Don We Now Our…Mental Armor for 2010
So, I’m hanging out with family for a few days in that dead zone at the end of the year, feeling like I need to be a little introspective….meaningful… significant… Y’know, that “let’s-reflect-on-2009†backwards glance (I know, many of you would just as soon not) “and-look-forward-to-2010†optimism (better).
Actually, all I really want to do is veg out, sleep late, eat too many holiday treats, and be monumentally unproductive. And so far, for the most part, mission accomplished.
If that’s you, too, let’s rouse ourselves up for a few moments of lucidity, brush the cookie crumbs off our ratty sweats, switch off the TV (fret not; it’ll still be there when we’re done, ready to once again serve up all manner of inanity), pensively grasp our chins in hand, and ponder what’s been and what’s coming for us commercial freelancers. A few stream-of-consciousness musings…
The world has changed for most Americans this year. But if unemployment stands at 10 percent, that means…
Employment stands at 90 percent.
The overwhelming majority of companies still open their doors and answer their phones every Monday. They still have to market (even more so now), still have to sell, and still have to communicate with employees. And that means a lot of writing. Yes, some have pulled those tasks in-house, reducing many a freelancer’s rates and pipeline volumes, but at the same time, consider that…
Many companies have dropped pricey agencies or design firms, or jettisoned creative/communications staffs, but still need to get the work done.
Think they’d be receptive to a smart, creative, strategic commercial writer/designer team? I’d bet on it. Now’s the time to forge those alliances so you’re prepared to offer prospects end-to-end solutions, not writing services. In that vein…
Stop thinking of yourselves as freelance writers (that’s about us: features). We’re problem-solvers (that’s about them: benefits), and speaking to clients in those terms will resonate.
Many smaller companies have folded and many more will disappear before the pendulum swings back. But, chances are, the ones hanging tough are smart and savvy – just the kind to understand the value of good copywriting. Because, after all…
Writing is the engine of commerce, and don’t you ever forget it.
No product or service gets explained, promoted, marketed, publicized or purchased, and no one gets informed, educated, pitched or sold…without writing. And none of the preceding gets done well without good writing. Writing is the alpha and the omega of all business and is present at every stage of every business strategy, process, campaign and transaction. Nothing happens without words. So, what’s your writing gift?
Figure out what writing value you offer.
You won’t get hired by any company unless you deliver something of real value they can’t do themselves. If you’re able to deliver great copy AND dispense sage marketing advice to companies going through a rough patch, you’ll be in demand (of course, many who’ve shared with me of late how well things are going already know that).
Maybe you’re able to transform complex subjects into accessible copy. Perhaps you’re an expert on X subject or Y project type. Whatever it is…
Make sure your web site clearly showcases what you do, is easy to get around and assumes that prospects have no time whatsoever to hunt (the truth).
If even just writing well is your strong suit, remember:
Bad writing is everywhere. It’s epidemic.
There are plenty of firms that would hugely benefit from nothing more than clear, coherent marketing materials and web content. Regardless of your gift, how to find them? Well, if your usual watering holes have dried up, consider that…
It’s a numbers game, and the Law of Averages is ironclad.
Landing business may have become an uncertain proposition, but one absolute constant is the Law of Averages. Knock on enough doors and you’ll find the work. Guaranteed. So, dust off your phone prospecting skills. I know, yuck. But it works. Every time. And that’s powerful stuff.
These days, me-too pessimism is the easy path, so let’s be contrarian and upbeat, shall we? No glibness intended. No question, the tough times are real. AND, last I checked, we’re still the gatekeeper of our thoughts. Even if you don’t feel like it, play along anyway, and after you’re done, there are a few holiday cookies, the remote and a nap waiting for you.
Why are you bullish about 2010?
What are you going to do more of in 2010? Less of?
What negative habit are you going to jettison in 2010?
What trends do you think bode well for commercial freelancers?
There’s SO much opportunity for FLCW’s going forward it’s not even funny.
In addition to what PB mentioned above, the Internet is becoming a force in the marketing plans for many companies.
That means web page copy, autoresponder copy, social marketing page copy, profiles etc…etc…
Plus…
Even if companies use more video, the scripts for those videos still need written by somebody (you?).
And that’s just the newer, emerging market of online marketing for companies.
There’s even more as agencies get fired in place of “outside perspective” (you?).
Then, you can add value as a consultant of sorts (or as a main part of your business as I do) etc…etc…
Way TOO MUCH opportunity is available for too few good FLCW’s available. As long as you produce quality writing that produces the intended result (not always sales or leads for some assignments)…you’re “in like Flynn.”
Enjoy 2010 fellow writers…I know I will 🙂
Thanks, Peter. Great way to start off the new year with inspiring observations, especially about bad writing and the law of averages. New opportunities are coming out of the woodwork for my business these days.
But “writing is the alpha and omega of all business”?
How do you explain that to a group of programmers who think the world revolves around their code?
How do you explain that to the sales staff who claim that their ideal client is “someone who’s dumber than me and pays his bills on time.”
Just trying to liven up the discussion….
In 2010 I will continue to do what I started in early 2009: be more selective about the projects I take. I’m more focused on the ones that both pay well and are fun to do.
I am going to get back to old school next year, I decided. More cold calling, more copywriting instead of reporting. I heard an interesting comment on BookTV from Walter Isaacson, a Time mag guy and author of bios of Kissinger, Einstein, and Franklin. He, naturally, had a blessed career in “the writing life,” as he termed it–hopping from one wonderful opportunity to the next, fueled by his innate talent, loved by all. But he did say one interesting thing. He said what if the web and internet had come first and someone came along afterward and said, Yes, this is good, but what if we could deliver you a paper version of all these stories every morning–you could read it in the bathroom or in bed, see stories you didn’t know you were interested in until you saw the headlines, you could keep it for years, and so on. I don’t quite know what this means–but I thought it was interesting. Of course, it’s too late for papers and books to come second. Or is it?
What I need to do more of in 2010: working on the most creative projects and the A priorities in the morning, because my brain is usually at peak function from approximately 8:30 a.m. to noon. Actually I could probably move the beginning back further than that, if I did more of another thing: condition my brain to expect good things from the coming day and thus be more willing to get out of bed. Might also help me sleep better and build more energy for the morning if I did the same thing in the evening.
“Less of” and negative habits: Negative in all senses of the word is complaining and worst-case-scenario thinking. Another bad habit is wasting my peak hours on trivial e-mail and the like out of a misguided intent to “get the simple things out of the way first–it’ll just take a few minutes” (of course, it never comes close to being that quick). And one other is being too quick to place To Do tasks on the high-priority list. (This doesn’t just happen with “urgent” matters, either; I’m the type who rarely meets an idea I don’t like, which is great for accumulating writing fodder but a problem when it comes to time management.)
Probably another thing I _should_ do is find someone to be accountable to for developing better habits. And one more thing to do more of is effective marketing. Thinking about that brings to mind a question that could generate a whole new discussion: now that e-mail and social networking are available, how are you using them to supplement (or even replace) the traditional cold calling by phone?
Oh–I forgot–another resolution is that I took a couple of sites off my list for daily visits–the ones that list crummy payers such as Demand and the rest and defend the right of writers to be exploited and go broke. I said–FINALLY–life is too short. I was never getting any jobs from the other ads they listed anyhow!
In 2010 I’m going to figure out how to get paid well writing for the web. That is – not how anyone can get paid well, but how Steve can get paid well. I got some good advice from a FLCW guru earlier this year to not completely sacrifice print for web. Not that I was previously without web related projects, but my dependence on print was almost a nail in my coffin in 2009. I may have just been in the right places at the wrong times.
My modified marketing approach (I’m testing it before I go all out) actually provided a busy December (not typical for me, but welcome this year), so I think I’m on the right track with some niche offerings. The thing I have to get used to is increasing my marketing volume. It’s just a new fact of life, but as you stated Peter, the results will be along the lines of the activity levels. We’ll see how 2010 ramps up.
Peter, I notice on your site there is a lot of print in your work samples. I know you do a good amount of agency work. Are you and your agency partners seeing print work remain steady (i.e. marketing brochures, etc.)? Are they/you having to make more effort toward web related projects and web based marketing initiatives for customers or is it status quo in your world?
The biggest positive for me in 2010 is that I will continue to stake my future on this business. In 2009 I spent significant time considering other options. The grass may appear greener somewhere else or may really BE greener for that matter, but I decided to get my lawn tools out and make mine into a yard that I can be proud of. The sweat will be good for me. slr
Star’s comment reminds me: does anyone know of a site that advertises decently-paying article-writing jobs? (“Articles” including blogs and newsletters.) I know that the value of online job boards will never equal that of referrals and person-to-person contact, and I have to admit most job boards of _any_ kind return disappointing results (if only because it’s hard to really screen out the items you’d have to be starving to consider) and that article/blog writing sites are the absolute worst because they don’t even seem to care if the rates offered would average out to minimum wage per hour. Still, if there are any sites where a writer can find a $200-or-more job, it would be nice to have the extra option.
2010 will definitely be a new era for me. I’m currently building my website and compiling my portfolio. Next phase is self-marketing, which I’m actually very excited for. I’ve got past experience cold-calling B2B for someone else, and I’m thrilled at the opportunity to do it for myself now. There is a vast amount of work ahead, but I’m up for it. They say either you discipline yourself or be disciplined by someone else– and it’s time for some good ole’ self-discipline.
My ambitions for the New Year are to keep my hopes high and my nose to the grindstone. I know there is a lot of good fruit at the top of the tree, so I need to stay focused on opportunities worth my time and not get distracted by those beneath me. Starting out, this is extremely hard to do. Thanks to Peter’s guidance, I think I can keep my head on straight. The good news is that I don’t need much to replace my current income, so I’m shooting for launching full-time at the end of the summer when we relocate.
It’s going to be a great year. I feel it in my bones!
Good luck to ALL!
Since I’m really just starting out expanding into FLCW, all I’m doing at the moment is taking it all in, and feeling grateful to have stumbled upon Peter’s book and this great blog, which offers plenty of good food for thought. In other words, I’m taking notes, hoping to use some of the ideas presented here in my pitches in the new year, and looking at taking baby steps that will hopefully cover more ground toward the end of the new year. It’s a bit overwhelming at the moment, as it always is when you cross into new territory. I have confidence, though, in my skill and all the honing I’ve been doing the past 18 years, so I’m gearing up to give it a go. Glad to have you all popping in here from time to time for moral support!
What I love about you, Peter, is your postive attitude. You had me at “Employment stands at 90 percent.”
I’m a perspective person – if you change your perspective, you change your outcome. I’m as bullish about 2010 as I was about 2009 and 2008. I decided how much money I was going to earn and I worked for it. This year I didn’t meet my monthly targets consistently, but I was able to see where it was going wrong and fix it. That’s the stuff that’s coming with me into 2010. 2010 will be about saying “no” more often and avoiding the jobs that are obviously rubbish. It will be more about showing clients the value and ignoring the attempts at pathetic prices.
I’m seeing a trend starting already, and it’s something you mentioned here. Bad writing is indeed everywhere. But that means there’s a huge potential for good writing. I’ve read some of the $5 and $10 articles – they’re pretty much rubbish. Fine if rubbish is what you pay, but I’m a professional. My work is worth MUCH more. But I’m seeing clients returning to my pricing points because the work they got for much cheaper was exactly what they paid for. I’m also seeing clients who intended to low ball reconsider that in lieu of quality. There will still be the people who want tons of content in order to drive up their Google rankings. They’re not my clients. Eventually, all those content sites will cancel each other out and these lousy jobs will disappear. There are only so many articles on dog grooming or inkjet printers a person can possibly need. 😉
http://allfreelancewriting.com/freelancewriting/freelance-writing-jobs/
Jenn Mattern says she will only post jobs over $50–it beats five bucks, anyhow. This will be very Tues. I still go to Angela Hoy, although some she passes on are lowish (she fights for writers) …http://writersweekly.com (Wed). Carol Tice is also going to post jobs over $50. At least $50 a whack adds up to more than a burger–could even be a CC minimum.
My opinion on the “freelance job sites” and the mindset behind using them (the ones that post “jobs” etc… for what amounts to a really small amount of money)…
IMHO, those sites are o.k. to use when getting started in freelancing, but at some point you have to analyze your business and mindset as a FLCW and decide when you’re worth more than that (kind of following what Lori said above).
The reason these sites offer the “article jobs for $5.00” is because there are many writers that will write them for that rate. This is what I call a passive writing business…depending on “what jobs are available” on these sites.
My advice is (if you are depending on these passive “jobs”), adjust your mindset from “scarcity” to “abundance”. There are PLENTY of clients looking for good writers and willing to pay way more than “$50 per job”.
To get that kind of money though, requires you also adjust the way you market yourself in that you will have to adjust from “passive” to “more aggressive (not in the bad sense of the word)”. Start contacting companies that offer (and need) the kind of assignments that pay the solid fees you deserve in 2010.
I totally agree with Joseph’s line of thinking above. There comes a time when you have to ask yourself…what kind of writer do I want to be, and what do I want my business to look like? I had to face the music on that one myself and stop taking online article assignments for $50-100 an article. I once read in a book (probably Peter’s book or one that he recommended) that when you take low-paying writing jobs like that, your subconscious mind starts believing that’s what you’re worth. Come on FLCWs – we’re better than that! 🙂 Once I started believing my writing was worth $75/hour, I started getting the projects that paid that much. Now, I don’t write a magazine article unless they pay me close to what I would earn for a commercial project (there are publications that do pay that well, but they’re typically print – not web). I’m probably the last person to give advice, as I’m still building my business, learning lessons the hard way, etc. – but my advice is: don’t spin your wheels working for peanuts. Maybe if you’re short on clips, but then only until you get some clips and then move on fast!
As for Peter’s question: what I’m going to do more of in 2010 is cold call, cold call, cold call. Less than 2 hours of calling last week landed me a $600 project. It works. And the negative habit I’m going to jettison is giving my time and expertise away for free.
I VERY much enjoyed this, Peter. Things have really slowed down for me, so the doomsday boohoos had begun to creep in. How nice it is to have a little “birdy” in my ear reminding me of how things really are. “Writing is the engine of commerce” really did it for me. I liked it so much I quoted you on my website. Besides, it can’t hurt for my clients and visitors to hear that tasty morsel from someone else besides little ‘ole me. 🙂 Thanks and Happy New Year to you and all our fellow writers!
Good copy is still the bets bang for the buck. Smart businesses realize that. A compelling concept, well expressed, will sell. And all that requires is a writer and one’s media format of choice. Web-based businesses can be spectacularly cost efficient compared to the old brick and mortar approach. A writer is a great investment.
My goal for this year is to create more subscription-based products. I’m a big fan of that steady monthly income.
Wow – what great comments. Had a feeling it’d be a good conversation starter. Been traveling back home the last day so just now catching up with these gems. As usual, you guys didn’t disappoint.
Thanks, Joseph for your usual against-the-tide positivity. Listening to him, one might just forget that they’re supposed to be worried! And of course, the rate conversation is always welcome. Bottom line, there’s a reason we get paid what we get paid, and while those charging $25 an hour (or heaven forbid, $5 an article!) get what they get.
And good solid suggestions/resolutions: more cold-calling (Lori, Laurie – nice going on the $600 job; and she’s right – cold calling does work); better clients and drawing our line in the sand, rates-wise (Star, Lori); better time management (Katherine, I’m with you on the email thing; so easy to let email do a “Death-by-1,000-Cuts” number on our day if we let it); being more selective about projects, and choosing ones that are fun – what a concept (thanks, John); committing oneself to the business (Steve; and yes, it’s easy to get spooked, but there really is a ton lot of opportunity if you’re good); the power of disciplining yourself (Kinsey, love that: “either you discipline yourself or be disciplined by someone else.” Talk about putting discipline in perspective; when you realize those are indeed your choices, it’s a whole lot easier to crack the whip on your own behind… 😉
And thanks for weighing in, Roxane. You indeed stumbled on a powerful posse here. These are the kinds of folks you want to be hanging around, needless to say! Thanks for the kind words – but hey, as Andrea says, someone’s got to be a counterweight to all the fear-mongering. And writing IS indeed th engine of commerce. May sound hype-y, but it only takes about 2 seconds of thinking to realize how true it is. And We Write the Words.
Steve, FYI, I actually don’t do a lot of agency work (I work with graphic designers, but not many full agencies). There will always be a need for print material. Sure, more goes to the web than 10 years ago, but people still want to hold things in their hand, and even when it is web-based, it’s still likely to be projects that could just as easily be print (case studies, sales sheets, white papers, some brochures, etc).
And hey, forward the blog link to others – let’s shake some folks out of their doldrums… 😉
PB
This was at least entertaining, while we are on the subject.
http://freelancewrite.about.com/od/manageyourcareer/a/bizrecords.htm
Great post Peter.
I continue to be impressed that even though would-be FLCWs have flooded the market, it’s still so easy to stand out with excellent work. And I keep repeating that first point to people — 90% of folks still have jobs! We’ve hardly become Ethiopia or something. And the vibe I’ve seen is that we’re on the cusp of turning around big time, and the first thing that is happening is every company out there wants to build their online content like mad. They’ve tried cheap SEO crap on their sites, and now they get it — they need authoritative, powerful content to use the Internet to sell their business effectively. GREAT opportunities for FLCWs! I scored a $10,000 project at the end of the year that was all online content. Sooo much going on out there.
My final Make a Living Writing posts of the year are similarly upbeat — 2 Things Freelance Writers Need To Make More in 2010 http://www.caroltice.com/blog/35 and Why Freelance Writers Need to Make $100 an Hour. http://www.caroltice.com/blog/36. I’m sure you’ll approve!
Carol Tice
http://www.caroltice.com
http://Twitter.com/TiceWrites
Jeez–just got an email offering me free content for my blog.
Newsusa.com. Told them to SIT ON A TACK!
Great post, Peter.
I like to think of copy as the infantry that actually does the work after the artillery (graphics, photos, etc.) has softened the field.
Cheesy…but true. Ha!
With all the talk of business beginning to pick up, now’s the time to ask clients if they are ready for the recovery.
Happy New Year to all,
Robin Halcomb
Wonderful reflections, Peter! I’ve already started what I will strive to continue in 2010 — less procrastination, more personal output. Having just published my first non-client “personal” project is what makes me optimistic about putting in more future time on what I truly want to do. The habit to jettison is definitely putting off my favorite projects until I get all the other, more tedious stuff done. As far as client work, the trend that I have seen produce some great projects is the economic downturn itself. As people and companies scramble to stake a claim, they often turn to creative projects that will help spread word of mouth and create some additional income. Best wishes to everyone for a joyfully prosperous 2010!
I’m going to religiously practice a couple of my favorite gems from The Well-Fed Writer. These include:
1. The “secret weapon” – Reliability. I just landed a full website facelift with a winery outside of St. Louis, Missouri. The owner was bummed because copy changes she had requested from the previous writer in November were still NOT made this week (January). Amazing! In addition to writing new copy … I will oversee the new graphics by teaming with a designer. Cheers!
2. Market myself as if my life depends on it. Because it does.
I am currently in a peak & valley cycle. Though business was very good in 2009 … I’m looking to achieve even greater success in 2010. I plan on utilizing many of the techniques from the book … including more targeted cold calling. Yum!
In other news …
I had the pleasure of meeting PB at a St. Louis event over the holidays. What a great mix of inspiration & information. Thanks again, Peter! If you get the opportunity to do the same … don’t miss it.
Best wishes to all FLCWs for a successful 2010.
Peter – Just came across this post today. Dead on, buddy!! Over the last few months, I’ve decided to stop focusing on anything negative. Period. I’ve turned off the news (I actually did that over a year ago). I won’t read anything with the slightest hint of negativity. And I will literally walk away from someone who’s talking trash.
Bottom line: my life has improved. Dramatically! You know…times have been much worse than this. And yet people prospered — at least the ones who stopped focusing on what was wrong and instead looked for opportunity and stayed on course.
For us writers, the opportunity is so incredible, I’m constantly amazed at how many people complain about the economy. Here’s the thing. To do well, you may need to step outside of your comfort zone. You may need to get away from magazine articles that no longer pay well. But so many writers want prosperity AND want to be able to choose where that prosperity is going to come from.
Doesn’t work that way. If things aren’t happening in your regular target market, do some thinking and strategizing. Figure out where they’re happening. And go there.
Go…there’s nothing stopping you but yourself.
Hope everyone here has an amazing year. And that you surprise yourself with what you’re capable of!
Peter, I loved that you used the word, “jettison” in speaking of bad habits instead of “getting rid of”. One dictionary definition of jettison: “a throwing overboard of goods to lighten a ship, airplane, (or person, I might add), during times of emergency or distress.
Some may view the current economic climate as the emergency or distress, but I view it differently. I know I’m in distress when I can’t seem to focus, begin to procrastinate, or start overthinking everything. That behavior is a clue that I need to let something go–even if that “something” is just in my mind.
Thanks Ed,
I’m with you. I can’t remember the last time I watched the news, and yes, I read the newspaper, but mainly to see what’s going on around town. I move right past the negativity (which, yes, is MOST of it!). Years ago, I heard something that likely was one of the catalysts to my own personal news blackout. Some motivational speaker said, in essence, “What do most people do right before they go to bed? Watch the news! So, the last thing they hear before laying their head on the pillow is murder and mayhem. Mankind at its worst. And all night long, those words are getting etched in their brains. Is it any wonder that most people wake up gloomy and pessimistic?”
Simplistic perhaps, but a lot of truth to it as well. We really have a lot of control over the input we allow into our psyches, and few people exercise that control. Anyway, don’t want to veer off into woo-woo, but good points, methinks.
And yes, I can think of several writer friends specializing in magazine writing who are in the exact place you describe: supremely P.O.’d that they can’t make the living they want HOW they want, and not at all happy about having to find other ways to do that. For me, it’s always in large part, about the lifestyle, and living life on my own terms. And most writing won’t get you there. But, of course, ours will.
And Ron, sorry I just noticed your comment (#2, from 12/28, awaiting approval) this morning. You wrote: “But ‘writing is the alpha and omega of all business’?
How do you explain that to a group of programmers who think the world revolves around their code? How do you explain that to the sales staff who claim that their ideal client is “someone who’s dumber than me and pays his bills on time.†Good questions. And I wasn’t suggesting we all troop into our next meeting with programmers or sales staff, claiming the primacy of writing above all else. You WOULD likely get some strange reactions. More importantly is that WE as writers get that (and I truly believe it with every fiber of my being; none of the other happens in the absence of words) so we truly grasp the importance of what we do.
PB
It’s true that companies are dropping pricey agencies but still need to get the work done, which creates opportunities.
For a couple of years I’ve been writing a quarterly newsletter for one of Iowa’s leading retirement communities, which relies on an agency to handle its other marketing work. During a meeting in late 2009, the marketing director at the retirement community asked if I would be interested in helping them with the organization’s advertising. As she explained, “We’re not a Fortune 500 company and don’t have unlimited marketing budgets, so we’re trimming costs by moving away from our agency.â€
I jumped at the chance. Now I’m assisting this client not only with the quarterly newsletter, but monthly advertisements, sales brochures, newspaper columns, the annual report, photography and more. Everyone wins, because the client gets the work done at a more affordable price, and I get more projects, while earning my full rate.
Peter, I totally agree with your assessment that it’s time to stop thinking of ourselves as freelance writers and start promoting ourselves as problem-solvers. After all, companies that are surviving in this economy understand the value of good copywriting and are willing to pay for it—because they know it’s still a bargain.
Happy New Year, Peter~
Good for you to be a drum-major in the Let’s March Outta This Funk Band! I often think of you when I read gloom and doom news and your assertion that the more companies cut back on staff, the better it is for independents.
In my January newsletter to our spa’s clients, I exhorted everyone to join us in saying every morning in the mirror – Better Again in 2010! We have nothing to fear but negativity itself.
Another positive thing that dovetails with your piece on Groovera: I agree that songs without words are better when you’re plucking your own from the ether. I love Pandora and am customizing more and more stations for myself. Today I’m listening to Philip Glass, but if you’re looking to get more upbeat, Mendelssohn, Bach, and Mozart are scientifically proven to boost productivity.
If you’re just straightening up your office or paying bills, however, it’s great to tune into the music of your halcyon days. I love cranking up Led Zeppelin, Vampire Weekend, and Coldplay or dialing back with The Roches, Joni Mitchell and Karla Bonoff.
My negative behavior I’m leaving in 2009 is letting everyone else take my reins. I got my bit in my teeth and I’m heading MY way on the highway!
Thanks for being a force for good in the world!
All the best to you and all your followers,
Jemille
Someone’s had their daily caffeine and is reinventing again. I need a nap. LOL.