Punk Up Your Progress

by guest writer Jennifer Gniadecki

Stop Thinking, Start Doing

Writers are natural-born thinkers.

When I talk to writers, it seems they are always planning this and adding things to this never-ending to-do list.

The day a to-do list makes you money, I want to hear about it. Because in my mind the only thing a list gets you is a list. We’re here to make some money, right? Let’s get started.

First, Determine What the Hell You’re Good At

There are two main types of writers. The writers that follow the AP Stylebook and know that Web site is spelled with that capital w and small s with a space in the middle no matter how awful that looks to read. The second type of writer is the freeform conversational writer. There are opportunities out there for both types of writers, but if you don’t know which one you are the chances are pretty good you’re applying for jobs you aren’t suited for. That’s a waste of your time as well as potential income.

Next, Find Out Who Wants What You Have

If you are just starting out, check out local business websites listed on your Chamber of Commerce website. Send them (via email or real mail) a proposal letting them know you’d love to spruce up their content for X amount of dollars. (This works better if you attend a Chamber of Commerce meeting first and introduce yourself to people.)

Can’t get out of the house? Go online. Find small businesses and email and ask if they are looking for a copywriter. Sure you can visit blogs that list jobs, and by all means do that, but why not create your own opportunity instead of going for an opportunity thousands of other people have seen at the same time as you?

In either case, make sure you tell them what the benefits are of your writing in that first contact.

REMEMBER: Features are things, benefits are feelings.
Feature: My grammar is flawless.
Benefit: You will feel secure in your copy, knowing other people won’t find grammatical errors.

Finally, Make It Happen

While I may always start with a standard resume and cover letter, by the time I’m done changing it up for a company it looks like I made it from scratch, just for them. I always link to my writing portfolio site (that I made myself, using WordPress - this is not a big money operation over here) instead of putting all my samples in an email. I do highlights of my work and companies I work with in the resume and make sure to use the company’s name at least twice in the resume as well as the cover letter.

After I apply for a position:

• I find a phone number and call. Yes I’m nervous and yes it makes me kind of sick to talk to a stranger on the phone - but I do it anyway.
• I look to see if I’m connected to someone at the company on LinkedIn.
• I do a search for the person hiring or the HR department of the company on Google.
• If all I find is an email address, I send an email over asking if there is anything else I can provide or if someone would like to talk to me.
• If I am rejected for a job, I email and ask what I did wrong and if I can reapply at a later date after fixing whatever the problem was with my submission.

Is this putting you in the crosshairs of rejection? Yes.
Will this make you feel nervous and uncomfortable? Yes.

But reading blogs and participating on forums is not going to get you jobs. These are tools to teach you what you need to know before, during, and after getting the job, but the actual job…that’s all on you.

Jennifer Gniadecki (aka jennydecki) has been working from home for over four years. She jumps over toddlers and toys to answer the phone, while using the mute button on her phone liberally during conference calls. Her goal? To balance it all, make more than her husband, and have fun while she’s doing it!

This guest post is part of the punk duck series. Do YOU stick out like a punk duck? So far we’ve covered punking up job applications and client pitches. Look forward to upcoming posts on punking up marketing, networking, websites, blogs, services offered and more.

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