If you are a freelance copywriter who can also weave an interesting storyline, you may be missing a lucrative writing opportunity that not only puts more money in your bank account, it increases your clients’ ROI in their marketing efforts.  This kind of win-win-win—for you, your client, and your client’s client, has some savvy writers turning it into a full-time specialty that corporate clients are clamoring to tap into. What is it? Read the rest of this entry

Do you need sources to interview for a book, article, blog entry, or whatever? Or do you want to promote your book or business by being a source to reporters and writers for their books, articles, blog entries, and whatever? Here are two email resources that are free for you to make connections, whichever side of the interview you are on:

HARO (Help a Reporter Out) has been around a number of years and sends out emails three times each day with posts from researchers, reporters, and writers looking for people to interview. You can sign up as a reporter to post your needs, or as a subscriber looking to be a resource for someone else—or both (like me). Go to: http://www.helpareporter.com/

Reporter Connection is a fairly new resource so, right now, it has fewer listings. However, it is run by Bill and Steve Harrison—two of the best book marketers on the planet—so I expect the Reporter Connection will quickly attract listings and popularity. Check it out and sign up here: http://www.reporterconnection.com/

Resources like HARO and Reporter Connection make writers’ lives easier and broaden your reach to find valuable, knowledgeable interview subjects, or connect you with media contacts who are begging for your input. “Just do it!”

If you are trying to break into writing for magazines and struggle to know what stories to pitch, there is a secret weapon successful magazine writers use to attract “yes” responses time after time after time. I put up a post about it back in January of 2010, but it bears repeating since all you have to do is choose, click (on the secret weapon), read, and pitch. Here’s how: Read the rest of this entry

Speed writing. It seems to be the order of the day for professional bloggers and freelancers in a need-it-yesterday world of client project deadlines. Yet, even if you aren’t up against a clock or bogged down by multiple projects that turn your 40-hour, five-day week into a 60-hour, seven-day week, learning how to write a little faster without compromising quality is a good—and potentially profitable—thing. Here’s how: Read the rest of this entry