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Tag: networking

  • 5 Online Networking Tips for New Freelance Writers

    5 Online Networking Tips for New Freelance Writers

    As a newbie freelancer, you’re told all the time: network, network, network.

    Building relationships makes good business sense and can lead to referrals and other opportunities down the road. But how exactly are you supposed to do it?

    It’s not like you can schmooze at an office happy hour. Conferences are wonderful, but they can cost quite a bit of money, which you may not have when you’re just starting out. Heck–maybe you chose freelance writing because you wanted to leave the world of conferences and happy hours behind.

    So what does networking look like in such a solitary profession?

    Here are five non-awkward networking tips for the newbie freelancer.

    1. Seek out role models

    When I first started out, I was hungry for success stories. I’d taken the Writeto1K course and sought out writers who had taken the same course and were “making” it.

    If you’re part of a particular online community, try connecting with someone a few paces ahead of you whose work and successes you admire. If you’re starting totally from scratch, look for someone in your chosen niche. Whether it’s digital marketing, health, computer gaming, boutique pet food–you name it, someone’s making a killing writing about it.

    Find your heroes. Stalk them (Ahem: Read their posts and learn).

    2. Comment on blogs

    Whatever business-related question you have in mind, there’s a good chance the person you want to connect with has already written about it — a lot. What are their best tips?

    When you see something you find helpful, comment and say thanks. This can serve as your introduction point if you want to make a more personal connection later. Plus, it’s just good manners. And who doesn’t love seeing that their work helped someone else?

    That string of appreciative comments after a post can do a freelancer’s heart a world of good.

    online networking for writers3. Email with specific questions

    Connecting with people you admire is key, but be careful. You want to be respectful of a potential mentor’s time and expertise.

    That means “let me pick your brain” requests won’t help you build goodwill and gain the tools you need to succeed. What will help? Specific questions.

    Here’s a few to consider: “What are your best tips for managing writing time vs. mom time?” Or “What’s your most consistent method of getting clients?” Or “You’re one of the few people I’ve found that writes in my niche — can you give me ballpark figures of what I should be charging?”

    Once I did this and something amazing happened. I heard back from an established freelancer I’d sent a friendly email to: She was creating a program to help newbies land their very first client and wanted to know if I’d like to test drive it — for free. Yes please!

    That was the ticket for me. This mentor helped me customize my pitch, designed an awesome logo for my business, and scoured job boards looking for opportunities that fit my experience. In no time at all I started hearing back from jobs where before there’d been only crickets. I had my first $1,000 sooner than I’d thought possible.

    More importantly, though, I had confidence. I had clients and ongoing work. I was a real freelance writer–all it took was a boost from a friendly stranger.

    4. Stay in touch

    Any successful freelance writer is all over the web. For home-based workers, social media is our water cooler. If you’ve found someone you think you can learn from, connect with her on LinkedIn, follow her on Twitter and subscribe to her blog.

    Every time your chosen mentor sends out a tweet or update, you get to learn some new trick of the trade. And as any new freelancer knows, there’s so much to learn at the beginning. Why not hear it from the best?

    No one is an island. You need peers (otherwise known as a squad) in this gig — even if you don’t see them face to face. Also, staying in touch is simply good business: keep yourself in the loop with professionals who know their stuff so that you’re ready for any opportunities they may want to pass your way.

    5. Be friendly

    Finally, don’t be a jerk. (Duh).

    We writers don’t get enough social interaction as it is; no one wants to deal with a forceful email or bummer tweet. Be open, be friendly, say thanks. Who you are online is who you are in life; communicate online like someone you’d want to hang out with in person.

    For me, networking paid off financially really quickly and helped me build confidence. But if networking is so beneficial, why do writers have to be told, over and over again, to do it?

    Maybe because people who choose writing tend to be introverted, and that shyness can put a stopper on our gumption. But really–what’s the worst that can happen? As writers, rejection is just part of the game. If you reach out to a freelancer and ask for advice the worst you can hear is a polite “no.”

    But in my experience, that doesn’t often happen. The freelancers I’ve met since I’ve started are open, generous, and happy to make a connection. They know that we’re all in this together; if one of us does well, it’s good for everyone. They’re happy to spread the love.

    So if you’re just starting out and wanting to make connections, you can be a little afraid. But then you should do it anyway.  

    You may just meet a friend.

    Do you have any networking tips for freelance writers? Share them in the comments below!

  • #SquadGoals: Why Every Freelancer Needs a Writing Community

    #SquadGoals: Why Every Freelancer Needs a Writing Community

    Do you have a freelance writing squad? Can you name at least five editors and writers who support your work, give you opportunities and help your career grow?

    A lot of early-career freelancers focus on getting clients and clips, or pitching those higher-paying gigs — but while you’re building your portfolio, you should also be building your squad.

    Why do you need a freelance squad?

    Freelance writing is often a solo act, and it’s no secret that a lot of writers are introverts. Who needs people when you have the blank page, right?

    Well…you still need people, and I don’t just mean “that client you email once a week with a project status update.” Building a group of editors, writers and friends who both support and help you is essential to your freelance — and, dare I say, personal — growth.

    Your squad is different from your network. If you’ve been freelancing for a while, you’ve probably built up at least a small network: your current clients, your previous clients, that editor who invited you to pitch their publication, the freelancer you met at an event and friended on Facebook, etc.

    But that doesn’t mean you have a squad. A network is aware of your existence. A squad wants you to succeed.

    If you find yourself falling short of your income goal, for example, you could email someone in your network asking if they know of any gigs and they’d probably send a polite response back. Someone in your squad would already know you were looking for work and be ready with a potential new lead.

    How do you find your squad?

    You might have already found a few squad members without realizing it.

    Do you have an editor who always replies quickly to your emails, gives you constructive feedback, asks you to contribute more work and passes along new opportunities? That person is on your squad.

    You might have another editor or client who gives you steady work and pays on time, but never offers any bigger projects or higher-profile opportunities. That person is not on your squad. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t work for them, it’s just to note that they are not actively invested in helping you grow.

    Same goes for other writers. You might already have a freelance bestie who is ready to offer an extra pair of eyes on a draft or recommend you for a new gig. You might know a writer who consistently promotes your work on social media or gives you good advice in a forum or Facebook group. These people could be your squad members.

    If you don’t yet know those editors or writers, here’s how to find them:

    • Keep pitching. You can’t meet an editor who loves your work until you pitch them.
    • Join writing groups and online forums. Writing groups like Carol Tice’s Freelance Writers Den are often great places to get to know people. You can also join The Write Life’s Facebook community!
    • Meet other freelancers in person. Go to conferences, join Meetup groups or ask local freelancers if they’d like to get a cup of coffee. Introverts: here are some good conversation starters to help build those IRL friendships.

    A note about social media: Sites like Twitter used to be one of the best ways to meet other writers, but the way we use social media has shifted. Following or replying to someone on social media is not necessarily going to lead to a professional relationship the way it might have a few years ago. People are now building those kinds of relationships in private forums and online groups — which means you’ll need to figure out where those are and which ones are accepting new members.

    #SquadGoals go both ways

    Your squad is there to support you, but you need to support them as well.

    If you know that a publication is hiring, it’s time to tell your friend that they might be perfect for this gig. If one of your most supportive editors puts out a call for pitches, you should respond — even if it’s to say “I wish I could take this on but I’m fully booked right now.”

    Your goal as a writer is to build your career — but you can do a lot towards building your squad’s careers, too. Share their articles online. Recommend them to other people. Offer to be a beta reader and provide constructive feedback. Be present in the forums or Slack channels when they need to vent.

    Be aware that good squads are often small. You can provide better support to a few select people than you can to everyone in your writing forum — you don’t have time to read everyone’s first drafts, after all. It might take a while to figure out who in your network should become a member of your core squad. (You might also have the experience of thinking you’re in someone’s squad when they consider you part of their larger network. Don’t take it personally.)

    With a squad by your side, you’ll have a group of people whom you know you can trust. You’ll also be building the types of friendships and professional relationships that many people find in a traditional workplace. All of this will help you both personally and professionally — and, even if you are an introvert, having a squad will make your freelance career a lot more fun.

    Do you have a freelance squad? How did you find your people? Share your #squadgoals in the comments!

    Nicole Dieker is a freelance writer and a Senior Editor at The Billfold. Her debut novel, The Biographies of Ordinary People, was published in May 2017.

  • 10 Handy Conversation Starters for Introverted Writers

    10 Handy Conversation Starters for Introverted Writers

    Anyone who thrives in the solitary act of writing probably has some difficulty networking.

    Once you finally come out of your focus tunnel for air, it can be hard to articulate what you’re working on and what it means for your overall career.

    It’s even worse if you’re a full-time something-elser and a freelance writer on the side.

    Not only are you hustling nearly nonstop; you also probably lack the time to get to writing-related events in your community. When you finally do make it to a reading or a happy hour, the pressure makes you clam up — and maybe use your phone as a crutch to avoid conversation altogether.

    Networking is hard, especially when you have multiple roles

    When I attended my first major conference after settling into life as a full-timer with a tiny desk and an ever-growing list of projects, I had a terrible case of impostor syndrome.

    I could talk about my day job just fine, but I knew the conference — the American Society of Journalists and Authors — would be primarily attended by full-time freelancers.

    The temptation was great to sit in the back row and scroll through Twitter as I waited for every session to begin.

    But as the conference kicked off, I found more and more business cards in my pocket. As I crisscrossed the exhibition hall to get to different talks, I found myself smiling and nodding to people I had met earlier in the day.

    No, I was not doing cartwheels in the hall or waiting next to the women’s room to pounce on attendees when they were least expecting it. (Remember, this guide is for introverts, and I am one of them. I might be president of the Introvert Writer Club.)

    Let me share with you a few of my favorite networking tricks. And by tricks, I mean, regular tips and conversation starters people use all the time, but you might forget about when you’re nervous.

    You have an elevator pitch, right?

    You cannot go to any event, conference, convention, happy hour, reading or grocery run without knowing how to describe your work if someone asks.

    Since your workload and mission can change frequently, it’s important to practice your short career spiel before you’re standing in front of a curious stranger.

    Practice in front of your partner, the cat or the bathroom mirror. Doesn’t matter. Just practice.

    Here’s mine, as proof your pitch doesn’t have to be the most exciting thing in the world:

    “I’m a personal finance writer at my day job, but I only recently took that full-time position after five years as a freelancer. I still do some freelancing on the side, like some content marketing work for nonprofits and a few personal essays here and there.”

    Like I said, not exciting. But it gives you an idea of how I spend my writing time — and provides plenty of opportunity to take the conversation further.

    Conversation starters for introverted writers

    Rarely will you be asked to give your career summary on demand. Most of the time, it’s up to you to approach someone new to make a professional connection.

    Some good openers if you’re standing in line at a conference reception bar, choosing a table for a lunch keynote or milling about aimlessly in the registration area:

    • “Have you been to this conference before?”
    • “How long have you been a member of this organization?”
    • “What have you found to be the biggest benefit of your membership/participation?”
    • “Are you local, or did you travel for the event?”
    • “Have you decided which sessions you’re going to go to this afternoon?”

    If you’re new to a writing organization and you’re especially lucky, you’ll be given a name tag that indicates your newbie status. Not only did other new members approach me in solidarity; more experienced members of the association often spoke up simply to welcome me.

    Name tags can be the worst, but they can also be the best conversation starters.

    What if you’re feeling a little more subdued? Turning to the people to the right or left of you as you’re waiting for an event to start can be just as productive as actively networking with gusto.

    If you’ve ever gone to a networking event with the goal of “I just have to meet one new person and then I can go home,” these conversation starters are for you:

    • Simply smile. You do not have to show all your teeth. A small grin is often enough to invite another introvert to sit next to you.
    • “Have you heard this speaker before?”
    • “What made you choose this session/event?”
    • “I’m thinking of reading XYZ (whatever’s highlighted in the program you’re probably clutching). Have you read it?”
    • “Have you ever been to this venue before?”

    If you hit it off, you can throw in any of the questions above. If not, I give you full permission to scroll through Twitter until the event begins.

    Just be ready to try again next time.

    Writers, share your favorite conversation starters in the comments below. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, share your elevator pitch!

  • Why Skipping Writing Conventions Hurts Your Career

    Why Skipping Writing Conventions Hurts Your Career

    How many conventions and conferences have you attended this year? How many do you plan to attend in 2016?

    If you’re not building conventions into your freelancing career strategy, you’re missing out on invaluable opportunities to meet other people in your industry, build connections and establish yourself as an expert in your field.

    How do I know? Because my career wouldn’t be where it is without my convention presence.

    Why I’ve made writing conventions an important part of my career strategy

    Having an online career is great. I can write from my home office while communicating with editors via email or Hipchat.

    Social media platforms like Twitter and Tumblr help me meet and interact with other editors and writers, and I can both build my network and promote my work.

    But you still can’t beat the in-person interaction. Many of my career’s biggest jumps have come from meeting people in my industry face-to-face, and so I’ve made it a priority to meet as many of these people as possible.

    Where do people in this industry gather? At writing conventions.

    Sure, you can always arrange to meet an individual editor for coffee. But when you go to a convention, you might meet several editors at once, not to mention writers, producers and other people who keep the online writing world going.

    At conventions, you get to interact with people in a structured social environment.

    Conferences are kind of like school: You attend panels or courses with other attendees, you all go to the same hotel restaurant for lunch and dinner and — depending on the convention — you might end up at a dance or rock concert together.

    It becomes relatively simple to start up conversations, whether you’re asking someone “What type of writing do you do?” before a workshop begins, or asking “Didn’t I see you at the pitching panel?” when you run into someone at the bar. (If you enjoy social drinking, the hotel bar is one of the best places to meet people at conventions.)

    The fact that you’re all sharing a similar experience makes it easy to interact with people. Remember how you made friends at school just because you happened to be in the same homeroom? Conventions are like that — and that’s why they are an important part of my long-term career strategy.

    Which conventions should you attend?

    Now that I’ve sold you on the importance of attending conventions, which conventions should you attend?

    It depends on a few factors, including distance, reputation and your interests.

    If you’re in a major city, start with a convention in your city. If you’re in a small town, see what you can find in a day’s drive.

    Sure, if you’ve got the time and the cash, you could drop everything and fly to New York for Bindercon in November, but it’s easiest to get your convention feet wet close to home. Plus, if you start attending conventions in your home city, you’ll get to know other local freelancers and writers — an invaluable resource.

    You also want to consider a convention’s reputation. Good conventions attract good people, and you should look for a convention that is likely to attract people working both at your current career level and at the levels above you. You don’t want to spend the money and time to attend a convention only to find  you’re the most experienced writer in the room!

    Look for conventions that reflect your interests. The people who attend FinCon are going to be very different from the people who attend AWP.

    There are conventions for content creators, for novelists, for sci-fi and fantasy writers, and for bloggers. It’s your job to find the convention that is closest to both your interests and your career goals.

    Here are some conventions to consider:

    • Bindercon: This is the convention version of the popular Facebook group that focuses on professional development for women and gender nonconforming writers. If you can’t attend in person, they also offer online programming, like livestreams of some panels. 
    • AWP: This huge literature convention includes an enormous bookfair. You’ll probably get a lot out of it, but you might feel like a tiny fish in a big pond.

    • BlogHer: It feels like BlogHer has been running conventions since the beginning of the Internet. If you’re a woman and a blogger, check it out — and search the Twitter hashtag #BlogHer15 to learn more about previous attendees’ experiences. (If you’re reading this from the future, just change the year on the hashtag to see the latest!)

    • Intervention: This small convention focuses on building an online career around your passions and skills. I’ve been every year since it launched in 2010, and I consider it one of the best things I’ve done for my career.

    • Norwescon: There are a number of highly reputable sci-fi and fantasy conventions across the country. I live in Seattle, so I attend Norwescon. It’s a good space to meet other writers and editors and talk about the industry; last year, George R.R. Martin was the guest of honor.

    • FinCon: If you’re into personal finance or write about money matters, this is where to go.

    Advanced convention techniques

    I’m about to get on a plane to Minneapolis for the first annual Nerdcon: Stories. I bought my tickets the day the convention was announced, because I knew it was important for me to be at a convention that’s celebrating stories and diverse methods of storytelling.

    It’s also important for me to be at this convention during its first year. Attending a convention during its early stages, while it’s still relatively small, gives you a chance to meet the other early adopters and form the friendships you’ll strengthen as you return to the convention year after year.

    Repeat attendance at conventions is essential. If you enjoy your convention experience, make it a priority to come back the next year — and if you’re trying to figure out which conventions to fit into your schedule, focus on the ones you’ve already attended.

    It’s like summer camp; the more you come back to the same place with the same group of people, the stronger your relationships will grow.

    It’s also worth it to get to know the convention organizers and ask them about panel opportunities. I regularly get asked to participate in panels on everything from “running a crowdfunding project” to “handling your online image,” but it took about a year of reaching out to various conventions before I got to the point where conventions started to reach out to me.

    When you do panels, you get your name and your face in front of a lot of people in your industry, whether they’re editors, writers or potential new readers.

    You also often get invited to convention VIP spaces, like green rooms or special parties. You won’t get paid, but the convention will generally cover the cost of your badge and ply you with plenty of free food.

    If you do participate in enough conferences, you might get invited to be a featured guest. That’s when they pay you. I’ve had several conventions pay to fly me out and put me up in a hotel. In return, I do a lot of panels along with some kind of special guest performance.

    If you’re looking for additional ways to fund the cost of your convention travel, remember you can also pitch stories about the convention. I try to get at least one paid story off each convention I attend. Some conventions require you to get a press badge, but many do not; check before you start interviewing people.

    Lastly, you’ll want to talk to your individual CPA, but your convention attendance could likely be considered a tax deduction. After all, it’s an important part of your writing career.

    Do you regularly attend industry conventions? How have they helped your career?

  • 11 Ways to Ask for Writing Advice (And 10 Major Mistakes to Avoid)

    11 Ways to Ask for Writing Advice (And 10 Major Mistakes to Avoid)

    An aspiring writer I’ll call Bob recently sent me a random “I love your blog; please read my work!” email — and about two dozen other bloggers also received the exact same message.

    I know this because he addressed it to us by regular carbon copy, which meant we could all clearly see we’d been hit by a copy-and-paste spammer.

    Several of us run in the same writerly circles, and we wound up talking among ourselves about Bob in particular, and how much we hate cold emails in general. We debated whether the people who commit these faux pas are simply well-meaning but naive, or nothing but outright trolls. We discussed whether such emails warrant a response — and, if so, how patient or harsh that response should be.

    Needless to say, none of us actually read Bob’s work, although Lauren Tharp of LittleZotz Writing (one of the writers CC’d on the grievous mass email) did offer him a response that was a delightful balance between constructive advice and BS-calling. She said it was OK to share with you:

    Hi, Bob!

    I was excited about your subject line at first (It’s always nice to get “fan mail”), but then I saw you were spam mailing me along with several other writers. Boo. That sucks. 🙁

    If you decide to spam writers again with a message like this, you should probably use the BCC function on your e-mail so they don’t know that you did this and end up talking to each other about you.

    Of course, it would be even better if you didn’t do that at all. It’s not a good way to treat a fellow writer: https://littlezotz.com/2014/02/how-not-to-treat-a-fellow-freelance-writer

    I’m trying not to be TOO hard on you since I get a lot of messages from younger writers who are too “new” to the scene to know any better, but… come on, dude. You can do better than this.

    As for advice (other than “Don’t ask writers who get PAID for mentoring — https://littlezotz.com/ — for free advice”), I would recommend you try submitting your poetry — or essays or articles or whatever else you feel you excel at! — to actual publications/editors rather than fellow writers. 🙂

    Good luck! And have a great week.

    –Lauren

    The lesson? Don’t be like Bob.

    Connecting with other writers — who are at your experience level or above it — is a great way to learn, grow and expand your career. Whether you’re just starting out or have some experience under your belt, a network of fellow writers in your corner is an invaluable asset. You can bounce ideas off each other, work through issues you’re both encountering, pass along job leads and offer introductions.

    But to make these super-useful connections with other writers, you first need to get them to read your email — and want to respond to it positively.

    If you don’t want to receive a message like poor old Bob received — or, worse yet, receive radio silence — we surveyed a number of writers for their biggest cold-emailer pet peeves and put together a list of some definite dos and don’ts to keep in mind when reaching out to writers you admire.

    10 things that will guarantee your email gets marked as spam


    1. Send an obvious cut-and-paste job

    If you think writers can’t tell your email was also sent to a dozen other writers, think again.

    Working with words is what writers do, remember. Even if you address it to them personally or use the “BCC” function properly, they can spot canned, generic language from a mile away, and it will turn them off instantly.

    If you can’t take the time to craft a few personalized sentences when you write to someone, why would they feel inspired to take the time to respond?

    2. Send without proofing

    In addition to spotting spam a mile away, writers are also notoriously good at catching everything from small typos to massively glaring errors.

    So take that extra minute to read over your message and double-check everything, including hyperlinks, to make sure you haven’t goofed up. Even a genuinely personal message can look cheap and spammy if it has too many mistakes.

    Jessica Manuszak, blogger at The Brazen Bible, says, “Hands down, my favorite way to be pitched is to receive a form email that still has the last recipient’s name in the greeting: ‘Dear Angelique, I’m writing today…’ As much as I wish I had an exotic name like Angelique? Making me feel like one tiny insignificant person in a vast sea of inquiries is not the way to my heart.”

    3. Use a vague subject line

    Your subject line is your first (and sometimes last) chance to entice someone to read what you have to say. Blow this, and you can blow the whole outreach.

    Subject lines I have actually received (and promptly ignored) include:

    • Hi!
    • hey there
    • Okay, so…
    • Help!
    • blogging
    • question
    • [no subject at all]

    Imagine you’re sending a pitch to the editor of a site you want to write for. Would you dash it off with a subject line like “here” or “stuff I wrote?” (Please, please tell me you wouldn’t.) So take the time to craft something attention-grabbing — it could be the difference between your email getting read or immediately sent to the trash.

    4. Spill your life story

    Writers are not counselors, therapists or personal coaches — and if they do offer coaching as one of their services, they get paid good money for it. This person you admire isn’t likely to spend their free time wading through the origin story you’ve sent them in the hopes of forging a deep personal connection.

    I once received an email from a reader that contained roughly 17 solid-brick paragraphs of what I can only describe as stream of unconscious rambling. It started out with a foray into her childhood dreams and demons, touched momentarily on writing and what she liked about my blog, took a detour into something she’d just discovered on Facebook that had distracted her attention momentarily (which she came back from by actually typing the words, “Sorry, I’m back now” as if it were a live IM conversation)… and then I stopped following along because it had ceased being a mildly amusing bunch of nonsense and simply become tedious.

    A cold email is not a first interview, a first date or a monologue in a one-person play. Don’t try to sell yourself or explain your every interior motive for everything you’ve ever done. Ain’t no writer got time for that. Keep it simple.

    5. Fail to explain who you are and what you want

    On the flip side, too many cold emailers commit the sin not of TMI, but NEI (not enough information).

    Maybe they think they’re keeping it simple by dashing off a couple quick lines like, “Hey, I dig your work! Here’s mine. Would love to hear your thoughts.” But all the recipient sees is someone who’s either terribly boring, terribly rude or wasn’t willing to put forth a minimal amount of effort. None of which result in a positive response.

    “Context is key,” says blogger and TWL contributor Marian Schembari. “I recently got an email from someone saying, ‘I have a great idea for a social media app and I love your blog. Can I send you the idea?’ What the hell does that even mean? Why does he think I have time for this?”

    6. Ask to “pick their brain”

    It’s like fingernails on a chalkboard to most writers, as more often than not, “pick your brain” is code for “I want to get as much advice from you as I can but I’m not willing to pay for like it like your other clients and customers do.”

    Writers are business people, and their time is valuable.

    If you have a specific question to ask that can be answered in a few lines, feel free to send it over. If you’re just fishing for free advice or your issue is too big to distill into a single, brief question, you’re in need of the sort of services that come with a price tag attached.

    7. Ask them “take a look at” your work and “tell you what they think”

    Your fellow writers, whether they’re on the same level as you or several rungs higher, are not advice-dispensing machines, writing teachers or personal editors. Expecting them to set aside a portion of their day to read and provide free feedback to a total stranger is both offensive and more than a little misguided.

    If you want to know what a writer thinks of your work, see if they list coaching or review services on their “work with me” page — and be prepared to pay the rate they’re asking for. If they don’t, look for someone who does.

    8. Ask them for job/project/client leads

    Most writers are wonderfully generous when it comes to sharing job leads and making introductions among people in their network. When a project comes my way that I’m not the best fit for, or my calendar is booked, I make a point to refer the client to other writers I know personally who might be interested and whose skills would be a good match.

    I’ve had the same done for me. The online writing and blogging community, on the whole, is pretty awesome about having each other’s backs.

    But that’s only true when they know who on earth you are and whether you’re worth sending leads to in the first place. I can’t tell you the number of complete strangers who’ve asked me to “keep them in mind” if I hear of any opportunities or “send some leads their way” when I have no idea who this person is, what their skill level is or even what topics they normally write about.

    Your fellow writers are not job placement agencies or recruiters. We’re not sitting on stacks of potentially lucrative gigs, waiting to dole them to whoever has the moxie to ask for them. We’re actually competing for the some of the same jobs you probably are, and if we’re going to share the good leads with anyone, it will be with people we already know, like and trust.

    9. Get overly personal

    I’m pretty open on my blog. I let my readers see the good, the bad and the ugly in my life, and I want them to feel like they know me on a somewhat personal level — at least as much as you can know a stranger whose thoughts you read online. Because of that, I’m totally cool if a reader sends me a note that’s a bit more familiar and casual. In fact, I prefer it.

    But there is a world of difference between casual and just plain creepy.

    I’ve had people open emails with lines like, “Hey lovely lady” and “I’m in Buffalo, too! Where exactly are you located?” If anything in your email sounds like it could be an excerpt from an online dating site message, nix it.

    10. Think they own any site that shows their byline

    So many people have sent me writing contests they sponsor hoping I’ll write a special feature on them since I wrote about free writing contests for The Write Life. Ditto for people who send me employment infographics or study findings they’re hoping will be featured on Brazen Careerist, another site I’ve contributed to.

    If you admire a writer’s work on a certain site or in a certain publication, make sure to read their byline to see what role they play in that organization.

    Guest writers, staff writers and contributors don’t control the content of the sites they write for, and they won’t be terribly flattered if you tell them what a great job you’ve done putting said sites together.

    11 ways to get a response from writers you admire

    1. Research the person you’re contacting

    I’ve been cold-contacted to review people’s poetry, help them decide how to tell their parents they don’t want to become a doctor, and help a woman market the Downton Abbey-inspired Christmas novel she’d written but had no idea how to pitch to traditional publishers. Anyone who takes five minutes browsing my blog archives, “Start Here” page or LinkedIn profile would know I am not the person to hit up for advice on any of these topics.

    Writers and bloggers specialize. Know what the person you’re reaching out to does and tailor your message accordingly. You would think this should go without saying, but I and plenty of other writers can attest that, sadly, it still needs to be said.

    2. Toss them a (genuine) compliment or two

    Flattery never hurts, especially when you’re reaching out to a basic stranger in the hopes of getting something (advice, networking, a virtual high-five) in return.

    “I get a lot of ‘I really love your site!’ comments from people who have clearly never read anything on my blog in the slightest,” Tharp says. “It’s sleazy. Like when a guy tells you he thinks you’re smart and funny when all he really wants to do is touch your boobs… However, when someone comes to me with a sincere compliment — and they mention something very specific about a piece that I’ve done — and don’t ask for a favor right off the bat; that catches my attention. (Yeah, maybe deep down they still wanna grope me for free advice, but at least they’re willing to put in the time to get to know me first!)”

    3. Create an awesome subject line

    Half the battle is getting someone to simply open your email. Employ some standard marketing techniques by crafting a subject line that intrigues, creates urgency or otherwise grabs the recipient’s attention.

    Some of my personal favorites from cold emails I’ve received include:

    • Here’s the windup… and the pitch!
    • You’re my hero
    • I agree: damn the man
    • Pandas forever!

    Each of these subjects showed the person took the time to think of something creative, mention something they knew I liked or try to pique my interest. I could tell they’d made a real effort, and I was happy to see what they had to say.

    4. Personalize your message

    Let the writer know why you’re reaching out to them in particular. Did a certain piece of theirs move you? Are they in a niche you long to break into? Do you love the vibe of their site and want to know how they developed their voice?

    Also let them know if you have anything noteworthy in common. Are you a friend of a friend? Did you graduate from their alma mater? Do you struggle with an issue they mentioned in a recent blog post?

    These little touches are what create genuine connection points and make a writer more interested in responding to you.

    “When [someone has] clearly taken the time to pinpoint what they like about my writing and maybe even link to their favorite blog post,” Manuszak says, “I’m writing back with way too many exclamation points faster than you can say, ‘HI! I LOVE YOU, TOO. LET’S JUST BE BEST FRIENDS, OKAY?!’”

    5. Keep it short, sweet and to the point

    Within the first few lines, the recipient should know 1) who you are, 2) why you’re reaching out to them and 3) why it’s worth their time to respond to you.

    Imagine your first email to a writer as your first message to someone on a dating site. You want to drop a few pertinent pieces of information to get them interested and let them know you’re someone worth talking to (e.g. “I’m an aspiring personal finance writer who’s followed your blog for years”), then leave it at that.

    If they’re interested and you strike up a dialogue, there will be plenty of time down the road to talk about how your mother never encouraged your dreams or your recent divorce was rocky but you’ve emerged from it a stronger and more spiritual person. But now is not that time.

    6. Ask a specific question

    “I want to be a writer; how do I get started?” is impossible to answer unless the person you’re asking knows the specifics of your personal situation (which they shouldn’t — see “Don’t” #4 above).

    Even if they try to answer in general terms, a writer could spend hours scratching the surface, and they probably get paid mucho dinero for blog posts, books, courses and coaching to help people work through these things.

    If you’re going to ask a question (which is totally okay), keep it super-specific and make it something that can be answered in no more than a few lines.

    For instance: “Which sites do you recommend I follow to learn more about becoming a paid freelancer?” or “Where would you recommend a new writer in your niche submit their first few pitches?” Writers do like helping other writers out, if you keep your request within reason.

    7. Set a time limit

    While “pick your brain” requests are, by and large, a bad idea, there is one way you can couch them that gives you the best chance of receiving a positive response: be crystal-clear about what advice you’re looking for, and let the writer know you’ll respect their time if they’re willing to give it to you.

    Bad request: I want to become a freelance writer. Can we hop on the phone for a quick chat?

    Better request: As a new writer, I’d love to know what I can do to make my guest post proposals more effective. I would be grateful if you could spare 10 minutes on Skype to answer some specific questions I have about how to do this. If so, please let me know when is convenient for you; I am flexible and would really appreciate it.

    There’s still a very real chance the writer you’re asking won’t have the time or inclination to offer you a free Q&A session, but your odds are much better if you phrase your request the second way.

    8. Tell them what’s in it for them

    While most writers like to try to “pay it forward” whenever they can — after all, kindness from others likely helped them on their own career path — that doesn’t mean they have the time or mental bandwidth to be everything to everyone. Let them know you’re not just reaching out for your own sake, but that you can bring something to table for them, too.

    “Offer something in return,” says Schembari. When she reaches out to a writer she admires, she’ll says, she usually writes something like, “‘I loved your essay about x, y, z. I see you live in my area and I’d love to take you out for coffee. I really admire your work and while I’m not nearly as established as you are, I’ve worked in marketing for years and would be happy to impart any knowledge on book marketing, seeing as you have an upcoming novel release.’”

    9. Acknowledge how busy they are

    You’d be amazed how much it helps to include a simple statement like, “I’m sure you get umpteen million emails like this each day” or “I know you’re super busy, so I’ll keep this brief.”

    In a sea of messages from strangers vying their attention, you earn definite brownie points by acknowledging that, although a writer doesn’t know you from Adam, you’d be grateful if they’d spare a few moments for you.

    It’s a simple little thing, but it can make a big difference.

    10. Inject some personality!

    You’re not interviewing for a CEO position or issuing a statement to the United Nations, so loosen up a little and let your personality shine.

    If you’re naturally snarky, be snarky. If you have a goofy sense of humor, crack a joke or two. People are more likely to respond to cold emails when they’re clearly written by living, breathing human beings.

    J. Money of the hit site Budgets Are Sexy lists “boring” among his least-favorite sins committed by cold emailers. “Please, for the love of God, make it fun or funny,” he advises. “You get me to smile, and you’re already on my good list.”

    11. Thank them

    When a writer does take the time to respond to your email, know that you’re likely one of a very small percentage of people they’ve done this for, and let them know you appreciate it. It costs nothing to you and can make their day — and make them more likely to want to continue helping people in the future.

    “I used to respond, thoroughly, every time I got an email from another blogger or a recent grad. And then nothing,” Schembari says. “They wouldn’t even say thank you. So that’s my biggest advice: if someone responds to you, you absolutely have to respond immediately with gushing thanks.”

    Then, take your thanks a step further. “Bonus points if you can do something for them in return — be a beta reader for something they’re writing, leave them a book review on Amazon, leave a nice comment on their blog or social media,” Schembari says. “Even if you can’t offer the same level of support or advice that you want from them, you have value to offer in return. And you should.”

    Writers, have you ever received a really good (or really bad) cold email? What dos and don’ts would you add to this list?

  • How to Sell More Books and Grow Your Fan Base at Author Events

    How to Sell More Books and Grow Your Fan Base at Author Events

    When we talk about building your author platform, the inescapable challenge every author must face is marketing. Particularly, email marketing.

    You need an email list, not just to sell your book to subscribers, but to build relationships with readers and other writers so they’ll support your work and become fans in the process.

    In-person author events provide a unique opportunity to get more email subscribers — but only if you take some time to prepare for the event. Here’s a checklist that will help you walk away from your next author event feeling like it was a success.

    Don’t buy more than 20 books to sell

    Let’s say you’re going to some book fair that’s insanely popular with an attendance list numbering in the thousands. You’d think it would be a smart move to stock up on physical copies of your book, right?

    Wrong. If you’re an unknown author like me, the fact is you won’t sell many copies at an event. I had 20 books on hand for my event and only sold a handful.

    Sometimes readers need to time to research who you are, and they aren’t committed to buying just yet. “But what if I sell out?” you might ask. That’s great! Now you can tell visitors your book is sold out and possibly create demand due to scarcity — not a bad position to be in.

    So don’t order 100 copies of your novel just to be cautious, or you’ll be stuck lugging those books around for a while.

    [twl_reusable_block post_id=41455]

    Use bookmarks as giveaways

    On the list of things every author should have on hand: bookmarks. Bookmarks are like business cards for authors.

    You can put your cover art on a bookmark, along with your website and any other details for potential readers. Get really creative with your bookmarks by adding a character sketch or a synopsis of the book on the back. Utilize QR codes and make it even easier for someone to access your website or your book’s sale page.

    Having lots of bookmarks to give away at your event is more important than having copies of your book. A visual reminder of you and your novel sticking out of someone’s book is an easy way to get more sales and reach more readers.

    Bring a poster of your book cover

    This one is optional, but it helped me get more visitors than I expected at my last in-person event.

    Dozens of people who stopped by my table remarked on how the poster of my book cover drew them in. If you’ve got a compelling cover, get a poster made and tack that bad boy on the front of your table or on an easel that’s easily visible.

    Images grab people’s attention, so take advantage of that to increase foot traffic to your booth.

    Smile and engage

    This seems like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how many people don’t look up from their laptops or mobile phones at these events.

    You should always have your game face on when someone is remotely close to your table or booth. Simply saying “Hi!” can mean the difference between that person coming over to check out your book or skipping you altogether. Leave the texting and social media for later.

    And finally: how to get those new email contacts

    When you put all the tips above into practice, you’ll get an influx of people visiting your table, which creates a great opportunity for you them to subscribe to your email list.

    But you’re not just going to tell them to do that… because they won’t.

    Instead, you’re going to lay out an incentive. Create a compelling raffle where they can receive a free signed copy of your book, a gift card to their favorite bookstore, or a bundle of ebooks they can download. Create a sign-up sheet with spots for names and emails to contact the winner(s).

    Don’t be spammy or shady. Explain in detail on the sign-up sheet that each entrant will be added to your email list and they can unsubscribe at any time. I added 100 subscribers to my email list at the event I attended.

    Sure, there will probably be a few people who just want the goodies and then will unsubscribe when they don’t win the raffle, but to date, I’ve only had around five unsubscribes, which is pretty good.

    Once you’ve wrapped up your time at the event, remember to pick a winner either through a drawing or a random number generator, then email everyone on the list with the results and send the prize promptly.

    To minimize the percentage of unsubscribes, I also created a consolation prize for non-winners that included a free short story and a book marketing PDF guide. It’s always nice to receive a prize in a contest, especially when you don’t win!

    Got any tips for getting the most out of an author event? Please share in the comments!

  • How to Market Yourself as a Freelance Writer: 4 Mistakes to Avoid

    How to Market Yourself as a Freelance Writer: 4 Mistakes to Avoid

    Wondering how to market yourself? When you start a business as a freelance writer, you’re bound to make some mistakes. No matter how many advice columns and guides to freelancing you read, some lessons on how to market yourself can only be learned in the trenches.

    I’ve made many blunders since launching my side gig as a freelancer: letting a pitch sit so long without followup that it’s gotten cold, not keeping my social media voice consistent, not making myself stick to a writing schedule, and more.

    Here are a few of the big mistakes new freelancers tend to make, errors that keep writers from landing the best freelance gigs — so you’ll have a better chance of avoiding them before they bite you.

    1. Scattered, inconsistent presentation

    How to market yourself well comes down to every foothold you have on social media being consistent.

    How confusing would it be if you liked a brand and decided to find out more about it online, only to discover all of its profiles were different?

    Its website was recently rebranded under a new name, one of its social media accounts was full of misspellings, and another account’s latest post was in 2011.

    A lot of freelancers treat their personal brands in this haphazard way, rather than making every platform work together to attract clients.

    The fact is that if you don’t make yourself easy to find, customers won’t take the trouble to hunt you down. And if your offerings aren’t clear, they won’t hire you. Making the message on all your profiles match eliminates confusion and helps you turn inquires into solid leads.

    If your online persona is so fragmented that every account looks like a different person, remedy this by choosing the same professional profile picture and pithy bio for every site.

    Narrow your social presence to just a few sites, like your personal website or blog, LinkedIn and Twitter.

    Lastly, choose a brand voice and stick with it.

    Kristi Hines (known on Twitter as @kikolani), has this down pat with her professional presentation and focus on content marketing. Sports writer Nick McCarvel (@NickMcCarvel) is another good example of consistency. He injects some personal observations and colloquialisms into his Twitter commentary while keeping it businesslike in his commentary articles.

    2. Random posts and self-promotions

    Posting and sharing without any sort of master plan on how to market yourself lessens your chance of attracting good work.

    If you miss direct messages, share little about your industry (other than pleas for someone to hire you), and frequently pop off with curses or squabbles, you’ll alienate potential followers and limit your credibility in marketing yourself.

    For a more tactical approach to social media, start by figuring out when your followers are most active online, and how wide your reach already is. This will help you determine how to market yourself in the best way possible.

    Free monitoring tools can also help with this part. You’ll want to schedule most of your updates for those windows when your followers tend to be online.

    If you don’t think you can come up with something to say every time, start a backlog of drafts that you can release when traffic is high. The frequency with which you post will depend mainly on how often you feel you can say something substantial and relevant.

    When it comes to how to market yourself, it’s better to have a few consistent, quality posts than a full timeline that just sounds like you’re making things up as you go.

    Once you have a basic posting schedule arranged for maximum engagement and an understanding of the tactics of each platform, you should decide exactly what your take on the market should be:

    • Will you position yourself as an expert, here to inform?
    • A learner, posting about your journey as you gain familiarity with the industry?
    • A skeptic, scrutinizing everything you see and sharing how it could have been better?

    Whatever angle you choose, keep it in mind when selecting your brand voice.

    The only thing worse than tacky self-promotion is no self-promotion. Don’t be so falsely humble that you never actually say how good you are at writing, and what you can offer to others.

    Check out Graphic Design Blender’s guide to promoting yourself without tearing others down, being outdone by bigger competitors, or overlooking valuable opportunities.

    Some of their suggestions include promoting yourself offline through strategic relationships and impressive print pieces, and being specific about what you bring to your market niche.

    3. Irregular networking

    Networking is tough. Whether you’re a designer, a writer or an editor, we all experience similar struggles in knowing how to market yourself. But these few tricks can make networking easier.

    • First of all, be bold. Go for the clients you want; don’t just send up little online flares and hope your dream collaborator sees one. A short email introducing yourself and explaining that you’d love to help with any work they have in your field is entirely appropriate. Here’s how to write a tasteful pitch.
    • Don’t assume your family and friends can’t help you just because they aren’t familiar with freelancing. Take time to explain what exactly you do, and they may just know someone who needs your help. “Freelancing” may come across as a lofty concept; they might understand it better as “working with whoever needs you for a one-time job.”
    • Don’t overlook your local market. Dozens of businesses nearby may need you to write copy for them, but they can’t hire you if they don’t know who you are. Chamber of Commerce and similar memberships can offer valuable local connections.
    • Stay humble. Don’t strike out on your own so confident in your previous experience and market knowledge that you don’t think you’ll need help from an old coworker or industry expert. Seek out advice from former connections to show that you still value your relationships with them.

    When networking, the number of inquiries you get will be directly related to the effort you put into making people see you.

    4. Unfamiliarity with competitors’ strategies

    In any business, you’ll have competitors. This isn’t much of a concern when you’re a nine-to-fiver, particularly at a national company where your salary is mostly safe.

    As a freelancer, though, you are the company, and your salary is directly tied to how well you outdistance your competitors. If you’re unaware of current trends, the myriad of other writers who do exactly the same thing as you will snap up available jobs because of their greater savvy.

    One of the most effective strategies is to study the competition. See how they weave their voice into their posts, both on their own platforms and in the work they’re hired to do. Take note of any mistakes they make, and identify how you could do better.

    Going even farther than that, you could try befriending other freelancers in your space. Send them a message offering to meet up (if they’re in your area) or chat online to share ideas, talk about potential collaboration and share tips on how to market yourself.

    Guest posting for each other’s blogs could help both of you, so that’s an option, too.

    Other freelancers are sometimes the only ones who understand your struggles, so you may end up with some true friends after working together, or at least some insight into how other freelancers in your space do business. If you’re craving community as a freelancer, check out the Freelance Writers Den.

    What other mistakes should freelancers avoid? Let us know what you’ve learned the hard way during your time flying solo. You may even make some friends in the comments!

    Need to learn how to do social media better as a writer and author? Check out this free training that we’re offering with Self-Publishing School.