excess voice: nick usborne's blog

My new newsletter for freelance writers and copywriters.

As readers of my Excess Voice newsletter will find out tomorrow morning, I have just launched a new e-newsletter.

For years now I have been publishing the Excess Voice newsletter for online writers and copywriters. But recently I have found myself writing articles not only about writing for the web, but also about best practices for freelance writers.

Some subscribers to the Excess Voice newsletter are freelancers, but many are not. So...to ensure that everyone gets what they signed up for, I'm now going to confine my Excess Voice articles to the topic of writing for the web, and will share my thoughts and advice for freelancers in my new AskNickUsborne.com newsletter.

Clear as mud? : )

More about the Excess Voice newsletter here...

More about the AskNickUsborne.com newsletter here...

Some thoughts about enjoying your work as a freelance writer.

Working as a coach to help freelancers develop and grow their businesses raises a wonderful variety of concerns and interests.

Recently, I had to give some thought to the issue of enjoying one's work as a freelancer.

Here's what I concluded:

There are different ways to look at this. There is the "realistic view". This is where a copywriter might say to me, "Sure, I try to stick to work I'll enjoy. But hey, there are bills to be paid, so sometimes I take what's on offer, even if I'm not going to enjoy it much."

I can relate to that view. But the flip side of it is that every aspect of your business improves when you enjoy your work. You will work faster. Your writing will be better. Your expertise will grow faster. Clients will love to work with you, because it will always be a positive experience for them. Word will spread. Etc.

So while bills do need to be paid, I am also very strict in my own business. Here's what I say to myself, "If I save 16 hours not working on this project I won't enjoy, surely I can use that time to find a different project, for a better fee, that I will enjoy."

This approach helps keep me focused and on track.

That said, I know I am very susceptible to being "pulled down" by work I don't enjoy. Project like that really depress me. For copywriters who are not impacted that way, it may not be such an important issue.

Goal Setting Rituals – a new guide for freelance writers and copywriters.

I have been busy. A couple of months back I published Writing Rituals, a guide to help writers and copywriters increase their productivity. And now I have just completed a second guide, Goal Setting Rituals.

The goal setting guide is also written for writers and copywriters, but with particular focus on freelancers.

As a freelancer one either has clear goals, or one simply drifts around hoping some work will come our way. I have noticed this in my coaching work a great deal. The freelancers with clear goals are moving forward with purpose. Those without, float around and just hope they pick up enough work to pay the bills.

More on Goal Setting Rituals here...

What is an urgent pain point?

One of my coaching clients asked me that question this afternoon.

Here's how I replied:

If you haven’t been to the dentist in two years, it’s important that you make an appointment and go. But it’s not urgent.

If you get a blinding toothache, it becomes urgent.

If you weigh too much it’s important that you shed a few pounds. But that’s not urgent. When your doctor tells you your blood pressure is way too high, then it becomes urgent.

When a company knows that its home page isn’t expressing its core value proposition very well, it’s important that they fix it. But not urgent.

When their top salesman calls in and says he lost a major prospect because the prospect read the site, but misunderstood the company’s value proposition...it becomes urgent.

In life and business, nothing becomes urgent until we actually feel the pain or fear.

Building Your Brand as a Freelance Copywriter

Since starting my coaching service at AskNickUsborne.com I have been thinking more and more about the factors that lead to success or failure in a freelance copywriting career.

It strikes me that one of the most important foundations of any freelance career is to get your branding right.

The trouble is, your brand is one of the toughest things to understand and articulate when you are just getting started.

When you are looking for your first few paid jobs, you’re focused a lot more on just getting some paid work under your belt.

That’s understandable. But if freelancers are looking for any kind of long term success, they really do have to pause and invest some time in developing their brand.

How do you do that? To help freelancers find some kind of structure and process in the brand-building process, I have just posted a new article, The 4 Elements of Building Your Brand as a Freelance Copywriter.

My new coaching service for freelance copywriters who want to build a better, bigger business.

For some time I had a forum at asknickusborne.com. The idea was that I could give tips and advice to people who wanted help with their online copy. But it never came to much.

So now I have re-launched that domain as the home of my new coaching service.

I won’t be coaching people on how to improve their copy. There are plenty of other coaches doing that already.

Instead, I’ll be working to help freelancers build their freelance copywriting business. So this is a business coaching service, but aimed specifically at freelance copywriters.

Is there a need to help freelancer copywriters with their business skills?

I think so.

Many copywriters are working in niches that really don’t suit them. And even among those who have the right niche, many don’t know how to position themselves and market their services effectively.

Am I qualified to help? After working for almost 30 years as a copywriter and 25 years as a freelancer...I certainly hope so.

You can find out more about my coaching service at asknickusborne.com.