Hey, ProWriter!

We’ve done it. We made it to December.

But December means we have precious few remaining days to scare up new jobs and get those invoices out before our clients hibernate for the holidays.

It’s on.

In this edition:

• A simple formula for getting content marketing experience 🧪

• Google just did content creators a MASSIVE solid ✊

• This influencer gives you the secret sauce to content marketing 🫙

• This is the age you should start seeing success 🙌

• Some last-minute writing gigs we spotted online 🖊️

Let’s crush these last few weeks!

- Dave and Dusten

#ProWriterTips 💡

The easiest way to get more content marketing experience

Most of us get our start in freelance writing working on entry-level assignments: SEO pages, blogs, or guest posts.

But there’s a lot more to offer your clients than blog posts. You could help them write their email newsletter, their social media content, design landing or product pages, website copy, case studies, white papers, and more.

Welcome to content marketing, where there’s a full taxonomy of different kinds of content assets all along the sales funnel. It’s a much larger world than simply writing blog posts (and much more lucrative).

But to get these kinds of gigs, you need a skills upgrade.

If you want to write emails, you have to know best practices for writing emails. If you want to write landing page copy, you have to know best practices for writing landing page copy. So on and so forth.

But once you’ve invested in skills development, you’ll run into another hurdle:

To get content marketing jobs, you need content marketing samples.

Employers might have been willing to hire a writer with limited experience for $0.10 CPW to write top-of-the-funnel blog posts. But they’re a little more reluctant to shell out $1.00+ CPW for a white paper…

… unless they are convinced you can do it, and give them an asset that will kick all kinds of ass for them.

To do that, you need samples.

So, how do you get them?

What not to do

Don’t bother applying for content marketing gigs when you have no experience.

Whoever’s hiring will ask for a portfolio, and you don’t have it (that’s the whole problem in the first place).

I’m sure some writers have gotten their first content marketing gigs this way, but if you ask us, it’s a massive waste of time and effort.

Another massive waste of time? Creating samples.

Even if your samples are good, the people you’re pitching aren’t going to be reassured by them.

Because they’re not just looking at skills. They want to see:

a) … someone has already hired you to do this once …
b) … and they were happy with what you did.

You have to get a previous client’s stamp of approval. That’s worth more than the sample itself.

All of this should be a massive relief to you.

Nobody wants to spend hours creating samples and pitching new business if they don’t have to.

And the good news gets even better.

Because what you should be doing to get more content marketing experience is a lot easier …

What you should do

If you want to get more content marketing experience, the easiest way to get it is to work within your existing relationship network.

What does this mean?

Let’s break it down:

• Go to your best clients. Find current or former clients that you have a good relationship with. Ideally, go to clients in the niche you’re targeting. If you don’t have any, then don’t sweat it too much. Getting content marketing samples in your portfolio is the main goal; niche-match is just a nice-to-have at this point.

• Tell them exactly what you want. Be honest, and say that you’re looking for more experience in content marketing. You’ll have to drive the discussion here (i.e., ask if they have a newsletter, or have ever considered launching one; repeat for other content marketing assets you’re interested in).

• Give them the friends and family discount. The client is doing you a favor by paying you to try something you’ve never done before. Make it an easier decision for them by offering a discount. You don’t even have to go too crazy, here. If you’re charging $0.20 CPW for blog posts right now, offer to do it for the same rate. According to Contently’s freelance database, newsletter writers can charge up to $2 CPW. But don’t get greedy just yet. If you’re happy with your current rate, just focus on getting those portfolio pieces; you’ll be on your way to charging the primo rates soon enough.

Repeat this formula with every new content marketing asset you want to explore, and, repeat it with every new client you sign until you get a nice thicc portfolio.

For extra credit, ask your clients for testimonials to go along with the assets for social proof.

Over time, you’ll figure out which content marketing assets you enjoy the most, and you’ll have all the credibility you need to start chasing the big bux.

If you have any questions, please reply to this email and ask! We read every reply, and if we see a challenging question, we’ll answer it in a future newsletter.

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

📺🎙️A word from our sponsor📲🤑

Hey, where are you gonna put those content marketing samples, anyway?

How about your ProWriter portfolio?

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, Google announced a subtle but sweeping SEO shift that’ll help content creators compete with big brands in SERPs. The improvements to search appearance will hypothetically make it easier for individual creators to increase their visibility and grow their audiences.

• The AI connection? To us, this looks like Google throwing a pretty big bone to human-created content. Google appears to be putting its thumb on the scale a bit, elevating individual creators and giving them tools to compete with the coming wave of anonymous AI-generated search results. How it all shakes out remains to be seen, so let’s not be too optimistic yet. But this feels like a message.

• The upshot for writers. Personal branding and establishing a firm digital footprint will be more important than ever. Writers not investing in that will lose in the AI content warz.

• You can read more from Dusten on LinkedIn here.

• Salesforce has released a report on Trends in Ethical Marketing. It’s a worthwhile read because it helps make sense of how marketing changed in the last year. It talks a fair bit about AI and contains some guesses about how that might affect the marketing landscape (i.e., our jobs) in 2024. For your email address and a few other bobs, the report is yours.

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: 

#90 Brooklin Nash

Brooklin is the co-founder of Beam Content, an agency that works with B2B SaaS companies to develop high-level content marketing assets based on SME interviews and original data.

He’s an expert in content marketing, a former freelance writer, and a former partner at PeakFreelance, another great community for freelancers to network and level up their skills.

Why you should follow him

• He is a go-to thought leader for insights on making high-quality content marketing assets. He doesn’t settle for endless remixes and generic branded content and can show you how to give your clients the only competitive advantage that matters: originality.

• He posts some great schadenfreude content.

Also, if you’re into high-quality, original content marketing, try to pitch him your services. Get a solid agency client on your roster.

👉 Connect with Brooklin on LinkedIn

Makes you think 🤔

When do most people find success?

Dusten here.

Just want to stick this little quote in your ear —

I don’t know about you, but I often wonder whether or not I’ve made the best use of my time so far.

I see others in their mid-30s who have more success and influence than I do, and wonder if I’ve wasted valuable time.

That’s why I love this quote by legendary Swiss psychologist Carl Jung.

Most people look at the Forbes 30 under 30 and feel a bit of envy and guilt. But remember — that list, and others like it, exist because finding success that young is unusual.

For the rest of us, it’s all about the Jung formula.

It’s simple — make a bunch of mistakes in your 20s, start to hit the learning curve in your 30s, and by your 40s, find your groove and keep going at that high level for as long as you can.

This isn’t universal, of course. There are plenty of examples of people finding overwhelming success in their 60s or 70s. And your definition of success won’t be the same as mine.

But the next time you feel that tickle of envy that says “you really should be doing better than you are,” don’t let it get you down.

Remember that success is relative. And instead of dreading getting older, maybe look at what you’re doing right now as training for a big event hasn’t happened yet.

That always makes me feel better, and I hope it works for you, too.

Take care, folks.

Top Freelance Writing Jobs 💼 

1. GrowthSpan is looking for a content specialist. It’s a bit techy and strategic, and they say the hourly rate is negotiable. With all these requirements, I’d say shoot in the $35 - $55+/h range, depending on your level of experience. Apply here.

2. SUCCESS Magazine seeks freelance marketing writers. $35/h, apply here. 

3. MetroStar is looking for a web copywriter with some UX know-how to help drag a government website into the 21st century. Interesting gig, apply here.

4. CRG needs a part-time, contract advertising copywriter for $35-$40/h. Apply here.

5. If you’re a health writer, here’s your chance to work on a project for the CDC. Insight Global is looking for a technical writer. Pay is so-so at $20-$25/h, but the CDC on your resume? Nice. Apply here.

6. Artisan Talent is looking for an all-purpose copywriter for $30-$35/h. Apply here.

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 5,000 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.