The Biggest Mistake I Ever Made as a Writer in Business

I’ve been writing professionally for over 20 years.

When I say that, I mean that I’ve been supporting myself, by myself, strictly through my writing activities for over two decades.

It can be done.

But there is one thing you must do—one thing I didn’t do at one point that hurt me severely.

In fact, it nearly ruined my business.

It’s Not Good for a Writer to Get Too Comfortable

Hindsight is twenty-twenty, as they say, and as I look back over my experiences as a writer, one year stands out from all the rest.

It was 2008. The economy was struggling, to say the least, and things were a little scary in my business.

I’d been working for Gerber Baby Products for over three years as writer and editor of their quarterly magazine, Pediatric Basics. It was an amazing position. With a team of other talented individuals, I was interviewing physicians, writing articles, editing the magazine, and weighing in on things like cover design and the editorial calendar.

The pay was great—so great that I had only a couple other small clients to fill in the gaps. After a magazine went to press, I also had some welcome time off to regroup before getting started on the next issue.

Those three years were some of the easiest in my writing life, and that was both good and bad. Good because it allowed me to have a good work-life balance, giving me ample time and energy to focus on my other writing projects.

Bad because it was a little too comfortable.

And comfortable can be dangerous for a writer.

My Comfortable Position Is Jerked Out from Under Me

Everything changed in 2008, when the other team members and I were told that Gerber had sold out to Nestle. That meant big changes for the company. Most of the higher-ups believed, however, that Nestle would continue with the magazine.

After all, it had a stellar reputation among pediatricians, and provided an effective way for Gerber to advertise their products to doctors. So we continued on production for the April issue, a little nervous, but keeping the faith nevertheless.

Then the other shoe dropped.

We were all shocked when they informed us in April, just shortly before the magazine was scheduled to go to print, that Nestle was pulling the plug.

No more magazine.

Worse, no more job with Gerber.

It was over, just like that.

Sad, for sure. A shame. Bummer. But for a prepared writer, it wouldn’t have been the end of the world.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t a prepared writer.

In my comfortable position with Gerber, I had made one gigantic mistake.

A colossal mistake—the severity of which I wouldn’t realize until months later.

What was it?

I let my online presence slide.

And that made all the difference.

I Wasn’t Prepared to Start Over

Yes, this was back in 2008. The whole idea of maintaining an online presence wasn’t quite as big a deal back then.

Most businesses, mine included, had a website. But these websites were static. They consisted of a couple pages that remained pretty much the same month after month, and often year after year.

I had a website, on which I had my portfolio, an about page, my picture, contact information—all the standard stuff. But I hadn’t updated it during the three years I’d been working with Gerber.

I didn’t see any reason to. I had all the clients I needed. I wasn’t looking for more. So I let it slide.

But when Gerber sold out to Nestle, I was suddenly without my main source of income.

I still had a couple small clients, but they didn’t provide nearly enough work to pay the bills. For the first time in my freelance writing life, I didn’t have enough money coming in to survive.

Worse, the main thing that would help me get more clients—my website—was out of date, and looked it.

I set to fixing things right away, but by that point, it was already too late.

As any business writer knows, it takes time to get new clients. It takes even longer if you have to beef up your online presence first.

Your Website is Your Most Important Marketing Tool

“As a writer,” says freelance writer and authorpreneur Jorden, “one of the most important things you’ll do to grow your career (and income) is set up a freelance writer website/portfolio. But you have to do it right. Some little bullshit one-page portfolio simply ain’t gonna cut it if you want to land high-paying clients and build a sustainably profitable business. You need a REAL BUSINESS WEBSITE for your freelance writing business.”

She says it a little more forcefully than I would, but she’s right. Had I kept my website up to date and looking sharp, I imagine I would have recovered a lot faster from that disappointing change that occurred in 2008.

As it was, I struggled mightily. It wasn’t until the end of that year—the very end, like New Year’s Eve—that I landed a big enough client to officially recover my business.

Before that, I wasn’t sure if I ever would build it back up again. I feared I’d have to go back to work for someone else, which struck me as the worse possible outcome.

Fortunately it all worked out, and it taught me a valuable lesson that I now share with you:

Take care of your website.

It’s your portal to the online world, and today, that’s everything for a writer entrepreneur.

Make sure it looks good, responds quickly, and has the information people need when looking you up. I know it can be difficult to find the time to do it, but it’s super important, more important than you may think.

Don’t wait to find out like I did. Update your website now if it needs it. Here are a few tips to make sure yours is doing the job it should to bring clients and readers your way.

• • Photo: People need to get to know you. Show a professional photo of yourself—one that conveys your ability to help your clients or entertain your readers.
  • Your work: Your website is a selling tool. Showcase your work in a way that makes it appealing to visitors. Get PDFs of or links to your best articles and have them available for readers to review. Offer free sample chapters of your books.
  • Testimonials: People want to know what other people think. Include testimonials or reviews to satisfy their curiosity.
  • Appearance: Does your site look clean and inviting, or does it make readers want to clear away the clutter? Don’t overdo it on the widgets, sidebar ads, extra links, etc. Ask yourself, “Is this serving my reader?” If not, remove it.
  • Easy to Read: You are a writer. The most important thing you produce is your words. But too many writers’ sites have words that are difficult to read. They’re too light for the page, too small a font, or in some obscure font that is difficult on the eyes. Make sure yours is clear, dark, and easily readable.
  • Contact: I can’t tell you how many writing sites I go to that make it much too hard to contact the writer. Many times, I can’t email them at all—the only options given are social media platforms. Those who aren’t on those platforms, however, won’t be able to contact you there. (I’m not on Facebook, for example.) Provide an email address or contact form at the very least, and make it easy to find.
  • Updates: Remember—your website is a living, breathing part of your business. It’s not something you create and then forget. At least twice a year, take a look and see where you can update.

 

What do you do to keep your website attractive and up to date?

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(2018, November 21). 7 F*cking Awesome Freelance Writer Websites That Win Clients! Retrieved from https://www.creativerevolt.com/best-freelance-writer-websites-that-sell/}