How I Solved the Day Job Problem as a Writer
by Diane Holcomb
My writing career, or rather, the seeds of my career, began in my early teens.
I wrote a newspaper highlighting the goings-on in my neighborhood: Mr. Hulse drove in and out five times on July 21st. What’s afoot?
I penned a journal for English class which my teacher marked “unbelievable” in red ink. I even tried my hand at song lyrics, like the catchy “Rock and Roll Rock, Rock, Rock” about an actual rock.
In my twenties, when I gave up the dream of becoming a famous actress, I funneled my creative energies into writing fiction.
Eventually I wandered into the nonprofit world, where one of my bosses discovered my way with words and assigned me the task of writing press releases for the organization. I carried those skills into the next nonprofit, where I wrote and edited a newsletter and a procedures manual.
The Desire for More Income Led Me to Freelance Copywriting
A dozen years later, after which time I worked as a buyer at an independent bookstore and wrote book reviews and newsletter copy, I needed to bring in additional cash because, well, bookstores pay less than peanuts.
Freelance copywriting seemed the best option. I could earn more than peanuts and take on clients around my day job. I also relished the image of a freelance writer suited up in a bathrobe, churning out copy between tea breaks and naps. I evaluated my skills and interests, and decided to hang my shingle as a freelance copywriter.
Initially, I envisioned writing any kind of copy for any kind of business—except high tech, which makes me snore. I quickly discovered I had zero confidence in writing anything except short stories, quirky blog posts, and marketing materials for nonprofits.
So I reached out to nonprofits. And beefed up my skills.
Taking Courses, Reading Books, and Working with Mentors Helped Me Land Freelance Gigs
I took a marketing course from Maria Ross of Red Slice, which helped me identify my brand and home in on my ideal clients—nonprofits, small business owners and solopreneurs.
I took a copywriting course from Peter Bowerman, one of the top freelancers in the business. I read books about the secrets of copywriting, how to set up a business, and the latest marketing techniques.
I practiced different forms of copy (brochures, ads, postcards, and web content). I met with mentors through SCORE, an organization of retired business owners who guide budding entrepreneurs for free. (On a side note: SCORE became one of my clients for a one-off marketing campaign.)
My first client came via recommendation.
A co-worker at the bookstore passed my name on to a local choral group who needed marketing materials. That client became my first steady gig, going on four years now.
Later jobs came through attending events, networking (which, as an introvert, I abhor—more about that in a bit), and now, mainly through word-of-mouth.
Meanwhile, brick-and-mortar bookstores took a hit as more readers purchased books through Amazon. My days as a book buyer were numbered. I needed to focus my energies on replacing my day job with another, more lucrative gig.
It panned out. I now work 30 hours a week writing marketing and web content for a museum, where I get paid a better-than-decent salary. I still freelance part-time, but I’m choosy about who I work with as my writing energy is shot after an 8-hour day at the museum.
What It’s Like Being a Writer for a Museum
I had sent the my resume to the museum a year earlier for an administrative gig, and they dug it out of their files (or wastebasket) and called me in for the job of exhibit curator.
I have zero experience curating anything. I have even less experience in visual arts. So naturally, I was the perfect fit.
During the interview, the Executive Director realized I would be a more perfect fit as the outreach coordinator writing marketing materials. I had just completed the marketing course with Maria Ross so I had confidence, along with a bit of desperation, and sold her on my marketing ideas.
Due to the plethora of events this small, yet active, museum offers, I’m churning out press releases every week. I write copy for flyers, programs, e-blasts, donor and member letters, and social media, and I edit the panels for the exhibits.
Next up: grant writing. When I get home at night, the last thing I want to do is fire up the laptop. So my creative writing gets shoved to the weekends and Mondays, my days off. If that.
The press releases I write for the museum are basically announcements for events and exhibits. I call these types of releases: “just the facts, ma’am.” Editors want to know the “who, what, when, where,” I throw in a quote about the “why,” and end with a call to action (how to buy tickets, learn more, and so forth).
They want copy that’s clean (no mistakes), and well-written to make their job easier. Sometimes I need to pitch a story to an editor, either via email or phone, if we want a feature article. Since I’m the “voice” for the Museum, I need to rein in the humor, as that’s not their brand.
The press releases I write for clients are a different type, as I’m advertising their product or service. I try to hook the client’s story into something relevant in the news. For example, I wrote a press release for an author/teacher who wrote supernatural books for middle-grade readers. I hooked it into the appalling literacy rates in California with this title: “Can Demons and Doppelgängers Help Turn Around California’s Low Literacy Rating? One San Jose Middle School Teacher is Determined to Find Out.”
When advertising your product or service, you want it to be about your audience, not about you. What is their pain point, what do they struggle with, and how does what you provide help make their lives better? In the case of the aforementioned author, her books are relatable and easy to read, so young adults who struggle with reading become interested in the story and more literate in the process. While it was the young adults who benefited, her target audience was teachers and parents.
How do I come up with a hook? I ask questions. Ask the right questions, and the client basically writes the copy for you. I capture their voice, use phrases their audience uses, find the hook, and make it all sound better.
I Make it Clear to Clients When They’d Be Better Off Hiring Someone Else
My niche as a copywriter is marketing materials and web content. I fell into it, through the nonprofit jobs.
I also thought about what kind of copy I could reasonably do given my experience and interests, and narrowed it down to articles, bios, blog posts, brochures, case studies, direct mail letters, press releases and website content.
As a creative writer, I have two niches: women’s fiction and humor. I keep the two identities separate on social media so as not to confuse brands. I maintain one website for copywriting, and another for my humor blog. Eventually, I’ll add a third—for my fiction writing. At which point I’ll probably retire the blog so I don’t spread myself thin.
What is definitely not my niche: editing. People assume, since I’m a writer, I’m also an editor. Wrong! I tried it. Once. The job took far too long, and I needed a stiff shot of whisky to get through it.
Now, when I’m asked if I do editing work, I don’t hesitate for a second: I refer clients to an editor I know, and make it clear on my website that “You’ll be better off hiring someone else for,” among other things, editing.
On Networking: You Never Know Where One Conversation May Lead
At one of my first networking events, I hid out in an overstuffed chair stuffing my face with free food.
A fellow introvert in a nearby chair struck up a conversation with me. That conversation led to a gig at the San Francisco branch of the California Writers Club giving a speech titled, “Self-Publishing from a Book Buyer’s Perspective: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly,” a speech I’ll eventually turn into an e-book.
With a healthy dose of humor (and Ativan), I managed to keep the room in stitches, which led to a new client, and another. The moral: you never know where one conversation (and one overstuffed chair) may lead.
The best piece of marketing advice I can give is this: reach your audience directly. A room full of writers who need marketing materials is my audience. A networking event of entrepreneurs is my audience. A nonprofit fair is my audience.
Choose your audience, find out where they congregate, and show up (in person or on-line). If you’re an introvert, you’ll find a handy-dandy post on my copywriting site: “How Introverts Can Network with Ease.”
To retain clients, do good work. Be on time. Act professional. Be easy to work with. It doesn’t hurt to brush your hair.
How I Get Clients to Sign Up for My Writing Services
I use a Macbook Air. Prior to the Mac, I lugged around a hundred-pound Dell laptop that was so ancient it made anyone in the vicinity snicker. The Mac is lightweight—a strong selling point, as I needed something weighing less than me.
Since I can’t read my own scribbling, I rely on my laptop for all my writing, except grocery lists. Which is why I’ll stand in the canned goods aisle scratching my head because I can’t decipher if I need tomatoes or beans.
My process with a client is thus:
Ask them questions about what they need copy-wise.
Tell them I’ll get back with a quote. I quote by the job, not the hour. Hourly, either they get screwed, or I do. I figure out how long it will take to write, figure in time for interviews and travel (if required, though I prefer that it isn’t), and add a bit for breathing room.
I add the total hours to the amount I ideally want to earn per hour, and that’s the quote I give. Usually, I short-change myself. Don’t do that. You’ll be kicking yourself later. Instead, figure more than the amount of time you think it will take, and quote that. Take a deep breath. You can do it.
If the client doesn’t blanch at the quote, I send them an agreement letter so it’s all in print. I learned that lesson the hard way. I require 1/3 up front, 1/3 after the first draft, and the remainder upon completion of the project. I also tell the client other ways I can help them, like providing a list of marketing ideas. They usually bite, and I’ve effectively upped my quote.
I set a date for an initial interview (over coffee if they’re local, or via phone), jot down a list of questions, and at the appointed time, I fire away. After the interview, I write a draft, and make any changes/edits/additions—only two rounds are included in my quote, additional rounds cost extra.
To find potential clients, I recommend the Book of Lists, available at any library in the reference section. It lists companies and organizations by category, and notes their budget. Reach out, via a warm email or cold call, to those companies with a decent budget. They’ll be willing to pay for a writer.
For networking, come up with an elevator speech that describes your service. Phrase it like this: “You know how (your target audience) struggles with (fill in the blank)? I offer (fill in the blank) to help them.”
Here’s an example: “Do you know how nonprofits need to get the word out about their events, but don’t have the time, or talent, or staff, to do it? I provide marketing materials to nonprofits, small businesses, and solopreneurs.”
How I Incorporate Humor Into My Writing
Humor is an energy I tap into. I can tap into it by fooling around on Twitter, interacting with a follower in a jokey way. Or talking to people who bring it out in me.
I once had a co-worker whom I’d lure into my office with the promise of a banana every day (it didn’t take much), and we’d sit around cracking jokes—unless he had a horrible day, in which case he’d walk in, wave me aside, and lie in the fetal position under my desk. When I want to write something funny, I imagine writing to him.
We all have that humorous subpersonality inside. Sometimes it’s buried. Kids have it. And trust me, we all have an inner kid just dying to come out and play.
Humor is a matter of perspective. It’s not a dozen of something, it’s a bazillion. It’s not a bad day. It’s the kind of day that makes you hide under a co-worker’s desk. You stretch the truth to make it funny (although he really did hide under my desk.)
Serious things happen, but when I’m feeling humorous, I see the oddness about the situation. I also tend to attract odd people and situations, probably because I’m open to them. So humor, I guess, can be classified as cosmic. Plus, it keeps me sane.
One important caveat: I poke fun at myself, rather than other people. Although if someone is acting badly, it’s open season.
Advice for a Young Writer: If Writing Feeds Your Soul, Don’t Starve It
Go for it. If writing feeds your soul, don’t starve it. If writing is your thing, find that juncture between what you offer and what someone else needs, and that’s where you’ll make a living.
It takes time, it takes practice, it takes study, it takes butt-in-chair (or feet on floor if you have a standing desk). It takes persistence and attitude to keep you going when things ain’t so easy.
Find a mentor if you can. Ask other writers for advice. Learn from your mistakes, but don’t beat yourself up when you make them. Mistakes are learning experiences in disguise.
Start by writing for free, build your portfolio, chops, and confidence, then charge for your services. I started by attending nonprofit fairs, handing out my business card to the organizations that had booths, telling them I was building my portfolio, and offering to write for free.
Beware of people who don’t value what you have to offer as a writer. Your services are a skill, and that’s worth money. To make a living as a writer, you need to treat it like a business. If you discover you’d rather write as an avocation, that’s good information to know. Honor it. Either way, as long as you’re writing, you’re a writer.
I’d recommend these books:
The Well-Fed Writer by Peter Bowerman
Secrets of a Freelance Writer by Robert W. Bly
Start & Run a Copywriting Business by Steve Slaunwhite
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Diane Holcomb is a freelance copywriter for nonprofits, small businesses and solopreneurs. An avid reader, Diane contributed regularly to Booklist magazine, and was one of the top ten reviewers for The New Consciousness Review.
She is a fiction writer and humor blogger, and collects books like some women collect shoes. You can find Diane on the web at JustGreatCopy.com and SquirrelsintheDoohickey.com.
Connect with Diane at LinkedIn, Goodreads, and Twitter (Diane Holcomb and Diane).
