VOLUME 24, ISSUE 7 – JULY 2025
THIS MONTH’S MENU:
I. Turn Quick Gigs Into Big-Money Projects
Build More Lucrative Client Relationships with Bigger Project Packages
II. Social Security Snafus (Joys of a Well-Fed Retirement)
Peter Bowerman is Unimpressed with Agency’s Communications
III. AI & SEO: Feeding the Beasts
How Your “Mothership” Can Stop AI Tools From “Lying” About You
I. Turn Quick Gigs Into Big-Money Projects
Build More Lucrative Client Relationships with Bigger Project Packages
Could you be leaving money on the table taking on one-off projects?
I love writing press releases for clients. But, unless I’m working for a middleman agency with regular needs, press releases tend to be one-off gigs, written when there’s news to share.
Still, there’s a big reason I love these projects…
Press releases often lead to other opportunities.
In other words, a one-page project can turn into a multi-project package.
For example, if a client contacts me wanting a press release tied to a launch, it’s an opportunity to see if they need help with website copy, packaging copy, or social media content as well.
Here’s how it worked out with my longest-term client.
This client used to hire me to write press releases when they launched a report tied results of one of their surveys. Now I also write some of those reports, the press releases tied to them, and promotional blog posts.
This kind of project-packaging can take a gig paying hundreds of dollars to one paying thousands (or turn a 4-figure contract into a 5-figure one). And you can do that without seeking a new client or doing much selling at all.
Press releases aren’t the only “quick gig” you can turn into a package deal.
For example, you might turn one-off business blog posts into a monthly retainer covering several posts and social media content to promote them.
Think about the regular projects you take on. Ask yourself if they might tie into other client needs. If so, have a conversation with your client. It just might pay off.
II. Social Security Snafus (Joys of a Well-Fed Retirement)
Peter Bowerman is Unimpressed with Agency’s Communication
Well-Fed Writer founder, Peter Bowerman, is retired. With that comes the “joy” of navigating the world of Social Security benefits. Yet, even in retirement, Peter can’t escape his professional instincts when confronted with poor communication. He’s back in the EPUB this month to share his story.
So, I’ve started the exciting process of applying for Social Security benefits. Yet, already, the eternal marketing-copywriter in me (which never retires) is less than impressed.
A small discrepancy in my earnings record necessitated getting some missing documentation into their hands. To that end, the SSA rep I reached set up a phone meeting for a month in the future, where, he said, I’d get more details.
A few hours later, an emailed letter from the SSA confirmed my meeting, but the first line read, “Thank you for contacting us for an appointment to visit our office. Please bring this notice with you when you come into the office.”
Hmmmm… Maybe I misunderstood…
But, if so, how come there was no meeting location noted anywhere in the two-page letter? In the upper left corner, was the address of the Social Security office generating the letter, but that address also prominently stated, “NOT OPEN TO VISITORS.”
Cue head-scratching.
Sigh. I called them again, and Rep #2 echoed Rep #1: Phone appointment, not in person.
I gently pointed out the paragraph above, to which he had little to say. I can’t imagine I’m the first to point this out.
If this FIRST sample of communications from this agency is representative—and I have to believe it is—how much manpower is being wasted sorting out confusing communications that create more questions than they answer?
What a cool and fun retirement project this would be…helping the SSA overhaul their communications materials. Talk about a worthy cause! There’s such a need for good writers out there, and don’t forget it!
III. AI & SEO: Feeding the Beasts
How Your “Mothership” Can Stop AI Tools From “Lying” About You
“Search engines are dead.”
“AI will kill Google search.”
It feels like every day there’s a new spin on this line. Is it dramatic? Yes. Is it true? No.
Yet my LinkedIn feed was full of these claims over the past few weeks, largely from folks associated with a certain large SEO-oriented company, pushing their high-end service to help you “rank” better as an AI source.
Quick tip: You don’t need to do this.
The company’s own research confirmed AI dominating search is at least several years out.
And there is plenty they can’t account for, from changing search algorithms and AI training practices to changes in user behavior as novelties wear off and people get a better feel for where each type of tool shines in relation to others.
If you’ve seen similar claims on social media, blogs, podcasts, YouTube, etc., please don’t rush to change how you write or what you publish.
You can build visibility in a newer channel without dismissing a current key source of traffic just because people with a financial agenda claim it’s dead or dying.
Before you change your own search habits to rely on AI tools, keep in mind they’re not exactly known for their accuracy. Not yet at least. This ties into a post Peter sent my way from Katherine Andes…
In her post, “Give AI Something to Write About,” Katherine shares her experience with ChatGPT and its improving accuracy.
“Last year when I asked ChatGPT to write a bio about me, it was pretty awful. It made up a lot of stuff… stuff I liked, actually, but stuff that wasn’t true.”
That echoes my experience with a similar ChatGPT search.
Its previous bio for me credited me with writing a couple of books that don’t exist. It also cited me as the founder of a site I don’t want any association with.
I asked it to write a similar bio just now, and the current model is indeed more accurate… largely because it’s barely re-wording bios I wrote myself for various sites I own.
This plays into Katherine’s point. She now gets a much more accurate bio from ChatGPT because it has web access rather than only outdated training data. It’s pulling from her own website copy. AI tools’ results are only as good as information we feed them.
Is your professional website offering the kind of information you want people to find if they look up you or your business in their favorite AI tool?
“I have always considered websites the ‘mothership’ of a company’s online marketing,” said Katherine. “So I recommend keeping up your website with updated information.”
I agree wholeheartedly.
I’ve warned freelancers of the risks of over-relying on third-party platforms for many years. They come. They go. Rules and algorithms change.
Your website is “owned media.” You control it. If you lose a hosting account, you can move to another one using your backups. It never fully disappears on anyone else’s whim, and you control the information there. AI searches reinforce the importance of this.
Make your website your hub. Make it the authority on you, your services, your products… anything you want people to know about you.
That’s how you help both search engines and AI tools present the most accurate information possible, driving clients to your virtual door. Does your website need a refresh?
Read Katherine Andes’ full post.
Do you have a FLCW success story or quick tip you’d like to share in a future newsletter? Email your story to epub@wellfedwriter.com and tell me about it (in fewer than 200 words), and it could be featured in the EPUB.