear of the "first-day-back-after-the-holiday-weekend"
email crush! Normal schedule will resume next month.
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 9 – SEPTEMBER 2012 – HAPPY (WELL-FED) LABOR DAY!
Publishing
the first Tuesday of every month since May 2002
Read
it Online at: http://www.wellfedwriter.com/ezine/sept2012.html
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WELL-FED
GROUP COACHING SERIES #10 STARTS 10/16/12!
About
HALF the 12 slots are filled at this point, and I wonÕt be doing another till
spring at least, so donÕt wait! All details/testimonials: http://wellfedwriter.com/groupcoaching.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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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. APPETIZER: THE WELL-FED WRITER BLOG
RECAP!
SEO Success; Generous FLCWÕs; Pros/Cons
of Long-Term Gigs; Clients with Money!
II. ÒFIELDÓ GREENS: LEARNING FROM
STEVE JOBSÕS PRESS RELEASES
LA FLCW on Crafting Memorable (Not Mundane) Press Release
Quotes
III. MAIN ÒMEATÓ COURSE: THE ZEN OF
COLD CALLING SUCCESS
FLCW Adjusts Mind, Overcomes Dread,
Gets Big Results, CanÕt Wait to Call More!
IV. DESSERT: Sweet Success Stories and Tips – a TASTY
2-IN-1!
Pittsburgh FLCW Reworks Slowing Business into
Better-than-Ever Shape!
V. COFFEE, MINTS AND
TOOTHPICKS
- WELL-FED GROUP COACHING (October Series) NOW ENROLLING!
- 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. APPETIZER: THE WELL-FED WRITER BLOG
RECAP!
SEO Success; Generous FLCWÕs; Pros/Cons
of Long-Term Gigs; Clients with Money!
The story of a FLCWÕs
amazing success optimizing her site for the search engines. How yours truly
came to do a piece of ÒspecÓ work for a client. What a FLCW learned about
taking on a long-term gig in paradise. A budding FLCWÕs epiphany about clients
with money vs. those withoutÉ Rich discussion, plenty of ideas shared.
All subjects of recent
Well-Fed Writer Blog posts (http://www.wellfedwriter.com/blog/). If you havenÕt checked out the blog lately, I
invite you to visit and weigh in. HereÕs what weÕve been talking about:
1) ÒHow I Get Copywriting
Clients Through SEO: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.Ó Guest poster Jenny Munn
shares the specific how-to of optimizing her site for the search engines with
enough success that sheÕs had to do far less marketing than before. Check out
her process along with input from a bunch of fellow FLCWÕs.
2) ÒAre You Striking a
Balance Between a Serious Writing Business and a Generous Spirit?Ó In this
post, I tell how I came up with some creative ideas for an unassigned project,
shared them with a client, and earned a bit of money and a lot of goodwill. It
launched a deeper discussion about coming from a place of abundance.
3) ÒAre Long-Term On-Site
Gigs (Even in Hawaii!) Worth It?Ó Guest poster Laurie Schmidt jumped on an
opportunity few of us could resist: eight months on-site in Hawaii. But she
discovered there are many factors to consider when accepting a long-term
scenario. Which spawned a lot of input from her fellow FLCWÕs.
4) ÒCommercial-Writing
Clients with Money vs. Ones Without: Like Night and Day.Ó An offhand
observation from a group coaching participant and budding FLCW about clients
with money vs. those without being Òlike different speciesÓ launched a cool
discussion: how finding well-paying clients can totally ÒrewireÓ your experience
of this business.
Come add your voices to
the discussions at http://www.wellfedwriter.com/blog.
Speaking of group
coaching (you like that segue?), donÕt forget that Series #10 of Well-Fed Group
Coaching, beginning 10/16/12, is enrolling now, with nearly half the 12 slots
filled. And I wonÕt be doing another until late spring of next year.
If you want to position
yourself for a strong start in 2013 (and donÕt want to wait until spring for
the next program!, I invite you to check out the details (AND strong
testimonials from past participants) at: http://wellfedwriter.com/groupcoaching.shtml.
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II. ÒFIELDÓ GREENS: LEARNING FROM
STEVE JOBSÕ PRESS RELEASES
LA FLCW on Crafting Memorable (Not Mundane) Press Release
Quotes
Los Angeles FLCW Andrew Hindes (http://www.theinhousewriter.com)
is a former journalist with over 20 years entertainment, technology and writing
experience. In addition to copywriting, he does onsite corporate-PR-writing
training for PR agencies and corporate PR departments, focused on writing
effective press releases and email pitches etc., and making journalistsÕ jobs
easier.
A regular contributor to PRNews, he recently sent me a link
to his piece, Ò6 Things Steve Jobs Taught Us About Writing Press Releases.Ó I
especially liked that his advice can transfer to many arenas of copywriting.
While I canÕt reproduce the piece in its entirety here due to copyright issues,
hereÕs an encapsulated version with a link to the article.
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Steve Jobs was famously unafraid to be provocative in print,
and a master at conveying bold ideas in a few sentences. We can learn a lot
about writing compelling press release quotations from his public statements
over the years. Here are a few examples of what a press release quotation can
convey (see the link below for actual illustrative quotes):
1) BRAND PERSONALITY: By using more colorful, colloquial
language, a quote can communicate a sense of individuality, passion, fun
and—if used judiciously—even a sense of humor, that sets a business
apart from its competitors.
2) A SUBJECTIVE VIEWPOINT: While it should avoid hyperbole
and breathless adjectives, the executive quote offers a chance to describe the
significance of an announcement in qualitative, rather than quantitative terms.
3) BOLD STATEMENTS: An executive quote can sometimes get
away with provocative statements or predictions.
4) POSITIONING AND CONTEXT: In order to help readers reach a
conclusion that may not be obvious from the facts alone, a quote can Òconnect
the dotsÓ for journalists and the public.
5) NUANCE: Sometimes an announcement will raise questions in
the minds of more sophisticated readers that may not occur to a more general
readership. The executive quote offers a way to address an issue without
drawing attention to it.
6) POSITIVE SPIN: When the news isnÕt good, an executive
quote can soften the blow by pointing out more upbeat aspects of the story.
This has to be done carefully though: executives should avoid sounding
Pollyannaish, or worse, deceitful or cavalier, by trying to put a happy face on
bad news. The key is to first acknowledge the problem and then counterbalance
it with an optimistic (but truthful) appraisal.
Read the full article with examples of JobsÕ press
statements at: http://www.prnewsonline.com/prinsiders/6-Things-Steve-Jobs-Taught-Us-About-Press-Releases-Writing_16371.html
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III. MAIN ÒMEATÓ COURSE: THE ZEN OF
COLD CALLING SUCCESS
FLCW Adjusts Mind, Overcomes Dread,
Gets Big Results, CanÕt Wait to Call More!
Canadian FLCW Lou Anne Reddon (la@lareddon.com,
http://lareddon.com)
sent me the following great account of cold-calling success a few months back.
I loved the Òthere-I-wasÓ tone of the piece, along with her smart mind
strategies for approaching the task at hand. No, most cold-calling sessions,
especially as limited as this one was, donÕt always end up so well. But, even
if yours donÕt, Lou AnneÕs tale should at least remove the fear of angry,
barking prospects telling us to, ÒGet lost and never call again!Ó Enjoy!
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Despite PeterÕs assurances that cold calling works and isnÕt
the gruesome scenario we imagine, I still experienced abject terror just
thinking about it.
I havenÕt made hundreds of calls. Yet! In fact, on my first
day, I only managed ten. I had to leave two voicemails. But the eight remaining
calls resulted in two projects, a meeting, two offers to partner with smaller
firms, two referrals and enthusiastic promises to keep me on file. I can hardly
wait to make more calls! (Did I just say that?).
My approach was crafted from passages in TWFW, the call with
Wendy Weiss (see below) and some basic principles of positive thinking.
First, I adjusted my attitude. I wasnÕt making cold calls or
marketing; I was meeting new people, making some friends and mingling. Rather
than feeling like ÒUgh! I have to make cold calls,Ó I got excited. ÒWow! I get
to talk to some nice people and offer my help.Ó
I always feel more professional and confident when I dress
the part. So I did.
IÕd written and discarded many scripts. Nothing I wrote felt
natural. Then I did what copywriters are supposed to do. I walked a mile in my
prospectsÕ moccasins. What would I appreciate hearing?
This is what I finally went with:
(Big smile. Deep breath. Dial.) Hello! My name is Lou Anne
Reddon. IÕm a freelance copywriter and IÕm just calling to let you know that
IÕm available to help if thereÕs some way my skills might serve you.
ThatÕs it! No sales pitch. No desperate pleas or groveling.
No time-suck. ÒHey, IÕm here if you need me. If you donÕt, cÕest la vie. Next!
Have a nice day.Ó No pressure, no commitments. My humble little blurb,
pleasantly delivered, piqued their curiosity and prompted unexpectedly long
conversations about exactly what those skills might be.
My takeaways:
1) I only got one gatekeeper. When she asked who was
calling, I gave her my name as if I call there every day and I got patched
through to the VP of Marketing of a Fortune 500 company. Every other time, I
connected live with Senior Creative Directors, MarCom Managers and company
owners.
2) My prospects seemed completely starved and grateful
for human contact. They were all so friendly and nice, it was FUN talking to
them.
3) Every single one asked me to send my info. When I did, I
included a short but polite thank-you for their time and consideration and
encouraged them to let others know about me. Several wrote back, inviting me to
connect with them on LinkedIn and Twitter.
4) Two of them told me they had arrangements with their
other freelancers to give them a commission if they brought them business for
other services (e.g., if I needed a graphic artist or web developer in order to
close the deal for a copywriting client and steered him their way). Marketing
and ad agencies, design firms, etc. appear to be facing their own challenges in
attracting new business.
5) Only one asked about rates but I was prepared and
she didnÕt flinch.
WeÕre all people with the same needs and fears. Show concern
and appreciation. Genuinely care. Ease anotherÕs pain, solve his problem, make
him look good, help him succeed and heÕll love you for it. The magic really DOES
happen outside your comfort zone. You were right, Peter. Again!
An update from Lou Anne: Things are
going gangbusters here! Thanks for publishing my story. IÕm still amazed at how
productive and how much fun it was. IÕd only add this:
Be patient. Two months after IÕd left a
voicemail, a dream prospect phoned me to say his company (a large specialty
cataloguer) had never used a freelancer before but the time had come. There was
more work than his in-house staff could handle. What could I tell him about
hiring a freelancer? I put together a piece that included quotes from Bob Bly
on the subject. It was based on my work experience in catalogue writing and
production but I wrote it objectively, more as a white paper. After a few
months of back and forth, I became their first-ever freelancer.
PB Note: Check out the recording & transcript of the Wendy
Weiss call that Lou Anne refers to above, at http://www.wellfedwriter.com/coldcallingteleseminar.shtml (and for a song!). Wendy & I covered some solid,
practical ideas in our interview.
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IV. DESSERT: Sweet Success Stories and Tips – a TASTY
2-IN-1!
Pittsburgh FLCW Reworks Slowing Business into
Better-than-Ever Shape!
Got this great combo success story/tips piece from
Pittsburgh, PA FLCW Jeff Durosko
(www.duroskopr.com;
jeff@duroskopr.com),
who, after nearly seven years in the business, is chugging along just fine
– again! Jeff hit a rough patch, but got busy and revitalized his
business. Great lessons and strategies throughout. Note the no-charge web
makeover he got in return for sending a bunch of work over time to a web
developer. Never hurts to build a base of folks who are in your debt!
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After six-plus years of steady business, depending solely on
referrals, things slowed down at the end of 2011: one client contract ended and
others cut back a bit. I'd been busy enough to keep 2-3 other independent
writers and PR pros busy with work I was able to pass off to them. So, the
first thing I did was let them know that I'd be hanging on to more, and subcontracting
less, BUT, never fear, I had a plan.
My plan was a pretty simple three-step program that I
launched after the first of the year.
1. Remake my brand. I hated my look and website after
living with what had meant to be a temporary solution for more than six years. I
tapped one of my design friends (to whom IÕd given some business), for a bid.
Since he hadn't yet given me any biz, he said he'd do it for free as
"payment" for the business I'd sent his way. Now I have a look I
love and a website (www.duroskopr.com)
to match. Best of all, I just landed a client who found me through the website
- actually filled out the "contact us" form on the site. Four
meetings and one proposal later, I have a one-year contract.
2. Revisit the 300 or so good contacts I had in terms of
former clients and colleagues. I did a simple outreach email to a whole gang of
people and was stunned at the positive response, in terms of calls, emails and referrals
received. I also checked back in with folks who had expressed interest in my
services but as yet, had never connected. So far, this has resulted in two new
projects, both long-term, from former clients.
3. Join a local organization of marketing folks in a
business sector I want to crack. After attending one networking event and
meeting six people, I asked each of them for a meeting. Five said yes and one
said let's meet in the fall. Once again, I was stunned.
The results? I am busier than ever with three new long-term
clients that I love and one more starting up in a month. This FLCW life
continues to be the best move I ever made.
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V. COFFEE, MINTS AND
TOOTHPICKS
- WELL-FED GROUP COACHING (October Series) NOW ENROLLING!
- 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?
****************************************
WELL-FED GROUP COACHING (October Series) NOW ENROLLING!
Ready to confidently launch your commercial writing
business? Or take your early-stage practice to the next level? Grab one of the
few spots left in WF Group Coaching series starting 10/16/12. Details: http://wellfedwriter.com/groupcoaching.shtml
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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. Check out all the how-to details: 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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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 MULTIPLE MENTORING PROGRAMS SERVE YOU?
For details and testimonials, visit http://www.wellfedwriter.com/mentoring.shtml.
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