Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Challenge #227 Make Your Mark

Welcome back to Wednesday and a new challenge here at ATSM. Thanks for joining us!

{We have some catching up to do on our winner's posts from 2016. They will be announced ASAP}

This week we want you to create something with the following theme.


You need use something to Make a Mark on your make. This could be pens, watercolours, pencils etc.

Here is the inspiration from our amazing Design Team -















Don't forget to visit the Designer's blogs to see how they came up with their ideas.

Over to you now!




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The Truth About How Much Freelance Writers Make

8 New Sites That Pay Writers — Plus Important Updates. Makealivingwriting.com

Data on how much freelance writers make can be tough to pin down. But it’s something every writer wants to know. I tackled this topic three years ago when I published this post. And it’s a topic that never gets old. Check out the updated resources. And be sure to ask yourself the two questions at the end to determine your earning potential. -Carol

It’s one of the most-asked questions I get: “Can you tell me how much freelance writers make?”

Let’s face it — we’ve all got mouths to feed. So it’s important to get a sense of whether freelance writing can yield you a real, bill-paying level of income. It’s a good question to ask.

There are two steps to figuring out the answer to this question.

The first is to find survey data on what freelancers make. That gives you a sense of what’s possible, and what’s typical.

The second step is a bit harder, so let’s start with data.

Resources on how much freelance writers make

There isn’t a ton of information out there on what freelance writers earn, but there is some.

New and updated resources

  • The State of Freelancing in 2015, compiled from survey data Contently collected from 643 freelancers (82 percent were freelance writers). The report shows income data and trends for freelancers (24 percent earn $50K or more annually). But even more interesting, the report also shows the connection to income and marketing efforts. That’s right. How much freelance writers make has a lot to do with consistent marketing.
  • Pay Rates for Freelance Writers is another recent trend report on freelance writing income published by ClearVoice. To find out how much freelance writers make, they checked in with both freelance writers and companies that hire freelancers. Spoiler alert: You just might wallow in missed income opportunities after reading this, then raise your rates.
  • The Writer’s Market surveys writers and publishes a What to Charge guide in the front of each annual edition of their voluminous guide to writing markets. They offer rates for a wide variety of writing assignments.
  • Freelance Writing Rates: 5 Resources for Figuring Out How Much to Charge. No survey data here, but The Write Life guest post by Heather van der Hoop serves up a couple more smart strategies to find out how much freelance writers make. And how much you should be charging.

Other resources

  • Ed Gandia’s 2012 Freelance Industry Report (no, this report hasn’t been updated since 2012) covers more types of freelancing than just writing, but about 40 percent of responders were writers and editors. Three-quarters of respondents have been freelancing more than three years. The results will be eye-opening for many writers. To call out just one stat: About one-third of respondents reported they earned $70 an hour or more, and another 23 percent earned $50-$70 an hour.
  • Chris Marlow surveys copywriters on what they earn (Note: that link is a PDF download), and her study is the most comprehensive and detailed one I know. Not helpful if you’re writing for magazines, but if you write for businesses, this is highly useful info to find out how much freelance writers make.
    A 2014 update of the Freelance Copywriters Fee & Compensation Survey is available, but you’ll have to join Marlow’s copywriting program to get it. 
  • It doesn’t have statistics, but a good book for helping you think about how to price your writing services is What to Charge: Pricing Strategies for Freelancers and Consultants, by Laurie Lewis. Great info, even though it was last published in 2011.

I recommend writers give those a browse and get a sense of market rates and of good strategies for pricing (hint: by the project, not by the hour).

Now, back to our question — how much can you earn?

You now have a sense of what writers typically earn, and what top earners bring in. But like the car companies say about gas consumption, your mileage may vary.

Where you will fall on that freelance earning scale is going to depend a lot on you. Here are a couple of important questions to ask yourself:

1. How bad do you want this?

Many writers dream about having the freedom to be their own boss, set their own schedule, and make a living doing what they love.

But when it comes to getting off their cans and marketing the heck out of their services to find clients…many can’t seem to bring themselves to do it.

If it requires learning new skills — like, say, how to use WordPress — they balk.

When an editor tells them they need to improve their article, they’re resentful.

That’s when it begins to dawn: Freelance writing is a hard life.

You need tremendous self-discipline. And you have to hustle for gigs all the time, deal with rejection, and rewrite things to suit other people.

There are many factors that play into how much you will earn, and how long it will take you to reach the income level you want.

For instance, are you willing to write about difficult topics that tend to pay better, or do you only want to write from your own muse? Writing tough stuff is a great route to higher pay.

How much work are you willing to put into marketing? For instance, if you don’t put up a writer website, it’s pretty hard to impress prospects these days.

One other factor: Many writers prefer to kick back and enjoy life more now that they’re out of the cubicle, rather than working super-hard at building a top-earning business. Spend more time mountain-climbing or home-schooling the kids.

Go at it fewer hours, and that will reduce your income. Which brings us to…

2. What is your earning goal?

I discovered in my own freelancing that you rarely earn more than you imagine you can make.

When I started freelancing in 2005, my dream was to replace my $60,000-a-year staff writing job. Within a couple years, I did.

Then I had a big light bulb explode in my head.

I suddenly had this flash of insight that as a freelance writer, my earning potential wasn’t limited to what I used to make in a day job.

My earning potential wasn’t limited to $100,000.

My earning potential was unlimited.

After realizing I could earn much more, I upped my marketing and aimed higher. I stopped looking at Craigslist ads and proactively went after bigger clients — major corporations and national magazines. I wrote more on big projects and ongoing contracts, rather than having to prospect constantly for smaller gigs.

In 2011, I cracked six figures as a freelance writer. And since then, I’ve continued to grow my income from writing, every year.

Expand your vision for your freelance writing business, and it will change how you pursue this career. And that’s how you change how much you make as a freelance writer.

How much do you aim to earn as a freelance writer? Leave a comment — share your goals and what you’re doing to get there.

FREE REPLAY: How to Earn $35,000 per Writing Project (And Up) - WATCH NOW! Presented by Claudia Suzanne, The Ghostwriting Expert and the Freelance Writers Den

The post The Truth About How Much Freelance Writers Make appeared first on Make A Living Writing.



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Friday, January 27, 2017

Winners - Challenge #225

Hi there! Welcome back for our winner's post. You may have noticed something a little different when we launched our new challenge for 2017. We have decided that for the moment, ATSM will just be for fun. It takes a LOT of time to source sponsors for a weekly challenge blog and unfortunately there just hasn't been enough time to do so. We know that you will all be ok with no prizes for now. Thanks for understanding :)

Our winners for our last challenge which was an inspiration photo are -




Wow, what a beautiful card! Congratulations Tasha!











Congratulations everyone!

Don't forget that our current challenge is 


See you there :)


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Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Hunting for Writing Jobs? 8 New Sites That Pay Writers — Plus Important Updates

8 New Sites That Pay Writers — Plus Important Updates. Makealivingwriting.com

We know how much you love our lists of sites that pay writers. So we’ve got an update since last year’s list of 92 sites that pay $50 and up.

Why do we do these market lists?

First, we like to help writers earn a good living. We have a floor rate of $50 for inclusion in these lists so that you can move up from sites that pay writers $10, $15, and $25 for posts.

Then, once you’ve added a few clips from these better-paying sites to your portfolio, you can move up again to sites that pay writers more. (Don’t think those sites are out there? Read about writers who are making $200+ per post and a content mill that pays $400 per post.)

Second, we want to recognize sites that value the work their writers are doing. Good guest posts bring traffic to a site, which leads to list subscribers or ad revenue. When someone helps a blogger or business earn money, they deserve to earn money for that work. And we celebrate sites that have that same philosophy.

Now, on to the updates.

New sites that pay writers

Here are the sites that pay writers you told us about that are paying $50 or more for a guest post (in alphabetical order).

  1. Alpha Beta Commerce pays $50 for articles about ecommerce, payment processing, marketing, and logistics.
  2. Finance Blog Zone pays $50 for original personal finance posts. If you reach certain traffic criteria, you can earn up to an additional $50. The catch is that the posts need to be long — 2,500 words or more — and include photos.
  3. Gaming Mouse pays for posts about the technology industry, with a preference for the latest news. [waiting for confirmation that they meet the $50 threshold]
  4. PreTravels is owned by the same person who runs Finance Blog Zone, and it also pays $50 for original personal finance posts plus up to an additional $50. Posts should be destination guides or travel tips and should be 2,500 words or more. You’ll also need to include 6 or more photos.
  5. Narratively pays $150 for personal essays and $200 to $250 for reported pieces. Higher rates negotiable depending on the piece. Narratively has been around about five years. We recently learned about the site thanks to blog reader and Narratively features editor Lilly O’Donnel.

Sites that almost make the $50 cutoff

When compiling these lists, we always come across those that offer rates of $50+ for some sections, but lower rates for other sections. Rather than locking these sites out, we decided to include a few of them here. (And we may do a dedicated post of sites that bridge the gap between $25 and $50.)

  1. Craft Your Content pays $35-$50 for posts about words, grammar, creativity, and other topics of interest to writers.
  2. Dorkly pays $35-$75 for posts about Pokemon, anime, horror, Game of Thrones, World of Warcraft, and other geek chic topics. They even pay for image collections, so that collection of WOW screenshots might earn you a little scratch.
  3. Writers Weekly pays $40-$60 for posts. They currently need posts only at the $40 level — the Freelance Success Story section. But, beginning in April 2017, they will again be open to feature article queries about the business of freelance writing, and that section pays $60. Note: Writers Weekly has been around a while, but hasn’t been listed in one of our posts about sites that pay writers before.

Sites that no longer pay

Cue the sad trombone sound. Some of the sites we’ve featured previously no longer pay, for various reasons.

  1. The Back to College site was shut down.
  2. BuzzFeed is no longer accepting freelance pitches.
  3. Gawker Media was sued out of existence, though only the Gawker.com site was completely shut down. Their other sites were purchased by Univision and continue to publish. They do not post pay rates, but I am sure their writers do receive some compensation, if you’re still interested in writing for Deadspin, Gizmodo, Jalopnik, Jezebel, Kotaku, and Lifehacker.
  4. The Kernel online magazine shut down.
  5. Hearst Publishing killed The Mix.
  6. The Toast was shut down.

Other updates

Mirasee recently resumed accepting pitches earlier this month (January 2017), but only pays on assignment, and not unsolicited submissions.

Priceonomics and Rank Pay lowered their rates to $50 per post, so they still make the cutoff, but the rates used to be higher.

Scary Mommy, a site that serves up pregnancy advice and parent tips, still pays but isn’t currently accepting unsolicited posts.

HowlRound asked that we no longer list them because they were receiving poorly targeted pitches from writers who said they’d found out about them on Make a Living Writing. This is why it’s critical that you study the site and its audience to develop a well-written query. But believe it or not, a lot of writers don’t do this, even when pitching Make a Living Writing.

“I think I pass on 99 percent of what I’m pitched,” says Carol. “Most pitches are from link-seekers or people who haven’t even read my blog, ever.”

Sites that pay writers spend way too much time wading through pitches from people who’ve never read the site, have no idea who the target reader or main topic is, and often won’t take no for an answer. Some even get tired of it and stop paying or stop accepting guest posts altogether.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

“You can stand out and get hooked up with one of these paying markets,” says Carol.

Have you written for any of these sites or found new ones that pay $50 or more? Tell us in the comments below.

Jennifer Roland is a freelance education, personal finance, and technology writer. Her latest book, Pacific Northwest Writers: Perspectives on Writing, compiles writing advice from novelists, playwrights, and poets from around the Pacific Northwest.

FREE REPLAY: How to Earn $35,000 per Writing Project (And Up) - WATCH NOW! Presented by Claudia Suzanne, The Ghostwriting Expert and the Freelance Writers Den

The post Hunting for Writing Jobs? 8 New Sites That Pay Writers — Plus Important Updates appeared first on Make A Living Writing.



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Tuesday, January 24, 2017

3 Ways Window Treatments Can Make Your Living Room Better

Having a high-end looking home can be difficult, especially if you have a tight decorating budget. Fortunately, there are ways window treatments can help make your living room better.  Read on!

Image Source: Flickr


Floor-to-Ceiling Sophistication

Floor-to-ceiling drapes are in high demand right now. Long drapes are more prevalent as homes are being built with higher ceilings and loft spaces become more popular. These drapes offer a sophisticated look, and at many places, can be customized in bright, contemporary hues for an updated appearance. According to Janet Barragan, senior vice president of window design at Curtainworks, “Eighty-four-inch curtains are the U.S. standard, but we now offer 95-inch curtains, and get requests for even longer curtains, from 108 to 120 inches, to accommodate today’s homes.” If you’re searching for long curtains for your windows, don’t be afraid to go custom and get the perfect window treatments that truly fit the unique size of your space. Photo courtesy of Curtain works. Source: HGTV

Establish a Color Palette
The fabric you choose for window treatments helps establish a color palette for the entire room. In this case, the window panels are a solid aqua, but a patterned fabric could be just as influential. The watery shade coordinates with the celadon rug and concrete gray walls, providing a colorful backdrop that’s also soft enough to let bright accents in fuchsia, purple, and pumpkin stand out. Source: BHG

Swing Arm Curtains
Swing arm curtains are one of the more unique window treatment ideas, and they haven’t seen much use in the United States in recent years. They require a special hinged curtain rod that allows you to move the curtain to stand out at a 90-degree angle from the window. Swing arm curtains are a brilliant and surprisingly inexpensive solution for bedrooms where you want to be able to block light easily without having to worry about ruining a carefully pleated or artfully scrunched curtain fabric with daily adjustments. Source: Freshome

If you want to know more about window treatments that can best fit your home style, contact us now!

 

Contact:
Universal Blinds
601 – 1550 W. 10th Ave
Vancouver, V6J 1Z9
Canada
Phone: (604) 559-1988

The post 3 Ways Window Treatments Can Make Your Living Room Better appeared first on Universal Blinds, Shades & Shutters.



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4 Shower Design Ideas

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

Remodeling your bathroom shower can completely change the look of your bathroom. Here are some shower designs ideas that you might want to consider!

Below are 4 shower design ideas:

Add Some Art
This art deco bathroom has inset doors and handmade subway tile on the walls of the shower. The entire room serves as a shower floor, with blue and green tiles. Clear-glass shower deflectors contribute to the clean and open composition of the room. The built-in vanity and tall cabinet ensure personal care. Source: HGTV

Light Up
Nothing brightens your day like a refreshing shower, and this is one of the brightest — with a glass block exterior wall and a skylight, there’s plenty of daylight. Choose a skylight that opens to let humidity escape and help prevent problems with bathroom mold. Source: HouseLogic

Save Some Space
Want a bath and a shower but lack the space in a small bathroom? Rather than squeezing in separate fittings, look for an L-shaped shower bath with one wider end to give you more room for a comfortable shower. Source: IdealHome

Shower Plus Steam Room
A designer shower enclosures walk-in and a steam generator can be combined to create your very own steam room. It’s a simple way of making your own spa. The amenities are critical is this case. It would be wise to include a small window that can be opened when you use the shower alone to let the air circulate. You’ll be able to use this space both as a regular shower and a steam room and you can enjoy relaxing moments right there in your own home. Source: Homedit

 

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

The post 4 Shower Design Ideas appeared first on Perfect Bath Canada.



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Challenge #226 - Anything Goes

Welcome to Wednesday and a new challenge here at ATSM. We had a wonderful response for our first challenge of 2017 last week - thanks to all of you who participated. We will be back on Friday to announce the winners.

Our new challenge is -


That's right! Anything Goes - create whatever you like :)

Here is the amazing inspiration from our Design Team to get you started -





















Wow! Please pop by their blogs to see how they came up with their ideas! Over to you now.




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Sunday, January 22, 2017

The Sad Tale of Your Worst Writing Job Ever [An Essay Contest]

The sad tale of your worse writing job ever [An essay contest]. Makealivingwriting.com

Ask any writer about their worst writing job — and they’ve got a story to tell.

If you’re a freelance writer for any length of time, some gig will go sideways on you. That’s just how it is.

The key is not to see that worst-case experience as an indicator of your skills, or a referendum on your future potential as a writer.

It’s just…business. Things go wrong. Misunderstandings happen. Everybody has a bad day.

Because so many writers seem to be devastated when they bomb at a gig, I thought it might be useful to collect worst-client stories and let writers compare notes. I thought we could collect them in the comments on this post.

So I’m having a contest! Details are below. But first, I thought I’d kick this off by sharing my own worst writing job stories.

I’ve been at this so long, it’s hard for me to pick an all-time worst writing job. I’ve got five nominees — maybe you can tell me.

  1. The brushoff. One of my first business writing clients agreed to $600 for a brochure — then decided to simply not pay me. “I feel really good about my decision,” she blithely told me. It was the ’80s. Feelings were big.
  2. The blowhard. Was it perhaps the guy who wanted to shout all his instructions to me on speakerphone, while he walked on his treadmill and listened to Rush Limbaugh at full volume? (This was a short relationship.)
  3. The tech-picky. Or maybe the woman who fired me from a Microsoft-contractor writing gig when I told her my home scanner was broken. (“You don’t understand how I need to work,” she told me.)
  4. The scope-creep kings. Then there’s the company that told me they wanted the same sort of blog posts I was doing for Entrepreneur — but turned out to really want posts that were twice as long, in which I ghostwrote for them in the voices of several different team members. When I suggested the fee should be quite a bit higher, they stopped returning my calls.
  5. The non-starter. Finally, and most recently, there was the company who wanted a quality-of-management research report for $3,000. These involve developing hundreds of leads you contact, and getting at least a half-dozen of these former employees of a publicly traded company CEO to tell you what they thought were the business leader’s management strengths and weaknesses. They approached me last summer. I’d done these before, and liked the work.

    I worked on this for over a month, and couldn’t get one single person to talk to me. None! Total loss. The company was understanding, and nice enough to let me keep my deposit because they knew I’d put in about 80 hours of work on it, and I offered to share my notes so the next writer wouldn’t waste time calling the same no-talkers I’d hit.

    I felt…awful. I never say die on an assignment — I always keep going and get the job done. And this one defeated me. Did I mention that they courted me for three months before we finally inked this deal? Yeah.

If you were thinking that seasoned writers never have writing jobs go bad, now you know. It happens to us all.

The contest: Tell us your worst writing job stories

Now that I’ve got you rolling, I want to hear your worst writing job stories. Here are the contest rules and prizes!

  • Post your worst client story here in the comments or on my Facebook page.
  • Only one entry per person.
  • Limit 200 words.
  • Contest ends: Monday (January 23, 2017) at midnight Eastern. I’ll come back and post the winner in the comments on Tuesday.

What can you win with your wretched tale of your most awful client ever? Here’s the lineup:

Grand prize: A 30-minute mentoring session with me and copies of ALL 9 of my currently available ebooks.

Runner up 1: A 30-minute coaching call with me plus all 4 Freelance Writers Den ebooks.

Runner up 2: A 30-minute coaching call.

Good luck, everyone! And here’s to great clients to come.

P.S. If you’d like a lot better clients, you might want to check out the free training video featured below:

FREE REPLAY: How to Earn $35,000 per Writing Project (And Up) - WATCH NOW! Presented by Claudia Suzanne, The Ghostwriting Expert and the Freelance Writers Den

 

 

The post The Sad Tale of Your Worst Writing Job Ever [An Essay Contest] appeared first on Make A Living Writing.



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Thursday, January 19, 2017

Top 4 reasons you need saunas for your home

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

Saunas are extremely popular today, and you can find one to visit virtually anywhere. However, the same concerns that crop up with a pool tend to pop up with saunas as well. Is it clean enough? Will there be too many people there? That is why saunas for the home have suddenly become extremely popular as well. With that being said, keep on reading to find out four of the top reasons you need a sauna in your home today.

You Get to Wear Whatever You Feel Like

If you go to a gym, a spa, or any other public place, then they are going to have rules about what you areHow best to use a sauna allowed to wear. If you have one of the saunas for the home, then you don’t have to worry about what you wear. You can wear shorts, a bikini, or nothing at all if the feeling strikes you and no one can say a word about it.

You Know that The Sauna is Clean

In today’s world, germs aren’t just something that can make you sick, in many cases, they can give you something that will kill you. If you have your own sauna in your home, then you don’t have to worry about how clean, or how dirty, the sauna is. You can also control who comes in and out of your sauna, so that you know if they may be sick when they come.

Private Saunas Are Easier to Get too

How many times have you passed on going to the sauna because the weather was bad or you were just too tired? Having your own private sauna means that you don’t have to go out in the snow or rain to get there and that you can just walk a couple of feet when you’re tired and then not have to drive that whole long way back home.

You Can Control the Noise

In a public sauna, you can’t control who comes in and out or how much they talk. If you want to be alone with your own home sauna, then you can just tell everyone to get out. It’s just that simple!

These are just a few of the reasons that you might want to consider getting a sauna installed in your home. For more information on just how to get that done, contact the professionals at Perfectbath today.

Contributed by:

Perfectbath.com
Calgary, AB.
1-866-843-1641
info@perfectbath.com

The post Top 4 reasons you need saunas for your home appeared first on Perfect Bath Canada.



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Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Hello 2017 - Challenge #225

Hello everyone! Phew - are you ready to start up again with Addicted to Stamps and More? We haven't changed the format for our challenge blog as it works so well and from the feedback received, we are doing something right!

Our very first challenge for 2017 is a photo to inspire you -


You don't have to be literal when it comes to our inspiration photos. You may like the colours, the flower itself, the waterdrops etc. Think outside the box - you will see the team has come up with fantastic ideas!

We also have brand new talent here at ATSM. Please welcome to the team -

| Elaine | Ceal | Kim | Valentyna | 

Did you know we have a total of 20 designers on our team? That's a LOT of inspiration for you!!

Here we go with Challenge #225



















Kamila


Wow, what a way to kick things off! Don't forget to visit the girls to say hi and see how they came up with their ideas.

Ok! Over to you now and we can't wait to see what you create!




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3 Reasons to Choose Roman Blinds

Choosing which type of window treatments you’d like for your home can be a bit daunting because of the number of options available. However, there is something special about roman blinds which makes them so popular. Below are 3 reasons why roman blinds may be your best bet:

Image Source: Flickr

The Goods on Style
Roman blinds come in an array of materials and styles, making them a good window treatment for many spaces. For the industrial or minimalist home, you might choose sleek, solid-colored linen blinds, or opt for satin weave with a subtle stripe or check pattern. For a traditional, country or shabby chic abode, consider blinds in rich tweed or woven jacquard with high cotton content for warmth; embossed faux silk filters light and offers a subtler look. Lined, light-blocking versions allow you to darken bedrooms or enjoy living room privacy from passersby. In damp areas, such as the kitchen, laundry room or bathroom, Roman blinds made from easy-to-wipe-clean synthetic material that’s less vulnerable to mold are a smart choice. Source: Homeguides.SFGate

Privacy
Roman shades offer a large amount of privacy and light blockage. The full fabric panels filter sunlight as it enters the room and prevent outside passersby from seeing into the home. For even more light blockage, most special order Roman blind manufacturers offer a blackout shade, constructed with a special lining that blocks out all light from rooms that need a complete room-darkening feature. The room darkening option also keeps shadows from being cast to the exterior at night when lights are on in the room. Source: eHow

Timelessness
One of the biggest advantages to using Roman shades on your windows is their timeless style.  Romans have been around for decades (in their present form) and tend not to cycle in and out of popularity with the latest trend.  A wise fabric selection will extend the life of your shade by keeping it from becoming too trendy. Source: ALittleDesignHelp

If you’re still not convinced, we can help you pick out the best window treatment option that has all the characteristics you are looking for. Contact us!

 

Contact:
Universal Blinds
601 – 1550 W. 10th Ave
Vancouver, V6J 1Z9
Canada
Phone: (604) 559-1988

The post 3 Reasons to Choose Roman Blinds appeared first on Universal Blinds, Shades & Shutters.



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Ageism in Freelancing: Here’s How You Can Beat It

Ageism in freelancing: Here's how you can beat it. Makealivingwriting.com

Are you worried about ageism in freelancing? It’s a concern I hear from a lot of writers.

It’s not uncommon for writers to finally embark on their dream career after retiring or being laid off from a longtime job, or after several different corporate jobs. I also hear from journalists who’ve taken 10-20 years off to raise kids, and now they want to start getting assignments again.

But you worry that you’re “too old.” It’s too late for you. You’re obsolete. No one’s going to hire you.

If ageism in freelancing is your worry, I want to tell you it’s all lies.

I’ve been freelancing since late 2005, have owned an AARP card for several years now, and I’ve never been offered more lucrative projects than I’m seeing right now.

I’ve encountered not one situation in a decade where I felt I was passed over because I was too old.

If you’ve been held back by fears about ageism in freelancing, I have some tips for how you can overcome this and get great clients:

The top reason you get passed over

You’re thinking “it’s ageism” when you don’t get a gig, but I believe it’s not. It’s what I call ‘skill-ism.’

And unlike the hands of time, which you can’t turn back, skill-ism in freelancing is a problem you can do something about. Yes, the marketplace has changed — but us old dogs can learn new tricks. And when you combine decades of industry and writing experience with those new skills, you have a strong offer.

Maybe you read online job ads and they’re looking for someone who knows WordPress, or Twitter, or has experience in content marketing…and you feel like you’re out in the cold. Because you haven’t done a lot online.

Yes, I hear you whining that you just want to write like in the old days, and you don’t want to have to learn tech stuff. That attitude is what’s making you irrelevant to the market, not how many birthdays you’ve had.

But it’s not too late to change. I didn’t know what a blog was in 2006 (and look what happened!). I was a total latecomer to Twitter and now have 16,000 followers, just from sharing links of interest to freelancers and entrepreneurs. Websites call me and want me to write for them for real money, because they see I understand how to drive engagement.

You can fix this. Take a class — they’re affordable and online now! In the past few months alone, I’ve learned to use several online tools that were new to me, and expect to continue that trend. When a client asks if you can collaborate on your project using, say, BaseCamp or Slack, you don’t want to feel like a dummy.

Ask someone to tutor you. Subscribe to blogs about the topic you’re learning. Find a starter client and do a little pro bono work.

Skill-ism is not going away, and overcoming it is your ticket out of being ‘over the hill.’ If you can write Facebook updates that get tons of shares, or white papers that get thousands of downloads and drive sales, nobody cares how old you are — I promise.

Change your mindset

In my experience, at least 75 percent of perceived ageism in freelancing exists only in the minds of older writers. It’s not happening out in the marketplace!

Remember, hiring a freelancer isn’t like hiring a full-time employee. Prospects are not thinking, “Oh, this older worker doesn’t have enough productive years ahead of them. They’ll cost us on healthcare. They’re too expensive.”

Realize that if you experienced ageism in the corporate world, you may be projecting that onto the world of freelancing. You’re assuming it’s there.

But freelancing is a whole different game — it’s not a long-term commitment like a permanent hire. With good clients, they just want the best writer for this pressing writing need. And they value expertise, like crazy. Can you imagine!

They’re looking for someone who already knows about robotics or green building laws or whatever arcane thing they do, who they can turn loose and trust to deliver the goods.

It’s no skin off their nose if you’re 65 — you’re just writing a white paper this month, and then you may part ways. Meanwhile, they got a great product from a seasoned writer.

Play to your demographic

Who needs your expertise most, older writers? Companies and publications that serve older people — which is one of the largest age segments in the U.S.A. (Millennials recently squeaked ahead of us).

There are plenty of companies that have serious marketing budgets, understand writers’ value to drive revenue, and would love to have a writer who is also their customer.

Think health and wellness insurers, providers, and consultants. Retirement-home chains. Physical therapy chains. Senior-focused gyms. Cruise and other upscale-travel companies. Legacy clothing and packaged-goods companies (I’m thinking of Talbots in womenswear or Bob Evans restaurants, for instance). And of course, magazines that serve seniors (and there are quite a few others besides super-competitive AARP, too).

You get their audience! Why wouldn’t they love to work with you.

You can also write for an audience of just about anyone, because you’re smart, but targeting companies that target seniors is a no-brainer.

Go bigger

Older writers who want pro rates should not waste time chasing bootstrap startups, Craigslist ads, or UpWork. These are not places for you.

Hanging around them and reading the tiny rates offered will make you feel sad and irrelevant and believe the lies you tell yourself about ageism in freelancing. So stay outta that bad neighborhood!

Instead, get The Writer’s Market with online support, crank their search tool up to five dollar signs (the top pay level), and browse all the best-paying magazines. See who you might pitch.

Surf the Fortune 500 and Inc 1000 lists for prospects. Think big government contracts, or writing for major national nonprofits.

You’re looking for organizations that get writers’ value and pay top dollar for quality and sophistication. Trust me, big clients want to work with accomplished writers — and they’ll never check your driver’s license.

Market younger

You can also show you’re still relevant as a writer in how you market yourself. Take your head shot. I’m seeing loads of them still out there that look like they were taken 20 years ago in Montgomery Ward.

Instead, take a selfie on a beach — see my sidebar for mine. Or get a pro shot, and then use photo effects, like everyone does on Facebook now, to make your shot interesting and modern. Use a cartoon.

A more modern-style shot says, “I get the Internet. I may be old, but I’m not an old fogey.”

I’m seeing newsletters that are bright yellow with blue lettering, and websites that are black with white lettering. I was asked to give feedback on a marketing newsletter for one older writer’s prospects this weekend that was written like it’s 1967 — stiff, formal, big words, no contractions, no subheads or bullets for scannability. If this is you, subscribe to some top online newsletters and study their format and style. If you can learn the writing tone of the 21st Century and update your approach, you’ll get a lot more of the better-paid gigs. Again, this is a ‘skill-ism’ problem you can overcome.

On that website — you don’t have to say you have 30 years of experience. Say you’re seasoned or highly experienced. You can spin this the way you want.

Remember, on the Internet, nobody knows your real age! No one can see you on an email, so if you think you ‘look old,’ maybe email and social-media marketing is for you.

Lose the ‘ageism in freelancing’ excuse

Ultimately, “I’m too old” is just another excuse. It’s on a par with blaming the economy (which has been great for years, in the U.S.), or that you live in too small a town, or any other excuse you use for not taking action to build your business.

You may think a prospect passed you over because you’re older, because of ageism in freelancing — but really, there could have been dozens of other possible reasons.

The biggest thing you can do to fight ageism is to stop getting up in the morning and saying, “Poor me, I’m too old to get freelance writing gigs,” buck up, and keep looking for clients.

Okay, sure, there are Millennial-focused brands and magazines that only want to hire young writers. But there are plenty of other clients for more experienced hands to pursue.

Ageism is real in full time jobs, and we all know it. But ageism in freelancing? You can beat this.

Have you experienced ageism in freelancing? Leave a comment and let’s discuss.

FREE EVENT: How to Earn $35,000 per Writing Project (And Up) CLAIM MY SPOT, Thursday, January 19, 2017, 11AM Pacific - Presented by Claudia Suzanne, The Ghostwriting Expert and the Freelance Writers Den

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