Simple strategies for positioning your freelance writing business

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Many successful businesses position themselves in a specific way to attract certain types of clients. As a freelance writer, you should do the same.

Think about when you go out to grab a coffee with your friends. Why do you choose to go to Starbucks or Second Cup or Tim Hortons or the local independent coffee shop? Is it because it’s the closest place? Maybe so. Or is it because you want to feel a certain way when you’re drinking your coffee. Very likely.

How you position yourself as a freelance writer will compel your clients to feel a certain way about you. How they feel about you will also affect how you present yourself to the world and do business.

There are different strategies for positioning yourself to prospects and clients. They can work together or on their own.

Build credibility through your marketing

You can develop your positioning – and build your credibility as a content writer – by regularly marketing yourself and your services. How you market your services is up to you, but here are a few ideas:

• Blogging: Writing a personal or industry blog, publishing posts on LinkedIn, writing long-form articles in publications and newsletters
• Speaking: Given webinars and talks on topics you write about or are an expert in
• Passive marketing: Stating in your blurb or bio who you help and what they get from working from you
• Social media: Maintaining a current and consistent presence on your social media pages (e.g., LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram)

Maintain your website

Your website is part of your marketing, but it is also its own entity. Establishing and maintaining your web presence is part of developing your positioning. Your website should do the following:

• Communicate who you serve and how you serve them – be clear about your ideal client and what you do to help them
• Use good SEO and keyword usage – it addresses your clients’ business needs, using language that they would use to search for your services
• Ensure your website has intuitive navigation – it’s easy to use and find information, and it’s not overly creative
• Include a call to action – tell your visitors what to do and where to go when on your website
• Keep your site up to date with current technology (mobile friendly) and link to your social media profiles

Recognize networking opportunities

Right now, it’s difficult to network in person. When you can network in person through real events (or even if you’re doing online events), do the following:

• Connect with the person you want to meet before actually meeting them – connect on LinkedIn, saying you’re reaching out because you will both be attending the event
• Start an online discussion about the event you’ll be attending
• Pre-Tweet or post about the event, asking anyone who is attending if they want to connect or chat
• Follow people you’ve met at the event online

When you’re building your network, make sure to include the following types of people:

• Current and past customers
• Peers and colleagues
• Mentors
• Referral sources

Cultivate your leads

To position yourself as a freelance writer, you need to develop relationships with people you want to work with. There are many different ways to cultivate relationships with leads – consider these ideas:

• Create an email newsletter – include an opt-in and opt-out email list, write it regularly (weekly, bi-monthly, monthly), and provide consistently relevant information
• Build a social media following – connect with leads online, follow them, share useful information, respond to comments
• Write personal messages when doing outreach – reach out regularly to people who’ve responded to emails or social media posts, ask if they are ready to work with you

Blog posts on positioning your freelance writing services

• How to position your freelance writing or creative business
• How can you position yourself as an authority to prospects and clients?
• Positioning, USP and branding
• How to create a marketing purpose statement

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Do you need help with positioning your freelance writing services? Let me know – contact@davidgargaro.com.

David, Author of How to Run Your Company… Into the Ground

How to win over clients as a freelance writer

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Finding new clients for your freelance content writing business – or any business for that matter – is more important today than it has ever been. Many freelancers have lost clients due to COVID-19 forcing the closure of their clients’ businesses, as well as some clients reducing their needs for freelance writing. It’s also important for new freelancers who want to grow their business.

There are many, MANY ways to find clients as a freelance writing business. To follow are four strategies that can work together to help you win new clients as a freelance writer.

Define your ideal client

Think about who you want to work with, or who you have worked with that was a great client. You enjoy the work and they pay well. Winning just a few ideal clients can make your business, and help you to enjoy the work you do so you’ll want to do great work.

Consider your goals – income goals, lifestyle goals, fulfillment of work – and match the clients to your goals.

So how can you classify ideal clients?

• Clients within your industry or desired niche
• Geography
• Connections to others within your network
• Mutually shared interests

Create a client acquisition plan

You need a way to find and acquire clients. The method depends on what works best for you, but here are some ideas:

• Ask people in your network for connections
• Attend local business events (online if necessary)
• Join and search industry associations
• Use LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. – wherever you hang out online
• Send out cold and warm emails, make phone calls, mail postcards, etc.

Whatever method you choose, commit to a repeatable plan. Stick with the methods that work for you, and repeat daily / weekly / monthly. Set tasks that you can repeat each week, and that will take a few hours of your week. Aim for bite-sized tasks that are easy to accomplish, as they will spur you to keep going.

Do what is within your control, and what you feel comfortable doing.

Sell solutions to business problems

You’re a writer (or whatever you happen to do). But your potential clients don’t really care what you do. The want solutions to their problems, not specific skills or services.

A skill is something you know how to do. A business problem is something you can solve using your skills. You can sell your skill set (i.e., say what you do, the experience you have doing it) to sell a solution to a specific problem. State the following:

I can help you do THING IMPORTANT TO CLIENT. I helped clients in your industry GET RESULT IMPORTANT TO CLIENT.

Create a sustainable business – repeat clients

The key to creating a sustainable business is to work with clients who will keep using your services over time. You don’t want “one and done” work … unless it pays very well and leads to referrals for more work.

This should be part of your client acquisition plan. Book strategy calls with clients every quarter or every few months. Discuss how you can take care of their work needs, as well as how you can help them to achieve their business goals.

Other blog posts on getting new clients

• Need more freelance writing clients? Try a tripwire offer
• Are you overlooking a valuable source of potential work – past clients?
• Three-step system for finding new freelance writing clients
• Lead generation strategies for freelance writers
• Seven steps to growing your freelance writing business

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Do you need help with growing your freelance content writing business? Do you need a freelance writer? Let me know – contact@davidgargaro.com.

David

Follow up – the key to effective prospecting

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Prospecting is an essential component of being an effective freelance content writer. Unless you have mastered inbound marketing or you have clients beating a path to your door, you must prospect. You must do the work to find and reach out to potential clients. It’s one of the key components of successfully marketing your freelance writing business.

However, prospecting is more effective when you follow up. It’s not practical to expect great results when you only reach out to prospects once. How many times you follow up is your call, but you must follow up at least once.

Why should you follow up to be more effective at prospecting?

• It is necessary! Everyone is busy these days. Reminding a potential client that you can write their articles, blog posts, case studies and other content – or provide an essential service – is useful to your prospect, and a professional use of your time.
• Things happen. Your clients might get busy or something could distract them to cause them to ignore or forget about your initial message.

So, how do you prospect more effectively?

• Make it easy to get permission from your prospect to follow up again. Set a date for reaching out the next time, and the next steps at the end of your prospecting email or call.
• Don’t force it. You cannot manufacture urgency that does not exist. Do not force motivation for the prospect to move forward.
• Have a plan for long-term follow up. They might not be able to respond or buy right now, but they might buy in the mid-term future. Follow up over several weeks and months by sending something of value to show you are thinking of them. This could include links to an article, blog posts, ebook, web site, etc. This is known as lead nurturing.
• Spread out your follow-up attempts using a defined process (calendar apps, scheduling software, CRM tools, etc. are good for this). Set your own rules for when and how you follow up. Adjust your methods when you learn what works and what doesn’t.
• Be graceful and professional if the prospect says they’re not interested. A “No” now does not mean a “No” forever, and they could still become helpful down the road.

Other blog posts on prospecting

• How to write effective cold emails to prospects
• How to get better at prospecting as a freelance writer
• Three-step system for finding new freelance writing clients
• Adding humour and personality to your prospecting emails
• Two tips for using email marketing to turn prospects into clients

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Need help with writing prospecting emails? Let me know – contact@davidgargaro.com.

David

How to write effective cold emails to prospects

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I’ve been writing more cold emails lately to prospects to help grow my business. They can be effective, when done right. Here are some tips that have helped me to get more email responses from prospective clients.

Target the right prospects

Don’t send emails to every company or prospect that you come across. It’s going to waste your time and deter you from sending cold emails, since your response rate will be really low. Focus your emails on the right prospects, and tailor the emails to their needs. A positioning statement can help you to identify the right targets for your emails.

Get your email opened

Create a personalized subject line that will interest your prospect – use humour or something personal to them. The key (as is often the case) is to target the right person at the right time with the right message. Make sure to keep track of messages that have worked (and ones that have not) so that you can make adjustments to future emails.

Lead with value rather than a sales pitch

Focus on what you will do together (saying “You” and “we” rather than “I” and “me” in your emails). Refer to what is going on in their business – their needs, challenges, goals, successes, etc. Describe the positive value of working with you – how you can help them to achieve their goals, how you’ve helped others overcome similar circumstances. Ask for a next step that gives them value (send a free report, offer to do a consultation). You want to get a response more than a sale.

Keep your emails short and direct

Put the information front and centre. Don’t make them read a lot to get to the point. This will make responding much easier. Use formatting strategies (bullets, headings, bold points, links to outside sources) to make your emails more attractive to read. Emails should take less than five minutes to read – brevity is key.

Close with purpose

Don’t be wishy washy (e.g., “Let me know…”). Close with a clear next step that the reader can do in the next five minutes (e.g., “Let’s set up a call…, Can I send you some thoughts?”). The goal is to make it easy for the prospect to take the next step and move forward.

Conclusion

Warm emails are better than cold emails, but effectively written cold emails can still do a lot of heavy lifting for you, and help you to reach prospects and turn them into clients. Put thought into that next email and you will see results.

Do you need help with writing cold emails, or writing emails in general? Let me know – contact@davidgargaro.com.

David

Need more freelance writing clients? Try a tripwire offer.

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Freelancers, please heed the following awful truth. You should probably tape it to your wall or around your desk when you’re having a difficult time with prospecting:

Just because the market wants what you’re offering does not mean that they want it from you.

It’s also true – in freelancing and dating (so I’m told) – that we become more urgent and desperate in our approach when times get lean. Your first meeting with a new client is like a first date – don’t propose “marriage” right away. Stop assaulting prospects and new clients with pitches for doing a lot of business with you right away. (Of course, if they want to hire you for a big job, don’t play hard to get.) You have to build the relationship, and entice them to get to know you and your service offerings.

That’s where the tripwire offer comes in. The tripwire offer is an irresistible, super-low-ticket offer that helps to convert prospects into buyers. It gets the prospect to buy something small, and turns them into a client. It changes the relationship – once someone buys from you, and they’re satisfied, they will tend to buy from you again.

Note: The tripwire offer IS NOT A COUPON – it does not discount your current offerings. It is a special offer, designed to provide value in advance of using your key services.

A good tripwire offer is a “splinter” offer. It is a portion (or splinter) of your core product or service. It should be geared to addressing the prospect’s key problem. It provides a quick result, or solves a small problem. Once the person buys the tripwire offer, they become a client, and you can promote your main services to solve bigger problems.

Another key advantage of the tripwire offer is that it helps to address doubt:

• Doubt in you (what you can do for them)
• Doubt in themselves (their ability to achieve a goal)

The tripwire helps the client to achieve a little victory, thereby erasing both doubts. They now believe your ability to help them, and believe that they can achieve their goal. The client feels satisfaction – it’s a positive feeling toward you, and relief that their problems will be solved.

For example, suppose that I come across a client who needs their website rewritten from scratch. It’s a huge job, and it can cause a lot of grief as there are a lot of things to consider. My tripwire offer would be to revise one page on their website for a fee (say $50). I would make sure that the new page hit all the markets – solid, attractive copy that targets their desired client. Another option would be to create a brand new bio for their LinkedIn page (again, for a fee). It would make them look great, which makes them feel great. Then we can discuss a larger project after that.

Give the prospect a taste of what you can for a reasonable fee, and make them feel good about their issue and what you can do. You can create a few tripwire offers for your target market, or tailor one for a prospect you really want to work with. It’s up to you. Know your benefits, and know your prospect’s needs, to create a great offer.

Do you need help with creating a tripwire offer? Want to discuss other writing or editing needs? Let me know – contact@davidgargaro.com.

David

How to get better at prospecting as a freelance writer

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It would be great if prospects contacted you every day to become clients and use your writing services. Some people are that good, or that well known, or that effective at lead generation (or that lucky). If you build a great lead system and website, you can get prospects to come to you.

But for most freelancers, you have to find clients through prospecting. It’s essential for keeping yourself busy and replacing clients that pay poorly, stop using your services or that simply disappear. So, how can you get better at prospecting?

1. Make prospecting an automatic process. You can use automation or simply schedule it into your calendar. However you do it, turn prospecting into a habit, and that will lead to success.
2. Think in terms of small actions. Big goals and projects – especially when they are your goals and projects – can be daunting. Work on prospecting goals little by little, day by day. Focus on the small wins instead of trying to get it all done at once. Take a small action today. What can you accomplish today, or in the next hour? Find something that you know you can do in the next 15 minutes – send an email, look up a prospect on LinkedIn, check out their website and write a few notes down. Book that 15 minutes (or whatever time period you can commit to) into your weekly schedule so that you do it every week. Then build up your frequency and time commitment.
3. Focus on action, not outcomes. Take concrete actions to make them your goals. Do not state an outcome, such as number of leads that you need to get. You just want to complete the action, rather than concern yourself with the result (at least for now). Be consistent in those actions, and commit to the system you develop. The goal is to take the right action at the right time.
4. Treat prospecting like a recurring project. It’s your client work (not yours), and the client expects you to do your work regularly. Schedule prospecting into your day or week, and make it a priority. Put a deadline on it and add it to your TO DO list. You already know that you have to complete your clients’ projects on time, so treat prospecting like that regular client. This will help to build discipline into your prospecting habit.
5. Create a theme for each prospecting day. Focus on one theme – research, outreach, follow up, content marketing, etc. Do not try to do everything at one time. Do research only for your one day, and put all your research into one file that you can attack the next day. Write the theme days into your calendar, so you know that Monday is your research day, Tuesday is your outreach day, and so on.

Keep your prospecting goals simple and manageable, and you’ll develop a winning habit that will produce dividends. Again, focus on the action over the outcome.

Do you need help with creating a prospecting plan? Let me know – contact@davidgargaro.com.

David

How to get noticed as a freelance writer on LinkedIn

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I use LinkedIn a lot – to write blog posts, find leads, network with people in my industry, research potential clients and more. It’s a great tool for helping me to grow my business and attract potential clients.

There are numerous experts who write a lot about getting noticed on LinkedIn and building your brand. Here’s what I’ve learned about how to make the most of this resource.

Be consistent

Show up consistently where your prospective clients hang out – in groups, for example. Be consistently visible – write regularly. Be consistent in your message – stick to what works for you.

Be disciplined

Set aside time regularly to market on LinkedIn, research leads, contact prospects, etc. Spend the time to make the network valuable for you, and to add value to your network. Schedule your time weekly, and use that time to add value – help people with leads and introductions. Connect others where you can.

Be yourself

Share your unique perspectives and views. Add commentary on other people’s content. Write interesting articles on what you know. Add your point of view to your articles. Send personal messages to your contacts, and get involved in conversations.

Tools are as effective as you use them, and LinkedIn is no different. It won’t be as effective if you just set up a profile and let it sit there. Make the most of the tools at hand, and get yourself out there.

How do you use LinkedIn to your advantage? Need help with writing great messages? Let me know – contact@davidgargaro.com.

David

Three-step system for finding new freelance writing clients

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I’ve written quite a bit about how prospecting and how to find clients as a freelance writer. It was a tough middle part of the year for me, and many others, as some clients slowed their output or shut down completely.

Although I have several strategies in getting more client work, I like this three-step system, which works pretty well.

1. Browse job boards daily

I’ve made a list of sites that have the types of leads and clients I like to work with. I have them linked in a web folder, and go through them in the morning or afternoon to find new opportunities. I search according to certain keywords, such as freelance, writer, editor, copy editor, etc. I also find companies that might hire for my role, based on other roles they’re hiring for. For example, if they need a technical writer or graphic designer, then they might need a copy editor or freelance writer who can handle other tasks.

2. Research the leads

There are some job postings where I’ll just apply and move on. However, in most cases, I’ll do research on the company on LinkedIn, find out more about what they do, make sure to get a contact name, and get as much detail as possible about what they’re looking for in this role. I’ll make note of some key terms and phrases to use when applying for the role or reaching out to a prospect.

3. Create a targeted email pitch

I use a script as the foundation for my reach out email. I’ll then customize the content of the email for the person I’m reaching out to, the position I’m looking to apply for, the skills I offer that match their particular needs, etc. The goal is to attract the reader’s attention and get a response (preferably a YES) to my email. Any response shows some level of interest, and gives me a contact for future follow-ups. The key is to personalize the email by highlighting a need or something that would make them interested in me. End it with a call to action so that it’s easy to reply. I also need to stand out in some way by tying my skills and experience to their needs or problem.

Would this approach work for you? Do you have your own way of finding possible clients? Let me know – contact@davidgargaro.com.

David

Adding humour and personality to your prospecting emails

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Thanks to Lianna Patch of PunchLineCopy.com for her article on this topic.

I’ve written about making better use of your subject line to attract prospects and encourage clients to respond to your emails. A well written subject line can mean the difference between getting more responses and getting none at all.

One way to get more out of your email is to inject humour and personality into the subject line. The key is to employ YOUR sense of humour and YOUR personality when writing to prospects and clients. If it’s not your style, or it does not feel right to you for the client or the situation, then don’t do it. However, if you can apply your brand of humour or personality, then there are many opportunities to use smart, funny writing in your subject line to get results.

Following up with prospects

The followup can be powerful. Speak to the benefit of what they will get or the pleasure of working with you.

• Working together will be a blast.
• Let’s take your writing project to the next level!
• Hey! Do you still want to knock out that killer email project?

Sending work to a client for feedback

You need to find out what the client thinks of the work, and what to do next. Show that you care, and inject some life into that subject line.

• I’m dying to know what you think!
• Voila! Your marketing materials are here.
• You have an incoming telegram – your sales letter awaits your attention.

Thanking a client for a great project

Many people neglect to thank their clients after the work is done. You’ll be amazed at how much appreciation (and work) you’ll receive in return, as gratitude emails are very effective.

• I just wanted to say… you’re the best!
• This project made the top of my list of favourite gigs ever!
• Think of this email as a box of chocolate without the calories.

Checking in with past clients

I do this every few months, and often find that I get a nibble after throwing out a few check-in emails. Sometimes, past clients need to be reminded of your existence, and how great it was when you worked together.

• Danger! Danger! This email will explode if you don’t open it soon.
• It’s a blast from the past, and better than reruns of your favourite Seinfeld episode.
• This email will make you smile, as it’s a message from your favourite copy editor.

Sharing something to keep the flame alive

Some people like to share interesting articles or news with clients. Those are good, but adding some personality to your subject line will be the icing on the cake… and who doesn’t like icing?

• Hey Mark! I thought of you when I read this.
• I just read the funniest story, and I had to tell you about it.

Additional tips

• Keep the subject line short and strong when possible.
• lowercase the first word… didn’t that just stand out when you read it?
• Use an emoji that fits… but just one.

What did you think of these email tips? Would you use them? Do you have suggestions of your own? Let me know – contact@davidgargaro.com.

David

Six elements of influence for freelancers

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As a freelancer or solopreneur, you are responsible for attracting and retaining clients. You have a number of tools at your disposal for getting clients. One overlooked strategy involves increasing your influence – or your ability to get clients to come to you. Your influence serves as a magnet – it draws prospects to contact you and consider you for the services you provide. So how can you work on your “influence muscle” and get more prospects to see you as the solution to their needs?

Consider these six elements of influence, and work those muscles (all together or individually) to become more influential in your field.

Reciprocity

Do something for someone else, and they will tend to return the favour. This is one of my preferred approaches. I will refer clients and leads to people, or help them find something they need – and they’ll be more likely to help me in the future. Reciprocity is a side effect of content marketing – you produce free useful content, and your readers / audience will feel obliged in some way to do something for you. Reciprocity involves giving now to receive later (but without making it feel like an obligation to do so).

Authority

People tend to follow or obey authority figures. It’s in our nature. What you need to develop is earned or demonstrated authority (NOT institutional authority) – your authority comes from your experience and showing your knowledge. Again, content marketing shows that you know what you are doing, which builds your authority.

Liking

We associate and do business with people we like. We want to associate with people we like. Become a likeable expert, and people will want to do business with you. Being likeable is subjective, but it’s relatively simple to achieve – be honest, be yourself, be friendly and approachable.

Social proof

People do what they see others doing. It’s why social networking websites do so well – people go where their friends and influencers go. When people say positive things about you (through testimonials or referrals), others will follow. Pay attention to what others say about you, and spread the word.

Commitment + consistency

When you commit to something, you tend to follow through and do it consistently. People are attracted to those who are committed to their craft, and who show that they are able to do it consistently. When you have a solution to a problem, and demonstrate that you can solve those issues consistently, prospects will want to work with you.

Scarcity

It’s the law of supply and demand. When a resource is scarce, or limited in time or availability, people will want it more. People tend to respond to avoid loss. Think of when you wanted to get something because it was running out. If you have a webinar or run a training course with limited seating or that is only available for a given time, it will trigger a response. This is my least favourite approach, as it can be used dishonestly and can backfire. But used properly, it can help with developing influence.

Build your influence, and you will attract prospects and grow your client list. Do it honestly and use the method(s) that work best for you.

Any questions or comments? Let me know – contact@davidgargaro.com.

David