High-Income Business Writing Podcast

Creating a smart prospecting strategy is very much like assembling a solid, diversified investment portfolio. And just like the world of investments has countless options, there are many prospecting and self-promotional tactics available to today's freelance writer. Too many, in fact! But one tactic that we don't talk about enough is public speaking. And more specifically, delivering talks to groups and organizations. In this show, I interview someone who's landed a great deal of freelance work with this idea: my colleague Steve Slaunwhite. Steve shares what he likes best about this particular type of self-promotion, whom this strategy is best-suited for, the steps to take to make this work, and how you can get started today.

In this week's show, I'll share 3 smart ways to boost your freelance income by outsourcing tasks that others can do better, faster and more cheaply. It may not make sense to do them all at once. It depends on where you are in your business and what kind of work you're doing. But at some point, you should seriously consider delegating some of these functions. I'll explain what these tasks are, how I outsource this work, what companies I use and what my experience has been.

Today's show covers a topic many of you have asked me about... Contracts. Should you use a contract when working with a client? What should it include? And should you write it up yourself, or is it best to hire an attorney? I'm not an attorney. And I don't even play one on TV. So I decided to bring in a lawyer to the show — someone who works with freelancers and entrepreneurs. In this interview, attorney Mark Mauriello explains: The benefits of using a contract What your contract should include When to use it When to hire an attorney And much more.

I occasionally hear from writers who are on the verge of giving up their freelance dream. They've tried for months (or even years!) to make a go of it. But they haven't been able to achieve the level of success they expected. So they come to me for advice. In this episode, I share some of my thoughts on this issue. And, no—it's not all "rainbows and sunshine" advice. In fact, some of these ideas may surprise you.

Wouldn't it be great to have most of your business come to YOU? Referrals and word of mouth sure beat having to chase every opportunity on your own. Unfortunately, they don't just happen­ — you have to make them happen. In this episode I share some practical ideas to getting more referral business — and how to do it in a way that feels right and becomes habitual.

The notes that follow are a very basic, unedited summary of the show. There’s a lot more detail in the audio version. You can listen to the show using the audio player below. Or you can subscribe to this podcast series in . To leave a voicemail with a question for Ed, go to: . Please keep your question to under a minute, and keep it focused and detailed. What job titles should I look for when looking for content marketing projects in software companies? Look for “marketing managers” and all the variations: “digital marketing,” “marketing communications manager,” “social media marketing manager,” etc. You can also look for “marketing director.” This level of management has hiring authority. If you approach VPs of marketing, you’re counting on them to pass your name along.

Working for yourself often means that you're working BY yourself. If you're tired of long commutes, office politics and cubicle hell, that may be a blessing. At least at first. But for many freelancers, this can often lead to a feeling of isolation — of being disconnected from the rest of the world. Fortunately, there are many creative ways to combat isolation when you work at home. And in this podcast, you'll hear from Hannah Braime, a freelance writer and self-emplyed professional who has learned how to cope with this common challenge. Hannah shares 10 very practical and effective ideas for dealing with isolation. And she explains why each idea can work so well, even if you consider yourself an introvert.

Freelancing is booming. And the competition has never been fiercer. But while tens of thousands of independent professionals fight over $5 gigs, many others are thriving. The reasons for their success vary. But most of these solos have one thing in common... They're positioning themselves differently. You see, what's really being commoditized in today's gig economy is the words, the design, the software code, the photography. In other words, the work itself. If all you do is talk about your writing — how great it is, how clear and compelling — you'll do what everyone else is doing: focusing on the features of your product. But what if you talked about your unique perspective? Your experience writing in a certain field. Or your background in the accounting industry. Or maybe it's your 12 years of bedside nursing. Your 15 years' experience as a high school teacher. The2 years you spent backpacking and working odd jobs in Spain and the South of France. That's hard to duplicate. Because you've just added your DNA to the discussion. You've added your unique story. My guest for this week's show is Pam Slim, author of the new book, and . And in this discussion, Pam expands on this important idea. She explains the importance of searching deep within your background to find the golden nuggets that will help you attract better clients. And she'll give you some ideas on how you can look beyond just the work stuff and find and communicate your gifts, passions and purpose more effectively. The notes that follow are a very basic, unedited summary of this podcast. There's a lot more detail in the audio version. You can listen to the show using the audio player below. Or you can subscribe to this podcast series in iTunes.

One of the many things I love about being an entrepreneur (yes, even if you're a solo business owner you ARE an entrepreneur!!) is the magic that often happens along the journey. I love how challenges often turn into great opportunities. And how ideas that originally seemed insignificant (even silly) will often end up saving our business! Great companies such as Apple, Starbucks Zappos are filled with this kind of folklore. Most of us have heard the stories. But I recently came across one such story that is not as well known yet has a strong parallel to successful freelancing. It's the story of Chipotle Mexican Grill. And in this episode I explain what we can all learn from the company's founder as we launch and grow our own solo businesses.

I'm NOT a fan of websites like Elance or oDesk. But occasionally I'll meet a writer who has launched a successful freelance business using these services. Nathan Collier is a perfect example. Nathan launched his freelance writing business on the side last summer. And in just a few months he's been able to land a handful of decent-paying clients using Elance. Here's the really impressive part. He's done this by "Grouponizing" his services. In other words, rather than subscribing to the notion that every project must be at least somewhat profitable, Nathan is willing to work at a loss in order to prove himself to the client. Once the client sees the quality of the work, he then proposes other projects at higher margins. In this interview, Nathan details his strategy and how it works. He explains how to pick the right prospects to work with. And how he builds the value and makes it almost irresistible to hire him at higher rates. The notes that follow are a very basic, unedited summary of the show. There’s a lot more detail in the audio version. You can listen to the show using the audio player below. Or you can subscribe to this podcast series in iTunes.