Adventures In Freelancing

A Personal Case Study of Social Media for Freelancers

marybabysteps — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 04:00:04 -0800

Whew! It's been awhile since I've updated here at Adventures In Freelancing. My apologies, but the reason I've been absent has primarily been because I was out of town this week at an AMAZING social media conference. Social Media Today was held in Rochester, NY and was organized by Ana Castro of Premier Social Media.

The Back Story

My relationship with Ana is a case study in itself, which began on Twitter as I was preparing to launch this very blog. I wanted to make the launch big, by offering prizes that freelance writers could use. So I put out the word on Twitter, asking folks to reply if they had a product or service they could donate. Ana was one of the first to respond and offered some educational courses from her social networking site for families, Family Eden. After speaking on the phone, we just seemed to click. When Ana was looking for bloggers for the Family Eden blog, she included me.

The Conference

When Ana invited me to the conference, I was excited, but also a bit nervous. The nearly five-hour drive by myself to Rochester was not something I was looking forward to, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to network and to learn more about social media simply because of a little fear. I'm so glad I didn't let my nervousness hold me back! You can check out the conference site for a more in-depth list of speakers, but let me give you just a bit of the highlights.

Chris Brogan was there! Chris is well-known on Twitter as a social media guru. He's all about community and building trust. In fact, he and his co-author Julien Smith, wrote a book on the topic called Trust Agents, which is now a New York Times best seller. After his informative and entertaining speech, Chris took some time to sign our books. Here's a picture of us.

I had the pleasure of introducing Jeffrey Hayzlett, the Chief Marketing Officer of Kodak. What a knowledgeable, fun, and entertaining guy! I also got to connect with other great people from Kodak including Jenny, their Chief Blogger, and Shruti, Kodak's Community Manager. It was wonderful talking to them. I was able to get a view of corporate blogging and to have the opportunity to get involved in future Kodak campaigns, as a blogger. Very cool. Here's a picture of Jeffrey in action. You can see his energy!

There were so many other wonderful, insightful, and creative speakers. There were presentations on the use of social media in corporations, measurement of ROI, legal aspects of social media, and panel discussions giving personal answers to audience questions. Speaking of these panels, I've saved the best for last!

The Surprise

As a panel of bloggers was introducing themselves, I immediately recognized one of the names - Yvonne DiVita. "Wait", I thought to myself, "that's @y2vonne from Twitter!" I wanted to jump up out of my seat and shout to her. Instead, I turned to Ana's husband sitting next to me and tugged on his arm like a little kid, saying,"I KNOW her from Twitter! I talk to her all the time!"

Finally, when it was time for questions, I raised my hand. When I introduced myself to Yvonne as @marybabysteps, she got excited too. You see, Yvonne and I really connected through social media, and it was like seeing an old friend. Actually, she wasn't even supposed to be at the conference that day, but due to unforeseen circumstances, she was able to make it. You know I always say that things happen for a reason. I'm convinced Yvonne and I were meant to meet at the conference, if only for the brief time we had together. I so look forward to getting to know her more and to any future collaborations. Take a look at the marvelous conference recap Yvonne wrote on her blog and the touching things she said about me. Thank you, Yvonne!

The Takeaway

I could go on and on about the conference, but my hands are starting to hurt from typing. I will tell you that I came away with a couple of writing jobs and the opportunity to obtain others in the future. But that's not even the biggest thrill. Having the opportunity to connect with others who get what you do is beyond words. I highly recommend attending a blogging or social media conference if you get the opportunity. If you're unable to travel to a conference, look for local events as a means of networking and meeting people. Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau events are good ones to start with. You'll be surprised at the connections you can make, and you may even end up with some leads on writing gigs.

Do you have any examples of great networking experiences? Do tell; I'd love to hear your story!

Use Cision To Get Sources

marybabysteps — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:55:58 -0800

As freelance writers, we often find ourselves stuck for ideas. It seems that every topic has already been covered. Finding a new slant is necessary if we want to get our articles published. Fortunately, there are always new developments and changes occurring in every industry. The problem is finding out about those developments.

We're busy people. We don't have scads of time to spend researching and hunting down the latest information in our area of interest. That's why you'll want to sign up for inclusion in the Cision database. Signing up is easy. Just fill out the form with your information and the topics you're interested in. You'll soon be receiving information and pitches relevant to all the subjects you cover. Not every email or press release will be useful to you, but I've found that much of the information I receive can be used in some way, either as blog content or to spark an idea for a freelance article.

Thanks, Jennifer James, of Mom Bloggers Club, for sharing this resource!

Find Markets That Accept New Writers

marybabysteps — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 11:04:53 -0700

While surfing the net, I came across a link that led me to WritersWeekly. a very informative site with much to offer writers. There's a forum and articles on all aspects of writing. There are also warnings about markets to be wary of and lists of paying markets. I was extremely impressed with their search feature, in which you can enter specific terms to find markets in your niche.

I honestly don't remember how I was led to this site, but whatever the case may be, I found that by entering the search phrase, "welcomes new writers" I was able to generate a particularly extensive list of markets from their database that accept material from new writers. What a useful find for us newbies! This takes away some of the anxiety of approaching markets, I think.

How about you? Would you be more willing to query a market that openly says they are welcoming to new writers? Does it matter to you? I do intend to pitch all kinds of markets, even the national women's magazines, as I know what's most important is having a good, solid, well-researched idea and being able to articulate it. But it's nice to be aware of this method for getting my feet wet.

Will You Take the 100 Day Writing Challenge?

marybabysteps — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 10:31:04 -0700

Photo by Sun Dazed

I just read about a fantastic movivational challenge at Writing Spirit called The 100 Day Writing Challenge. The gist of the challenge is that you'll choose a writing goal or two and work for 100 days to complete them. You can keep track of your progress in a few different ways. I've thought long and hard about this and have decided that I plan to take this challenge and will be using the Box a Day method to stay on track. What this means is that I will keep daily inventory of whether or not I've met my goal. This way I can have a visual of how successful I am. There's even a handy chart you can use to keep track of your goals.

My Goals

My goals are to post on at least two of my three blogs each day and to send out one query or manuscript to a website or print publication at least three days a week. One thing I know about goal setting is that your goals must be specific, measurable, and realistic. I think mine are. I feel very empowered having shared my goals and commited to completing them.

Join Me!

The challenge technically began September 23rd and is to end December 31st, but according to the rules, you can start any time. So what do you think? Will you join me in The 100 Day Writing Challenge? There's a forum at Writing Spirit to share goals and encourage others. I'd be honored if you'd share your goals and check in right here with me as well. What are your goals, and how do you plan to implement them? Is there anything I can do to help?

Happy writing!

Motivational Video From Deb Ng

marybabysteps — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 09:30:53 -0700

I just wanted to take a moment to share a video with you all from Deb Ng of Freelance Writing Jobs. In it, she shows how she built her blog from a sole endeavor with few page views to a highly successful network. She tweeted it to me this morning just when I was struggling with where my priorities need to be. This is just another example of the amazing connections you can find through social media. Thank you, Deb, for being my friend.

Check out the video for yourself on YouTube. It's great motivation if you're struggling with where to go with your passions or are wondering if your efforts will pay off. They will. Just keep going!

Free Teleclasses From Linda Formichelli of The Renegade Writer

marybabysteps — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 10:11:32 -0700

I feel like such a suck-up, but I can't help it. I absolutely love Linda and Diana of The Renegade Writer. I know I've talked about them many times before on this blog. I know. I know. But I just have to share this exciting news.

Linda Formichelli is offering her freelance advice and experience for free. Yes, FREE! She'll be giving free teleclasses on topics like writing killer queries and being more productive. And did I mention she's offering her advice for free? Check it out for yourself over at The Renegade Writer Blog and be sure to sign up to receive emails about her future teleclasses so you won't miss a thing.

Are there any learning opportunities for freelancers you know of that are free or low-cost? Share them in the comments.

Get Free Magazines With RewardsGold

marybabysteps — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:25:26 -0700

I read a recent post on Meryl K. Evans' blog about organiziing your magazines. Freelancers are notorious for collecting magazines. I have tons. We study magazines to improve the chances of having our pitch accepted and to generate ideas. But this habit can get pretty expensive, in addition to taking up loads of space. Meryl has some suggestions on how to cut the clutter, but I have a way of getting cutting costs.

RewardsGold is a member program that rewards you for shopping, but it also gives rewards for filling out surveys. The website says membership is by invite only but that you can write to request an invitation. I honestly don't remember how I learned about RewardsGold, but I can tell you I've never spent a penny to earn rewards. The rewards I've earned are free magazines, simply for completing short surveys about my shopping habits!

You may want to check it out and request an invite. I can tell you it's worth the time. I've received Forbes, Business Week, Parenting, Interview, Prevention and American Photo all for free. And believe me, the surveys really are short or else I'd never complete them!

I just wanted to pass this resource along to you, Hopefully, you'll score some great free magazines of your own. Let me know if you do!

By the way, stop on over to Meryl's blog to nominate your favorite writing book for her list of the Top 25 Books for Writers. I know this will be a good one.

Great Learning Opportunities From The Renegade Writer

marybabysteps — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:36:57 -0700

I've mentioned before that one of my all-time favorite books for freelancers is The Renegade Writer by Diana Burrell and Linda Formichelli. I've had the chance to interact with both of these women online, andI find them to be extremely knowledgeable and trusworthy sources of information on all things freelancing. They're just awesome!

Well, they're running a couple of great contests at The Renegade Writer Blog for a chance to win a seat in two of their popular classes. Magazine Writing Basics, taught by Elaine Grant, goes beyond the basics. You'll learn inside information about the publishing world as well as hands-on writing techniques for your feature articles. Also up for grabs is a chance to take Linda's class, Get Unstuck! for Freelancers, which is all about ways to organize your space and be productive so that you can put out more work in less time.

Good luck to you. I'll be entering as well! And thank you, Ami, from Writing My Life for the heads up on this contest.

Using HARO to Enhance Your Writing

marybabysteps — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:05:42 -0700

As freelancers, we're so lucky to have so many resources at our disposal today. To write an interesting and salable story, it's imperative to include first-hand expert and anecdotal information. These kinds of sources are readily available to us by just sitting down at our computers. I've "met" so many fascinating people online through social media like Twitter and Facebook. Through these relationships, there are many people I could call on for a quote or to provide me information I need to enhance my story and to increase my chances of having an editor accept my pitch.

But for those times you just don't know where to turn for accurate information on the topic at hand, there's HARO - Help a Reporter Out. Many of you may have heard of HARO, but like me, you may not have taken the time to give it a try. Recently, I decided to use HARO for a post I've got in the works at my blog, Everyday Baby Steps, on fall fashion for plus size women. Writing up a simple query and submitting it through Help a Reporter Out brought me all the information I need for my post, and it ever provided me with ideas and contacts for future articles to pitch for publication.

The Process

Submitting your query is easy. Just head on over to HARO and complete a query form. Be as specific as you can. For example, I made sure to mention that I was targeting my article to moms and that I was looking for cute, comfortable clothing that would fit a busy mom's lifestyle. You'll also want to include information that might make people more inclined to contact you. For example, I mentioned that my blog has a Google Page Rank of 4 and that I have a wide online presence. This lets PR folks know that it's likely an audience will see my post, giving exposure to their product. You'll want to do this even if you're not reaching out to PR folks like I was because many sources are looking for some kind of exposure. Often times, professionals volunteer to be interviewed because it adds to their credentials or their resume.

Also, choose your deadline carefully. If you're really in a bind, be sure to indicate it on your form. Your query will then be sent out first as an urgent request. If you can wait, go ahead and allow a deadline of a week or so. My deadine was two weeks, and my query wasn't sent out for a while. From now on, I'll make my deadlines shorter.

The Results

I am very pleased with my HARO experience. I received a tremendous response from well known companies like Lee and Hanes and from smaller boutiques as well. I won't be including every company that responded in my article, as they weren't all a good fit for the audience I'm trying to reach. Take, for instance, the boutique that custom makes $700 dresses for their clients. I don't think the moms that read my blog would be looking for this kind of item!

I'm happy with the response I received, and some of the companies even sent me a review item, which is helpful. If you're hoping to receive items for review, you'll want to be sure your blog has a PR of 4. I was told a while back that (when my blog was a 3) that this is a requirement when asking for products to review.

I will definitely be using HARO in the future. As I mentioned earlier, this experience has generated a number of ideas for more articles, and now I've got sources to track down when I'm ready to write them. Whether you're interested in learning about the latest trends for your blog or in finding an expert to interview for that magazine piece you're working on, give HARO a try. And let me know how it goes!

Writer's Market

marybabysteps — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:38:25 -0700

Yesterday I renewed my online subscription to Writer's Market. This is something I hadn't intended to do because I had made the decision to focus my writing efforts on blogging, rather than articles for print or the Web. However, I changed my mind after thinking about things some more recently. A wise idea may be to diversify my writing a bit for better economic stability. I'll still pursue blogging positions that appear to be worth my time and effort, as well as focusing on my own blogs and a project that I have in the works, but I know that writing for magazines and trade journals can pay quite well. It just seems to make sense to give it a shot as a way of adding to my worth as a writer.

Writer's Market is a must for anyone looking to write for print or online publications. You can purchase it in book form and can even buy a deluxe version of the book that allows you a year of internet access. I chose to skip right to the internet subscription because I used the online version far more than I even opened my hard copy.

For $39.99 a year, you'll receive access to "the most comprehensive database of listings available - updated daily." You can also track your submissions through the Writer's Market website, which I find to be a lifesaver. Another feature that I like is the ability to set up customizable folders to keep track of markets that interest you. I'm in favor of anything that improves my organization and makes my life easier!

When I signed up, I was surprised and delighted to learn that I also received a download of The Writer's Ultimate Resource Guide 2008 presented by Writer's Digest. I recently saw this CD advertised in my WD magazine for $14.95. This is a fantastic resource to have because it includes articles like "101 Websites Every Writer Should Visit", "100 Best-Bet Markets for Magazine and Book Writers", and "22 Agents Who Want Your Work...Now!". Can't beat that..

So if you're considering writing for print or online publications, it's well worth the money to invest in a subscription to Writer's Market. Just checking out the listings will get you inspired to send out those query letters, and the detailed information onf where to find writer's guidelines and editor contacts is essential to freelancing success.

Let me know if you decide to subscribe. I want to hear about your writing journey!