This is one of those blunt emails where I tell you exactly what's wrong.
I just got off a call with someone. He reached out frustrated and told me he hadn't found someone to write for, and I told him we should get on a call.
We got on a call, and I asked him to share his search process with me... nothing.
Do you put yourself out and market your offer? No
Are you building a brand that shares what you do? No
How often do you apply for jobs? "Well, whenever I see something I find interesting."
While you wait for paid clients to find you, how many guest posts have you written and put out on trusted sites? None.
Do you notice the pattern, Reader? Doing very little to no work and expecting massive results? There is absolutely no industry where this works. No industry! Even the beauty influencers who seem to just show up, get dressed, eat in fancy restaurants and have brands sending things to them are working hard.
They are creating content. They are investing in themselves. They are building relationships. They are positioning themselves so brands have a reason to come to them.
You don't see the work because you're seeing the result of the work.
Have you ever tried shooting a long-form YouTube video?
The day you try to sit down, think, ideate, script a piece, shoot it, edit it, and publish it, then you'll understand the kind of work people have to do to get seen.
I resumed posting on YouTube three weeks ago. Go and check how many videos I have posted in the past three weeks -12! These are long-form videos, by the way, from 8 to 15 minutes on average. I have had videos out every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday for the past three weeks without fail. Today is Wednesday, and I have already scheduled the video that will go out by 6 p.m. (Note: I edit all my videos myself.)
You watched me reach out to 100 potential clients in July.
It is hard work, I promise.
And it's even harder work when you are starting. But the good news is that once you get used to hard work and you see the results, you never slow down.
I read a piece that Nathan wrote yesterday. Nathan is a top B2B writer, but he said he has written and published one blog on his personal website every day for the last 50 days!
My friend called me last week to rant. She writes for Jotform and Zapier. She told me how she felt like she wasn't doing enough. This is someone whose work ethic I admire! She is doing very well for herself, but there's still that push to do more.
So imagine a beginner being relaxed. No! You cannot do that; it just won't work.
But there's something else I want you to understand.
Sometimes the problem isn't that you're unwilling to work.
Sometimes you simply don't know what work actually matters.
You know you want your first client.
But do you know who you should be pitching?
Do you know what you're actually offering?
Do you know what your portfolio should contain?
Do you know how to approach a business that isn't advertising for a writer?
Do you know what to say when you pitch?
Sometimes, you are actually willing to do the work , the problem is that you do not know what work to do. And you cannot solve this problem by simply “trying harder.”
You need direction.
I've seen this happen so many times. A beginner spends six months consuming content about freelancing. They save hundreds of posts. They watch YouTube videos. They join communities. They download free resources. They learn.
And learn.
And learn.
But they don't actually have a strategy for turning the skill into a career.
At some point, you have to stop preparing to become a writer and start behaving like one.
• If you need to learn this skill properly, not just as a hobby but as something that actually brings results for the clients you have and gets them to pay you, then you find someone you trust who has already done it, and learn from them.
• If you know what to do but you aren't doing it consistently, then you need to start.
Whatever your problem is, you probably already know more than you think you do.
So why not just do something about it?
And I'm saying this because I don't want you to get to December and realize that another year has gone by without you seriously exploring this thing you're capable of doing.
This was what prompted me to create the Write Right course in the first place.
I created a three-part course.
The first part teaches you how to really write. Your tenses, punctuation, research, editing, formatting, everything, as if you are 16.
The second part teaches you SEO writing. This is what differentiates writers with results from those without. This is why your clients will happily pay you and refer you to others, because when you write for them, they get more customers.
In the final part, we talk about money. Everything money. How to earn, how to position yourself, how to find the high-paying clients, everything money.
And because Write Right is turning one this month, I want to make this anniversary a little more special.
Anyone who purchases the course now gets a FREE 30-minute private consultation with me.
(This offer expires on the 26th of August, by the way)
Not a group call.
Not a webinar.
A private 30-minute conversation where you can bring your specific situation to me.
You can tell me:
“I've been writing for six months and still haven't found a client.”
“I don't know what niche to choose.”
“I have a portfolio but nobody is responding.”
“I don't know how to price myself.”
“I want to become a professional writer but I don't know where to start.”
Whatever it is, we'll look at where you currently are and what I think you need to work on next. Maybe all you need is someone to look at YOUR situation and tell you what to do next.
I don't want you to read this email, nod your head, save it, and then go back to doing exactly what you've been doing.
Please. Do one thing today.
• Send the pitch.
• Create the sample.
• Update the portfolio.
• Apply for the job.
• Buy Write Right, the course.
Pheeew! Pardon my tone; I am sure you can tell I am not writing from my usual half-up, half-down position in bed with my computer propped up on my pillow to meet my hands.
I am, in fact, writing this standing. That's how serious I want you to take it.
I'll talk to you soon, okay?
Love,
Professor.
