As an independent professional, do you respond to everyone who contacts you? I don’t. I had a comment left publicly for me on a forum today because I didn’t respond to someone’s contact through the forum’s private message system. While a part of me understands their frustration (I struggle to reach colleagues that I know personally half of the time because of their busy schedules), … read more
While a marketing calendar can be an important tool in book marketing, it can also help writers of all kinds promote their work more efficiently. What is a Marketing Calendar? A marketing calendar is a calendar (you can choose whether to make it monthly, weekly, or daily), where you lay out your planned marketing activities based on events throughout the year. How to Create Your … read more
Advertising your writing services on writing forums may seem like a natural marketing activity to bring in freelance writing clients, but it probably won’t be the most effective way to harness forum postings to bring in gigs. Here’s why: A forum for writers to network won’t necessarily be overflowing with clients looking to hire within your niche. A writing forum is going to very likely … read more
Latoya had a third great question for this week’s reader question set: Question “Anytime I’ve worked with clients for more than a few months, I noticed the relationship gets kind of stale. It becomes a very robotic process of receiving assignments, returning the work, and then receiving payment. So, do you have any advice for relationship building when you work with someone strictly via email?” … read more
Here’s another question from Latoya of Writers Brew: Question What tips do you have for creating a referral system using existing clients? Answer I can’t say that I’ve ever set up a referral “system” with my existing clients. I’m a big believer in natural referrals whenever possible… they just carry more weight. My clients are happy with my work, and they refer me to their … read more
I see a question asked repeatedly by writers and webmasters… “How can I market my e-book?” Well for starters, that’s something you should have thought about before writing it, now isn’t it? But OK… you’ll see the same responses surface each time: Launch an affiliate program. Write a long sales letter. Get testimonials. Submit to article directories. Start a newsletter. Use pay-per-click ads or other … read more
As freelance writers, it’s not uncommon to have our work referred to potential clients from past clients or from other writers (or other publishing professionals in our networks). But too many writers stop there, when referral possibilities can seem practically endless if you really put some thought into it. Business cards are just the tool to help you improve your referral network. Here’s how: Online … read more
People are always asking what the “best” marketing tool or tactic is. While marketing tactics can’t be the same for everyone and every purpose, there’s one surefire marketing rule that any writer would benefit from, no matter their style, level, or niche: Do something to market your writing every single day! Yes, seven days a week. Even on your days “off,” there’s no excuse not … read more
It’s no secret that business networking is vital to the careers of many successful freelance writers. Networking is simply the act of connecting with colleagues, potential clients, or others in your industry, and those connections have a tendency to lead to freelance writing gigs; including unpublished ones. How My Network Gets Me Gigs Personally, I get the majority of my clients (both in writing and … read more
One of the most important things you can do as a freelance writer (whether you work predominantly online or off) is networking with other writers. Many of the best freelance writing gigs are never published, but can be passed along by writers in your network who have come across it through their contacts. A strong network can also lead to referrals. All writers will occasionally … read more