Ze interview

I love doing interviews because they make me consider things that I either think about a lot and never say out loud or completely take for granted and don’t think about enough. When someone asks you the questions point blank, you’re forced to find answers, scour your brain for how you really feel and then put those thoughts into words.

If you’re trying to come up with a strategy or a plan (business or personal) or you just can’t figure out how you feel about something…ask someone to interview you. If you feel like you haven’t ‘done’ anything lately, let their questions force you to take stock of how far you’ve come and what you’ve done. Let their curiosity and their point of view, unstick your mind and your gears.

Of course interviewing other people also begets great blog content.

Alyssa Martino recently interviewed me about writing, my personal brand and giving back to other writers. Her questions made me step back and think about the present and the past, and I’m quite certain, jolted me forward as well.

Check it out here.

Image credit: Thomas Hawk

Using mirrors the right way.

The wrong way…

Simply put, the wrong way is to look at it alone. Just you and the mirror. I’m sure there is that lone star out there, like my father, who loves to look at themselves in the mirror – oohing and ahhing at the prettiness.

(I’m not kidding about my dad. Without fail, the man looks in the mirror every morning and then remarks out loud about how handsome he is.)

But, the rest of us, well…we typically look and dissect and pick ourselves apart. Flaw after flaw pops out before our eyes. Our reflection becomes a punching bag.

The right way…

Yesterday, I spoke to one of my very best friends from high school. We’d lost touch in our 20′s when we were both busy, well, being 20 something. You know – that busy, wild, independent, selfish, scary and exciting time of real jobs, real romances, real apartments – actually living like an adult with the 20 something excuse that allows you to still fuck up at will.

Anywho, we’ve finally gotten back in touch – and we talked for a long time last night, taking turns telling the story of our last 15 years. As each of us finished, the other, of course, reflected back our thoughts and feelings about what our friend had gone through and where she was today.

It’s my M.O. to deflect compliments, but as I finished telling her about my life right now – and she reflected it back to me, thriling about bits and pieces including the fact that I was still writing (she was a big fan of my teenage writing, back in the day) – I couldn’t help but smile.

My reflection and the image that appeared in this mirror looked pretty good. So it got me thinking that maybe, just maybe there’s something to picking the right mirror. Maybe that’s the trick. Snow White’s Wicked Queen figured that out a long time ago, right?

Mirrors, it turns out, are subjective. And, we get to look in whichever direction we choose.

Image credit: The Alieness

A finite amount…

I’ve always been deeply affected by music. Not all of it, but certain songs that seem to take up residency in my heart, my brain and my ever present and pulsing emotions. The feelings brought on by the music as real as anything. Sometimes the songs become a soundtrack for what’s happening in my life. Other times my life becomes the script revolving around the melodies. I listen over and over and over. Never tired of it, the feeling rarely waning.

It’s like I’m in love or addicted…I can’t get enough – of the song or the feeling…or the story that my mind has created around it.

When one of these songs finds me, I’m always shocked. I had been sure that the last song was the last song. I’m not a musician and I can’t imagine how these artists keep creating composition after composition. The reason for my disbelief and incomprehension is that there are only a finite number of notes. It’s hard for me not to wonder, and worry, that eventually all of the combinations will be thought of, played and sung. How can they keep coming up with new ones. How???

Three days ago, I met another one of these songs. And it made me ponder this unavoidable fact of a finite number of notes once again. Only this time, as I marveled at a musician’s uncanny ability to come up with something new, I realized something else. I realized that I had an infinite amount of notes as well – only they aren’t notes, they’re letters.

There are only 26, you know.

The thought terrified me and comforted me all at once. The idea that one day all of the letters and their combinations will, one day, be used up plays on my fear that my writing will end, that all of the good books have been written, that there simply isn’t enough for everyone…and that I missed my chance while some of the combos were still around.

The reality that I write every day and never really struggle to find the letters and their configurations eases my worry that the songs will stop coming considerably. I can’t make music, but I can write. The musicians can make music – finding the right combinations with notes is just as natural to them as writing is to me. The music won’t stop.

I’ll fall in love like this and like this and like this and like this and like this and like this again. And I’ll find the perfect letters every time I sit down to write.

Image credit: Caro’s Lines

Making Big Manageable

“You’re ghostwriting a book? But a book is like, a book – it’s so long!”

I’m noticing that other writers and non-writers are book-shy – they keep saying things like that ditty above. A book sounds long, it feels long, it takes a long time to read. I get that, but there is a solution.

I decided to write this post and talk about my management process of ghostwriting a book (or writing your own, for that matter) hoping that it would open some space and opportunity in your head, network, workflow.

A book does sound big to me too, fyi. Here’s how I make big manageable:

• First, stop thinking about it as a book (except when you’re bragging that you’re writing a book to other people). It’s really not, you know, it’s just like a zillion blog posts, a million articles.
• To find these many zillions and millions of pieces, you need a good outline. Solid, organized, accepted by the author with knowledge from both of you that it can and will probably change.
• This outline isn’t organized by chapters, you have to go smaller than that – break down the chapters into sections. Break it down as far as it will go.
• Create a schedule where you write sections every day, not chapters, just sections.
• Don’t look at the whole enchilada, keep your eyes focused – section by section, chapter by chapter.

In this case, it’s one section at a time. But they’re done in succession. The voice, the syntax, the flow – all constants. Look at the picture of the flower up above. Each little petal is different, unique – and by itself, just a petal. But they’re connected, by the base of the flower, their colors and their textures…and together they make a truly glorious masterpiece.

Image credit: spakattack

Too many copywriters in the typing pool?

I subscribe to Copyblogger. I’m a fan of Brian Clark’s and I usually like the posts on the site…but lately, well, I’m seeing a theme and it’s making me a little queasy.

The fact that some people write blog posts ‘to sell’ makes sense. If you study the last month (at least) of postage on Copyblogger, ‘what the people want’ would be clear: they want to know how to be good copywriters, how to make their copy sell, how to get a lot of copywriting work. Here are a few recent post titles:

• Why a Few Freelance Copywriters Make Most of the Money
• 10 Tips for Kicking Ass as a Freelance Writer
• Freelance Copywriting Success: How to Tie a Bow Around Your Work

From these titles, a few conclusions can be drawn:

1. A lot of people are trying to be copywriters, but are failing.

2. The copywriter market is saturated.

Of course everyone doesn’t succeed, so #1 has to hold some truth. Add to that this scramble for ‘how to make it work’ information.

But, I’m very interested in #2.

When I started my business several years ago, I was one of a very small number of copywriters in my local area. I think there were three or four others. Note: you couldn’t turn around without bumping into a web designer.

Now go on Twitter, or even to Google, and search for a copywriter – there are a bazillion. Oddly, while the pool of prospective work has grown dramatically because of the Internet and social media, the chances of standing out in the crowd and getting hired have decreased. (The Reversal Theory strikes again, eh Dad?)

So, why are these ‘how to succeed’ posts making me queasy? I think it’s the desperation. And the lack of interest in the writing. The vision in my head is of millions of freaked out people trying to make it up the side of a cliff in order to make a buck.

And now I’m laughing at myself because the next logical step here is to make a list of things you can do to stand out…but then this would be one of those posts too. So, I’ll resist…unless any of you ask me for my version of that list. Because whether or not you’re trying to sell something or not, your blog should aim to give your audience what it needs and wants to hear, what they respond to and what they crave.

Although…there is one thing that’s been gnawing at my brain, a possible solution to lift ourselves out of the crowded copywriter pool. I’m still stirring the pot on this one, but when the soup’s done – you’ll be the first to know.

Image credit: mhaithaca

Are you getting paid what you’re worth?

Forget writer’s block and building a clientele, the single hardest task for a copywriter is deciding how much to charge for a project. Behold, the many reasons this is so difficult…

1. There are no golden rules, no definitive guide book that mandates we get paid $400 for a press release. Some writers get $15,000 for a sales letter. Some writers get $10 for a blog post.
2. Client factors. Some have money, some don’t. The ‘what they’re willing to pay’ factor is distressingly subjective.
3. The economy. When it’s good, so are rates. When it’s bad – and I mean really bad, like now – you may have to adjust your rates according to what the market can bear.
4. The plate issue. Is yours full? Then you’ll ask for a lot of money to add another project to the table. But, if your plate is empty, you might be willing to take a job for less.
5. The ego. Us. You and me. The level of self-worth. How does your internal conversation go? Do you doubt your abilities, do you value your time? Are you confident, professional, fair? What do you think you deserve…and how did you come that conclusion?

If you’re struggling over fees – in general or for a specific project – I recommend the following:

1. Talk to your peers. Find out what they would charge and let their input guide you.
2. Check with professional sources. While this isn’t the end all and be all (remember, I just told you there is no golden rule book), you can still find resources that will be helpful.
3. Try them on. Literally role play. Try on $200, try on $500, try on $800. Does $200 make you feel angry and devalued? Does $800 make you feel like you’re stealing? Maybe $500 will feel just right. Wear each fee around for a few hours, tell your spouse, best friend, mom what you’ll be making – how do you feel when you say it out loud and to someone else? Proud? Embarrassed?
4. Weigh the economy, plate and client factors that I listed above. They’re real and they have influence.
5. ‘I choose my choice’ It’s not only one of my favorite Charlotte lines from SATC, it’s a great mantra. Simply put, when you do settle on a fee, sign a contract and start the project, there is no looking back – choose your choice. You’ve made a decision, now deal with it...nah, make the very most of it.

Image credit: Pink Sherbert Photography

The Twitter Triage

Once upon a time, I worked in an office. I remember it, but the details are somewhat fuzzy. I didn’t like the work, but I loved the socializing.

We were horrible influences on each other. One person would innocently say, ‘I wish I had some ice cream…’ and someone else would jump up, grab their keys and ask what flavor. Before you knew it, there was sundae party in the dining room.

But sometimes this came in handy. Like when someone was heading out to the store and asked, ‘I’m headed to the store, does anyone need anything? These days, I can only ask myself and the onus is on me to partake in ice cream.

Until today. There I was minding my own business on Twitter, when I saw this tweet:

Yes, of course. Why not triage on Twitter?

• “I’m calling Applecare about my iMac glitch, anyone have any questions for them?”
• “Headed to Home Depot to price kitchen cabinets, anyone else looking? Let me know your measurements.”
• “Going out for Burrito’s tonight, anyone on the South Side want me to bring you something back?”

Now that’s social networking.

Image credit: Erkka P.

All brains, no legs

I broke my foot…and it sucks. But my inability to move has shown me a few things. For instance, I had no idea that I had so many good ideas until I was virtually unable to act on any of them.

As I sit stranded on a chair, the couch, in my office, I’ve been paying close attention to this. Within a span of a minute, I’ll have twenty ideas – things I could do – but then I can’t, I’m just stuck siting there. Or worse, I’m telling my family to do them…which they’re getting very sick of. They include: cleaning the bathrooms, culling through the fridge for old leftovers, cutting the dog’s nails, alphabetizing our bookshelves…you know, things like that.

At first I saw all of this as negative. I got fairly bummed out and I even cried. I tried to come to terms with the fact that there are some things that I just can not do.

Then I remembered that that was bullshit. I refuse to take no for an answer in most places in my life, so why was this different. And I come up with solutions to circumvent my handicap, like scooching on my butt to get to the ice cream, calling one of my neighbors to carry my lunch out to my office, enlisting the help of my children and dogs to bring me my crutches, practicing thumb-twiddling patience and dealing with a life full of nothing non-attachment and, yes, barking orders.

It’s not so different, you know, from what I do here at my computer all day. As I talk to clients and hear what they need, I determine what I can do for them and what I can’t. The ‘can’ts’ got solved by finding people in my sphere that ‘can.’ No problem is really insurmountable and the really good ones force your creativity. I find more strength when I embrace the fact that I’m never completely whole by myself – life and work are fuller when I invite others in.

And just like I’m always learning new writing and marketing skills and developing my craft – one day, I’m bound to walk again.

Image credit: hurley gurley

How to get the job and keep the client

I just finished reading an article by Sean Platt that left me going, ‘huh?’ The article was about the importance of freelance copywriters standing out from the crowd – a huge crowd of talented writers, cheap writers, so-so writers, bad writers, good showman and on.

Platt’s answer to the dilemma was to tie a magical red bow around all of the copy you write. How did he define the red bow? Michael Stelzner (the white paper guy) left a comment that summed it up…”…it seems like you’re being a bit vague about what this ribbon is exactly here.”

Um, yeah.

So, how do you stand out, get the client and keep them? Good writing is critical - don’t fool yourself (…though we’ve all seen bad writing and someone wrote it and got paid for it, sooo…) I could write a post about tips for writing good copy – but often I think the secret to a successful copywriting business stands outside the bounds of what you can do with your keyboard. It’s not all about the writing…

• Be professional. Don’t whine, don’t make excuses – just do what you said you were going to do. If you make things harder for the client, you will be gone. Make working with you a delight.
• Deliver on time or early. If you’ve done any professional copywriting, then you know that clients are rarely on time. I’ve done rush website writing jobs in the last year that have yet to go live on the digital screen. Make sure that you aren’t the hold up, the client can feel free to take as long as they want. If it’s the designer that’s stalling things, don’t worry and realize that you now look even better.
• Create and/or adhere to fair contracts. Depending on the client, you’ll have the opportunity to be the producer of the project’s contract. Make sure that you promise things you can deliver – and then do it. Protect yourself with things like Project Creep clauses. If you feel good about the contract terms, you’ll feel better as you write the project and the deal will run smoothly. If you aren’t the contracts creator, request adjustments to make the contract fair – that’s your right.
• Over-deliver by giving referrals, sharing info, etc. If I see an article or opportunity that would benefit my client, I send it right over. If I hear that they need a designer, I offer mine. Mind you, this is part of my personality so I kind of can’t help it…and it’s a great way to offer value.
• Find the right mix of human. Do not, I repeat, Do NOT, under any circumstances respond to, ‘How are you?’ at the beginning of a business call with, “Well, my cat died so I’m pretty bummed out because I’ve had her since I was 14 and I can’t decide if I should get a new one or wait because we’re thinking about moving and I heard it’s hard to rent with a cat and we can’t afford to buy right now because my boyfriend lost his job and….” Keep it positive and don’t be a robot. Something like, “I’m great – the sun is finally shining after a week of rain! How are you?” Always ask back – be polite.
• Want and invite feedback. When I send a draft to a client, I include a message to the tune of, “I look forward to your feedback as always and look forward to making this website everything you hoped for…” And I totally mean it, every time. This is about the client – you are their tool, to be honest – your feelings and ego need to move aside. It’s not personal, it’s business. Act like it.

What did I forget brilliant readers ‘o mine? Weigh in, by all means…

Image credit: San Diego Shooter

Give it to me straight.

Political correctness has a place, I know it does. But when I hear something incredibly honest come out of someone’s mouth – it just gets me. Of course I’m not talking about hateful, violent or bigoted talk – I mean, give it to me straight. Just say it. And sometimes there’s some shock value involved.

In the marketing world, it’s incredibly helpful – brutal honesty gets our attention and, oftentimes, it’s funny or it endears us to the product, person, company. Most importantly, this type of marketing message makes us want to repeat it to our friends.

Some of you know that I have a little, teeny, tiny flaw – I like to read celebrity gossip. I really can’t help it. And, sometimes, sometimes that habit gives me some primo tidbits.

Recently, for instance, actor Josh Duhamel hit it home. When asked what his favorite part of a woman was, he said:

“Personally, I like the ass.”

Straight and to the point…and some good marketing for his wife, Fergie, to boot(ie).

Image credit: judean peoples front