Posts tagged: freelance writer

Are You Surviving Upwards, Or Just Surviving? (Our Winter Solstice Post)

December 21, 2010, by 2 comments

At 3:38 PM today (PST), the earth’s axis reaches its maximum tilt, and the Northern Hemisphere experiences what is supposed to be the shortest day (and longest night) of the year.

From here on out, the days are supposed to be getting longer, but it always feels as if winter has just begun, and in fact, somewhere around late February I become convinced this December 21 thing is a giant practical joke played on us by a bunch of astronomy geeks still pissed because they couldn’t get dates to the prom.

Still, it’s a day worth a little reflection, if only because the river’s too high to fish, the snow’s falling, and my office is piled with boxes to the point the only egress is a little path between the desk and the door.

In other words, I can think, or I can straighten up.

I’ll take “think” every time.

The Hell With Resolutions

I read somewhere that New Year’s Resolutions have gone out of style, and good riddance.

In one sense, New Year’s Resolutions are a bet against yourself. Better – far better – is to invest a little time in the big picture aspects of your career.

That’s never been more critical than today; a side-effect of our always-on media environment is the emphasis on the immediate and near-term – a focus on the tactical instead of the strategic.

In simple terms, are you working towards a goal, or just working?

In more dramatic terms, are you surviving upwards, or just surviving?

Comfort Is Your Enemy

Clearly, 2010 was the most tumultuous of my life; my grand little daughter’s arrival at the end of 2009 coincided with a wholesale change in my business model.

I even changed how I wrote, wholly abandoning paper-focused word processors for online-friendly text editors (like Emacs and Komodo Edit.

So far, things are working; right after the new year, three big web projects kick into gear, and I’ll be too busy surviving to plan the next year of my career.

So I’m going to take a few days before then to sit back, disconnect, read a few reports on trends and technology, and think about what next year holds.

Bill Gates used to famously hold a weeklong retreat every year where the day-to-day aspects of work disappeared. They were replaced by reams of reports and other information – the fuel of big-picture thinking – and a lot of high-level discussion about where his business should be pointed.

There’s no reason a freelance writer (or consultant, or whatever) wouldn’t benefit from the same exercise.

Where are you headed? What are your long-term career plans? How do you plan to get there?

And (this one’s often overlooked) what do you need to change on a day-to-day basis to make it happen?

The Big Picture (It Works)

Last year, my big picture strategy aimed me squarely at consulting instead of writing, and one of my day-to-day goals was to become make the writing/business half of my work more efficient.

The tactical effect was this: I took a hard look at my tools and processes and eliminated some of the inefficient practices I’d clung to for the last decade (or longer).

Meanwhile, the big picture stuff drove my plans for a marketing website and development of a message aimed at a specific type of client (small and medium sized organizations who are bewildered by the array of online marketing technologies).

Today – and following on the heels of a couple similar projects – I’m about to begin three new online presence projects.

Clearly, I got something right, though it’s possible none of the above would have come true if I hadn’t invested a week in my own future – a week spent reworking not just my processes, but also my assumptions about how things should be done.

So if your plans for the holidays simply involve eating too much to move, consider carving out a few days to look at the bigger picture – the one that lies beyond your next New Year’s resolution.

Keep writing, Tom Chandler.

The Undead Copywriter Staggers Forth With a New Post

October 18, 2009, by 5 comments

About 4 pm, I become the undead – the Zombie Formerly Named TC who staggers around the house and eating the brains of the living. It’s the result of a potent cocktail of “new baby” sleep deprivation and eleven time zones worth of jet lag, and it’s every bit as unpretty as it sounds.

Unfortunately, the Undead stagger carefully around the Copywriter Underground/Soiled Diaper World Headquarters these days, what with the Still Uncompleted Construction Project turning every available space into a deadly obstacle course (if it’s one thing zombies don’t do well, it’s hurdle).

In fact, I’m designating this Day 40 of the Underground Home Hostage Crisis – an acknowledgement that an extremist contractor splinter group has apparently seized control of our house, demanding bags of money or they’ll start killing rooms.

They’ve done enough damage to convince us they really mean it.

Still, these aren’t your average Working-Class Extremists – they apparently prefer to terrorize lazily from a distance. At least that’s the conclusion you’d have to draw since we haven’t actually seen a cell member all week long.

My wife is reacting to all this with the kind of grace you’d expect from an Ivy League educated brainiac new-mom type, which is to say she’s threatening to go all Chuck Norris on the contractors for not finishing the project when they first promised – five weeks ago and “for sure” before we returned from our trip to Ethiopia.

In fact, when calling the lead contractor, she casually mentioned that “Nothing says ‘Welcome to your new home’ to a baby like the severed heads of contractors mounted above the front door.”

(Moral of Story: Don’t Mess with a New Mommie)

(Truth in Copy Disclosure: She didn’t actually say “severed” but drama demanded I add it. Sorry.)

So to summarize:

  • Me = The Undead
  • House = Hostage Site/Nuclear Blast Zone
  • Spouse = Chuck Norris Would Be Proud
  • Little M (new baby) = Burbling happily away in the corner
  • Spare Time = None

The New Writing Life

I’m working feverishly on a big Web site project, and while I’m happy for the work, sizable changes lie before me.

My regular work routine – honed over two decades of mucking around in this business – is now mostly a fantasy, and the accommodations are flying thick and fast.

You write when you can, and look carefully at the things you formerly had time for, but now seem less important.

Keep writing (and avoid zombies whenever possible), Tom Chandler

See you (other zombies) on the River, Tom Chandler.

oDesk Picks Top 40 Freelance Writer Blogs (They Like Us – They Really Like Us!)

August 31, 2009, by 10 comments

The Copywriter Underground – despite serving mostly as an outlet for a grouchy, geezerish copywriter bent on annihilation of social media mega-hype – has been picked by the oDesk blog as one of the Top 40 Writer’s blogs.

oDesk Top 40 Writer's blogs

And yes, it appears that oDesk actually visited the blogs in question instead of simply crafting another linkbait list. Kudos for that.

I’m touched. And while I’m tempted to gush like Sally Fields gushed in her 1985 Oscar speech, decorum remains a critical component of the Underground’s universe.

So I won’t.

I did find a handful of smaller writer’s blog I hadn’t read until now – a happy underline to any Monday morning.

Simply put, oDesk’s Top 40 list is worth a look.

UPDATE: For those visiting this site for the first time, consider visiting my most-popular, best-received posts from my 3+ years here.

Working With Difficult Clients: When To Stay & Educate, When to Leave

March 31, 2009, by 11 comments

Google’s Visual Design Leader announced he’s leaving the company on his Stopdesign blog, suggesting the engineer-driven company had become too difficult to work for:

Without a person at (or near) the helm who thoroughly understands the principles and elements of Design, a company eventually runs out of reasons for design decisions. With every new design decision, critics cry foul. Without conviction, doubt creeps in. Instincts fail. “Is this the right move?”

When a company is filled with engineers, it turns to engineering to solve problems. Reduce each decision to a simple logic problem. Remove all subjectivity and just look at the data. Data in your favor? Ok, launch it. Data shows negative effects? Back to the drawing board. And that data eventually becomes a crutch for every decision, paralyzing the company and preventing it from making any daring design decisions.

Yes, it’s true that a team at Google couldn’t decide between two blues, so they’re testing 41 shades between each blue to see which one performs better. I had a recent debate over whether a border should be 3, 4 or 5 pixels wide, and was asked to prove my case.

Ouch.

It’s an interesting glimpse inside Google – and a good illustration of the difficulties faced by creatives in technology driven environments.

Freelance writers find themselves operating in similarly difficult environments; without fulltime access to managers or an in-house champion, credibility can be hard to grow.

During the dot-com boom years, inexperienced marketing managers often forced me to justify even the most basic marketing decisions.

In one instance, a novice marketing manager challenged me to “prove” (on the spot) a benefit-driven ad concept would outperform the pun-based headline he favored.

In another, a manager said copying the competition’s materials and message allowed us to “piggyback” our efforts atop their marketing budgets.

Oy.

In another, I suggested testing direct response offers. That night, the engineer/founder of the company stayed up late and – intrigued by the testing grid I’d sketched – crafted a program testing several dozen attributes, including slight variations in typeface, color and similarly unimportant factors.

The last scenario was more amusing than difficult (at the very least, the founder was engaged). The first two instances were more problematic, and in those situations, it’s easy to get frustrated.

Life grows complicated when the marketing process becomes a power struggle instead of quest for results, and you may ultimately decide those environments don’t work for you.

Still, sucking it up and attempting to educate the client remains the best path. At the very least, forwarding interesting articles, links and tidbits builds credibility.

And yes – at some point, a client should become comfortable with your decisions. If that day never comes, then consider – as Douglas Bowman did – simply moving on (or tacking a 30% “hassle factor” fee to your estimates).

As for Mr. Bowman, don’t work up any tears. He just began his new job as Twitter’s Creative Director.

Keep writing, Tom Chandler.

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Simple Job Tracking For Freelance Writers (or, Maybe Paper is Better)

February 12, 2009, by 14 comments

Ad agencies want to bill every minute of employee time to their clients, so they demand daily timesheets – which require each project have a unique tracking ID.

While I don’t track my time with such precision (any more), I have adapted my last ad agency’s job tracking system to my freelance practice, and while I’ve tried other methods over the years, I keep coming back to this simple, elegant system.

At the start of every year, I simply print a simple gridded spreadsheet with job numbers (each line increments by 1), and when I begin a new project, I pick up the clipboard/binder near my desk and assign that job the next number on the list (along with a start date).

The simple job tracking grid

The simple job tracking grid: fast, easy, and offline.

It couldn’t be simpler.

The Benefits?

Suddenly, each job comes equipped with its own unique job number, so I can simply note that number on everything associated with that job (copy files, invoices, passthrough costs, travel expenses, etc).

And because my numbering system begins with the year (“I started this year’s sheet with “2009100″ – the next job assigned will be “2009101″), I can tell at a glance which jobs have been invoiced (because yes, I do forget), which are finished, and even if a suspended job needs a tickler sent to a client.

More importantly, you’ll have a paper index of all your jobs – one that’s easy to scan, so you can tell at a glance which jobs are lagging, and which of your jobs haven’t been invoiced (yes, I have forgotten to invoice jobs in the past).

Every freelance writer develops an internal process for handling the business – and I’m sure there’s a technology-enhanced method for handling this one (if I wrote a lot of editorial, I’d probably integrate this into one of the PC or online submission tracking systems).

Still, simple offers a quality all its own (namely, it’s sustainable over the long run), and it’s hard to argue with what works, no matter how low-tech.

Click here to download the basic job-tracking spreadsheet in Excel format (.xls). Modify it to fit your process, and let us know how it works.

Keep writing, Tom Chandler.

Happy Thanksgiving, and… You're Fired (More on a Tough Economy)

December 1, 2008, by 7 comments

Two days before Thanksgiving I received The Email; one of my retainer projects wasn’t going to be funded in 2009 – a victim, the client said, of the economic upheaval.

No, the timing wasn’t great, but I wasn’t surprised. This was a speculative project – one living far from the organization’s revenue stream. And in tough economic times, being “far from the revenue stream” is more an epitaph than a harbinger of survival.

The point isn’t whether this will happen to you (it will). The real point is this: How will you react?

Walk Away? Or Try Again?

I’m satisfied I did a good job, and the good results reflect that. Still, it was a luxury project, and while I can walk away with my head held high, why would I walk away at all?

The client was happy with my non-revenue producing work – so why not pitch them a revenue-positive project?

I’m working on the pitch now, and approaching the client this week. The concept? They have a gaping hole in their marketing process where they should have a revenue stream.

I’m offering to create that revenue stream, and do so quickly.

To do it, I’m putting together a pitch that’s both persuasive (hopefully) and topical (it draws on recent, well-known fundraising successes to prove my point).

And to help it fly with the spreadsheet zombies, I’m willing to back-load my fees (accept the bulk of payment toward the end of the project so expenses show up after revenues are flowing).

Will it work?

Hard to say. Tough times make for bunker mentalities at a lot of organizations, and new projects – even those with revenue-positive projections – are often relegated without a thought.

Still, why walk away?

The freelance copywriting life includes plenty of rejection and down economies; both can be painful, but both also represent opportunities, especially if you’re looking for them – instead of seeing only  doom and gloom.

Keep writing, Tom Chandler.

Writing White Papers Posts Top Ten Writer's Blog Finalists: We're Still In the Running

September 15, 2008, by 6 comments

Business travel is one of those activities that sounds a bit better than it typically is, and though I’ve been on the road for a couple days (and I’m facing a couple more), I wanted to thank everyone who nominated the Copywriter Underground for Michael Stelzner’s s 3rd Annual Top 10 Blogs for Writers Contest.

The Undergrounders spoke, and I made the list of finalists – a nice, gift-wrapped warm fuzzy in a contest that saw the number of nominations double from the prior year (144 to 300).

Thanks again to my readers – who stick around despite my absences and generally grumpy ways. You guys rock.

Here is the list of finalists; all are worthwhile blogs, and reflect a healthy sampling of different approaches to the craft of writing:

I’ll be back in my office on Wednesday. Until then, keep writing, Tom Chandler.

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The Ultimate Freelancer's Tool: The Excuse Ball

August 5, 2008, by 7 comments

For copywriters who are bad a lieingIf you’re one of the few freelance writers that isn’t already a pathological liar when it comes to deadlines, then consider this handy, non-hosted tool: The “Instant Excuse Ball.”

Modeled on the famous “shake-and-answer” Eight Ball, the Excuse Ball contains 20 different excuses, so if you’re writing a “dog ate my Web copy” email to a client – and you’re a poor liar – this is surely a worthwhile investment.

At the Copywriter Underground, we never stop looking for ways to make your life better.

Keep making excuses writing, Tom Chandler.

Where the Time Goes When There Isn't Any

July 31, 2008, by 4 comments

Because I foolishly took a vacation, I’m now overwhelmed with Stuff to Write, and my workload is treating me the same way trains treat automobiles:

Because she’s a game sort who’s willing to share the pain, Roberta Rosenberg posts pretty much the same story of getaway-related overwork.

I won’t turn this post into a pine for the old days, when we actually had time to think about the words we wrote, or projects didn’t change course a half-dozen times in three days.

But I have to ask: how many of today’s freelancers (writers, designers, Web folks, etc) are feeling – acutely at times – the pressure of what we used to call Internet Time?

It’s the pressure that accompanies the expectation of too many words (and calls, and emails, and research) in too little time. And the realization that compiling an actual to-do list – complete with deadlines – would reduce you to a whimpering, drooling fool.

It’s likely we have only ourselves to blame.

But still, you think you absolutely can’t take an afternoon off? Afraid to book a vacation? Forget what the sun looks like?

The floor is yours, Undergrounders.

Keep writing, Tom Chandler.

The Ups and Downs of Freelance Copywriting: The Perils of Proposals

July 18, 2008, by 13 comments

I’m beat.

My wife and I both worked a very, very long work week. And when it lands hard on both of us at once, neither can pick up the slack.

It’s not true, but the last few days, I feel like I’ve eaten nothing but cereal.

The Copywriter's messy desk, including Linux Ubuntu
Does it look like I’ve been sleeping here? (It feels like it.)

Still, the worst is over. Yet I’ve only got time for a short update.

In a prior post, I urged my readers to pursue their dream clients (and dream projects) instead of sitting and waiting for clients to choose them.

I even outlined a process, and employed it myself to win a meeting, where I pitched a sizable membership project. I left the meeting feeling pretty good.

And I’d love to report on my success (as in “I’m writing this from the French Riviera, where my English butler is doing the typing for me“) but in truth, the reality isn’t that rosy. Still, you get the bad with the good here on the Underground, and the project that seemed so promising is now on… hold.

Why?

After all, I invested several hours educating the marketing person.

Who just left the organization.

Damn.

But you know, stuff happens. And if you’re deterred by every setback, you should consider a different line of work (no crybabies on the Underground).

The good news?

The higher ups now know my name. They liked the original proposal. And because of the visibility gained, I’ve been given a shot at a different project (my proposal’s on several desks as we speak).

In fact, I’ve got three separate proposals circulating at two different organizations, and I’m talking to the industry leader about some very, very intriguing engagement marketing stuff (and yes, I’m getting sick of spreadsheets).

Best of all, each is the kind of project I want to do — the kind of work that fires my imagination.

Starting tomorrow, I’m spending a week in Maine, where I’ll have limited connectivity (they have web servers in Maine, but apparently they’re wood fired).

I’ll leave you with this thought. When you sit down at the keyboard in the morning, what kind of project would it excite you to write?

Keep writing, Tom Chandler.

An Underground Review: Writing White Papers by Michael Stelzner

February 13, 2008, by 3 comments

imageThe bookshelves are littered with "How to make millions in your underwear" books aimed at new copywriters — most of them pretty light on original thought.

What’s missing are the books that actually tell you how to do things — books that offer you enough information that you can confidently take on a paying job and expect to deliver a professional product.

That’s why I read Michael Stelzner’s Writing White Papers with such interest.

No, I haven’t written white papers in a long time (my last similar project was an 80 page book on hard drive technology written better than 13 years ago), but I clearly remember the confusion when I was first asked to write one.

You Copied. Sometimes Poorly

The valley was one of the early "boom and bust" cycles that plagued the high tech industry, and for a copywriter whose clients were slashing ad budgets left and right — cutting the legs out from under the campaign work I’d being living on — "no" wasn’t in the vocabulary.

Without resources like Michael’s book to fall back on, I took the job, found a white paper that looked presentable, and copied it.

Of course, it was poorly conceived, badly organized and the victim of an ugly layout, and yes, I largely repeated those mistakes. And — unlike Writing White Papers — that sample white paper didn’t come with interview tips, research help, and outlining hints.

Marketing the White Paper

Michael’s book moves beyond creating the white paper into marketing it; a nice, value-added touch that could separate you from other copywriters.

For all the value it delivers, the book isn’t without its weaknesses. I would have liked more formatting examples, and the chapter on marketing could have included a few lead generation flow charts to help the novice writer explain the process to a client.

Still, those are nitpicks — especially when balanced against the "Quick Start" chapter (actually Appendix 1) and the "White Paper Resources" Appendix.

Stelzner, of course, writes a leading copywriting blog, and he’s always adding relevant white paper content to his blog — essentially building atop the foundation provided by his book.

Writing White Papers is the kind of book I wish existed when I needed it (Michael, you did me dirty by waiting too long).

Of course, it’s of little value if you’re planning to write Nike TV campaigns the rest of your life, but for anyone who wants to enter one of the strongest markets in the copywriting universe, then this book is probably a must.

(Full disclosure: I have no commercial interest whatsoever in this book.)

Michel Fortin Talks USPs. I Talk Value-Added Copywriter. Why Should You Listen To Either Of Us?

January 28, 2008, by 7 comments

I’m a learn-it-yourself kind of guy, which means I learn by doing. As a result, it’s often hard for me to teach; instinctive learners like myself don’t always understand the progressions used by other types of learners.

By contrast, Michel Fortin’s always excelled at breaking things down for his readers, and his current post hits home: finding your own Unique Selling Proposition (or “hook”):

Time and time again, I’ve told many aspiring copywriters and marketers that a USP is what distinguishes you from the pack. It increases perceived value, expertise, and credibility — without needing to state it outright.

But since I hear this question often, particularly from copywriters just entering the field, I sense that it’s because people need a little help in defining their USP.

I’m guilty of forcibly confronting my readers with the concept of the value-added copywriter.

The idea is simple: in this age of cheap (or free) content, word jockeys will end up working for pizza money, and only those who bring more to the table than vowels and consonants will truly prosper.

Fortin’s post touches on that, but it’s really about defining yourself in a way that makes prospects want to call because you do something unique.

I’ve received a whole chunk of email lately from new copywriters looking for tips, and my first two are always “get a Web presence and then figure out why anyone should call you in the first place.”

After all, if you can’t explain to me why someone should hire you, how are you going to explain it to your prospects?

Give Michel’s post a read, and think about your “hook.”

Then read my own rant on the subject.

No one expects you to define your copywriting message any more than you were expected to know your career choice at kindergarten age, but damnit, I am expecting you to think about it.

And to keep writing, Tom Chandler.

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