nick usborne's guide to online copywriting
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December 2004
Issue # 70
In this issue:
>> Intro: Last
Issue of the Year
>> Review: Plenty of Ideas for Freelancers
>> Article: Protect Your Income
>> Reads Write Back: Soft-Sell or Hard-Sell
>> Survey: Plans for 2005
===============================================
Greetings,
Welcome to 2004's final issue of the Excess Voice Newsletter. The next issue will be on January 4th, 2005.
Last week I asked whether you considered yourself a soft-sell writer or a hard-sell writer. Strange result: 100% of the responses I received were from soft-sell writers. I guess that is a factor of what attracts people to this newsletter. For myself, yes, I am a 'soft-sell' writer. But that doesn't mean I don't try hard to make the sale. You'll find some interesting comments on this in the Readers Write Back section.
Next up, as I mentioned in the P.S. of my 'Correction' email a couple of weeks back, I have just launched a new site for freelance writers, FreelanceWritingSuccess.com. In today's Review section I have provided a few links to some new reviews on the site. There are some good articles on there too. Check it out and let me know what you think.
So what are your plans for 2005? That's the subject of this issue's survey. It might be interesting to see what we all have planned.
Until next time.
Nick
Nick Usborne
>> Feedback: mailto:nick@excessvoice.com
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REVIEW: Plenty of Ideas for Freelancers
I have been busy writing reviews for the Freelance Writing Success site over the last couple of weeks - so don't have anything new up on Excess Voice right now. If you do any freelance work, or want to, you may want to take a peek at one or more of these reviews:
>> The Ultimate
Travel Writers Course
http://www.freelancewritingsuccess.com/travel
>> 24 Press
Releases Transformed from So-So to Sizzling
http://www.freelancewritingsuccess.com/pr
>> Secrets of
Writing for the Fundraising Market
http://www.freelancewritingsuccess.com/fundraising
>> Secrets of
Writing for the Health Market
http://www.freelancewritingsuccess.com/health
*** ALSO ***
>> Site Build It 2-for-1 Offer - Until Jan 5th, 2005
If you have been sitting on the fence, wondering if you should build a site with Site Build It, now is the time to make the jump. Ken Evoy is offering 2 sites for the price of 1, but only until the stroke of midnight, Jan 5th.
Here's Ken's offer
page:
http://buildit.sitesell.com/excessvoice.html
Here's my review of
Site Build It (with a link to the offer):
http://www.excessvoice.com/sitebuildit.htm
===============================================
ARTICLE: The Cautious Writer, 2005: Protect Your Income
I’m no expert on the economy, but I don’t see a lot of signs of growth and smiling faces in 2005.
As writers, we are in the fortunate position of being able to protect ourselves against fluctuations in the economy, to some degree.
To protect your own income over the next year, here are some suggestions...
>> 1. If you are employed as a writer
If you are an employee, you have very little control over the future of the company you work for. Bad things can happen. The days of jobs-for-life are long gone. And sadly, although companies expect loyalty from their employees, most employers have lost sight of the moral obligation to reciprocate.
What can you do?
How about a little moonlighting? You have a portable skill. So if you were ever to lose your job, you still have the skills to carry on with your work. All you need is a few clients.
I’m not suggesting that you try to tackle two jobs at a time. But when you’re not at work, perhaps develop one or two clients on the side.
Then, if really bad things happen, you already have a base to build on. You’re not starting from zero. And if bad things don’t happen, you’ll have a nice source of extra income for the vacation you undoubtedly deserve.
>> 2. If you are a freelance writer
I have a couple of suggestions.
First, when the future looks uncertain, be cautious about having too many eggs in one or two baskets.
Do you have one or two clients that make up 50% or more of your business?
If so, you may want to spread the risk a little more. When you lose a very big client, it can have a nasty effect on your bottom line(been there, suffered that). Even if those clients keep you busy, put aside time to find some new ones. Spread the load, and reduce the risk.
Second, maybe put a little time into developing a quite separate stream of income. If you are a copywriter who does a little SEO writing and editing, build that second skill. That way, if you lose a chunk of copywriting work, you can fall back on SEO work.
If you write white papers for high-tech firms, protect yourself against an unexpected decline in that market. Maybe use the skills and knowledge you have to develop a separate source of income as a content creator for consumer electronics web sites.
Or try something completely different. Maybe right now you are a specialist in direct mail copywriting. And perhaps you have a personal passion for travel.
So start doing some travel writing – articles for magazines and travel sites.
These are just random examples. You’ll need to fill in the blanks yourself.
>> Concluding thoughts...
I can’t tell you what you should do. All I’m suggesting is that as writers we are in an almost unique position to reduce our risks.
We don’t need to put ourselves in the position of having all our eggs in the one basket...whether we are employed, or freelance.
We have a portable, flexible skill.
** If you found value in the article, please forward this newsletter to
colleagues and friends who might be interested.
** The archives of
all previous ExcessVoice articles can be found here:
http://www.excessvoice.com/archive.htm
>> Feedback: mailto:nick@excessvoice.com
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READERS WRITE BACK: Soft-Sell or Hard-Sell?
"I've always had the idea that soft-sell was right, hard-sell was wrong.
Perhaps this is due to my own personal reaction to hard-sell. But the more I read about the copywriting business, the more I see hard-sell is often used and seems to work so I am no longer convinced one is right and one is wrong... and I no longer trust my personal experience as a guide to which is right."
- Greg Barnett
===
"While I know what you mean here, Nick, "soft-sell" can sometimes be taken to mean that you're backing away from selling. So rather than say "soft sell" I'll be more specific and say that "sell hard without doing a hard sell" is the approach I personally strive for in my work.
That is, I don't believe people like to be sold to. But they do like to know about products that would be valuable to them, products that meet their specific needs, products that solve their specific problems. And they distrust hype. They want to be spoken to, not hit over the head.
Take this approach and you're still selling just as hard. Just as if you're doing a "hard sell," you're still explicitly making the case for your product/service and trying to persuade your reader to buy it.
My two cents, anyway. Would love to hear other opinions."
- Mike O'Sullivan
===
"The best way I've found to describe my "style" was said by a client of mine. "You really write strong copy without being overbearing.""
- Karon Thackston
Any thoughts or comments to share? Send them in now...
>> Feedback: mailto:nick@excessvoice.com
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SURVEY: New Ideas for 2005?
As the new year comes around, do you have plans to expand your writing skills, or to develop new markets for your talents? Or do you plan on keeping your head down and doing the same as in 2004?
[ ] More of the same
[ ] I'll be making some changes. Here's what I'm thinking...
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