If you’re unhappy with where you are….
change where you are going! I don’t know about you but it seems like the writing community has the “blahs” with this new year. I don’t know if it has to do with the busy holiday season, the $3 article junk or what….but I can feel it on every blog and board I visit.
Apparently, I’m not alone. Hope Wilbanks has been feeling the same way, and outlined some great tips for breaking out of old patterns and changing your life and career.
When is it time to make the leap?
It wasn’t too long after I started writing content that I realized that many of the people I was writing for were middlemen. They were paying me small sums of money to turn around and sell the content at a mark up to other people. It wasn’t too long after that I began learning about Internet marketing and figuring out where exactly this content was going and how it was being used.
Since that time, I’ve tried to balance my client work and work on my own Internet marketing projects. I’ve seen the writing on the wall, and I know that if I never make that leap from service provider to top dog, I’ll continue on the cycle of getting paid to make someone else thousands of dollars online.
That’s why I encourage all writers, especially those who focus on writing web content, to take the time to learn about the basics of Internet marketing. My biggest mistake was not getting started on my own projects early enough. I shudder to think what I could have accomplished if I had just created one site for myself per week. I’d have a virtual real estate empire by now.
But there’s no point in looking to the past and regretting. I’ve made the mental leaps and the business leaps to make my business more about balance and less about giving till it hurts. It’s an appropriate time of the year to start planning for your own leap, whatever form that may take. My largest goal for the coming year is to inspire others to stretch their content writing business beyond keyword articles and solely working for others. If you can write online, you hold all of the cards to succeed in other parts of Internet marketing.
What’s your personal “leap” and how are you planning to make it? Or have you already?
Staying Focused During the Holidays
It’s hard enough to work during the holiday season when you’re at a normal job. But when you work from home it can be even more difficult to keep your professional and “party-goer” life seperate.
There’s two separate challenges that I’ve been experiencing, and maybe you’re the same. Because of the holiday season, I feel more like taking an afternoon off snuggled in with the kids and watching a Charlie Brown Christmas. There’s also so much to do between the shopping, the baking and the parties that work time is hard to come by.
Here are some tips for keeping focused during this busy time of year:
*Plan ahead!
Even though we’re in the midst of the hustle and bustle, there’s still time to plan wisely for work/life balance. Instead of trying to keep your same work pace, take into account the extra time you’ll need to run errands and relax. Close up shop to new projects, if possible. Or just let new clients know that you’ll get to them after the holidays. Most people this time of year are more relaxed with their needs anyway. You may not find that many who will be urgent to get work done before the end of the year.
*Make time for yourself.
Even if you’ve got a busy schedule between work and family obligations, make sure to time for just you away from the crowds and your laptop. It’s easier this time of year to burnt out. If you are at the end of your rope all of the time, you’ll be more likely to make mistakes or get upset with your loved ones. Take a long walk, watch your favorite movie or just sit in a quiet state for a while. You’ll feel much better.
*Take advantage of the seasonal writing opportunities.
This season is full of inspiration, from writing a memoir about your favorite Christmas of all time to offering tips for staying sane during the season. If you don’t normally write about your personal experiences, this time of year might be great to do so. Even if you don’t end up selling your pieces they are still great to exercise your writing muscles and stay in the holiday spirit.
It’s toot your own horn time!
It’s Friday again! And it’s time to toot your own horn. I did this a few months ago and it was so fun and inspiring, I decided to pull it out again. I know we creative types have trouble taking credit for our success. So no matter how big or small, it’s time to toot your own horn!
Here’s my horn tooting:
The reason I haven’t been blogging as much in the last few days is because I just put the final touches on the first draft of my very own ebook. It’s called The Content Chef and as soon as I have some other eyes take a look at it, it will be available for sale. This has been a major goal for me all year long, and I’m glad that I finally got it accomplished.
Now it’s your turn!
Have you kicked butt on a project lately?
Did a client give you an awesome referral?
Were you able to reach a personal goal of setting up your website or learning something new about web writing?
Post your success stories below!
This Thanksgiving I’m thankful for…
working at home! In honor of that fact, I wanted to direct your attention to one of my favorite posts of all time by self improvement blogger Steve Pavlina.
Ten Reasons You Should Never Get A Job
Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!!
How to Gain Experience without Getting Paid Peanuts
I see some disheartening posts occasionally from new writers who are bending over backwards to gain experience. In an effort to grow their business, they are willing to be paid peanuts.
I know everyone has to start somewhere, but $1 an article is no way to start. Even if you’re the newest of new writers, you can find jobs that pay $5 an article and lines of people just waiting to give you work at that price.
Here are some tips for starting out on the right foot with web content writing:
1. Believe in yourself.
You’re new. You know it. You’re working with people who are making thousands of dollars per month. Who are you to charge more than a fraction of a cent per word, right? Wrong.
Get these types of thoughts out of your mind right away. You’re providing a service. You’re making things convenient for them and making their lives easier. Therefore, they need to pay you for the convenience. Start believing that your time and skill are worth money, and turning down those penny a word jobs will be a piece of cake.
2. Never, ever, ever write custom samples for free.
If you’re starting out, write some samples from scratch. Hit a writing forum and ask for some feedback on your samples. Make sure they’re great and cover some different topic areas. When people ask to see your work, send them those samples or put them on your website.
If someone asks you to write custom samples, let them know that they can get a sense of your writing style from the samples. If they push the issue, just say “No thanks!”
3. Ask for recommendations after every job.
Nothing builds your reputation, credibility or article price higher than having someone else recommend you. Collecting blurbs from other clients about your writing skills, your customer service and your general awesomeness is the best reassurance for new clients that you’re the real deal.
Hope Wilbanks has a great post today about how to ask for a recommendation.
The easiest way to stop writing for peanuts is to just say no to bad pay. 
There is higher paying work out there but if you’re stuck in the middle of a 25 articles for $50 job, there’s no way you’ll be able to jump on it.
Don’t be shy - Crow about your success!
There’s one thing that most creative types share - they feel kind of weird about tooting their own horn. I know personally that I’m a bit of a perfectionist. When I’m done with a project, I’m always focused on the things that I could have done better. Other writers may have problems with self promotion. If writing comes really easy to them, they might not see the value of the service their providing.
So I’m declaring a Toot your Own Horn day at Web Writing Info!
Have you kicked butt on a project lately?
Did a client give you an awesome referral?
Were you able to reach a personal goal of setting up your website or learning something new about web writing?
Post your success stories below!
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