Lori, you're very perceptive. Yes, my problem is that I fill my brain with all of the writing possibilities out there that I get overwhelmed. Your wisdom helped me to use my trade magazine writing as a jumping point rather than having to start all over again. Matter of fact, I started researching places where I want to market. I did tweak my niche--I'm focusing on the restaurant/food service industry because I grew up in the restaurant biz and food service is booming. I can also apply green service articles to them by talking about landscaping, adding green roofs/walls, etc. All of the stuff that I have written about in the past. Plus, I also wrote some articles for two different tea/coffee trade magazines years ago. So, I got some knowledge of how beverages are packaged and processed for the restaurant industry. Now, I feel motivated to move since I know which dxn I'm going in. Thank you!

And frankly, right here you're getting the same "water cooler" effect, I hope! Jenn's built a supportive community.

Yes, I do find this a supportive community and probably one where I'll get more involved as I grow this new branch of my business! Thanks Jenn and Lori! )

It's not so much fear, I suspect, as it is not knowing which direction you should head off in first, am I right?

And frankly, right here you're getting the same "water cooler" effect, I hope! Jenn's built a supportive community.

Okay, #3 explained:

You have a background in green service industry. Why can't some of that translate to simply any service industry? It can, in my book. For example, I wrote about workers compensation from an employer perspective for years. Then suddenly I was able to switch gears and write about workers compensation from a service provider's perspective. It was still somewhat employer-facing, but the service provider had a slightly different message. And it was part of a larger managed care service they provide.

So take that green service industry background. What about it applies to other industries? Surely everyone is going "green" so that's a no-brainer. But what about those things that apply to service industries in general? For instance, perhaps water conservation is a service area. What about those companies that aren't necessarily going green? Water conservation is, to them, a bottom-line issue. They want to save money. Teach them how to do it by introducing water conservation methods. Also, you could get a double whammy by showing them how to use that money-saving stuff to increase their reputations as "green" companies. Get what I mean?

It's discussions like these, with writers like you, that helps me stay motivated. Is there a hub, virtual water cooler, etc. for trade magazine writers? The trades have been profitable for me, and I'm planning on expanding, but I feel "alone" because trades aren't like the glossies--don't have the same star power--especially for me, who writes about farmers, cows, and integrated pest management (good bugs)!

Could you explain #3 in a little bit more detail?

3) You can still use that green service industry background without specializing in just that. Take away the word "green." That opens up an entirely new world. Also, what about targeting completely different industries with articles that apply the "green" part of service to their businesses? As much as it's a small sector by itself, green services are a huge part of most industries.

I printed out your response and will start doing some research on your suggestions. And it'll be easy for me to put up a couple of press releases and other samples onto my site. Thank you!

Great advice from these two fabulous ladies! I hope to add something to the superb advice you've already received.

Let me answer your questions one by one:

1) Seems to me you're doing it the hard way. It doesn't take that long to find sources if you're using ProfNet or reading the trades. Sometimes yes, you do have to search, but associations are great places to find the sources you need. An association just saved an article of mine that was doomed for lack of contacts. 

I do hear you on being given topics to write. That means you have to shift from queries to LOIs.

And don't think you won't still have to wait for checks. It does happen at the corporate level that you get clients dragging their feet, though the further up the food chain you go rate-wise, the less likely it is to happen.

2) I started in trades. Now that makes up about 15 percent of my annual income. Every contact you make in those interviews is a potential client. I wouldn't say sell to them during the interview at all, but when the article comes out, it's not a bad idea to send them a link, thank them, and mention that you also do corporate writing. That's a start.

It's also true that you can scan associations for members and member companies with whom you'd like to work. Send them a LOI. Follow up on it.

3) You can still use that green service industry background without specializing in just that. Take away the word "green." That opens up an entirely new world. Also, what about targeting completely different industries with articles that apply the "green" part of service to their businesses? As much as it's a small sector by itself, green services are a huge part of most industries.

4) You say you've tried branching out and it didn't work. Perhaps it's because you tried something so outside your background that potential clients couldn't see the connection? I hear you on the "cheap" areas, but really, we're working virtually, so current location shouldn't even factor in. But back to the branching out part:

It seems to me your agricultural and green background should not be limiting you. I have a risk management and insurance background. I work for consumer-facing companies as well as those in my skill set. So you don't think you can get into pharma (shame, given how many of them are here)? What have you done to gain the basic knowledge needed to get into the field? And why is it you're targeting them in particular? I tried it once and hated it (and the number of freelance jobs are minuscule to those without a pharma background), so I moved into healthcare management instead (and that field IS hiring freelancers). You get to write ads, press releases, newsletters, brochure copy, announcements, etc. Maybe think beyond the pharmas and aim for other industries?

5) I think LOIs to associations is okay, but try instead their membership companies. I've made a killing last year from doing that. And I aim for people like the head of marketing, director of sales or business operations, or in the case of smaller places, the CEO. You need to know how to write what they're asking for, so I suggest you get sample releases and brochures up on your website, even if you have to write them today. And yes, you can transfer article skills to white paper/case study stuff. In fact, I've written "case studies" that were a page long (amazing what people think are case studies these days).

EVERY industry needs these. It's going to be client-specific, not industry-specific.

6) Streamline the work for trades by finding a few well-paying ones and pampering the snot out of the editors. Deliver ahead of schedule, make great suggestions that show you know their publication and readers, and always give them more than they expect (sidebars, charts, etc). Remember to always aim UP the food chain in terms of rates.

Sounds to me like the roadblocks may be internal? Yes, you get rejected once or twice. How you respond to that makes the difference. If you accept it and give up, that's stuck. If, however, you consistently market and try no matter how many rejections you get, something will work.

Why is being hired by those two clients not a good thing? Not understanding. I'm working with two clients right now who have in-house staff, yet I have a steady stream of work. 

Instead of waiting for that guy from last week, move on. Yes, come back to him at some point, but the focus of your energy and attention should be on looking for more work. Like these ladies and I say, unless there's a contract in place, there's no waiting. I don't wait for maybes. I market for sure things. And yes, sometimes all the work comes in at once (welcome to freelancing!). You do it or you negotiate better deadlines where you can, or you farm out what you can't do, or you say no when you have to (I try to avoid that at all costs).

The point is to market every day (yes, every day), and follow up on past inquiries regularly. Develop a marketing plan that's consistent --it doesn't have to be rocket science or even very good, to be honest. It must, however, be consistent. It's like they say in hockey; if you're shooting the puck at the net, eventually you'll score.

Hope this helps, Wendy.

There are plenty of good books out there that should help. Just look beyond freelance writing. Look at ones for consultants and information marketers too. For example, Get Clients Now! is a good one. So is Click Millionaire. The first is more about service marketing. The second is more about building your own online content -- a big part of building your platform to attract clients, and also a way to bring in additional income at the same time. And of course you should read anything you can that specifically addresses commercial writing, like The Well-Fed Writer and The Wealthy Writer.

Here are a few specific posts here that might help to give you some ideas:

• Freelance Marketing: Market Research and Planning
• Freelance Marketing: Moving Beyond Job Boards
• 30 Ways to Build Your Writer Platform
• 20 Things You Can do Today to Market Your Freelance Writing Services
• Using Your Writing to Market Your Writing
• Marketing Tip: Become an Authority
• How to Fill a Hole in Your Schedule (the Query-Free Freelancer Way)

You might want to start with a short-form marketing plan so you can get a better feel for what you want to do and who you want to target. I have a one page marketing plan that might help. 

Just focus on a few things to start. And remember that most tactics will take time to work. The only way to get an immediate gig is to reach out and pitch someone or answer a job ad. Most of the good gigs aren't advertised. So if cold calling and other pitching techniques appeal to you, your best bet is to read Chris Bibey's post in our marketing section on the blog or check out The Well-Fed Writer which I mentioned above, from Peter Bowerman. Other than that, remember that the little things add up over time. You just have to stick with them.

I'm technically off today still and won't be back to work until Monday. But if you have questions about doing something specific, feel free to post them, and I'll see if I can turn them into detailed posts next week.

Jenn

First off, let me say I totally understand your frustration. I have spent 30+ years in the health care/insurance niche and there are times where I want to chuck the whole thing. It's good you are exploring other options. Sometimes all you need is different type of writing to breathe life back into your career.

I am almost exclusively a corporate writer and love it on many levels. I hate the thought of chasing down interviews, waiting on the trades to pay, etc. Just like you.  

Jenn makes a wonderful suggestion in ghostwriting. I wrote a guest post on ghostwriting for the trades at Anne Wayman's About Freelance Writing => Is Corporate Ghostwriting for Trade Publications Right for You? I have one gig where I do bimonthly articles for the last four years. I love it because I get paid (timely) by my client, the bylined author I ghostwrite for. I have others I do on a regular basis.

I find my health care niche definitely helps, but *shock* it's really about building relationships. I ended up getting experienced in logistics (supply chain management) because a client I worked with in the healthcare industry who liked my work moved to the logistics industry and called me.

Target marketing directors/VPs in the corporate world. Show them how you can make them look good to their bosses by hitting targeted communication goals. When you get in, you'll find you end up with multiple projects like ghostwriting, ghostblogging, white papers, case studies, etc.

Do your articles lend themselves to other applications? For example, success stories that translate to case studies, discussions of good management practices - human resources? Trust me, you can always spin it. The fact that you have published articles is a great start for ghostwriting. Although you do need to show you can be the voice of the corporate client. I talk about that in my guest post for Anne and if you do a search on ghostwriting on my blog, you'll probably find more discussions.

Sorry I wrote a small novel here - writers - we love the written word.  My final advice is step back, analyze your options, figure out what gets you excited to try and go for it. I hope this helped, Wendy. Best of luck to you and keep us posted.

Thank you!

Case studies and white papers can both be used by pharmaceutical companies like those in your area. So that might be a way to break in with them. I'm pretty sure Lori Widmer and Cathy Miller do work in that specialty area, and Lori's in your geographical area too. So let me reach out to them and see if they can stop by with any tips on breaking into corporate writing with those kinds of companies. 

As for trades where topics are given to you, are you open to ghostwriting? If so, many companies hire ghostwriters to draft trade features on their company's behalf. The trade gets them for free. The company builds their visibility and authority status with a specialized readership (and the articles aren't meant to be directly promotional). And you can be paid much faster than waiting on a trade to pay you for freelance work. Not only that, but your client is your interview source (or they'll point you to staff they want you to talk to). And you can potentially get paid to write a pitch letter, as opposed to writing hit or miss query letters to the publications themselves. In some cases your client will already have a contact at the publication they're planning to submit to. 

And you can "bloom" in any niche you want. So don't let your specialty area stop you, and don't feel like you have to appeal to those local pharma companies just because they have more money to spend. It's all in how you look at it. You might have problems getting work from local landscaping companies, but think about the larger companies that target those people -- like the landscaping equipment manufacturers, seed sellers, etc. Those companies are often bigger, have deeper pockets, and have a bigger need for things like press release, white paper, and blog writing. And you don't have to be local to get these gigs. Large companies work with remote freelancers often without any problem. They want someone who's right for the job more than someone who can show up at their local office. 

You asked about pitching organizations rather than business clients. In that case you'll often have PR people or departments instead of marketing departments handling these things. I'd make that your first contact. White papers are often more of a commercial type of writing, so I don't know that the demand would be high for that. Case studies would depend on what they're trying to do. They could be applicable in fundraising efforts. Nonprofits could also benefit from press releases and blogging, and they often need grant writers. You might also be able to help them with annual reports, newsletters, and brochures if those are of interest to you.

I hope that helps, and I hope Lori and/or Cathy have some other advice for you.

Jenn