VOLUME 18, ISSUE 2 – FEBRUARY 2019
THIS MONTH’S MENU:
I. APPETIZER: THE POWER OF STARTING
The First Step Is Always the Hardest, But Reality Vanquishes Irrational Fears
II. “FIELD” GREENS: GOOD WRITERS STUDY LIFE
Marketing Maven: Immersion in Humanities Is Best Marketing Training Going
III. MAIN “MEAT” COURSE: THE POWER OF LETTING GO (OF CLIENTS…)
NY FLCW (with Cool Niche) Grabs Reins, Decides Who’s NOT Worth Working for…
IV. DESSERT: SWEET SUCCESS STORIES & TIPS
CA FLCW Joins Co-Working Space, Quickly Lands Three Gigs (for Starters!)
TIP: VT FLCW Suggests Promising Local Networking Platform
I. APPETIZER: THE POWER OF STARTING
The First Step Is Always the Hardest, But Reality Vanquishes Irrational Fears
A few Thanksgivings ago, I spent the holiday with a group of friends in a rental house on Lake Burton in NE GA. On a (stupid) bet, I agreed to jump in the lake for 60 seconds (I’m a serious cold-water fan).
Lake temperature: 45° F. Crazy cold. The hardest part? Just doing it (no kidding, right?). Once I was in, it was just me and the clock. No big deal.
Remember the first time you jumped off a high diving board? You spent so much time getting ready, getting psyched (a.k.a. stalling), and yes, getting freaked out. But once you took the plunge (sorry), it was easy. Or if not easy, not nearly as scary and difficult as you’d imagined it’d be. AND, you probably immediately did it again, right?
Ever notice how many things are like that?
I see it all the time with newbie cold-callers. OMG, you’d think they’d been forced to walk a 4”-wide plank swaying above shark-infested waters. But then they do it, and, far more often than not, it’s like they fell into a loving school of playful dolphins.
Many actually enjoy themselves, but even those who don’t, now have clear and relaxed eyes about the exercise. And when that happens, it stops being an obstacle, and it becomes a tool to get you where you want to go.
There is enormous power in starting something. Before you do, everything’s just theoretical. All it can be is what your imagination conjures up, and, as we’ve all learned, that charming process will yield some dark, scary, gnarly stuff.
OR, if not fear, perhaps just visions of hassle-filled tedium. But those unpleasant images simply can’t survive the first demystifying step of “pedal to the metal.”
So, whatever you want to accomplish—cold-calling campaign, new marketing initiative, creating an info-product, revamping your website, whatever—if you’re dreading the start, just decide you’re going to take a baby step, and then stop.
I’d wager that first step quickly leads to a lot more, and I’m telling you, you have no idea the amazing places you could end up going. On that “the-world-is-waiting” note, let’s eat!
II. “FIELD” GREENS: GOOD WRITERS STUDY LIFE
Marketing Maven: Immersion in Humanities Is Best Marketing Training Going
Marketing pro Marcia Yudkin shared the following spot-on bit in her 12/5/18 Marketing Minute. To anyone wondering what they should study in order to be a good copywriter, her answer (AND mine)? Anything and everything!
I read recently that many American colleges are desperately trying to increase the numbers of their humanities majors. Apparently too many students (or their parents) now believe that only more practical degrees in technology, health care, math or finance prepare you for a successful career.
I fervently believe that the liberal arts equip you well for the complexity of modern life. History, literature, art, religious studies and philosophy all help you understand the context in which we live.
They provide perspectives that can undergird the twists and turns of just about any career for decades. They also teach critical thinking and problem- solving for a world where answers are no longer set by a teacher.
After schooling ends, it’s equally vital to expose yourself to broadening and challenging ideas—if not by reading, then by traveling, watching international movies or getting to know people with vastly different backgrounds or core beliefs than your own.
Technical knowledge isn’t enough to achieve excellence in marketing. Becoming well-rounded leads to better decision-making, reading of the marketplace, communication flair and ability to connect with people.
PB: I couldn’t agree more. Being a voracious lifelong traveler, reader, ethnic foodie, and having a rough working knowledge of several foreign languages, together, has absolutely helped me see the world more broadly, and made me a better writer.
III. MAIN “MEAT” COURSE: THE POWER OF LETTING GO (OF CLIENTS…)
NY FLCW (with Cool Niche) Grabs Reins, Decides Who’s NOT Worth Working for…
Great “coming-of-age” piece from Ithaca, NY FLCW Debbie Curtis, about the power of letting go of PITA clients (you know what it means), to make room for higher-caliber ones.
Also, check out Debbie’s cool niches—proof positive that you can leverage virtually any background into a commercial-writing practice!
Experts in psychology, life coaches, and self-help books often advise people to let go of old resentments and move on with their life. Same holds true for freelancers—only what we occasionally need to let go of is clients!
I’ve been seriously freelancing for a few years now, and had a big “boom” period last year for a few months. It was fantastic! I was juggling as many as 19 projects at once, reveling in the money coming in, happy my marketing was paying off, working up to 12 hours a day, and always putting in some time on weekends to keep up.
I was proud of accomplishing my goal of being a full-time freelancer— paying the bills and then some.
AND, I was exhausted.
I’m used to hard work, but realized that, not only was I burned out, but several of my clients were, to put it simply, pains in the butt.
Both wanted a series of press releases. One actually argued with me about what a press release was. She’d call and blab for over 30 minutes. I couldn’t make her happy, so I let her go.
The other one was worse. I couldn’t decide if she was simply too busy to give me the right information in a timely manner, or just a wingnut.
I’d ask her for the info I needed to write the release, and get no response… until 9:30 on Friday night when she’d call to tell me she was emailing me the information.
Saturday morning, I realized she’d sent me nothing pertinent. I asked again. When did she finally send me what I needed? Tuesday, when I was driving to pick up two horses I’d just bought. “Can we get this out today?” she asked in her perky little voice. “Well, no.”
The destination for those releases was American Horse Publications, an association of equine journalists, photographers, and equine-related businesses.
You have to be a member (which I am) to submit a press release. Members can submit one press release a month, and I use mine to promote my copywriting practice; it’s how I’ve gotten all my clients in my equine niche*.
(*In addition to my equine niche, I earn much of my income from two bus trade mags—I’m a retired school bus driver after 20 years—as well as other marketing-writing for transportation-related businesses. So, BOTH niches are transportation-related, and as I have Palomino horses, it’s all yellow transportation, too!)
I sent in the press release the next day in her name, only to find out that she hadn’t actually joined. She told me she thought I’d use my one release for her company! Enough was enough.
Soon after, she received an email from me explaining that I had clients who were easier to work for, who didn’t call me on Friday night and who sent me information on time. And, who didn’t expect things to be done ‘today’ that had been simmering for weeks—thanks to a lack of response on their end.
Perhaps another writer would’ve been more diplomatic. But it felt good to get those pent-up feelings off my chest. Maybe she’ll work with another freelancer down the road and actually have a good relationship with them because she got a clue from me on how to do that!
I made it my goal to have subsequent marketing efforts pull in better clients, but, after I let those two go, this cabin-fevered writer cut back a little after a hectic three months, and spent time outside training her new horses!
IV. DESSERT: SWEET SUCCESS STORIES & TIPS
CA FLCW Joins Co-Working Space, Quickly Lands Three Gigs (for Starters!)
TIP: VT FLCW Suggests Promising Local Networking Platform
Great success story (with the obvious potential for much more) from Petaluma, CA FLCW Linda Jay. Anyone considering mixing up your “office” time between home and a co-working space might just make that move after reading this.
After that, Gail Schwartz, a FLCW from St. Albans, VT FLCW, serves up a useful networking tip.
When I moved from trendy Marin County, California, to the somewhat rural/somewhat sophisticated town of Petaluma five years ago, I experienced a real stroke of good luck.
While exploring the interesting downtown area one morning, I found WORK Petaluma—a lively shared working space for entrepreneurs, freelancers, creative artists of all types, and out-of-the-box thinkers in general. AND, San Francisco magazine’s 2017 choice for “Best Shared Working-Space” in the Bay Area. Intrigued, I asked for a tour.
It was an easy decision to join, particularly after the owner (Natasha) discovered my decades of editing and writing experience, and immediately asked me to edit the weekly e-newsletter and write a monthly profile about various coWORKers.
Soon I was attending the weekly Tuesday morning Coffee Socials, with anywhere from 10-to-25 lively, creative and often outrageous co-WORKers sitting around two long white tables, discussing books, films and much more.
Within a few months, I started receiving interesting freelance jobs from several of the coWORKers:
- I copyedited a book on fractal art (computer-based) for an MIT grad who’s also an artist, musician, and computer guru.
- I signed on as the copyeditor/copywriter for a Scotsman who’s a bank-fraud expert; I write LinkedIn blog posts, and will eventually write articles.
- The inventor of a new travel app hired me to edit twice-a-week blogs, website reviews, and eventually, handle other writing assignments.
There have been other assignments as well, but these three all appeared fairly recently. I had no idea when I discovered WORK Petaluma that it’d be the source of such varied, fascinating freelance work. I’m excited to see what other jobs might come along!
Networking groups online are a great way to expand your network and learn in the process. There are lots on LinkedIn and Facebook, but I recently joined one geared toward small businesses called Alignable. Their focus is local networking so if you live in a relatively populated area, it could be a good tool.
One of the best ways to use the platform and meet people from near or far, is to participate in the Q&A forum. I’ve found a lot of the questions pertinent to my own learning and I’ve also been able to provide some valuable advice about copy that’s gained me several new contacts and a potential gig (still in the works). Good luck!
PB: I joined my local Alignable chapter, and while it hasn’t yielded paying work yet, I’ve made some promising contacts (and it doesn’t require much time!). The nice thing is that everyone in your local chapter is basically a neighbor, which gives you something in common right out of the gate.