Follow This Freelance Recipe for a Tasty Letter of Introduction

Does your letter of introduction (a/k/a a pitch letter) have the right ingredients to make prospects open your email, salivate over your writing skills, and hit ‘reply’?

It should. Writing a letter of introduction to a prospective client is a great marketing strategy for freelance writers. The more you reach out to prospects, the more likely you are to get paid to write.

But if you don’t include the right ingredients in a letter of introduction (LOI), it can turn out like a failed recipe nobody wants to eat.

Think of writing an LOI like you’re competing for the $10,000 cash prize on the reality TV cooking show Chopped.

Your letter of introduction needs to have specific ingredients to catch the attention of a prospect, provide a taste of your writing style and personality, and include just enough on the plate that prospects will ask you for more.

Want to know the recipe for writing a tasty letter of introduction? Here’s the list of ingredients and directions:

 

Spice up your letter of introduction

Inside the Freelance Writers Den, you can submit a letter of introduction for review and get feedback from pro writers and editors to help you improve it. And every critique is based on a recipe for writing LOIs that get results.

In 2017, I was the lead editor who took a look at about 100 LOIs in the Den. And many of the writers found the critique process for writing better LOIs helpful. For example, Katie S. said:

“Wow! Your advice helped me see the areas to add more detail and oomph to my pitch! I have never worked so hard on an email – now I know why I did not get responses in the past. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

If you haven’t written a letter of introduction before, or you’re not getting any bites from the LOIs you are sending out, you need a better recipe.

LOIs share a few common ingredients

Learning to write an effective LOI is a lot like learning to bake cookies. Most cookie recipes share a few common ingredients. But there’s literally thousands of different ways to put those ingredients together to make something sweet.

Here’s an example of an LOI that landed me a $4,000 gig writing a series of 10-question quizzes for a life insurance company:

Hi Janel:

What’s my Health IQ? I like to think it’s pretty good. But the proof is in the pudding (uh, sugar-free and made with skim milk, of course).

So I took your Health IQ assessment, and scored a 180/200 (see screenshot of results.). And your algorithm says that I scored better than 297 million Americans. That makes me feel pretty damn good, because I know eating healthy, and getting enough exercise and sleep, especially with three little kids at home, is a take-it-one-day-at-a-time kind of challenge.

My name is Evan Jensen. I’m a freelance writer. Are you still looking for writers to help produce content for Health IQ?

I specialize in writing about health and wellness, fitness, nutrition, chronic disease, and preventive medicine. I have a master’s degree in journalism and experience writing for hospitals, wellness programs, gyms, personal trainers, and health professionals.

Check out some of my samples:
– 5 Resolution Solutions for Health and Fitness
– Get Your Gobble on with a Healthy Game Plan
– Health Challenge – Get Your Zzzs

But it’s not just all work and no play for me. I’ve finished 30-plus marathons, some 50-mile races, and six 100-mile ultramarathons. I eat healthy, lead a weekly running group, take a daily multi-vitamin, and know my way around the gym, too.

Still looking for a freelancer to tackle Health IQ projects? Let me know.

Out for a run,
Evan Jensen

Now, let me break this LOI down into its key ingredients, so you can write one just as tasty:

Ingredient 1: Customize the introduction

You’ve found the contact info for an editor or marketing manager at a trade pub or business. And you want to send an LOI. Now what?

Get the prospect’s attention. Show them you’ve done your homework. A good way to do this is mentioning something specific about the prospect like a:

• Recent blog post
• Press release
• News story or interview
• Certification or award
• Promotion

I scored my best freelance client in the fitness niche–worth about $20K a year– with an email that started with, “Hey Bro, I saw your ‘Get Huge Arms’ workout and pics on Instagram.”

Directions: Point out something specific about a prospect and offer a brief comment or compliment (but no over-the-top brown-nosing, which will spoil the recipe). Aim for one to two paragraphs.

Ingredient 2: Customize your bio

You want your prospect to know you’ve got the chops to write for their business, blog, or trade pub. Introduce yourself as a freelance writer early on in your LOI. And include a customized bio that’s no more than a couple of short sentences.

In other words, don’t serve up a résumé, comprehensive work history, or long-winded explanation of your freelance writing career. These ingredients will spoil the recipe, too.

Directions: Think of your writer bio for an LOI like an elevator speech. You should be able to explain what you do as a freelance writer in just a couple sentences. Then, customize it for every LOI you write, so its appetizing for that particular prospect.

Ingredient 3: Show off your personality

Ever eaten something so bland your taste buds demand peanut butter, ketchup, salt, or some other kind of seasoning, just to make it palatable?

Those flavorless rice cakes are like that, and so is an LOI that’s devoid of personality. If your LOI looks too much like a cookie-cutter template, you’re not going to get as many bites.

But if you go with the gourmet LOI that shows off your personality in a way that resonates with your prospect’s audience and brand, you’re a lot more likely to:

• Get a response
• Start a conversation
• Increase engagement
• Build a relationship
• Land an assignment

Directions: Avoid using bland, boring, and business formal language in your LOIs. Be real. Be you (smart, funny, ambitious, sarcastic, whatever). If you sound like a nice person to work with, and you’ve got legit writing skills, you’ll get a bite. Or at least get put on the list of possible future dishes to enjoy by your prospect.

Ingredient 4: Encourage engagement

Mix together a well-written introduction and bio with personality, and you’ve got one more ingredient to add: Engagement.

Get a client thinking about their content needs, upcoming projects, or even content-related headaches, and you can be the solution.

Think of ways you can engage a client with thought-provoking questions or a direct call to action in an LOI, like this:

• Do you need help with your blog?
• What upcoming content projects do you need help with?
• Need help from a freelancer until you fill the full-time position?
• What articles do you need to assign for the upcoming issue?
• Check out some of my samples (and include links to relevant clips)
• Can we set up a 10-minute phone call to talk about your content needs?
• Hit reply, send me a message, and we’ll go from there.

Directions: In your LOI, ask your prospect a couple of thoughtful engagement questions or include a direct call to action.

Extra ingredients

Combine these four basic ingredients, and you’ve got the right stuff for an effective LOI. But there are a few extra ingredients to consider to top off your creation:

• Email subject line sauce. Like it or not, your well-written LOI may never be seen if the email subject line isn’t tasty enough. “Freelance writer for hire” is pretty bland. It might work if the email shows up at just the right time, or your contact only receives a handful of emails a day. But it’s just not as clickable as something a little more curious. Take a little time to add some click appeal to your subject line.
• Signature sign off. Linda Formichelli recommends this ingredient for LOIs and queries. Instead of the stand-by “Sincerely,” come up with your own signature sign-off to close your LOI. It’s one more way to stand out and help a prospect remember you. Carol Tice signs hers with “Enjoy!”
• A dash of frequency. LOIs can be a highly effective marketing strategy to grow your freelance writing business. But you need to do it consistently. And you’ll probably need to send out a lot, at least at first. Set a goal for sending out a certain number of LOIs a week. Track your progress, open rate, and assignments, to find out what works best.

LOIs: A recipe for freelance success

When I started writing customized LOIs (I tried template mass emails), my response rate jumped to an average of 50 to 75 percent. I booked more client work. I raised my rates. I figured out a recipe to move up and earn more as a freelance writer. And so can you.

Need help with writing a letter of introduction? Let’s discuss on Facebook or LinkedIn.

Evan Jensen writes about health and fitness for hospitals, gyms, personal trainers, and wellness programs. He’s also the blog editor for Make a Living Writing.

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3 Things to Know About Before Remodeling Your Bathroom

Content originally published and Shared from http://perfectbath.com

Giving your bathroom a new look for the upcoming new year is a great way to indulge yourself after the busy schedule you’ve had during the holidays. But before you proceed on your plans, here are some pointers to consider:

Image Source: Flickr

Consider how long you won’t be able to use the bathroom
“How long does a bathroom renovation take?” Many people are surprised when they hear that a quality bathroom renovation takes about four weeks. Renovation shows are not reality!

Many people don’t have a spare bathroom they can use while the renovation takes place. If that’s the case for you, plan ahead. Hire a portable toilet or shower from a reputable builder, join a nearby gym (there are often free trials you can take advantage of) or consider renting elsewhere for a month while the job is done. None of these are ideal, but if you’re going to build a bathroom to last 20 to 30 years, that month of inconvenience will quickly be forgotten when you step inside Source: Houzz

Don’t forget to update the fixtures
No renovation is complete without remodeling or repairing fixtures and features, which could very well make a separate checklist themselves: shower, bathtub, toilet, bidet, sink, faucets and shower heads. You should also update or repair your mirrors and shower doors. You can also change the look of your bathroom very easily by changing out door handles, drawer pulls and the hardware for your shower doors. If you have the budget a new set of shower doors can completely change the look of your room. Source: Freshome

Order fixtures ahead of time
Regardless of whether you are buying from a high-street store or a high-end brand, factor in delivery times. Big name manufacturers might take three or four weeks to deliver, while luxury brands can take around eight weeks. Any custom products will take longer so give yourself plenty of wriggle room to avoid having contractors twiddling their thumbs on site. Source: IdealHome

Check out the latest trends in bathroom fixtures when you visit our site today!

 

Contact:
Perfect Bath
Phone: Toll Free 1-866-843-1641
Calgary, Alberta
Email: info@perfectbath.com

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Best of 2017 (And All Time) for Hungry Freelance Writers

Ready for the hottest topics freelance writers wanted to know about in the past year? I’ve got it for you in this post.

As usual, the best posts are the ones that you freelance writers took the time to read. I pay close attention to what more people want, and you can bet there’ll be more great content like it in the coming year.

This year’s best-of is a special list, because 2018 marks the 10-year anniversary of Make a Living Writing.

Shortly, this blog will publish its 1,000th post. That’s a lot of content!

Given that, I decided to do the best-of list a little differently this year. Below are the five most popular posts of the past year. And below that are the five most popular posts of all time, in the history of this blog. Consider this a quick guide to what you need to know most to be a successful freelance writer.

These posts are packed with useful info for growing freelance writers’ income. Enjoy! And watch for more treats and goodies as the blog celebrates its 10th anniversary.

Best posts for freelance writers 2017

1. Get Paid to Write: 26 Sites That Pay $100+

Getting out of the world of tiny pay is important, and readers responded big-time to this list of better-paying blogs by freelancer Evan Jensen. Expect more niche lists of good-paying markets to come this year.

2. Freelance Writing Forecast: Ride These Epic Trends in 2017 

It’s important to know where the world of freelance writing is headed, so you make the right moves. Our annual forecast has often been one of our most popular posts of the year. See how well we did with this one now, and stay tuned for the 2018 forecast next week.

3. Master Writing Jobs Exposed: Learn How to Spot Writing Scams

Exposing scams and keeping writers from being ripped off is my passion, so I was thrilled to see this one was read by over 10,000 writers. I hope you’ll all share this basic offer-vetting information with every writer you know. You can definitely count on me to continue watching what’s going on out there and steering you away from ripoffs.

4. Freelance Writing Gigs with Great Pay: 50 Niches to Explore 

Again, finding where there’s good money for freelance writers is key. Too many writers are still wasting time on tiny clients that’ll never pay what they’re worth, so I’m glad this found a big audience.

5. Inside 4 New Content Mills: What Freelance Writers Need to Know

Freelance writer Allen Taylor did some solid reporting on the move-up mills in this blog post. The trend of emerging ‘move-up mills’ with different pay models is one I’ll continue to follow closely.

All-Time Best Posts for Freelance Writers

A lot of our posts are so useful, people read them for years after they’re published. Here are the most popular evergreen posts readers enjoyed in the past year:

1. How I Make $5,000 a Month Blogging

Well-paid blogging is the dream of many writers. This is a post I wrote early on, but updated recently.

2. Earn Money Online: 92 Websites That Pay Writers $50+

We’ve cranked out a lot of niche lists of paying markets since this post, but big lists, like this one by Jennifer Roland, are highly useful, no? We get it. Stay tuned for a new big list next week.

3. The Truth About How Much Freelance Writers Make

Real information about professional rates is hard to come by. This post gives you resources and hard data.

4. 12 Great Writer Websites That Magnetically Attract Clients 

OK, full disclosure: This post is actually an update of the most-popular post I ever did on writer websites, because sites disappear and change over time. But I know creating a writer website that really gets you good clients remains a top concern. Figured you’d find sites with mobile-friendly themes and all more useful than ones from 2010.

5. 10 Mistakes I Made Publishing My E-Book — And How You Can Do Better

Self-publishing is an opportunity every freelance writer should be looking at, to see if you can create independent income beyond doing client work. There’s a ton to know about how to actually sell that self-pubbed book, and I’ll definitely continue tracking best practices in how to self-publish and earn.

My takeaways for freelance writers

As always, I use this best-of list to read the tea leaves on what content you need most. In the past year, I made a big commitment to commissioning monthly paying-market lists, for instance.

While the paying-market lists include many blogs, there were fewer popular posts this year with ‘blog’ or ‘blogging’ in the title. I think many writers are busy moving up to more sophisticated, better-paying types of writing. Good for you!

What else should the Make a Living Writing blog cover? Come tell me on Facebook or LinkedIn.

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How a Simple Triangle Helps You Get the Best Freelance Jobs

Note: Ever wonder how to find the best freelance jobs? I know I did. But it’s not as hard to find them as you might think. When you understand the classic business concept I wrote about in this post five years ago, you’ll know how to score the best freelance jobs based on three simple things. —Carol.

In my late teens, I had the good fortune to blunder onto a concept that would help me become a well-paid freelance writer later on.

I was working as a secretary at MGM studios in Culver City, Calif. My boss asked me to take something over to the editing room of one of the productions.

Inside the edit booth, amongst the strips of film, sheafs of notations and other production clutter, was an aged, coffee-stained, clearly much-xeroxed flier. It was hanging from a nail and blowing a bit in the air-conditioned indoor breeze, which probably helped catch my eye.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but years later this simple flier would later help me find some of the best freelance jobs around. Let me explain the concept:

Inside the edit booth, the flier I noticed was dominated by a large triangle. Its three points were labeled, “Good,” “Fast,” and “Cheap.”

At the bottom were the instructions: “Pick any two.”

Next to this slogan, a couple of jelly-bean shaped cartoon guys were splitting their sides laughing. From one issued a thought balloon with the classic question of all contractors: “You want it when?”

Find the best freelance jobs with the Project Triangle

I didn’t know it then, but I had discovered a famous business concept known as the Quality Triangle (also the Project Triangle).

Besides good-fast-cheap, it is often stated as in the illustration above — money (or cost), time, and quality. It’s a concept that can help you understand:

3 basic parameters of every freelance project:

• How much time are they giving you?
• What do they want to pay?
• And how terrific of a job do you have to do?

Answer these three basic questions, and you’ll know what to charge. But there’s one more thing you need to know about the Project Triangle to find the best freelance clients.

It’s a basic business principle that all three facets of the triangle do not go together, as that flier so succinctly stated. Or they shouldn’t, from the freelancer’s point of view.

Here’s how to apply this formula:

If a client wants it good and fast, it won’t be cheap.

If they want it fast and cheap, it won’t be top quality.

If they want it good and cheap, it cannot happen fast.

When you evaluate a freelance writing gig, consider this trio of factors. It should help you see whether it’s time to charge a premium, or whether this might be a situation where you could offer a bargain price.

How I applied the Triangle

When you use the Project Triangle, you’ll discover a number of different combinations of “Good,” “Fast,” and “Cheap,” that will help you find great clients. Here are a couple examples:

• Cheap + Good. I recently wrote a print book for cheap. Obviously, it had to turn out very well and be my best work. But I was given nearly a year in which to write the book. So cheap and good were achieved, but slowly.
• Good + Fast. I once was asked to crank out a large number of blog posts on arcane business-finance topics, in a big hurry. I was paid my biggest blogging fee ever, $300 a post. Good and fast were achieved, but it didn’t come cheap.
• If a client gets all three points of the triangle, then the freelancer gets screwed.

Learn to recognize when to charge premium rates

When I opened my first freelance business, typing scripts, I got a lot of lazy screenwriters who’d finish their draft the night before their deadline.

Then, they’d want me to type it overnight at the regular rate. But I wouldn’t do it unless they paid double.

“Your emergency is my opportunity,” was my motto. And still is today, in freelance writing.

If you take rush work at regular rates, you’re letting a client turn their problem into your problem. You are violating the rules of the Quality Triangle, to your detriment.

Fast, cheap, good: Which type of freelancer are you?

I think every freelancer ends up positioning themselves primarily in one aspect of this triangle, based on what they enjoy doing.

• Fast. Some of us are “fast” writers — we enjoy riding to the rescue on rush work and the feeling of accomplishment that comes from doing the seemingly impossible on short notice. Others hate crises.
• Cheap. Some love to crank out a ton of stuff and prefer a volume of work at lower rates to feast or famine with premium projects.
• Good. Looking at my work, I feel my prime emphasis is on “good.” At this point, many clients come tell me they feel like only I could do this assignment for them — and they’re crushed if I’m not available.

Use this simple triangle to move up and earn more

I went through a period where I was the queen of (well-paid) rush work, but now I don’t want that stress in my life. Focusing on the best freelance jobs leads you away from cheap rates and toward better pay, which is why I’m still, always, looking for ways to learn more and improve my writing.

What kind of freelance writer are you? Let’s discuss on Facebook and LinkedIn.

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IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS BEFORE BUYING AN INFRARED SAUNA

Content originally published and Shared from http://perfectbath.com

If you’re in the market for an infrared sauna, there are several key considerations to make to ensure you select the perfect sauna for your home

Numerous health gurus, fitness experts and medical doctors all agree – saunas, specifically infrared saunas, can deliver a whole host of important health and wellness benefits for people of all ages. From chronic illness to minimizing stress, improving the effectiveness of a workout to cleansing and purifying the skin, modern saunas combine today’s leading technological innovations with centuries-old wellness principles to deliver real, tangible health benefits for the sauna enthusiast. If you’re considering buying an infrared sauna for your home, make sure you ask the following questions:

• What type of heating system is best?

  
  Traditionalists will always seek a way to tout the benefits of a “hot-rock-and-steam” sauna, but the majority of new saunas produced today are outfitted with infrared heating elements – not the old-school heaters that create extraordinary amounts of steam within the sauna. Near-infrared and far-infrared only heating elements are available, but saunas that use Full Spectrum Infrared (near, mid and far infrared) are generally considered the best. This heating system promotes sweat and deep-body infrared wave penetration to eliminate toxins as efficiently as possible. One of the biggest benefits of an infrared sauna versus the traditional sauna is the lower operating temperatures afforded by the infrared heating element.

• What size sauna should I be looking for?

  This obviously depends on your intended use.  If you will mostly be using the sauna by yourself, a compact sauna model might seem like the logical choice.  Many health-minded individuals use their sauna as a contained exercise room. You can add a different dimension to your yoga routine by doing it in a sauna, or add a twist to other exercises in your repertoire. Bottom line? Select a sauna that fits your home and your lifestyle, but make sure to account for future needs when narrowing down the overall dimensions.

• What are the real-world health benefits of an IR sauna?

  Your new infrared sauna will provide a host of tangible health and wellness benefits, with the eight most important sauna health benefits being:

 

• Muscle pain relief
• Immune system boost
• Weight loss and increased metabolism
• Detoxification
• Joint pain and stiffness relief
• Improved appearance of cellulite
• Reduction in fatigue and stress
• Improved skin tone and clarity

 

• What kind of warranty does my sauna include?

  Though a warranty is only one part of the equation, you’ll want to investigate the company and the warranty offered with each sauna. The warranty should cover the heater, electrical system, controls and other peripherals. Better companies will even cover accessories like audio and chromotherapy systems.Also, determine if the warranty will cover the sauna if the unit is used in a commercial location. If you’re looking for a new sauna for your office or commercial building, this is an important consideration. Most warranties are designed for home use and provide coverage in normal operating modes. Spend some time online, and research any consumer’s feedback of the company, including warranty-related issues.

When researching buying an infrared sauna for your home or office, there are various models available for your consideration that will perform admirably and last for years to come. Beauty Saunas Infrared Saunas are wildly popular today and combine several unique benefits for the discerning shopper. Beauty Saunas combine Full Spectrum Infrared heaters with kiln and air-dried wood structures for superior durability and performance. Far Infrared Saunas can also be enhanced with a number of options, such as chroma-therapy lights, custom interiors, sophisticated electronics packages, and more. And it’s all covered by the  Limited Lifetime Warranty for residential use. Even commercial-level users enjoy a lifetime warranty.

 

Contributed by: Aaron Gruenke Foremost expert in Saunas and bathroom fixtures.

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Mahogany at Mill Lake

Mahogany at Mill Lake is a new condo development By Quantum Properties
currently under construction at 2180 Gladwin Road, Abbotsford. The development is scheduled for completion in 2018. Mahogany at Mill Lake has a total of 152 units.

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Get Paid to Blog: 5 Ways to Show Clients Your Value

You may know that a growing number of businesses hire freelancers who get paid to blog. And they get paid well. High-quality blog posts can pay $200 a post and up.

The question is: How do you get those better gigs? To get paid to blog (real money, that is), you need to show clients how the blog posts you write help bring in additional money.

A decade back, blogging was more of a ‘squishy’ soft-sell tactic than it is today. Now, companies increasingly understand how content marketing works. When it’s done right, blogging bring them more leads, opt-ins, and ultimately, sales. Which means they look to you for proof your posts will bring new business.

I’ve been getting a lot of questions about this challenge in Freelance Writers Den lately. So I thought my blog readers would probably like tips on this, too. In this post, I’ll give you concrete strategies for demonstrating the value of your paid blogging, even as a newbie.

Big tip: Don’t guarantee results to get paid to blog

Need to prove value as a paid blogger? It’s definitely a worry for freelance writers. For instance, here’s a question I recently got from a brand-new writer:

“I need info to back up pitches to business clients that I can ‘bring in more leads, increase awareness.’ Do business blogs tangibly work? And if so, how to ensure that? If I write great web content, will it attract customers?

“SEO best practices are always evolving, and my fear in launching this business is my writing won’t deliver on promises of increased sales. Or I’ll be asked for examples of ‘successes’ in this area.”

Business blogs definitely do work. Otherwise, businesses wouldn’t still be posting on them. If you want to get paid to blog, you will be asked for examples of your wins — and your job is to build those as fast as you can.

One other key thing to know in business blogging: Never guarantee results.

You get paid to blog for the effort you put into your writing, not on the contingency that the client get a particular result. Don’t fall into that trap.

Simply build your portfolio. Show your experience in driving traffic and getting visitors to take desired actions (social share, comment, opt-in for a free report, sign up for a course, etc.).

Here are five approaches that will help you quickly build a track record, show your value, and get paid to blog for big money (even if you’re a newbie):

1. Screenshots of social proof

Even before you have a single client, you might be guest-posting for free, or writing on your own blog. Anytime you have a popular post, take a screen shot of the share or comment count. A post that got hundreds of views, comments, tweets, or Facebook shares helps get prospects excited about what your writing could do for their business growth.

For instance, some of my early social-media wins were guest posts on Copyblogger.

They no longer show share counts with their social-share tool…but they do show number of comments. And comments are also a strong piece of evidence that you can write posts that make readers take action: They left a comment.

 

If prospective clients ask if you know how to get readers engaged, that’ll do as proof.

If you don’t have a steady history of successful posts, a screenshot of one popular post can also be highly persuasive, especially on sites that show a view count:

My pro tip: Take a screenshot right away, any time you see good traffic or social stats on one of your posts.

When companies change sharing tools, counts often get reset back to zero. Or companies fold or reorganize their content, and the next thing you know, your big win has vanished. Preserve the evidence, and you’ll have social proof to help land a new client and get paid to blog.

2. Let your testimonials sell

It’s frustrating if your client won’t share stats with you, so you can quantify how your posts did. The next best thing is to harvest a testimonial from them, ideally one that mentions a specific win or two. Something along the lines of:

“Carol’s blog posts helped us double our monthly traffic and grew our list by 1,000 names.”

OR

“Carol’s post on the top 10 tools was our most popular this year.”

Of course, it would be better to have actual stats, and to be able to tie that directly to downloads, opt-ins, or sales figures on a specific campaign.

3. Get stats and take screenshots

Even if you have a paranoid client who doesn’t want to give you dashboard access where you can roam around and get tons of data, there are ways to get at least a bit.

If you can’t get access to all their stats, ask your client to give you one or two key facts.

For instance, ask:

“Which of the 10 posts I’ve done got the most traffic? Could you tell me what views were on that one?

“How did my post rank among all this month’s posts?”

“Can you tell me what the top three post headlines were that I’ve created, and their traffic?

“Do you see any trends in topics I’ve done that are doing well for us?”

You can spin this as “I’m just trying to improve and help you succeed here.”

A little data — or even a narrative answer about your success — that you can show new prospects is far better than no proof at all that your posts are effective.

One possible way to gather data: On many popular blogs, they offer you a home page for all your posts on the platform. That may have traffic stats. For instance, I’ve been able to get paid to blog by simply showing prospects the stats from my Forbes channel:

Obviously, I’m not directly selling anything on this editorial channel. But driving 2.5 million visitors with just 165 posts still makes a strong case that I know how to get eyeballs on a post.

4. Propose trackable projects

When you’re new to business blogging, you’ll often have clients who don’t know much about conversion. They may not be withholding data from you — they may just not have any!

So be a genius and propose a post that has a valuable download in it, or a P.S. that links to an offer for a paid product or service.

The secret? Suggest they set up a unique page that is only linked from that post. That way, they can track clicks to that page and see how the post performed compared with other ways they promote the same offer, or with past promotions of that offer.

Be sure to circle back and ask them for data after the campaign, so you can document the sales or opt-ins you got.

5. Pitch relationship building

If you don’t have any sales victories or impressive shares or traffic stats to report, consider a different angle. Instead, talk about how your post ideas could help grow their network of influencers, or build rapport with readers by delivering high value.

If you’ve ever gotten a big influencer to share your post or otherwise mention you in a positive way in a social comment, screenshot that! (And if you haven’t, work on it by targeting post ideas they’d love directly to them.)

Here are a couple of those that I’ve held onto, to show around as far as driving traffic on this-here blog:

If the many marketer emails I get each week asking me to share their company’s posts are any indication, influencer marketing is of huge interest right now. Demonstrate that you’ve had well-known names share your post or mention you, and you’ve shown you know how to build buzz for a blog. And that buzz leads to sales.

Commonly, some posts in a content marketing campaign simply build rapport with readers and deliver value. Those purely useful posts help future salesy posts be more successful. You can always talk up how valuable content builds authority with their audience.

Can’t get traffic? Get help

One final tip: If you’re struggling to get traffic on your paid blog posts, ask for help from the client. Learn what has done well for them in the past, and it may open the doors to success for you.

When I started out with that Forbes channel I showed above, my posts were mostly being ignored. I asked if my editors could help me succeed with their audience.

That request got me a one-on-one coaching session from a top online editor. After I got those tips, I wrote different types of posts, based on what was proven to work for their audience — and my traffic took off.

How do you show value to blogging clients? Let’s discuss on Facebook or LinkedIn.

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3 Ways to Keep Your Bathroom Clean Longer

Content originally published and Shared from http://perfectbath.com

The household chore that we all probably hate most is cleaning the bathroom. It’s just so difficult to scrub stains once they’ve already built up. Don’t let your hard work go to waste by making your bathroom’s cleanliness last longer. Follow these amazing tips:

Image Source: Flickr

Take a little time to clean up your shower every day
Nothing helps delay mildew stains like a dry shower. Hang a squeegee over the shower head and make it a rule that the last one to take a shower wipes down the walls, tub, and shower doors. A couple extra minutes of work can really minimize cleaning time in the long-run.

You can also quickly zap moisture by opening a window and turning on the exhaust fan while showering. Leaving the door open, even a crack, helps it dissipate. And don’t forget to stretch the shower curtain open when it dries, too. Source: GoodHousekeeping

Tilt your head down when brushing your teeth
Well, I’ve always done it this way, but I see a lot of people who brush their teeth facing the mirror. You know what that does, though? It sends lots of little toothpaste bubbles on the mirror and everywhere on the countertop.

I’ve noticed that if I bow my head and keep it close to the sink, most of these bubbles end up in the sink and rinsed away. Silly? Maybe. But I find it saves me a lot of mirror-cleaning.  Source: TheSpruce

Put soap in the flush tank
You can either add a piece of soap to your flush tank or drop one of the ready-made toilet cleaner bulbs into the tank. In this way, your toilet bowl is getting cleaned every time you flush. Soapy water is slippery, so it doesn’t allow the stains to stick. Source: BoldSky

Replace your old bathroom fixtures with new, high quality ones. Call us today!

 

Contact:
Perfect Bath
Phone: Toll Free 1-866-843-1641
Calgary, Alberta
Email: info@perfectbath.com

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3 Tips for a Stress-Free Christmas Preparation

Eating together with the family is probably a Christmas tradition for most of us. If you’ll be hosting this year, follow these useful tips so that you can enjoy the time with your loved ones even more:

Image Source: Flickr

Don’t make dishes that are complicated

The temptation can be to try and pull out all the stops in the kitchen to impress friends and family.

But you are more likely to make tastier meals – and for a cheaper cost – by keeping things simple with fresh, seasonal produce, Jean-Marc said.

‘Fresh, seasonal produce is low-cost and will require minimal preparation in order to taste delicious,’ he said.

‘Be sure to opt for produce that can be re-purposed to suit different recipes, and be sure to use the appropriate section within your fridge in order to keep fresh for as long as possible.’ Source: DailyMail

Prep in advance

Do what you can the day before and take some of the stress out of the day – peel the vegetables, pre-boil your potatoes for roasting and sit them with some garlic overnight.

You can also prep the gravy the week beforehand – just have a roast chicken in the weeks leading up to Christmas and save all of that delicious juice and fat to make your gravy! All you have to do is freeze it in an airtight container and you’re ready to go. Source: GoodHousekeeping

Add your own touch to ready-bought ingredients

There’s a reason shops sell Christmas puddings and ready-made hams – so you can buy them at the last minute and then add your own touch. For example, buy individual Christmas puddings, but make a wickedly indulgent boozy custard, or grab a good-quality cooked ham, and choose an easy glaze recipe to make it special. Hide all the packaging and no one will know the difference. We even have a Christmas last-minute cheats recipe collection with lots of helpful shortcuts. Source: Taste

People are coming over and one of the things they’ll notice right away is your floor. If your carpet needs cleaning or repair, call us now before they arrive!

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Build Success with the Lego Productivity Method for Writers

How do you build success as a freelance writer and make the most of your time?

When you’ve got writing deadlines closing in, freelance marketing work to do, and a long list of emails to read through, and they all seem important, it’s hard to get stuff done.

Have you ever sat in front of your computer for a day, buzzed from one thing to the next, and felt like you didn’t get anything done?

That’s not exactly how you build success as a freelance writer. You have to figure out how to fit all the pieces together, brick by brick, to make it all work.

But freelancing doesn’t exactly come with a perfectly-scripted instruction manual like a Lego set does. Every writer builds success a little bit differently.

So how do you figure out how to meet your writing deadlines, find great clients, get more work done, enjoy the freedom of being of being a freelancer, and ultimately make more money?

Ed Gandia’s solution is the Lego productivity method for writers. Check out the step-by-step instructions to build success in this Q&A:

Build success as a freelancer brick by brick

In a recent Freelance Writers Den podcast, Ed Gandia shared his Lego-building strategies for finding the state of creative flow that leads to your best work, which includes three pillars for productivity:

1. Do more of the work you were meant to do
2. Manage yourself better throughout the day
3. Give your brain a break

Q: What stops us from being more productive?

A: Our biggest challenge is not a lack of time. You can’t manage time. You can’t bottle it. The only thing you can manage is yourself—how you appropriate your resources, energy, focus, and talents.

Our biggest challenge is developing and maintaining periods of focus. You can’t put out great work if you cannot develop steady periods of flow. That’s the state where you’re so immersed in your work that you lose sense of time.

As freelancers, we have to develop more of those periods. There have never been so many distractions. I believe that’s at the core of our productivity problems.

Q: How do you accomplish the first pillar of productivity—do more of the work you were meant to do?

A: Each of us has unique gifts and talents we’re not fully leveraging. Until we do more of that work, we can’t develop those periods of flow.

You have to do many different things to get a project completed. You’re only good at a handful of those things. How can you spend more time on those and less on others?

It might mean getting help in those other areas. Or taking on projects that don’t have as much of X in them because that’s what you’re bad at, but have a lot of Y, which is your real talent.

Q: How do you decide what to let go of?

A: Start with easy stuff, the one thing you hate. I immediately outsourced my taxes, and later bookkeeping and transcriptions.

This is not usually an overnight shift. But it will set the foundation for developing more periods of flow.

Q: How do you accomplish the second pillar, managing yourself better throughout the day?

A: Schedule your day. Ironically, you can’t develop flow if you’re going with the flow.
Set your schedule the night before, when you’re objective. Add a buffer in case unexpected things come up.

Sometimes I have to carry things over. But that’s a heck of a lot better than my previous approach, which was winging it.

Use capacity planning. If I have five tasks that add up to eleven hours and I can only be in my office nine hours, I’m not matching my work with my time.

I created a spreadsheet to manage this. I break projects down into blocks of time. It’s about allocating your priorities, making sure you’re not exceeding your limits.

Q: How do you decide how much time to devote to specific tasks?

A: I tracked how long each type of project takes. For instance, a white paper takes me 20 to 40 hours. Once I have a specific project, I’ll know where it falls in that range.

Then I reverse engineer it. I say, “If it’s due on this date, how can I spend two to three hours per day on this?”

I take it apart as if it were composed of Lego pieces, and I start allocating Lego pieces throughout my calendar.

Q: How do you make sure ongoing tasks like marketing don’t fall through the cracks?

A: I make a commitment and schedule them. Treat it as a project. Treat the deadline seriously.

Q: How do you implement the third pillar, giving your brain some space?

A: The metaphor I use is a beautiful symphony in a noisy room. You can’t hear the music, so you need to create quiet space to allow your subconscious mind to send its magic over the fence into your conscious mind.

I developed a morning routine that includes keeping a gratitude journal and doing creative work like drawing or poetry. And listen, I’m not great at those things. I’m doing it for fun, like a kid. I’m also experimenting with meditation. I want to get into yoga.

Develop rituals, not just habits. Studies show that when you ritualize your work you’re telling your brain to switch gears and provide you with the right fuel mix to get work done at an optimal performance.

Q: How do you give your brain a break when you’re working on a long project?

A: Turn everything off…social media, e-mail, phone. Close your door. Start a timer for 50 minutes and get to work. It’s going to be painful. You just don’t want to think. But after 10 to 20 minutes you’ll get into the flow. The next thing you know the timer’s going off.

Find a stopping place. Set the timer for 20 minutes and take a break. I’m serious. Get away from your desk. Don’t do e-mail. Walk your dog, get fresh air, stretch, or read.

When the timer goes off, do another 50 minutes on that same project. Set the timer. Again, no distractions.

Do two of those 50-20-50 sessions a day, and that will increase your productivity at least 20 or 30 percent.

Find your flow as a freelance writer

Finding your flow isn’t about nailing yourself into your chair for hours on end. It’s about planning, moving blocks of time around like Lego pieces until you get the best fit — and taking breaks to play along the way.

What strategies do you use to do your best work? Let’s discuss on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Maria Veres is a freelance writer and yogi wannabe based in Oklahoma. She is a regular contributor to Make A Living Writing.

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Holland Park By Townline in the heart of Surrey

Holland Park By Townline is a 25-storey residential high-rise tower offering 248 well-finished city homes, consisting of condominium suites and three-level townhomes. Located in the heart of Surrey’s emerging City Centre and overlooking Holland Park. This high-rise tower boasts close proximity to the King George SkyTrain Station, SFU’s Surrey Campus, and the Central City Shopping Centre.

Opening 2018

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Bordeaux Living – Brentwood

After the sucessful launch of Milano, Solerra is bringing Bordeaux to the Brentwood area. Further expanding what is becoming the hottest real estate market in Great Vancouver.

Bordeaux Living will be located on the corner of Juneau Street and Willingdon Avenue, 1 block south of Lougheed Highway.

Bordeaux will consist of 141 concrete apartment residences, including a limited collection of 3 bedroom townhouses.  Bordeaux will include luxurious Italian kitchens, premium appliances, air conditioning, oversized outdoor spaces and a plethora of building amenities.

To be kept up to date on Bordeaux, and many other like it in Brentwood, register with us to be kept in the loop

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is not an offering for sale. No such offering can be made without a disclosure statement. E.&O.E.

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Meridian by Townline in the centre of Burquitlam

Meridian by Townline in the centre of Burquitlam, an upcoming luxurious 32-storey residential high-rise tower compromised of 198 carefully crafted intelligently designed 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom homes, along with a limited collection of only a few exclusive two-level 3-bedroom townhomes. Conveniently located at Cottonwood Avenue and Clarke Road; in the centre of Burquitlam’s burgeoning community, adjacent to the Evergreen SkyTrain line and just steps from a plethora of urban amenities.

Opening 2018

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3 Tips for Hosting a Holiday Party

Holidays are so much better when you spend them with people you love. If you’re planning on hosting a party this year, you may want to take a look at the following tips to guarantee a very merry celebration.

Image Source: Flickr

Prep ahead of time

Make as much of the food and drinks ahead of time as you can. Of course, some things cannot be made beforehand, but try to get all of your prep work done as early as possible. If you’re organized and have everything ready when the party starts, you’ll be better able to attend to your guests. Source: MarthaStewart

Play festive music

Set the mood with a homemade CD or computer playlist of holiday songs. It’s easy to make and you’ll get to hear your favorite mix of seasonal tunes. Remember to keep the music low — conversation is what counts at any celebration, writes caterer extraordinaire Sheila Lukins in her party-themed cookbook Celebrate.

Try to avoid musical selections with lyrics during the dinner hour, which causes competition between the lyrics and the scintillating dinner conversation that could go unheard. Source: HGTV

Light the place right

As far as the impact on the ambience of a room, lighting is right up there next to music. If you have a fireplace, then a roaring fire is a must. With the exception of the dining room chandelier, overhead lighting should stay off, or at least be dimmed.

To create a warm environment, your lighting scheme should include multiple sources. Table and floor lamps illuminate conversation areas, while candles provide mood lighting throughout. If you want to add a lighting effect, use uplighting to highlight your Christmas tree or mantel décor. Source: Lifestyle.HowStuffWorks

Don’t let the party start until you have your carpet problems sorted out. Call us today!

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3 Holiday Bathroom Decoration Ideas

Content originally published and Shared from http://perfectbath.com

What better way to feel the spirit of Christmas throughout your home than by decorating every space? Don’t stop once you finish decking the halls. Here are some easy and cheap ways to bring the festivity even inside the bathroom:

Image Source: Flickr

Towels
Sometimes simply switching a few white towels for red ones and adding touches of greenery to the bathroom will give it a festive look. Source: TheSpruce

Wreath
Decorating a bath or powder room with a wreath is much more practical than taking up the counter space with floral arrangements. Try using a balsam or cedar wreath, which give off lovely wintery scents and remember to coordinate your wreath accents with the decor of your bathroom.  Source: StyleAtHome

Shower curtain
The shower curtain is often the first thing noticed in the bathroom because its size. And choosing a certain bathroom shower curtains, finding the right one to lend a holiday touch to any bathroom setting may become a challenge. The holiday fun shower curtains come in a variety of colors, sizes and styles with different designs they .add some festive feeling to the space. Putting in mind the right choice as the choices is numerous. A festive shower curtain features a radiant red and green or Christmas theme feathers like one with Santa on it or snowmen, to complete your winter holiday bathroom décor. Choose your Christmas themed shower curtain that is coordinated with other bathroom accessories. Christmas Shower Curtains can transform your bathroom into a Christmas wonderland. These Shower Curtains can bring a big smile on a face and to everyone in the morning, before bedtime and all day long. Source: FamilyHoliday

Thinking of what gift to give yourself this Christmas? How about replacing your old bathroom fixtures? Or for a more luxurious gift, why not get a steam shower or sauna?  Check out your options by calling us today!

 

Contact:
Perfect Bath
Phone: Toll Free 1-866-843-1641
Calgary, Alberta
Email: info@perfectbath.com

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Fraser Commons by Serracan on South Vancouver

Fraser Commons by Serracan is a new mixed-use development with 4 building from 5-22 storeys, located at the conrner of Fraser Street and Marine Drive. Fraser Commons offers 368 condominiums 1-3 bedroom units and 10 townhomes. Fraser Commons by Serracan successfully rezoned the property into a new project with a central park and roof garden flanked by four residential buildings. Serviced by neighbourhood retail amenities, an on-site daycare, and neighbourhood house, the project will stand as a key anchor on the revitalized, new Fraser Street. The project received unanimous urban design panel approval, unanimous council approval, and remarkable community support. Sales begin in Spring 2018.

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Freelance Jobs: 10 Health and Fitness Markets That Pay Writers

Want to land some freelance jobs in the health and fitness niche?

There’s no shortage of health and fitness magazines, websites, and custom pubs that need great writers.

These markets cover a wide range of topics like healthy living, nutrition, weight loss, supplements, exercise, disease prevention, and lifestyle medicine.

And you don’t need to be a personal trainer, registered dietitian, or certified wellness coach to land freelance jobs in this niche.

In fact, some of these people probably have freelance jobs they need to fill for blogging, ghostwriting, and marketing. (Here’s a tip: Exercise your marketing muscles, and send a custom LOI (letter of introduction) to a health/fitness professional.)

If you’re looking for a way to land some freelance jobs in health and fitness writing, follow the advice most personal trainers recommend, and simply get started.

In this list of paying markets, you’ll find a mix of magazines, websites, and a couple of custom pubs that need health and fitness writers. Study the guidelines, pitch an idea, and repeat, to build your writing muscles and your portfolio.

1. Coffey Communications

This custom pub produces a long list of articles and publications for healthcare organizations. Hospital newsletters, health infographics, patient education materials. Reach out to Senior Editor Karen Craddock with a letter of introduction. Rates up to $0.50 per word.

2. The Health Journal

Based in Virginia, The Health Journal, features articles about health topics and resources to help people enjoy optimum physical and emotional wellness at any life stage.

“We are looking for strong, entertaining and well researched articles on compelling topics,” says Managing Editor Chris Jones. “Dazzle us. Don’t just write about your topic, experience it. If you’re covering a support group, attend it. Interviewing a family? Spend the day with them. Explaining a new service? Try it out if you can.”

Rate: Pays an average of $0.15 per word.

3. My Protein

Trade agreements aren’t going to put cold-hard cash in your pocket to pay your bills. But if you’re trying to build your clips file, and have an interest in nutrition supplements and fitness gear, check this out.

“The Myprotein team is looking for bright and enthusiastic individuals who are willing to share their knowledge on diet, training, and supplementation,” says Digital Marketing Executive Alex Genzel.

Recent articles covered topics like whey protein, vegan-friendly cheesecake, compound movements vs. isolation exercises, and portion control.

Pitch first with an idea, outline, and working headline.

Rate: $50 MyProtein voucher for supplements and gear, per 700-word article.

4. Idea Fitness Journal

This is a trade magazine published by the IDEA Health and Fitness Association. The target audience is fitness and health professionals. Recent articles covered online personal training, goal-setting strategies, exercise for older clients, and digital tools for fitness professionals.

“IDEA is known for publishing articles that meet the needs of the fitness professional on multiple levels,” says Editor-in-Chief Sandy Todd Webster. “We are particularly adept at balancing theory with practical application. No one offers the same depth of information in a manner that enables and empowers readers to act immediately. If you believe you have the skills, talents and content that will meet our editorial needs, please send us a query.”

Rate: Depends on assignment.

5. Experience Life

Off the shelf, this magazine looks a lot like other consumer health and fitness magazines that cover exercise, nutrition, lifestyle, and wellness topics. But it’s also a marketing channel for the gym franchise Life Fitness.

“The magazine is written for a general audience of active, educated, discerning people who are interested in good health and passionate about self-improvement, well-being and living a good, satisfying life,” says Managing Editor Michael Dregni.

Study the guidelines, including Michael’s “Pet Peeves,” and query first.

FYI – Linda Formichelli and a number of Freelance Writers Den members have written for this magazine.

Rate: Depends on assignment.

6. Upworthy

This site aimed at generating viral content covers a lot more than just health and fitness topics. But it’s one area you can break in and get paid well.

“Upworthy reaches a massive audience with meaningful stories every day,” says Managing Editor Rebecca Eisenberg. “We’re looking for original stories that support our mission of creating a better world.”

Recent health and fitness articles included stories about home workouts, wellness apps, self-care, and people inspiring others to make healthy lifestyle choices at any age.  

Rate: $200 per article + bonus payouts for generating website traffic.

8. HoloRest Nutrition

This health and wellness site features a blog aimed at providing evidence-based patient education articles and content. The blog serves as a marketing channel for HoloRest Nutrition, which currently sells a nutrition supplement for diabetics.

Recent blog posts discussed topics such as probiotics, obesity and cancer risk, healthy snacks, yoga, and post-workout recovery.

Introduce yourself to Dr. Ron Allen with an LOI and pitch a blog post idea after studying the site and guidelines.

Rate: $150 per article of 1,500 to 2,000 words

9. FitnessRxWomen Online

If you want to write for a female-focused health and fitness site, connect with FitnessRxWomen Online Editor Callie Bundy by pitching an idea for an article. Articles should focus on training, weight loss, nutrition, and healthy lifestyle habits for women.

Rate: Depends on assignment.

10. Chatelaine magazine

Chatelaine is a popular monthly women’s magazine in Canada that covers health and fitness topics, among other content, that appeals to active women ages 25 to 54.

“The Health section covers the latest news and studies, gives fitness and workout tips and explores hot-button issues,” says Managing Editor Laura Brown. Query with a story idea first.

Rate: Pays $1/word.

Find health and fitness freelance jobs

There’s no shortage of consumer magazines, custom pubs, and businesses in the health and fitness niche that need freelance writers. If you want to find more health and fitness freelance jobs:

• Use the online version of Writer’s Market to find health and fitness magazines that pay the best rates.
• Check out custom pubs at the grocery store or doctor’s office. Locate the masthead info, and send the editor a customized LOI.
• Connect with health and fitness professionals via email, LinkedIn and other social media channels, and reach out with an LOI.
• Track down agencies that manage content for health and fitness businesses and send the marketing manager an LOI.
• Pitch blog post/article ideas to health and fitness blogs and businesses that have the budget to pay pro freelancer rates.
• Keep going. If you want to land health and fitness freelance jobs, consider it a marathon of pitching and persistence. Stay in the game, and you’ll build your marketing muscles and get better at ticking off assignments.

What health and fitness markets do you recommend? Let’s discuss on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Evan Jensen writes about health and fitness for hospitals, gyms, personal trainers, and wellness programs. He’s also the blog editor for Make a Living Writing.

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Challenge #272 - Make Your Mark

Welcome back! Time for a new Challenge!

Please note this will be our last challenge for 2017. We will see you back here in the New Year on the 3rd of January raring to go :)

Let's announce our winners from Challenge #270 - Photo

#16 Meighan Wheller

#8 Wei

#4 Jenny

#12 Gerrina

Congratulations everyone!

Ok, onto our new challenge where we want you to Make Your Mark. Get out your pencils, pens, markers, watercolour brushes - anything to make a mark.

Here is our Design Team with their inspiration for you.

Tanja

Steph

Martina

Elaine

Amy

Željka

Susan

Shylaa

Asha

Meena Herale

Wow, loving these creations. Please pop on over to their blogs to see how they came up with their ideas :)

Over to you!

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Jasmine at The Gardens in Richmond

Introducing the final phase at The Gardens, Jasmine is a limited collection of 23 luxurious air-conditioned parkside townhomes that feature efficient layouts, stunning interior finishes and spacious outdoor living areas. Oversized rooftop decks overlooking a natural 12-acre park and double balconies on select homes are only a few of the features that make Jasmine the most sought-after collection of townhomes in Richmond.

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5 Karate-Inspired Moves to Beat Fear and Doubt for Freelancers

Are you one of those freelancers in the writer’s dojo who secretly thinks you’re too weak at this writing thing to earn a living?

Maybe you’re scared you’ll screw up, suck at getting clients, fail to deliver high-quality work, and basically punch yourself in the face.

Or maybe you’re overwhelmed because you trying to learn pro-writer combos and strikes before you’ve learned the basics.

I know what it’s like to be one of the white-belt freelancers on the mat staring down opponents like Fear, Self-Doubt, Procrastination, and Lack of Direction.

It’s scary. It’s frustrating. And if you don’t do something about it, those bad guys from the Dojo of Doom and Failure will take you down.

But it doesn’t have to be like that. After some training, practice, and a few blows to the head, I learned five moves freelancers can use to beat fear and doubt.

5 moves for freelancers to be successful

When you’re a white-belt freelancer like I was, it can be hard to know where to focus your energy. Lots of established freelancers had good advice. But I didn’t know where to start. I was overwhelmed and felt close to defeat before I ever marketed myself as a writer.

I had to rethink my approach so I could start landing strikes and getting assignments. And it was worth it.

Master these techniques, and you’ll be on your way to competing for high-paying clients with the best freelancers around.

1. Recognize and address overwhelm

When I first decided to be a freelance writer, I joined a lot of writer’s email lists. I was hoping to find something of value from the collective mind of pro freelancers.

But instead, I was flooded with newsletters, information, and free resources. I downloaded and never opened a long list of ebooks, checklists, and other content. I even bought several copywriting courses. that I never worked through.

Don’t do that.

I was overwhelmed. It was like I was trying to fight a dozen ninjas armed with throwing stars and bow staffs with my bare hands.

• Information overload puts you in a constant state of anxiety, frustration, contradiction, and fear. The overwhelming feeling was suffocating, and one morning I almost quit freelancing before I really even got started. And I started unsubscribing from a lot of those email lists.

2. Get help and create accountability

Once I had those ninjas taken care of, I realized I needed more accountability, focus, and camaraderie from other writers to be successful.

After a lot of unsubscribes and deleted emails, I found a message from Carol Tice about the Freelance Writers Den.

Joining a writer’s membership site can provide support, instruction, and accountability as long as you take the initial step and participate.

I’ve been part of The Den since June. It’s really boosted my confidence and helped me break through doubt.

An effective writing community can provide:

• A place to learn and grow with other writers
• Training to learn about freelance writing
• Support of peers
• Accountability
• Mentoring from pro writers

Joining clubs and member sites won’t work if you’re not active. Ask for help, find writers to work with, and offer advice, or be part of the conversations when you can.

3. Breakthrough self-limiting beliefs

Fear and self-doubt might be the biggest problem freelancers face. At least, that’s what I found.

It’s a lot like breaking a board in karate class for the first time. You’re nervous. You’re not sure if you can do it. You’re worried it might hurt your hand, or look silly to the rest of the class if you don’t break it. But it’s almost all in your head.

Self-limiting beliefs, anxiety, and confusion can be crippling. At times everyone has doubt, but it’s how you handle it that makes the difference between winning at freelancing or throwing in the towel.

Sound familiar?

Here are some ways to overcome fear and self doubt:

• Change your focus. Practice thinking like a confident, successful freelancer. When that karate villain Doubt shows up to fight, bow politely, and keep going.
• Change your self-talk. Pay attention to the voice inside your head when you’re trying to write a query, letter of introduction, or figure out how to build your writer website. Are you reinforcing doubt with words like, “can’t,” “never,” and “not good enough?” Change those words to “can,” “will,” and “keep trying.”
• Practice affirmations to overcome negative self-talk and promote confidence. Check out this affirmation where Carol Tice recommends telling yourself, “I recognize that writing is my superpower.”

4. Develop habits of productivity

If you want to be one of those successful freelancers, you have to develop habits of productivity. When I first got started, I really didn’t have a plan, a system, or daily habits to get better at freelancing. Fortunately, I figured out some marketing practices and productivity tasks to be more effective like:

• Send out 5 to 10 queries, LOIs (letter of introduction), or prospecting emails a day.
• Follow-up 3 to 5 times, or until you get a response.
• Reach out to prospects for a variety of different types of writing gigs like articles, guest posts, white papers, and case studies.
• Keep track of your marketing activity to learn your response rate and measure progress.

5. Take action

It’s one of the most important things you can do to get from where you are to where you want to be as a freelancer writer. You’ll never know what works if you don’t take action. For example:

• Write a query letter or LOI.
• Ask for referrals.
• Reach out to your past contacts.
• Make cold calls.
• Do in-person interviews.
• Attend an in-person networking event.

When I actually started applying the things I learned about freelance writing and marketing from The Den and other resources, things started to happen.

Lessons for freelancers from The Karate Kid

After all the training and studying I put myself through to be a freelance writer, I was feeling like it amounted to nothing. Kind of like Daniel Laruso in the movie The Karate Kid.

He spends days sanding a deck, waxing cars, painting a fence, and working really hard for Mr. Miagi, as a trade agreement to learn karate.

But nothing happens. He’s just tired and sore after days of manual labor. Then Mr. Miagi starts throwing punches and tells Daniel to show the defensive moves of “Wax on, wax off.” It was an ah-ha moment.

My Karate-Kid moment

While I was speaking with my first client, something similar happened. I landed an assignment to interview Peter Hobolt Jensen, the current digital marketing director of Moleskine, and former director of marketing for LEGO. I was ecstatic and a bit shaken.

But it turned out to be a great interview. As soon as we started talking, my self-doubt was replaced with confidence, and the article turned out great.

From white-belt to black-belt freelancer

If you want to go from being a white-belt freelancer to a black-belt pro, the process is pretty much the same for everybody.

The sooner you step on the mat, the sooner you’ll start to figure things out and learn how to keep those evil ninjas from getting in your way. Ka-pow!

What are your fears and doubts about freelancing? Let’s discuss on Facebook and LinkedIn.

John Makohen writes for B2B and wellness clients. He’s fueled by long runs, too much coffee, and likes blogging about productivity, self-confidence, and success management.

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Edgemont Walk by Boffo Properties

Edgemont Walk by Boffo is a new townhome development in North Vancouver at the corner of Edgemont Boulevard and Ridgewood Drive. This limited collection of 24  townhomes with three-bedroom, designed for modern livability while enjoying a fantastic location in the heart of the North Shore’s Edgemont Village. Edgemont Walk offers true row townhome advantages, with no one living above or below you, an attached private garage and sunny south-facing outdoor space in every home. With sizes ranging 1,800 to 2,500 sqft you will appreciate the room to entertain on the main level, lower level flex space, plus a luxurious master bedroom floor with its own balcony. Edgemont Walk is like no other new townhome opportunity currently available on the North Shore.

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8888 Osler Coming To Vancouver’s Historic Marpole Neighbourhood

8888 Osler designed by Vancouver GBL Architects is coming to Vancouver’s historic Marpole Neighbourhood. 8888 Osler us a new mid-rise condominium development offering 76 homes from 1-3 bedrooms. Grocery stores, shops, services, and restaurants just steps away at the southern end of Granville Street, Southwest Marine Drive, and Richmond. Be a part of the new generation of the Westside at 8888 Osler.

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Wynwood Green by Anthem at Coquitlam

Wynwood Green by Anthem Properties is new residential development in the mature neighborhood of west Coquitlam. Wynwood is expected to offers 379 1-3 bedrooms condos over  23-& 28- storeys. The community will be located by the Vancouver Golf Club and close to biking and walking paths. Wynwood Green is also within easy access to public transportation, including the new Evergreen SkyTrain extension.

 

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4 Last Minute Christmas Decorations for Your Home

Doing other stuff along with the normal daily workload is enough to make anyone too busy to decorate their home for the holidays. It may only be a couple weeks before Christmas, but you still have enough time to squeeze in some last minute décor. Consider starting with the following:

Image Source: Flickr

Twinkling vases

Tiny bulbs create a striking modern display when placed in frosted cylindrical vases.

Wrap ribbon around the bottoms of the vases and affix with double-sided tape. Loosely coil a single strand of lights in each vase, and then send the plug end over the back lip of the vase and run it behind so it’s hidden. Use lights that have been tested for safety (look on the label), and always unplug the strand when left unattended. Source: MarthaStewart

Cookie cutter wreath

This wreath is quick and easy to make, but you have to be willing to sacrifice a few cookie cutters. Just glue the shapes together. That’s it. You can spray paint the wreath and add a bow if you want, or leave it plain if you don’t have any. Source: Christmas.WonderHowTo

DIY advent calendar

It’s not too late to get your first advent calendar started! Just need some strings, paper bags, clips and some optional decorations. You and your family each drop some small goodies for each other into the bags and then seal them closed. You’ll have each day to look forward to opening one of these goodie bags. Source: Organics

Festive stairways

“Oftentimes, we put all of our decorations in one place in our homes, but make a concerted effort to create a small moment in every space,” Brent suggests. “Consider wrapping a pine or holly garland up the stairway or setting up a little festive display on a console or entry table, or even in a small wall nook to make each space feel special.” Source: InStyle

One of the things most people notice when they come over to someone else’s home is their flooring. If you have a damaged or dirty carpet, then sorting it out before they visit for the holidays will surely make your home look more presentable. We can help you. Call us!

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