Whether you’re a fiction writer or a blogger, a medical writer or a content guru, if you’re successful chances are you’ve had to get bold to get ahead. Books are boring, blogs are dull, magazines are stiff, and websites no longer rule. Just like the squeaky wheel gets the oil, the bold move gets the gig.

Folks hiring bloggers generally look for an edge. They want a personality behind those words. Of course, they also want someone who will show up and get the job done. But in blogging, boldness clearly matters.

How does the bold move theory translate to other writers? The query letter. The job application. The sales letter. The reviews. Whatever you do, don’t be boring.

A personal example:

Lots of freelance writers who aspire to be freelance bloggers ask me how I get such high paying blogging jobs. My answer is, I don’t wait for gigs to get posted, and I don’t wait for clients to come to me. I’ve only gotten one really good blogging job from an ad. And the truth is, much of my potential client base (lawyers) doesn’t even know they need a blogger until I tell them.

I scored my favorite client (a competitor of another firm I wrote for) by visiting his blog and dropping comments. I liked his style. He “got” blogging. But I noticed right away that he had more blogs than the average high-end women’s shoe store had Pradas. Did the guy never sleep? Surely he outsourced, or if he didn’t he soon would have to or drop over from exhaustion. I emailed him, introduced myself in a writing style that matched his posting style (witty, charming, with professional undertones), and told him if he ever wanted to get more sleep to drop me a line. Within a few weeks, he had a job for me.

How can being bold get you your next big gig?

Supplement some of your job-board surfing time with real networking. I don’t mean visiting fellow writers’ blogs or swapping comments on Digg. I mean networking that will get you in contact with the right people — the ones you want to work for. Does the guy you’d most like to write for have a blog? Read it and comment. Make it clear you’re interested in and understand what he does. Want to get a feature article in a national medical journal? Chat up your cardiologist at your next visit. Specialists are wealths of information and resources. Do you want to write website content for musicians? Drop by your local music shop and get to know the folks who run it.

Professionals often don’t know they need websites. Small business owners might not understand how a press release could explode their sales. But if you want to write it, you’ll have to tell them what they need and how you can give it to them. Are you bold enough?

What’s the boldest move you’ve ever made to get a gig?

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