Like you, I receive the emails every week. They spell out a golden “opportunity” which allows me to write for an emerging content site.
Inevitably, the arc of the communication is predictable; it always ends at a place where the site gets the content, and the writer gets screwed.
What’s remarkable is how many people tumble for [...]
I first published this video in November, 2007, and because it’s more timely than ever, thought I’d run the video again.
Sure, Harlan Ellison is an abrasive pain in the ass, but he’s repeatedly put his money where his sizable mouth is when it came to protecting the rights of writers and content creators.
In a time [...]
Freelancers are suffering a recession-linked double-whammy – not only are clients and customers cutting budgets, but the newly unemployed are swelling the ranks of the self-employed, and driving fees downward.
This New York Time article (found via the Copywriter Maven) looks at the recession’s effect on the self-employed (and under-employed), and touches on an often-overlooked [...]
I used to spontaneously craft lists just for fun, and today seems like the perfect day to revive the practice.
And rather than beat around the bush, let’s just call this list the “Eight Gratifying Moments in the Life of Any Freelance Copywriter or Consultant:”
Reading a short, pithy, “The copy’s perfect” email from a client
Shipping solid [...]
Sometimes, better copy isn’t the solution to a client’s marketing problem.
As a value-added copywriter – someone offering your clients more than vowels and consonants – you should know how to generate success for you clients, even if it doesn’t mean another rewrite.
Which is why I’m introducing you to three letters: RFM
They stand for Recency, Frequency, [...]
For some freelancers, acquiring new clients is a hit-or-miss process, and many wait for work to come to them.
In the past, I’ve detailed my tried-and-true Six Point Lumpy Mailer Plan designed to put you in touch with high-value contacts at the companies you want to write for.
This Freelance Switch post details a cold calling plan [...]
My six year-old HP laptop has never failed me. But lately, it has been making me wait.
It’s running Windows XP, and even after a clean install – once its 512K MB of RAM was burdened with service packs, security updates, anti-viral software and a modern browser – it becomes the Little Laptop That Can’t.
At least [...]
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Posted 22 June 2008
† Tom Chandler
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Writer tools
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Tagged: linux, linux for copywriters, open source, openoffice, testing ubuntu, trying linux, trying ubuntu, ubuntu, vista, windows vista, windows xp, xubuntu
Garry Kasparov is the greatest chess player the world’s ever known. While few of us can replicate his impressive mental powers, we can leverage the methods he used to achieve the chess world’s highest ever rating.
His secret?
He played the game backwards.
A Strategy For Success
Most chess players view a game’s current position as a starting point, [...]
Prior to my family emergency, I promised you the results of my recent new client pitch — the culmination of several posts about picking and pitching the clients you want to work for (instead of letting clients pick you).
We started back here — the post where I suggested getting your foot in the door of [...]
I’ve repeatedly said you should pick the clients and projects that interest you, get your foot in the door (via lumpy mailers), and get the business.
But how do you pitch prospects — and make them buy what you’re proposing?
I’m working on a pitch right now. (And yes, I generated the meeting via a lumpy [...]
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