VOLUME 22, ISSUE 5 – MAY 2023
THIS MONTH’S MENU:
I. APPETIZER: PRICE IT BEFORE YOU WRITE IT!
Yours Truly Breaks His Own Rule, Emerges Slightly Scathed…
II. “FIELD” GREENS: WHO SAYS YOUR RATES ARE TOO HIGH?
Don’t Try to Woo Low-Ballers; Find Your Ideal Client “Fee-Fit”!
III. MAIN “MEAT” COURSE: FIND & CAPTURE YOUR BEST IDEAS
Turn Everyday Client Experiences & Interactions into Blog/Ezine Fodder
IV. DESSERT: COMBO SUCCESS STORY & TIP
MN FLCW Jumps Head-First into Uncharted Waters
I. APPETIZER: PRICE IT BEFORE YOU WRITE IT!
Yours Truly Breaks His Own Rule, Emerges Slightly Scathed…
I recently made a “rookie” mistake. I get frustrated at writers who email me about what to charge for a project, after they’ve finished it (i.e., they never discussed fees in advance with the client). Then, I did it.
My transgression wasn’t quite as bad (i.e., it wasn’t the “it’s-uncomfortable-talking-about- money” excuse, and there was fault on both sides), but nonetheless, I knew better.
I’d reached out to a relatively new client (a referral from a longtime client) to check on any upcoming needs. She wrote back, saying, yes, she’d been trying to knock out an article/short white paper, but hadn’t made any headway.
She sent me a bare-bones outline, which spawned more questions than it answered, so we set up a call to clarify things.
Unfortunately, an impending meeting gave her only 15 minutes on the call, and I didn’t get through most of my questions.
I reached out by email with a few more, but didn’t hear back, so I went ahead and got started on the project, fairly comfortable with how to proceed, and confident she’d be fair to me, fee-wise, despite never discussing those fees.
She was pleased with my first draft, noting that she’d budgeted X$ for the project, and asked if that was okay. Unfortunately, what she’d budgeted was what I’d charge for a piece well under half the length of the draft in question.
I wrote back diplomatically, noting that an earlier project I’d worked on (that she’d inherited from a predecessor), had a budget of over twice what she was offering on this current project, and for a piece ~20% shorter in length.
I took responsibility in my note for not getting clarity on the fee before starting, and she—definitely a good soul—owned up to not making the time to discuss the project in more detail with me, and not being clear about the fees.
In the end, I suggested what would be a fair fee for the piece under normal circumstances, but, taking responsibility for my part in the confusion, offered to cut my fee by ~20%—but still twice what she’d offered as her budget.
She wrote back, saying that she would have to get it approved, which she did within a day or so, and we moved on, both promising to communicate better moving forward.
I was lucky in this case, because she’s a fair and decent person, knows the quality of my work, and was quick to go to bat for me with her boss. It might not have had such a relatively positive outcome with a different client.
Bottom line, never leave fee discussions till the end. On that “price-it-before-you-write-it” note, let’s eat!
II. “FIELD” GREENS: WHO SAYS YOUR RATES ARE TOO HIGH?
Don’t Try to Woo Low-Ballers; Find Your Ideal Client “Fee-Fit”!
Some years back, I did a Q&A on a copywriting call, and this was one of the Qs I got. Too many writers try to cater to low-balling clients because they don’t do enough prospecting to find better-paying clients. Enjoy!
Q: Sometime back, I met with a VP of Business Development, shared my ballpark rate, and some months later, I hear he’s been telling people who mention my name that my rates are ‘too high.’ Should I be flattered that he considers me a ‘BMW’ and leave it alone? Should I offer to do writing for his company for $20/hour to prove him wrong?
A: In my town of Atlanta, there are people who feel a special night out means Red Lobster or Olive Garden. And for others, it’s Bacchanalia, Canoe or others that’ll run $100-$150+ per person.
Same thing for copywriting buyers. There are clients at all fee thresholds. Our job is simply to find those who value good writing and are willing to pay our rates—assuming we’re good enough to warrant those rates.
There’s little you can do about your situation (definitely DON’T offer to work for him for $20/hour!), so don’t sweat it.
And who knows? He might mention your rates to someone who DOES know the value of good writing and understands it’s an investment, not an expense, and thinks, “Hmmm…if she charges that much, she’s probably pretty good.”
Most importantly, moving forward, don’t quote hourly rates. Whenever anyone asks me my rate, I say, “My hourly rate won’t mean much without the context of a particular project. I’d much prefer to quote on a specific project.”
If they press you to give them some idea, then say something like, “Recently, I did a six-page brochure for a ____ company that ran about $2800.”
If they’re thinking a writer should be charging $25 an hour, they’ll freak and the conversation will be over.
But if they say, “That sounds about right,” they’ve now quantified you a bit more, and qualified themselves.
III. MAIN “MEAT” COURSE: FIND & CAPTURE YOUR BEST IDEAS
Turn Everyday Client Experiences & Interactions into Blog/Ezine Fodder
Many writers have a blog or newsletter, or perhaps do one for their clients’ businesses, and consistently coming up with solid ideas can be a challenge.
If you want to break through the blocks, check out this excellent advice from friend, colleague, “business-building coach for writers and copywriters” (& E-PUB regular), Ed Gandia. Thanks, Ed!
When it comes to writing content for LinkedIn posts or your own blog or newsletter, the biggest obstacle writers face is not knowing what to write about.
When I ask writers why they feel stumped, here’s the most common answer:
“Everything’s already been said. I don’t know what I could possibly write about that would be helpful to my clients and prospects.”
That’s just a story you’re telling yourself. Nothing more.
There are all kinds of interesting things you could write about. But if you keep setting the bar impossibly high—or keep moving that bar up so it’s never a set target—you’ll never write your own content.
So, here are two practical ideas to help you debunk that story you keep telling yourself and start creating content more regularly.
#1: Schedule It
Schedule “thinking time” (exactly what it sounds like) into your week. Shoot for 30 minutes.
I’ll go to my patio or even go for a walk when the weather’s nice. I’ll often
kick-start the process by reading something inspirational, spiritual, practical or business-related. After 20 minutes of reading, I’ll write down in a journal my thoughts about what I just read.
Sometimes I write about random stuff, or do stream-of-consciousness writing, moving from one point to another, and emptying the trash in my head.
Maybe I’ll think through how I handled a difficult client situation or helped a client through a tough challenge. If walking, I’ll capture my thoughts in a series of voice memos.
I think you’ll be surprised how productive this time can be!
This was hard for me to do; it sounded like such a waste of time. But I’ve learned that it’s some of the most productive and valuable time of my work week! It’s a great way to clarify my thinking, and this clearer thinking works its way into prospect and client conversations.
#2: Pay Attention to Client Conversations
Use client conversations as content fodder. Think through recent conversations you’ve had with clients where you discussed an idea, challenge or opportunity.
Think about what you discussed, what ideas you suggested or how you both decided to tackle the project. Or perhaps how you collaborated on different approaches for that white paper, ebook or article.
Many of these conversations could be turned into a short article—minus client names or other sensitive details. But by sharing these experiences and conversations with prospects and clients, you show them how you think.
And how you think can be a huge differentiator—something that sets you apart from the copywriting/content competition out there.
So, schedule some thinking time into your week; review recent client conversations; keep your radar up for more of them; keep notes of what you discussed and how you could turn it into a quick article.
The more you practice this, the easier it gets to identify potential compelling and relevant content for social media, newsletters and blogs.
You have a lot to share—just get it out of your head!
IV. DESSERT: COMBO SUCCESS STORY & TIP
MN FLCW Jumps Head-First into Uncharted Waters
Got this cool piece from St. Cloud, MN FLCW Natalie Rotunda about her experience with a writing project she knew little about, had no one with whom to consult and little to go on.
Great lesson in trusting yourself to figure it out. Thanks, Natalie!
An English prof from our local four-year college worked with the writers’ group I belonged to and for whom I was a worker bee. John’s side hustle was writing for local businesses.
He was jammed with several time-sensitive projects, and asked me to ghost one of them. My reputation was on the line, so I said “yes.” I also liked him and valued his contributions to our group. My yes was mainly a “thank-you.”
He outlined what was needed, but, as a ghostwriter, I had no one at the company I could go to for additional information. I was on my own. With a deadline. Scared to death. Talk about jumping into the deep end!
Initial panic was quickly replaced with…what else? Jumping in. I researched what I could, read and re-read John’s outline, and set to work.
Not only did I get paid handsomely for this first (ad)venture, John also generously praised me in a letter of reference he wrote for me.
Lesson here? Use your native intelligence to “get it” fast, or—not an option for me—offer to connect the client with a better-qualified writer you know.
I didn’t know I had it in me. The experience became a valuable life lesson: It IS possible to do what seems impossible at the time.