April 2025 Issue of the Well-Fed EPUB

VOLUME 24, ISSUE 4 – APRIL 2025

NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Well-Fed Writer blog is back.

The Well-Fed Writer blog re-launched on March 3^rd. Check out some of the latest posts below:

Find more, including recently-updated self-publishing posts due to The Well-Fed Self-Publisher integration, on the blog.

THIS MONTH’S MENU:

I. SEO Doesn’t Have to be Scary
It all starts with understanding your audience.

II. Making a Case for Case Studies
ID FLCW Stays Ahead of AI Shifts with In-Demand Service

III. Client had a Change of Heart? Payment is Still Due.
What happens if a client decides not to use your approved copy?

IV. PA FLCW Grows Her Brand Writing for Green Clients
From Print to Online Commercial Freelance Writing

V. So, You Want to Self-Publish?
Commercial writers, do you have a book in you?

I. SEO Doesn’t Have to be Scary

It all starts with understanding your audience.

Sometimes SEO can feel intimidating. Even downright scary.

But it doesn’t have to.

Instead of avoiding gigs that require SEO knowledge, remember what good search engine optimization boils down to:

You need to understand your audience—what they’re looking for and how they’re searching for that information.
Your copy or content needs to satisfy your target readers’ “search intent” (seeking informational content, looking to purchase something, etc.).
Your writing should be easy for search engines to understand (use headings, use target keywords, add internal links with clear anchor text, etc.).

Is there more to SEO than that?

Yes. Much more.

But this is largely what you’ll take on as a freelance writer (unless your specialty is something like SEO copywriting).

Many clients provide target keywords, content goals, and audience details. They handle link-building. They take on the technical SEO elements.

Not your problem.

Good SEO, from the writing perspective, is about understanding your readers, giving them what they want, and helping search engines understand your content so they can put it in front of the right people.

Nothing scary about that.

II. Making a Case for Case Studies

ID FLCW Stays Ahead of AI Shifts with In-Demand Service

Boise-based FLCW, Cathy Miller, is the writer behind Old Lady Biz and one of my long-time favorite business writing sites, Simply Stated Business.

Cathy has some great advice for writers worried about AI and budget cuts: follow the demand, right to case study writing.

The freelance writing industry is changing. Shrinking marketing budgets and the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) require a shift in thinking.

So how do freelancers adjust their services to accommodate those changes? Identify the services customers are still investing in. Composing case studies is an excellent in-demand option.

What are Case Studies?

Happy customers are a company’s best marketing advertisement for products, sales, and services. Case studies are customer success stories. A well-crafted case study establishes credibility and proof that what a company is selling works.

Who Hires Case Study Writers?

A business-to-business (B2B) company is an ideal target for case study writers. B2B companies sell their products and services to other businesses and run the gamut from a sole graphic designer to mega-size corporations. Technology companies are an excellent source for case study writers.

While businesses that sell to consumers (B2C) also use case studies, the opportunities for freelance writers tend to improve in the B2B market.

What Traits do Freelance Writers Need?

Great case study writers share the following traits.

– Storytelling skills – While AI can be a useful tool, it tends to lack the creative and authentic-sounding skills of a human writer who tells a good story.

– Flexibility – Today’s case studies are different and can vary by client. Some are still written stories, but others include videos, social media posts, podcasts, and other mediums.

– Strategic partnering – Companies want more than a writer. They want a strategic partner who can offer ideas and a different approach.

Everyone loves a good story. A freelancer who knows how to deliver can achieve a great career as a case study writer.

Want to write case studies for clients?

Learn how to write case studies and other high-value commercial freelance writing projects with the Well-Fed Craft.

III. Client had a Change of Heart? Payment is Still Due.

What happens if a client decides not to use your approved copy?

In over 20 years in business, I’ve only had one client fail to pay.

This was early in my career. It was a small gig—a single press release for a new product launch.

It wasn’t about the money so much as it was the principle of the thing.

Unless you go out of your way to add a “kill fee” to your contracts, like you might find in a magazine writing gig, they don’t generally exist in commercial freelance writing.

You take on the gig. You deliver your copy. The client approves the copy. You get paid.

(Sometimes not entirely in that order.)

Even if the client later decides not to run with that approved copy for whatever reason… you get paid. In full.

This is where that former press release client and I failed to see eye-to-eye.

You see… he ordered a press release. I did the research. I wrote the release. He approved the final copy. And then…

He didn’t pay.

He and his team ultimately decided not to release the product at all.

Fine. Your poor planning is not my problem. Here’s the invoice. (Of course I didn’t put it quite that way.)

He ignored the invoice. For weeks. Then months.

He ignored the payment reminders.

He ignored me completely.

Until he wanted something.

When the client neared his next launch, he came back like nothing happened.

My response went something like this:

“Sure! Happy to help you out. But you should know you were on an old client discount I no longer offer, and current rates are $X (3x the rate he failed to pay the last time). Payment would be due up front. Once that and this prior invoice are settled, I’ll schedule you in.”

Never heard from him again.

Sometimes letting the bad clients “self-fire” is the way to go.

Remember, unless your contract states otherwise, you’re owed for any copy delivered and approved. If the client changes their mind after and opts not to use your work, that’s on them.

To close on a positive…

Something similar happened with a white paper project. Thousands of dollars were on the line with this one.

An SEO firm’s owners hired me to write a white paper to help them break into a new vertical. Draft approved. Sent to their designers. Then it happened…

They weren’t going to release the white paper after all.

It had nothing to do with my work. They just decided they weren’t ready to expand into a new market yet.

Cue brief panic as I thought back on that earlier client making a similar decision…

But no.

They paid the invoice and hired me to write two more white papers related to their existing core markets instead.

All’s well that ends well!

IV. From Print to Online Freelance Commercial Writing

PA FLCW Grows Her Brand Writing for Green Clients

Freelancer, Wendy Komancheck, shares a success story about transitioning from print writing work to freelance commercial writing as The Landscape Writer.

During the Great Recession of 2008, the trade magazines for which I regularly wrote started producing less content, or they were being sold. At the time, I was also a stringer for a local weekly newspaper as well as for agricultural and commercial green industry trades.

I knew I needed to make a switch because I was getting less work. A few years beforehand, I read Peter’s book, The Well-Fed Writer, and felt inspired to start my own commercial freelancing business. However, I didn’t feel prepared because my background was in education, and I wasn’t interested in writing for that market.

I did what many of you have done before—I took a freelance copywriting course through Writer’s Digest and volunteered my writing services pro bono for two non-profits.

I’ve been in business for 12 years, writing social media captions, blogs, and newsletters for garden centers, landscape companies, and digital marketing agencies. I love my work and am glad I made the switch. I didn’t completely give up writing for trade magazines, but they’re not my sole bread and butter anymore.

V. So, You Want to Self-Publish?

Commercial writers, do you have a book in you?

Let 16-year self-publishing veteran, Sharon Hurley Hall, take the mystery out of nonfiction publishing with her “So You Want to Self-Publish?” masterclass.

What can a nonfiction book do for you as a freelance commercial writer?

– Be seen as a recognized thought-leader in your specialty.

– Share your ideas with a broader audience.

– Land speaking engagements.

– Serve as an introduction to your work for later courses, mentoring services, and more.

– Attract new freelance commercial writing clients.

By the end of Sharon’s masterclass, you’ll have a better idea of what’s involved in self-publishing and if it’s the right fit for you and your nonfiction book.

When: June 2, 2025 – 9:00-11:30am EDT

Where: Zoom

Register Here: https://lu.ma/2i8dn74e

Get Featured in a Future Well-Fed Writer EPUB

Would you like to be included in a future issue of the Well-Fed EPUB? I’m always open for contributions. Here’s what I’m looking for:

Submit a question related to freelance commercial writing, and I might answer it in a future newsletter.
Send in a collection of tips, an introduction to a specific project type, or other advice for your fellow FLCWs (max of 200 words).
Share a brief success story (max of 200 words) about landing your first gig, a dream client, an important contract, successfully raising rates, or another inspirational story.
Send me a “quick tip” (fewer than 100 words) that could help FLCWs builds, grow, and run their business.

Submissions can be emailed to epub@wellfedwriter.com for consideration.