Comments on: Which Freelance Writing Services Should You Promote the Most?

By: Seiko

Seiko — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 08:39:24 +0000

This scenario is similar to my current case, but I'm a bit unsure about mine. I mentioned it over on Query-Free Freelancer-I want to be a freelance humorist, primarily. 'Course, I'm concerned that it may not be enough (my other writing friends/mentors have mentioned that diversifying a bit is expected to pay your bills). I mean, this is humor we're talking about here-while it's great, it's something you have to make demand for, and people don't ask for it quite as often as, say, copyediting (which I've been thinking of offering on the side).

I guess I'm not exactly sure what to do. Should I push ahead with my humor writing goals, even if I'd probably get more work with copyediting? I'm not even sure if I'd like copyediting in the long run-it's just something I figured I was good at. In this case, it seems like passion vs. security, and if anything, I'd like both :V;. All the best!!

By: Writing Roundup, August 28 « Uncategorized « Jen's Writing Journey

Writing Roundup, August 28 « Uncategorized « Jen's Writing Journey — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:28:57 +0000

[...] Which Freelance Writing Services Should You Promote the Most? Jennifer Mattern gives tips for choosing which services you should promote on your web site and networking. Hint, you probably want to promote the services that pay your bills so you can afford to spend time doing the one’s you love. Mattern reminds us that we freelancers are first and foremost a business, and a business must be run with a balance between passion and practicality. [...]

By: Matt Willard

Matt Willard — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:28:46 +0000

Well, I have been interested in combining information with humor and using that as a selling point-we all remember the funny stuff, and that increases chances of retention for other information. That would be a pretty good angle to start with, I think. Either I can punch up normal stuff or write about certain topics I know about with a comedic slant (like time management and self-development).

By: Jennifer Mattern

Jennifer Mattern — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:28:38 +0000

I can tell you that from my time with one of the content networks, it was a humor site that earned the most for the writer (don’t quote me on this, but I believe at the time they were either earning 6 figures or close to it). So there’s money in humor writing — it has a natural ability to bring in repeat traffic. The trick is figuring out how to monetize it. In that sense, your own site could be a worthwhile investment. I know you have one already. Maybe you could try to mix it up a bit (short funny observations, cartoons, etc.). Long posts and humor don’t always go well together. So I’d suggest more variety.

Before making a final decision on humor vs copyediting, make a list of potential clients (and even types of clients) for your humor writing. Who would want to hire you? Look at magazines. Look at websites. Look at blogs.

Better yet, why not find ways to combine the two? Can you write persuasive, but humorous, copy? It might give you a unique selling point in copywriting / copyediting, and it might attract the bigger budget clients who need interesting copy written (think about creative companies in music, television, film, etc).

By: Matt Willard

Matt Willard — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 13:20:42 +0000

This scenario is similar to my current case, but I’m a bit unsure about mine. I mentioned it over on Query-Free Freelancer-I want to be a freelance humorist, primarily. ‘Course, I’m concerned that it may not be enough (my other writing friends/mentors have mentioned that diversifying a bit is expected to pay your bills). I mean, this is humor we’re talking about here-while it’s great, it’s something you have to make demand for, and people don’t ask for it quite as often as, say, copyediting (which I’ve been thinking of offering on the side).

I guess I’m not exactly sure what to do. Should I push ahead with my humor writing goals, even if I’d probably get more work with copyediting? I’m not even sure if I’d like copyediting in the long run-it’s just something I figured I was good at. In this case, it seems like passion vs. security, and if anything, I’d like both :V