Archives for February 2009

5 Tips for Creating an Elevator Speech

February 28, 2009 by david 5 Comments

In a previous post, I talked about the value of creating an elevator speech that you can have ready to use when someone asks you about what you do. One of our readers asked for tips on writing one, and here are some suggestions to help you prepare one that will make potential clients want to learn more about you and what you can do for them:

1. Keep it short and to the point.
Ideally, your elevator speech should be deliverable in 15-30 seconds. Any more time than that, and the person you are talking to will lose interest in what you are saying.

2. Don’t make the speech about you.
Most people would rather talk about themselves than listen to someone else talk about themselves. To write a good elevator speech, take the focus off you, and keep it on the person listening to it.

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Keep Your Writing Tools Ready

February 27, 2009 by david 6 Comments

By Terreece M. Clarke

Writers tend to be creatures of habit and comfort. In order to do what we do on a regular basis we usually have a writing routine and our favorite writer comforts – a cherished pen, a specific beverage, a cozy spot in a coffee shop, etc. When you have all the things you are accustomed to you rock out the work in a rhythm that would rival any band’s jam session, but when you are missing something things are still great, but not as magical.

Keep your writing tools ready.

It’s a simple premise, but it is an area writers may not give much attention. Writers often declare, “As long as I have the Internet and a printer full of ink I’m great.” Sounds nice, but it’s not exactly the truth. Granted, in bare bones, stripped down from all the trappings of the writer life, work will always get done, but what about your stress level?

I have a group of pens that are A+ in my book. The group is really a bunch of random pens I’ve picked up along the way and find they have a nice weight, comfortable feel and smooth movement. Then there are the pens I always seem to find because my favorite ones have made their way to the car, purses, etc. These stupid pens are part of two boxes my husband brought home and they don’t write. At least not for me. Hubby insists there is nothing wrong with them when he uses them, but I spend far too much time scribbling on the side of the page to get them to work. Oh and did I mention they are like Gremlins? You can’t get rid of the buggers. I decided to pitch any pen who didn’t work yet somehow there are still dozens of them floating around my office like they have found a way to reproduce.

Keeping your writing tools ready goes beyond having ink in your printer and a working pen. Keep your “other” tools ready as well. What makes your workday tick? Take a moment and think about it. All those little things that make you happy and productive are worth stocking up. Make sure you have enough coffee to make it through the month, not just the week. Get to the coffee shop early to claim “your spot,” maybe you should look into getting a mini-fridge to keep your beverages cold and you in your office instead of roaming the house.

Right now I’m off to hunt down those random favorite pens and make sure they stay at my desk while simultaneously putting a hit out on those useless, write nothing, sticks of ink my husband bought.

Do you have an usual writing tool? What do you need to keep the day rocking along in harmony?

Who Are Your Clients?

February 25, 2009 by david 4 Comments

We spend a lot of time here at Freelance Writing Jobs talking about “where” to find potential clients. I’ve been giving this some thought and I think the first question we should be asking ourselves is “who” the potential clients are. Here’s my take on it:

Your potential clients are everyone you talk to, e-mail, IM, follow on Twitter, etc. When you pick up a magazine or a newspaper, you can find potential clients. Local businesses can give you work, as well as ones that you find when you are surfing the Internet. Once you get into the mindset the everyone you come into contact is either a potential client or can put you in touch with a potential client, your outlook will start to change. You start to see opportunities everywhere, and you will be more willing to talk to people about the services you offer.

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Going Off Track…And Getting Back On Again

February 24, 2009 by david 7 Comments

By Terreece M. Clarke

I love to write. I start or work out article kinks in my head while I lie in bed waiting to fall asleep. I spend a lot of time thinking about what I’m going to write, when I’m going to write and where my writing is going to be published. But there is a problem, I write and think about writing and work the business of writing too much.

Writers are always told they need to write all the time and immerse themselves in their craft, and that’s true. But we advice-givers also need to stress the importance of balance. When things get off balance, your writing will suffer.

My life is pretty busy right now, I’m expecting our third baby, am in the middle of graduate school, have my writing career, trying to grow my corporate writing business and somehow maintain a healthy life outside of computers and diapers. As a result I’m forgetting everything. The “write it down, check it twice” mantra? Gone. Lately it’s been “tell me and I’ll pray I remember.”

When you focus on one thing too closely, you lose sight of the big picture. I got off track and I guarantee you’ll get off track too. It’s part of the writing experience. So what do you do to get back on?

Admit it. No one wants to admit they’ve let things get out of control, but if you are barely making deadlines, your kitchen has a funky stench to it and your kids only sort of remember who you are, you’re out of balance. Likewise, if you’ve gained 10 lbs, your blood pressure is through the roof and you start sucking wind before you reach the top of a flight of stairs – it’s time to admit life is off track.

Embrace it and get over it. It happens to everyone. Things get busy, people lose focus, projects come up that consume every aspect of life – don’t beat yourself up over it, just realize you had one of those cycles and move on.

Get back to basics. Get back to the roots of your work/life. Regular work-outs, scheduled cleaning days, editorial calendars, monthly lunches with friends, etc. Get back to what made your life work well before. Incorporate new items into your basic framework, adjusting as needed. You may want to revisit your goals and make sure they still hold priority.

Watch for slip ups. Getting back on track usually takes about a week or two. Normally, people start with gusto and just when they think they are humming along swimmingly, they let down their guard and those old distractions and bad habits creep back in and start throwing up detour signs. What knocked you off track in the first place? Procrastination? Illness? Paycheck Panic? Over-scheduling? Wintertime Blahs? Whatever the cause, identify it and try to work out a solution or Plan B.

Have you’ve gotten off track? What do you do when it happens to you?

Do You Get in Your Own Way When Looking for Freelance Work?

February 21, 2009 by david 2 Comments

When you are looking for freelance work, are there some potential clients that you don’t approach because you feel intimidated in some way? Sometimes it can be easy to talk yourself out of throwing your hat into the ring. You might consider that there may be several other people who are applying for the opportunity. You may also have doubts about your abilities, even if you have written for pay before (and will again). Mostly, though, you just plain don’t feel good enough to write for [fill in the blank here].

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If You Think You're Not in Sales, Think Again

February 20, 2009 by david 4 Comments

The idea of being in sales may bring to mind images of men in plaid sports coats pressuring the poor, hapless customer into buying something that they don’t want or need. The reality is that if you are offering a product or a service, you need to be able to present it to the potential customer or client, give them the information they need to make a decision, and overcome any objections they may have about hiring you. That is selling.

The Freelancer as a Problem Solver

I used to think that I got hired to write. That is partly true, but it’s not the whole story. I am someone who gets hired to solve a problem. The “problem” in question may be that the client wants to have interesting content to drive repeat visitors to their web site. They may need copy written to tell potential customers about their business and how they can help to solve their customers’ problems by providing a product or a service.

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Taking Care of Your Writing Clips

February 10, 2009 by david 8 Comments

By Terreece M. Clarke picture-2

To get a writing job, you need clips and having easy access to those clips is essential to running an efficient and productive writing career. So, where are your clips hanging out?

Some writers wait until they are applying for a job to look up their online articles. Normally, while not the most productive, they find their articles in time to send them off to a waiting editor. However, there are other times when one goes to find the article and it has been deleted by the web site. Yikes.

When your article goes live on a site the best thing a writer can do is save the file as a PDF file. Saving it as a PDF file maintains the look of the site and you are not at the mercy of the webmaster.

When your article appears in print you need to decide how you are going to maintain your clip file. Many writers make both color and black and white copies and keep the clips in flat folder. Other writers mount their clip copies on a sturdier paper for submission. Others still scan their articles and save them to be printed when needed.

Whatever your style, you need to develop a system. Save time with web articles and keep a list of links and the PDF versions easily accessible to cut down on the amount of time you spend Googling yourself to do to find your clips. Keep your print article clips organized and in good condition – no one wants to look at a rumpled piece of paper in a submission packet.

Have you developed a clip system? Share your tips below!