VOLUME 21, ISSUE 2 – FEBRUARY 2022
THIS MONTH’S MENU:
I. APPETIZER: MY “NO, GRACIAS” EPIPHANY
What Mexican Beachside Vendors Can Teach Us About Persistence
II. “FIELD” GREENS: ALWAYS CATER TO SKEPTICS
Marketing Pro: Understand & Address Your Audience’s Objections
III. MAIN COURSE: SPECIALIZING = MORE OPPORTUNITIES
PR Pro Debunks the “Niches Are Limiting” Argument
IV. DESSERT: COMBO SUCCESS STORY & TIP
Suggestion Turns One Project into Two—& “Writing Smart” Maximizes Fees
I. APPETIZER: MY “NO, GRACIAS” EPIPHANY
What Mexican Beachside Vendors Can Teach Us About Persistence
A few months ago, I spent ~10 days in Mexico, near Puerto Vallarta. On most Mexican beaches, and in the beachfront restaurants, wandering vendors sell a dizzying array of goods: bracelets, blankets, shirts, dresses, stuffed animals, candy, pastries, fruit cocktails, oysters – even embroidered COVID masks!
As relentless as their pitches are, I never mind them. And it’s a touching testament to the kindness of Mexican culture that the waiters in those restaurants never shoo them away. Just like them, they know they’re just trying to make a living.
That said, my knee-jerk reaction—and that of my fellow beachgoers—to their endless offers, is virtually always a polite, “No, gracias.” Speaking of which, one guy selling embroidered ball caps, upon hearing my, “no, gracias,” reached into his bag, and pulled out a cap with the stitched words… “No, gracias.” 🙂
Talk about, “When life gives you lemons…” Too funny. He almost made a sale there. How convenient it’d be to just point to my hat.
But, I passed, and got to thinking. I—and most around me—almost never seem to buy anything from these folks. Why would they stick to what seems like such a hopeless enterprise? Because I said “almost never.”
Fact is, I have purchased plenty from these sales warriors over my many trips, as, no doubt, have my fellow tourists. They stick to what appears to be a futile exercise because they live and breathe the Law of Averages.
They know that if they knock on enough “doors,” they’ll get the sales. Period. End of discussion.
These folks could teach seasoned sales pros a thing or two about persistence and determination. Plus, they’re masters at observing how we say “no, gracias,” and whether our eyes pick out something they’re carrying, and they’ll instantly follow up with a question, or a “good price for you!”
And while the work is hot, tiring, and yes, mostly unproductive, they keep on going. Sure, they stick to it largely because their better options are few and far between, and that’s sad, but they also know, if they do, it will pay off.
Our business isn’t an easy one, but it’s a bona fide opportunity, assuming we have solid writing chops. Fact is, most people you contact won’t be interested.
But, given the ongoing and eternal need of every company to create marketing materials, if we take enough swings (via cold calling, email/direct-mail marketing, networking, etc.), we absolutely will win.
Making 10, 20, 50, or even 100+ contacts that don’t immediately pan out doesn’t earn us the right to say, “This doesn’t work.” Over the decades, I’ve seen plenty of modestly talented scribes do well, largely because they just didn’t give up.
You don’t want to make the extra effort? Trust me, I’ve felt that way many times. Fine. But the work is there. On that “take-it-to-the-bank” note, let’s eat!
II. “FIELD” GREENS: ALWAYS CATER TO SKEPTICS
Marketing Pro: Understand & Address Your Audience’s Objections
Marketing and copywriting pro, Marcia Yudkin (who specializes in “marketing for introverts”), in a recent Marketing Minute blast (subscribe here), underscored the importance of avoiding sweeping statements and assumptions in articles (or other marketing materials) that are self-serving but based on scant evidence.
Declaring something to be so just because you want it to be is never a substitute for understanding and respecting your audience, and making the effort to persuade them to your point of view. Thanks, Marcia!
“Video is the best way to educate audiences who are searching for answers throughout their buying journey.”
This claim, within a marketing article, set me off for three reasons.
First, the author offered no evidence, no research and no source for this statement.
Second, because the author was Vice President of a video company, and thus stood to gain from readers believing him, he had a greater burden of proof than others claiming this.
Third, for me this didn’t even pass the plausibility test. We all know people who dislike or hate watching video because they feel it takes more time than reading, as well as people who would rather watch videos than read.
How can video be best at educating across the board when audience members have such different preferences?
Unless you’re hypnotizing them, people don’t accept things simply because you said so. Instead, assume skeptics need to be persuaded. Provide reasons. Cite data if possible.
Explain why readers should believe you. When you take the time to do that, you’ll be more credible to both those who already were leaning toward believing you and those who weren’t.
PB: Marcia’s piece reminds me of a cornerstone principle from my sales days: Answer objections before they come up! And that starts with knowing what those objections are, not just assuming everyone’s already on your “page.”
III. MAIN COURSE: SPECIALIZING = MORE OPPORTUNITIES
PR Pro Debunks the “Niches Are Limiting” Argument
Having a focused copywriting niche is a good thing, but won’t it limit your possible prospects? Yes, but, seemingly paradoxically, you can turn less into more, says PA FLCW (and regular EPUB contributor), Jennifer Mattern—PR writer and founder of the acclaimed All Freelance Writing site. Great advice!
Here’s a common argument against having a specialized writing practice:
“Specialization is too limiting because it means fewer prospects.”
Yes, it does. The mistake would be assuming this is a bad thing.
When you bring specialized skills or knowledge to the table, clients pay more. That means you need fewer clients and projects to reach your income goals. There’s no need to target the masses.
Moreover, specializing is only as limiting as you make it.
3 Types of Specialization to Consider
If the idea of writing about the same subject day in and day out doesn’t sound like fun, no worries. That’s not your only option. Here are three common specialty types:
- Niche or industry
- Client type or size
- Project type
So, for example, if you don’t want to specialize in a niche, you might opt for a project type such as case studies, speeches or trade publication features.
Creating a Unique Freelance Writing Specialty
However, you’re not limited to just one specialty. Why not combine several to create a truly unique market where you can dominate?
Several multi-niche examples:
- Email newsletters for small nonprofit organizations focused on a particular cause such as animal welfare.
- E-commerce product descriptions for clients selling toys (or home goods, pet supplies, or any type of product).
- White papers for mid-sized software firms focused on enterprise-level sales.
When One Specialty isn’t Enough
While starting with one specialty can be a good idea (i.e., it focuses your marketing and brand), you can always expand—or even narrow—things later.
For example, if you write white papers for B2B software companies, you might decide to write their landing-page copy as well. Then you might expand into writing for B2C software companies later.
Or if you write email newsletters for animal welfare organizations, you might expand to write newsletters for veterinarians’ offices. Another option would be to stick to nonprofit newsletters but work with different types of organizations.
TIP: If you decide to add a new specialty, consider keeping them loosely related like the above examples. Why? Targeting different specialties with similar audiences allows you to combine some of your marketing efforts without needing completely different branding, portfolio pieces or promotional campaigns.
For instance, a newsletter written for an animal shelter is still a relevant portfolio piece if you later target veterinarians. Having multiple compatible specialties like these opens you up to more prospects while maximizing billable hours by making your marketing more efficient.
In the end, specialization is less about limits and more about focus. It’s about finding a focus that combines your interests and expertise into an offering that a specific client base values and for which it’s willing to pay.
IV. DESSERT: COMBO SUCCESS STORY & TIP
Suggestion Turns One Project into Two—& “Writing Smart” Maximizes Fees
Had a phone meeting the other day with a client and their subject matter experts (SMEs) to gather the source material for a press release (~600 words) I was writing for them.
Partway through the meeting, I asked my contact if she’d considered a larger article on the same subject (~1000-1200 words), for some industry publications.
I added that if I knew now that I’d be doing both, the second piece would be less expensive for her than if it were a standalone piece assigned later. She thought it was a great idea.
Factoring in that additional article, and while the material was fresh in my mind, I started essentially writing the longer piece, which really didn’t take much additional time to do.
After all, it’s always easier to write “longer,” and she acknowledged that a certain percentage of the larger piece would and could be “fluffier.”
By doing so, I was making my job of writing both pieces much easier. Given that it’s always easier to reduce a longer piece to a shorter one than the reverse, creating the release would simply entail trimming the larger piece down, and adjusting its tone to match the requirements of a release.
And while my client would save money on the second piece, my strategic “longer-to-shorter” process ensured that that slightly lower fee still translated to a healthy rate, given the time invested.
Speaking of time, always think of a project from the standpoint of the value it represents to a client, not the value of the time you’ve invested in it.
Too many of us—and I’ve been guilty of it as well—start from the time standpoint, and that will always yield a lower fee than considering the ultimate value of that piece to the client.