POST #19: 40 Days to a Successful Freelance Writing Career

PUBLISHER NOTE: If you are a regular reader of this blog, then you know about the upcoming freelance writing seminar in October. Details.

Many have inquired about what will be discussed at the seminar. So, in order to answer your questions and to get you prepared for what to expect, I've started a series of posts entitled "40 Days to a Successful Freelance Writing Career."

To start at the beginning, click here. And, welcome to the blog. Now, on to today’s post . . .

Freelance Writers: How to Get Noticed in Print

Remember in Post #9 when we talked about shock marketing and Post #5 when I explained two ways to get free PR for your freelance writing business.

Well, this kind of combines both of those posts. Today I want to talk about how to get noticed in print.

I was surfing the web the other day and ran across an article entitled, Burns Says Wooing Turlington Was Tricky. I clicked on it because the title intrigued me (as much as I hate to admit it, I’m somewhat of a celibrivoyeur!).

The last line of the article went like this: “Next month, Burns' new romantic comedy, "Purple Violets," will become the first featured film to be released and distributed by iTunes.”

You may be wondering, “What’s that got to do with getting noticed in print?”

POST CONTINUED BELOW
*************************
Want to learn exactly what to do to earn $100, $150, $200/day or more as a freelance writer, editor and/or copy editor? Inkwell Editorial's upcoming Freelance Writing Seminar will tell you how. Details. It's a career anyone who can read and write can start  with the right information.
*************************
Well, quite simply, you have to suck readers in with something that interests them before you tell them about something they may care less about.

In this example, I could care less about Ed Burns’ new movie, but how he wooed supermodel Christy Turlington was interesting for me. The bulk of the article focused on this – and at the end they threw in that, “Oh, yeah, he has a new movie coming out too.”

So, rather than go into a long post about effective headlines, grabbing your readers’ attention, and employing shock marketing tactics, I just wanted to remind you that you have nanoseconds to catch your target's attention.

And, the way you are going to grab it most of the time is with a headline that appeals to something they want to know about. There are many ways of doing this, and personalizing a piece is one bankable way to make sure it gets noticed.

Photos/graphics serve the same purpose. Many times, it's the graphic that draws the subject to the written word.

The lesson here? The right graphic can draw the reader in and your headline and the first one or two sentences of what you write is extremely important. Some experts estimate that you have only 3 seconds to catch someone's attention.

If there's a photo, you've already lost one second -- so in your marketing: i) get to the point quickly; ii) make it relevant to the reader (ie, state a benefit); and iii) end strong with a specific call to action (eg, call, email, fax, etc.).

Good luck!
**************************************************
What’s in Inkwell Editorial’s Newsletter?

Missed the last issue of Inkwell's freelance writing newsletter? The 9/12 issue featured an interview with freelance writer, Gordon Graham, aka, that white paper guy.

Gordon charges $90/hour just to edit a white paper and a minimum of $4,000 to produce one from scratch. Wanna know what he had to say? Sign up to receive your copy to read his informative, in-depth interview.

Next Issue – 9/26: For all you artists our there, I interviewed successful cartoonist Dan Rosandich. He’s been a freelancer since the mid-70s and details some very interesting marketing tactics on how to keep clients rolling in. He gives A LOT of very specific marketing info -- you won't want to miss his interview!

Gain clients, web traffic and brand awareness. How? Let us interview you for our popular newsletter? Full details. Read the first issue here.
************************************************
Copyright Notice: May be reprinted with the following, in full: Yuwanda Black is the publisher of InkwellEditorial.com: THE business portal for and about the editorial and creative industries. First-hand freelance success stories, e-courses, job postings, resume tips, advice on the business of freelancing, and more! Launch a Profitable Freelance Writing Career in 30 Days or Less -- Guaranteed! Log on to InkwellEditorial.com.
**************************************************
Like what you read here? Find the content useful and informative? Make us a Technorati Favorite. Simply click the Technorati icon at the top right-hand corner of the page.