VOLUME 17, ISSUE 5 – MAY 2018
THIS MONTH’S MENU:
I. APPETIZER: GOT A “NO-CHOICE” REASON FOR DOING THIS BUSINESS?
It’s Always Easier to Do Something When You Perceive No Other Options
II. “FIELD” GREENS: GOT CLEAR PROJECT PARAMETERS?
Yours Truly Lets His Ego Get in the Way, Makes Rookie Mistake!
III. MAIN “MEAT” COURSE: USING “TELS” TO HELP CLIENTS HIRE US
How to Use “Targeted Experience Lists” to Showcase Relevant Work
IV. DESSERT: SWEET SUCCESS STORIES & TIPS
NC FLCW Scores Big Project Kudos, Reminds Writers of Success Habits!
TIP: MN FLCW: For Better Proofreading, Change Font/Size & Refresh theEyes!
I. APPETIZER: GOT A “NO-CHOICE” REASON FOR DOING THIS BUSINESS?
It’s Always Easier to Do Something When You Perceive No Other Options
My whole life, I’ve struggled with back issues, thanks to a perfect storm of unfortunate events as a youngster, resulting, in my teens, in a lot of pain, and a serious rounding of my upper back and shoulders. Not quite Quasimodo, but heading in that direction.
At age 23, a chiropractor, after looking at my X-rays, told me: “You have the spine of a 55- to 60-year-old man. Start turning this around now, or you’ll be crippled by 35.”
Me: “Tell me what I have to do, and I’ll do it.” He put me on an exercise routine, and within six months, I’d reshaped my body, and was standing noticeably taller. My doc was thrilled I’d followed his advice religiously. Overwhelmingly, his patients didn’t.
These days, I exercise and stretch upon waking (20 minutes), throughout the day, and before bed. And of course, I exercise regularly, eat well, get plenty of sleep, etc. If I get slack with any of the above, life sucks in multiple ways.
Sure, I have a choice in the matter, yet, given my desire for a healthy, mobile life, I really don’t. And therein lies a pretty good lesson:
It’s always easier to do something when you perceive you don’t have a choice.
When I started my copywriting practice at nearly 36, I was at a critical crossroads. I’d been in sales for 15 years, had had some good success, but, at that moment, was in a bad low. Make a few more poor career moves after 36, and life can turn south in a hurry.
I apparently grasped that reality (plenty of 3:15 a.m. tossing and turning), and as such, it became another “no-choice” moment. Copywriting wasn’t just going to be “the next thing.” It was going to be THE Serious Life Direction.
So, what’s your “no-choice” reason? Given that this business is no cakewalk, if you’re comfortable, and there’s no urgency, it’ll be tougher to get in gear. As such, what motivates you (or could) to do the things most people won’t do, in order to have the life that most won’t?
And not just a life with more money, but, even more importantly, one with more time, more freedom, better health, better quality of life, etc. So, what is it for you?
Family? Freedom? Control over your life? Health/Long life? Figure out what’s strong enough to conquer the fear, inertia and discomfort always present in building something new. And know that, when you identify and commit to your no-choice reason, the process will get easier. On that “we’ll-take-all-the-help-we-can-get” note, let’s eat!
II. “FIELD” GREENS: GOT CLEAR PROJECT PARAMETERS?
Yours Truly Lets His Ego Get in the Way, Makes Rookie Mistake!
So, I recently picked up a job through my Title Tailor offering—a book subtitle and back-cover copy. The author had been referred to me by her friend, for whom I’d done a full package (i.e., title, subtitle and cover copy) and who was delighted with the outcome.
After I reviewed her materials, and we got on the phone, I asked her about the title (which she wasn’t hiring me to do, but about which I had some concerns). She liked it, she said, but wasn’t married to it, and was open to something better.
She wasn’t willing to go ahead and contract/pay for the title specifically, which I understood. I told her that, in the course of doing the other pieces, my percolating process would likely come up with ideas (which is true). That sounded good to her, and she said if she liked one of them, she’d pay me for it
On the surface, it seemed reasonable: I’d work on the subtitle/cover copy, and along the way, if ideas came organically (i.e., without dedicating time to that piece), I’d write them down, and share them with her. If she liked one, it’d be like “found money.” Except, there were a few problems with my thinking…
For starters, I should have known ME better, and realized I’d take this as a challenge, and dedicate (unpaid) time to it. Which I did.
It also dawned on me (not so smart, this one) that (duh) the final choice of title would absolutely drive the subtitle. Meaning, until the title was set, my subtitle efforts would be a bit halting and unsure.
In the end, I spent way too much time on trying to come up with a new title, eventually feeling a kinship with the guy in the casino who’s in a big hole. If he quits now, he’s still in that hole. If he stays, he might win it all back. Or…dig a deeper hole
In the end, I presented her with a short list of ideas, none of which she liked better than hers. I lost my gamble, effectively having done charity work. Meanwhile, she now felt even better about her title, given that the “pro” couldn’t improve on it.
Lessons learned: Nail down firm parameters (how many times have I told people that?!), and don’t work for free, unless you’re okay with making bupkus for that time. Also, if you’re considering letting your paid brainstorming time spawn possible additional income, make sure the paid and unpaid work aren’t linked in any way. Live and learn!
III. MAIN “MEAT” COURSE: USING “TELS” TO HELP CLIENTS HIRE US
How to Use “Targeted Experience Lists” to Showcase Relevant Work
Some years back, I was referred to a project doing naming/brief product descriptions for a supermarket displays. Client was a “middleman”—a marketing company that helped such entities with their merchandising.
Before the meeting, I compiled a three-ring binder of “short copy” credits—names, taglines, headlines, etc. The client loved it, and told me later that’s what clinched the job for me. The result: Three separate weeklong, on-site gigs that paid roughly $5K each. Think it was worth the 3-4 hours spent pulling it together?
Recently, I bid on a big project in the healthcare realm, and (big surprise), the client wanted to see relevant samples from that arena. I’m no niche healthcare writer, but when I assembled a one-page list of projects (i.e., type of project, client name and one-line description), it numbered about 10.
Hardly a cornucopia, given 25 years at this, but it was impressive enough to get the green light.
What do you call such a useful tool? My made-up name for it is a TEL: Targeted Experience List. It’s what I used to call a résumé, but that’s a pretty dated word. More importantly, it doesn’t accurately capture the function.
Yes, the binder in the first account above is more involved than a typical TEL. What I describe in the second story above is a perfect example—a one-pager.
What’s the rationale behind a TEL? Well, put yourself in the shoes of a client looking to hire a writer. Think about the sales/marketing principle of Audience: Whom are you talking to and what’ll make it easy for them to respond the way you want them to? Consider the Unique Selling Proposition (USP): What sets you apart from other writers?
Sure, you can steer them to your copywriting site, but if that’s all you do, you’re making them sort through your work to find the relevant stuff. But, if the project type/industry being discussed is one for which you have experience, wouldn’t it be prudent to focus the client’s attention on that fact?
As such, creating ever-evolving lists of relevant projects in a variety of specialties (and perhaps posted on your site) just seems wise. Once created, it’s easily mailed, emailed or handed to a client. Do it, and you will set yourself apart from the competition.
Feel free to include several references on the TEL or client list: name, company name, title and phone number. Clients almost never check, but just providing the info will raise their comfort level.
For the umpteenth time, clients don’t want to spend a lot of time hunting for a writer. With a TEL, you’re creating the impression of a niche where a well-defined one doesn’t necessarily exist. Most importantly, you’re making it easy for that client to hire you.
IV. DESSERT: SWEET SUCCESS STORIES & TIPS
NC FLCW Scores Big Project Kudos, Reminds Writers of Success Habits!
TIP: MN FLCW: For Better Proofreading, Change Font/Size & Refresh the Eyes!
Got the following story from Apex, NC FLCW and ghostwriter Michelle Hill, about the kudos she’s received on a recent project, and some reminders to all of us to keep practicing the habits of writing success.
After that, a great—and oh-so-simple—proofreading tip from St. Paul, MN FLCW, Molly McBeath, that piggybacks on mine from the March E-PUB. Enjoy!
I’m ghostwriting a book for a former NBA player, Rashad McCants. I received the following note from Mary Willingham, the writer of the foreword for the book:
“I played hooky for half day today so I could get to Rashad’s book. It’s really really well done. The sources and the connections made between them are absolutely brilliant. Rashad’s personal narrative laced throughout is jaw dropping and inspirational at the same time. Wow! Super impressive.
“Thank you so much for including me. I’m sure that Rashad’s book will have a far reaching audience. It can certainly be used in classrooms, as a REAL academic source across the curriculum. Exciting.”
Rashad also gave me a boost in front of his family a few weeks ago, telling them I’d captured all the aspects of his personality and message. Wow—what a confidence-builder!
Writers, keep improving your craft. Keep self-education on the front
burner, on high. Keep being the one who’s easy to work with. Keep lines of positive communication going.
PB Note: Love the line attached to Michelle’s email signature: It’s my winning season. Everything attached to me wins! How’s that for a good attitude?
Effectively proofing your work is an essential step in preparing clean, crisp, accurate copy you can be proud of. And a little time away from your document, before giving it a final look, is often just the ticket to seeing it “newly.” But, what if a tight deadline doesn’t allow you take a break from the piece?
The March E-PUB had a proofreading tip about using the text-to-speech function to change how you engage with work you’re painfully familiar with. Here’s another tip to add to the proofreading toolbox: Change how your text is displayed on the screen (or on paper if you want to print it out for proofing).
Here’s the premise: The human brain is very spatially oriented, and we often don’t really “take in” something if it looks exactly the same as it did before. I find that I get a whole new sense of my work just by radically altering the font and/or size of my text.
By changing what the words look like and—almost more importantly—where they occur on the page, I can change my perception of how these words relate to each other and see my text with fresh eyes.
Suddenly new phrases and connections (or imperfections and redundancies) emerge. It seems too simple to be true, but this easy little change has paid off for me in big ways.