Hey, ProWriter!

Happy birthday to Charles III, the King of England and a close personal friend of the ProWriter team.

We totally know him.

Alright, fine, we don’t.

But it is true that it is his birthday, and even though he remains one of the least popular (to put it charitably) members of the Royal Family, we hope he has a good one.

It ain’t easy being king!

Now let’s blow out the birthday candles and move on to this week’s business:

• Pitching an agency? Here’s how to stand out. 💪

• What marketers are saying about 2023’s massive AI disruption 🎙️

• This week’s influencer will help you understand your clients better💡

• How to expand your Luck Surface Area (and WTF that means) 🍀

• Freeeeeesh gigs! 🖊️

Let’s gooooo!

- Dave and Dusten

#ProWriterTips 💡

Tips for pitching an agency (hint: it’s different!)

A couple of different writers have reached out to ask how in the heck they’re supposed to get on the radar of an agency.

As people who run a marketing agency (and occasionally hire writers!), it turns out we do have a thing or two to say about this.

If you’re newer to the freelance writing game and are going “uhhh, agency?” right now, here’s the gist.

There are a handful of time-honored ways to scare up work as a freelance writer. You can respond to job posts on boards or via newsletters (like this one!). You can also pitch your ideal clients directly, by figuring out who hires writers and sending them an email that blows their socks off.

Then, there are agencies.

Agencies work with the same kinds of clients you’d be pitching directly. But the services they offer are more complex than what your average freelance writer can do.

See, agencies offer campaigns. What’s included in a campaign will vary, but typically, it will involve strategy, execution, and then measurement over a period of months (or more).

The kind of content you write falls under “execution,” and even then, is only part of the picture (there’s content research, ideation, distribution, and more).

We’ll be blunt: you definitely want an agency or two in your client roster.

For one, PR and marketing agencies have a consistent need for good writers. Agencies aren’t always the most predictable clients, but, as long as they are running campaigns (and you prove reliable), they will have something for you to work on. This is huge for rounding out your monthly earnings.

Two, agencies handle the client overhead. All you have to do is write.

Think about what an advantage this is. The layer of separation between you and the client is a content marketer or PR professional. Not only are they handling the customer service part, but they also review your content and give you valuable feedback that helps you grow.

An agency is a learning environment in which you get to sharpen your skills, learn new stuff, and work on a ton of diverse projects.

Hopefully, you’re beginning to see how the agency/writer relationship is one of mutual benefit.

But how do you get on their radar?

Getting on a client’s radar is usually a matter of pitching a topic idea for a blog post, or identifying an “in” and then, as we said above, proceeding to blow their socks off.

You can’t see an agency’s clients and have no say in the campaign strategy, so how’s a capable writer supposed to get their foot in the door?

This isn’t comprehensive by any means, but it’ll help.

Here are 3, high-precision tactics for pitching an agency.

1. Who to pitch: At an agency, you’re looking for members of the account team. A company’s LinkedIn page will show you how many employees an agency has, and what their roles are. Titles vary, but large agencies will have Account Executives and Account Managers (possibly also Coordinators). Ignore Directors or anyone who runs the company (unless it’s a small team of 10-20).

2. What to pitch: The actual pitch should look like a value letter. Here’s who I am, what I can offer, and my portfolio. Keep it simple, the agency contact will appreciate it. They understand you’re offering a mutually beneficial relationship, and they either need writers or don’t, so there’s no need to try and convince them one way or the other. Just tell them what you can do for them.

3. What to say: Keep it brief, but be totally transparent about what you’re looking for. If you’re brand new to freelancing, tell them you’re looking for your first big break and are willing to do any grunt work they can throw you for cheap. If you’re looking for a long-term, consistent relationship, say that. Again, this is a “help me/help you” arrangement. Don’t waste any time; ask for exactly what you want and what you have to offer in return. They get it.

Pitching an agency is a different animal than pitching a client directly. Focus less on flattery and buzzwords, and more on the meat and potatoes: What you can do, how you can help, and how easy you are to work with.

Good luck!

Want to check out all of our Writer Tips for free?

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ProWriter isn’t just a newsletter. It’s an entire resource for helping freelance writers launch their writing careers.

When you become a ProWriter member, you get:

✔️ A free portfolio to highlight your hard-earned skills and experience

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Ready to grow your writing career?

Eye on AI 🤖

In this section, we bring you the top stories about AI that affect creatives. Mostly so you can stay informed, but also (hopefully) worry less.

Today’s robopocalypse headlines 🤖💀

• Last week, OpenAI hosted its first-ever developer day (basically, a MacWorld-style event complete with a Steve Jobs-esque keynote). Much digital ink has been spilled about the event already, but the main thing everyone is talking about is this demo by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman where he creates a custom GPT with no coding in just 4 minutes.

• If you want a more comprehensive rundown of the highlights of the event with the kind of context that will help you grok what a big deal this was for the tech world, we recommend the most recent SatPost by Trung Phan.

• Last month, Superpath shared the results of its “State of Content Marketing” survey wherein 650+ respondents shared their thoughts on how marketing has changed in the last year. AI featured prominently. For our money, the best rundown of these results comes from our #100 of the 100 content people you should be following, Sara Stella Lattanzio. Check out her commentary on the report here for key takeaways. We told you to follow her for a reason!

100 content people you should be following 🤝

We made a big list of the most successful and influential voices in marketing.

The main thing they have in common? They post free content advice that will make you a better writer.

This week, here’s who we think you should follow + connect with on LinkedIn: 

#93 John Bonini

John is the founder of Some Good Content, which offers coaching and content consulting for B2B SaaS companies, as well as a (paid, and, this is not an ad) networking community for content marketers.

His CV includes marketing and growth roles at respectable tech brands like Databox and Litmus.

Why you should follow him

• He consistently shares his insights on how marketing is changing and what that means for creators.

• His takes are very outside-the-box, but, you get that warm, fuzzy intuitive feeling where you know he’s just right.

• Since he’s a consultant, he gets a view of the client that we don’t often see as creators. And he’s always sharing what he’s hearing from employers about marketing and their challenges.

In short, John is a factory of consistently insightful thought leadership in marketing and the creator economy.

His posts will empower you in everything from keeping your finger on the pulse of what’s working to learning more about your target clients so you can better your chances of successfully pitching them.

👉 Connect with John on LinkedIn

Makes you think 🤔

Make more content = be more lucky

Dave here.

Before you go, take a few minutes to watch this video from Jason Levin:

This week, I want everyone to really think about this “Luck Surface Area” thing.

Here’s the idea in a nutshell:

• Become an expert in what you’re passionate about

• Make sure a lot of people know you’re an expert

• Opportunities will start coming to you

See, doing what you love, and making sure that as many people know about it as possible will start to have this snowball effect: As expertise and awareness increase, good things will start happening more and more.

You’ll notice yourself getting luckier.

As Jason Roberts, the entrepreneur who coined the term, says: “It’s a simple concept, but an extremely powerful one because what it implies is that you can directly control the amount of luck you receive.”

“In other words, you make your own luck.”

This isn’t some kind of new age, “law of attraction” thing, either. As Levin points out in the video, it’s simple math.

The more content you make showcasing your passion and expertise, the more people will see, and critically, remember you.

Whatever your niche or perspective on writing, your goal is to become so well-known for it that when people in your network see a post asking for referrals to writers who specialize in your area, they think of you.

This is Marketing 101!

Now, this will take two things: a plan and patience.

Make sure the content you create isn’t just an advertisement for your services. It has to actually add value and unique insight to the community.

Two, you’ll really have to force yourself to not care about notifications. There won’t be much happening in the early days, so don’t worry about posts not going viral or raking in followers and subscribers.

But stay consistent, increase your Luck Surface Area, and you’ll see your luck start to change.

Levin and content strategist Nick Trimmer write about Luck Surface Area specifically for content creators in this post. It’s worth the read.

Good luck this week!

Top Freelance Writing Jobs 💼 

1. Hey, look! An agency gig! Ten Speed is looking for writers. It’s $0.15 CPW and say they have steady work. We’re featuring this open gig again so you can practice some of the stuff we told you in the tips section. Apply via Superpath.

2. Legal writer? Cella has a gig paying $40+/h. Apply here.

3. Akraya is looking for a product/landing page writer. $50+/h. Apply here.

4. RemoteWorkerUS posted a fairly open-ended call for freelance writers starting at $20+/h. Don’t know much else, but check it out and apply here.

5. LHH is looking for a PR/science writer. $35-$45/h, apply on LinkedIn.

6. Artisan Talent is looking for higher-ed writers. $30-$35/h. Apply here.

7. Alta is looking for freelancers to write about personal finance. Apply on LinkedIn.

Don’t forget — all the jobs we post here are remote and we privilege gigs with transparent pay.

A handful come from our personal networks and aren’t on any jobs boards… yet. So get on ‘em.

What’s on your 🧠?

Here’s your weekly reminder that if you’re one of our 10,000 subscribers, you can reply directly to this email.

That’s because we want to hear from you!

• We want your feedback, so we can make this newsletter better

• We want your questions, so we can create relevant content for you

• We want to build relationships, so reply with whatever is on your mind

Send us compliments, concerns, complaints, questions, story ideas, memes, whatever you got.

Thanks for reading, ProWriters!

Let’s have a great week.

Dave & Dusten

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Until next week, see you on Twitter and LinkedIn.