Freelance Writing Archives

Written by Stefanie Flaxman | June 26, 2017 | 13 Comments

When to Send Article Pitches (and Other Important Emails)

It feels good when you’ve done your research before pitching an article idea to an editor:

You know the publication’s audience
You know your topic offers value in unique ways
You know the editor’s content preferences and pet peeves

But you’re not done yet.

Although hitting the “send” button on your email seems like an inconsequential step in your article pitching process, I recommend pausing before you take that action.

That moment of excited impatience could spoil all the important research you’ve just performed.
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Written by Sonia Simone | May 11, 2017 | 2 Comments

Tough Love Week on Copyblogger

I got an email from my team last week saying, “Seth Godin just wrote a post about an interesting new program he’s doing. Should we try to get him on the podcast?”

The answer to that question is always Hell, yes. It’s always great to talk with Seth, and he shared a little bit about his interesting new seminar, and a lot about his thoughts on communicating to create meaningful change. I got a lot of value out of the conversation, and I think you will, too. His seminar is also well worth checking out, but you have to do that by Friday.

This week on the blog was all about seizing responsibility and making your professional life better.

My conversation with Seth sparked some thoughts that I explored in Monday’s post — about how we can quit putting up with not-so-great clients and attract more of the wonderful ones instead.
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Written by Sonia Simone | May 8, 2017 | 7 Comments

5 Elements that Build a Roster of Terrific Clients

In the podcast episode I recorded recently with Seth Godin, we talked about storytelling — and he made a point I thought was fascinating.

Seth’s version of storytelling isn’t just crafting a plot in the traditional sense — the classic “The queen died, and then the king died of grief.”

He also looks at the implied stories in everything we do. We tell a business story with our tone of voice on a podcast, and the color choices on our website. Our pricing, our response time, our “Contact Me” form … they all come together to tell the story of your business.
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Written by Sonia Simone | May 4, 2017 | 5 Comments

It’s Freelancer Freedom Week on Copyblogger

Did you know that freelancers make up about a third of the U.S. workforce? I didn’t either, until I listened to Brian’s Unemployable podcast episode from last week.

What I did know is that freelancers have always been a wonderful part of our audience on Copyblogger. This week, we have a lot of great content to support freelance success — whether you’re freelancing full-time or you have a “side hustle” in addition to a more traditional job.

On Monday, I let you know about a program that’s very dear to me — our Certification program for content marketers. This is a program for writers who want to learn more about content strategy … and get the chance to apply for our list of recommended writers. The post tells you more about how the program works, and how to get involved.
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Written by Pamela Wilson | August 1, 2016 | 0 Comments

Writers: Discover How to Step Up Your Game with Our Free Ebook

We love writers around here. Have you noticed?

Professional writers. Aspiring writers. Struggling writers. Successful writers. Writers of all kinds!

To show our appreciation, we put together a free ebook for writers called WORD. Because in our experience, writers are also readers, so an ebook seemed like the perfect delivery system for our information.

We gathered our best articles-written-for-writers from people like Sonia Simone, Brian Clark, Stefanie Flaxman, Beth Hayden, and this other writer you may know. 😉
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Written by Sonia Simone | July 29, 2016 | 18 Comments

What to Look for in a Professional Content Writer

Every business needs content. Not the bland, me-too nonsense that frequently clutters up our inboxes and feeds, but genuinely useful, interesting content.

Content that helps a business stand out amid the clutter and noise. Content that moves prospects closer to a sale. Content that can become a powerful differentiator for your company.

And businesses often have a tough time finding the writers who know how to create that type of content over time.

One of the reasons I think organizations struggle is that they don’t always know what qualities will make for a genuinely productive, profitable hire. And as you might guess, I have a few strong opinions about that.

So, here’s what I think you should look for when you need to hire a content professional to create the marketing that will move your business forward.
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