Getting the Gig and Content Curation - Get Paid to Write Online No. 63 - May 2012

Getting the Gig and Content Curation - Get Paid to Write Online No. 63 - May 2012

Hello, Fellows, and welcome to the Get Paid to Write Online Newsletter.  This month, there's a bumper issue with tips on content curation, freelance marketing, winning writing gigs and copywriting. There's also a mini-review of a great book by Nicole Fende that will help you with the money side of business. Enjoy!

Table of Contents (PDF edition here or read it online)

• Content Curation with Scoop.it
• Getting the Gig: Tip 1
• The Importance of Freelance Marketing
• Recommendation of the Month - How to be a Finance Rockstar
• A Quick Tip to Writing Better Copy
• Diary of a Working Writer
• Behind the Scenes

Content Curation with Scoop.it

There's so much info out there that it can be a job in itself to share it with all the people you want to see it on all the different social media platforms. Sure, there are plenty of multiple sharing tools out there, but wouldn't it be easier to do most of your sharing from one place? Recently, I've been using Scoop.it to do just that. For me, it works in two ways.

First, I started a writing digest (aptly called Get Paid to Write Online - why mess with what's working?) and every time I come across something I think is really good or useful about writing, blogging, content marketing or self-publishing I add it to the digest using the Scoop.it bookmarklet. In one move, I can simultaneously share not only to the digest, but to Twitter, Facebook (profile and page), LinkedIn and more. And then, if I want to, I can share the post to Pinterest and Google+.

When you use the bookmarklet, Scoop.it usually grabs a post excerpt, but part of the value in content curation is the comments by the curator, so I often customize the excerpt or add my own views - in brief - to some of the items I share.

I also use Scoop.it to find interesting content, both by following others' digests and by using the built in Twitter and RSS search tools to pull in relevant items for me to review.

And finally, I'm using it as another kind of writing portfolio. This is an experiment, but I love the magazine like presentation and for those of us who blog, it's an easy way to showcase our work attractively.

If you want to find out more about Scoop.it, check out:

• Scoop.it - A Great Content Marketing Tool
• The Scoop on Scoop.it
• Two Essential Tools for Content Curation
• How To Curate Content and Build Authority With Scoop.it (by Ileane of Basic Blog Tips)

Getting the Gig - Tip 1

Welcome to the first part of a series on getting closer to yes as a freelancer.

There's more freelance and contract work around than ever before, but potential clients are also more discerning about who they hire. Two things that can get you past the first hurdle are targeting the right company and approaching the right person within that company. We're lucky, because so many companies have a presence on LinkedIn and the web in general and publish press releases that it's relatively easy to follow the trail and find out who to speak to. An approach using someone's name is more likely to succeed than something more general. And if you're querying magazines, don't forget about Writer's Market and Writers and Artists Yearbook, which have contact details for thousands of publications. Check out Kelly James-Enger's post on how freelancers can make unforgettable introductions to editors for more advice.

The Importance of Freelance Marketing

Are you marketing your freelance writing business? You should be, as this excerpt from my post on the Donanza blog shows.

Market when you're busy and you will be able to take your pick of interesting projects. That won't happen if you wait until you are desperate for any job. Marketing is a year-round activity, but that doesn't mean it has to be hard work. There are two ways to market - actively and passively - and a combination of both will get you the best results. Passive marketing is the stuff that you do that, once it's done, keeps on working for you. Your website is a key part of this as the hub that all your other marketing efforts target. A freelancer's website usually incorporates a bio, work samples, resume, testimonials and a contact form. You don't have to change those often if you get them right. Work on SEO so that people can find you and you have your ultimate passive marketing tool.

Read the rest of Why Freelance Marketing is Important and How to Do It Right.

Recommendation of the Month - How to be a Freelance Rockstar

As a writer, I've always been more comfortable with words than numbers, but after reading How to be a Finance Rock Star I understand a heck of a lot more about crunching the numbers for my business.

Author Nicole Fende, aka the Numbers Whisperer, makes financial terms simple and shows you how to tame the financial beast via a series of formulas and charts and copious helpings of down-to-earth advice - and she's funny too! You're sure to laugh out loud a few times when reading this book.

There are relevant illustrations and funny characters (Fluffy the Finance Feline and Max the Math Mutt) to help you understand the concepts. The book also includes plenty of useful resources (some of them available via QR codes) if you want to go even further.

The rock star analogy carries through the book, providing a good base for discussing topics like profit goals, business funding, managing expenses and pricing. Anyone who reads this book is sure to understand more about managing business numbers by the end of the process - I certainly did!

A Quick Tip To Writing Better Copy...

By Guillermo Rubio

If are not doing this already, you should.

It'll make everything you write from here on out much stronger, more persuasive.

Keep a checklist by your side.

A checklist will ensure you've infused your copy with every important element to bring you one step closer to getting the sale.

What should you include in your checklist?

I recommend you go through the Basic Copywriting Program. Take note of all the important elements of a sales letter and what makes them effective.

For example...

• Does your headline score at least 3 out of 4 on the four u's?
• Do the first 3 sentences of your lead get straight to the point and hook your reader?
• Are your subheads strong? (again use the four u's test)
• Have you proved every claim?
• Are you as specific as possible all throughout your copy?

You get the point.

Going through your copy with a checklist like this will ensure you write stellar copy every single time.

Originally published by American Writers & Artists, Inc (AWAI); reproduced with permission.

Diary of a Working Writer

Blogging - I love it and I've been doing a lot of it this year. I've been blogging on a whole bunch of new sites, keeping up with my existing commitments, and ghost blogging for some of my clients. I've also helped a few clients with web content and social media advice. In fact, there have been a few times over the last couple of months when it's seemed that there's not even enough time to breathe, let alone anything else. Still, like most of us, I kept battling on and have (almost) emerged on the other side of the vortex with a diverse but mostly manageable workload.

One of the gigs that's been the biggest stretch for me as a writer is writing for Podium Ventures, a blog focused on investment and startups. One of the things I'll be doing for them is a regular post on new startups, which is pretty fun for me. Here's one I wrote on a green tech startup and there are a couple more in the pipeline. Another thing that's changed in the last couple of months is a minor facelift for Get Paid to Write Online in the form of a new logo, gravatar and favicon - all of which can be seen on the new site. And I've switched my Google+ account away from my personal email to my work one. I've continued to write for the Word Carnival, with the latest post covering outsourcing. There should be a couple more free books coming from that source soon.

The month ahead holds more of the same for me. I'm working on web copy for a fitness center, helping a client edit and promote her new ebook on food, assisting another client with site management (if anyone knows an easy way to transfer an existing site from Joomla to WordPress, email me, please!) and of course, lots more blogging. Hope the months ahead hold good things for you - see you soon!

Behind the Scenes

I'm an avid reader and maintain an occasional book blog. Here are some of the best books I've read recently.

• The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein

• A Dog Named Slugger - Leigh Brill

• Tuesdays with Morrie - Mitch Albom

Where I Hang Out Online

If you're looking to find out more about what I'm up to online, check out my website, Twitter and Facebook and Google+  or bookmark my Amazon author page.

Grab updates for Get Paid To Write Online via our RSS, EMAIL or Podcast feed or get the Kindle edition and feel free to share this newsletter with your friends (if they don't want it, all they have to do is ignore the signup email - no hassle, I promise.)

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