The Case Study Guide To Freelance Writing PDF

The Case Study Guide
to
Freelance Writing
Edited by Jacob Jans
Copyright 2017. All Rights Reserved. Do
not duplicate, distribute, email, or
share without explicit permission.
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praise? Email
[email protected]
Case Studies
 The Dream Client Found on Craigslist
 The One Email That Lead to Many Gigs
 A Brand New Writer Beats a Crowded
 How Everytown, USA Became My Freelance Writing Goldmine
 Tenacity Leads to Steady Writing Work
 The Ghostwriting Grind
 How I Transitioned From Content Mills to a $30,000 a Year Part-Time

Writing Career
 A Celebration of Successful Pitching and Local Networking
 How I Got Featured on The Penny Hoarder and Doubled My Website

Traffic
 From Nine-to-Five to Say-At-Home
 Next Steps
Dear Writer,
The world is full of successful freelance writers. Every successful writer found their success both
by learning from other writers and by honing in on their own unique qualities.
There is something about you that is very special.
This book gives you a few keys to unlocking the full potential of your unique abilities as a writer.
Remember: The amount of effort you put into applying the lessons in this book to your own life
will determine the level of success you achieve.
I encourage you to spend quality time with each of these case studies. Write down detailed
answers to each question at the end of each case study. Figure out how you can apply the lessons
to your own life.
Don’t worry about results yet. Spend time reflecting on your own situation. Start to imagine the
case study you will be able to write for your own career. Begin to fill in the details.
With each new case study, try to figure out the one little detail that could change your life.
Sometimes the answer will be obvious. Sometimes it will take hours of reflection before you
wake up in the middle of the night with an “aha” moment.
I have compiled this book as a small guide to unlocking your own potential as a writer.
May this book serve you well.
And may it challenge you in unexpected ways.
Sincerely,
Jacob Jans
PS: Some writers want extra guidance in learning the many strategies needed to build a
successful freelance writing career. This book raises some very important questions for writers.
What niche will you choose? How will you find clients? What makes you unique as a writer?
For those writers who want a structured learning environment, I recommend enrolling in The No
B.S. Course on Freelance Writing. The course is self-directed, which means you can learn at your
own pace. You also get expert instruction and answers to all of your questions, when you need it.
(And on your own terms.) Learn more here.
The Case Study Guide to Freelance Writing
Case Study
The Dream Client

Found on
Craigslist
Caroline Baily is a formerly reluctant writer who spent fifteen

years in aerospace before confessing "I have words. They leak." She
is now freelancing while enjoying the freedom to tend to her children, her
cats, and her rose garden without waking up at 3am to get to work. She
invites you to visit her at www.engineertoenglish.com.
 No portfolio, because of restrictions from previous clients
 Offered more than “just writing,” cementing a long-term relationship with her client
 Found a new gig with a steady paycheck

“
I
was new to freelance writing, but had been wanting to make a go of it for a while and
knew that my corporate contract was winding up soon. In anticipation of this I joined a
few sites that comb through ads for relevant work and consolidate the results. One job
board in particular tended to have enough good leads that it was worth the paltry fee for
a few months of access to their results. They included the original job posting when they had a
result, making it easy to inquire and apply.
I noticed that a lot of the juicier leads were coming from, of all places, Craigslist. I promptly
searched for “writer wanted”, “copywriter wanted”, and similar terms on my local Craigslist
board. There wasn’t much locally, and I started to get discouraged until I had a brainstorm. Why
not search the listings in areas I would like to visit or move to?
As luck would have it, a city I already planned a trip to had a post seeking a “Writer for web
pages”. I emailed:
Dear Madam/Sir:
I would like to discuss the web page writer position you're advertising on Craigslist.
From your description it sounds like you are specifically looking for someone who can
produce writing that is both technical and accessible, which is a particular specialty of
mine.
I've included a link to my LinkedIn profile in my signature; a lot of my current day job is
nearly exactly what you describe, and I'd love to expand a bit and am not bound by any
noncompete agreements that would inhibit my ability to produce endless amounts of
material for a client.
A primary caveat is that I would need to work remotely, as my physical location is not in
Dayton; however, I am near enough that face to face meetings would not be impossible
with enough notice.
I look forward to discussing this position with you soon, and producing material for you
shortly thereafter.
Warm regards,
Caroline Bailey
*redacted email*
https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinecbailey/
Of note: I have a program that lets me track when someone opens an email I’ve sent. It showed
that the email was opened shortly after I sent it, then again the next morning, multiple times.
That afternoon I got a reply:
Hello Caroline,
Thank you for your reply to our Craigslist ad. You do have an interesting background,
and I would like to speak with you.
Would you be available one day this week, evenings are ok too, for a short talk?
My skype is *redacted*.
Thank you,
*Client Name*
Well, of course I would. I didn’t have a portfolio, due to most of my prior writing being bound by
nondisclosure agreements, so my LinkedIn profile was my main hope of hooking the potential
client into giving me a chance. We caught up on Skype and he did a screenshare to walk me
through what he wanted to do with his website; I’d guessed correctly in my initial email, and it
was exactly what I’d been doing with the added perk of being in a field that I want and need to
learn, SEO, marketing, and website design.
We agreed on a test piece at a rate lower than I should have asked, $40 for a “how to”, but for a
sample to see how we worked together it wasn’t unreasonable. There was a bit of difficulty in
getting login credentials to the site to be able to do the test piece. The client actually inquired if
he’d “lost” me, then came back with:
I was impressed by you and saved a "spot" for you in hopes we could reach an agreement
on working together. I have more than 50 documents that need developed of varying
complexity and could use you now.
So, to save time, let's cut to the chase... no need to spend time on a "pitch". I just need an
estimate of time and fee to create a BP. I estimate 2-3 hours max per BP. Verbal or email
is fine.
Assuming we agree, we work on one BP together with an upfront retainer to see how it
goes. I am sure there will be a learning curve. We can adjust fees and expectations from
there.
Do you remember the formatting for the BP? Or, would you like to see it again?
Your thoughts?
This was before seeing anything but my LinkedIn profile and speaking to me voice-only over
Skype! The rapport I developed over the call was a probable factor in this; the client has an
Engineering background, and my previous career is heavy on that. I also mentioned that I would
be in his area at the end of the month, and we agreed to set up a meeting.
I quoted a rate that was, again, too low -- $20/hr. I have since decided that I will use that as my
“sample” rate, with a cap of 2-5 hours before I go to my actual rate. (Said rate will vary
depending on the services required, but will be considerably higher. We writers should not
underestimate our value or our worth.) This should enable me to determine whether the client
and I are a fit without wasting much time, money, or effort on either side.
And then he sent a retainer for five hours’ worth of work. By this point my trip to his area was
imminent, and he told me to wait to start writing until after the trip… and offered to give me a
lift from the airport to my destination with a stop for a business lunch along the way. I accepted.
Over lunch I found out that he has plans for two more sites after this one and was seeking not
just a writer, but almost a collaborator or consultant. As I’m also a consultant, this seemed
agreeable to me pending the results of writing.
Upon seeing the short piece I completed when I returned, he said that he had only one thing to
say: “WOW!” He was so impressed by my work that he immediately refused all other applicants
and stated that he would only work with me on this project -- and the others coming up, if I’m
willing. We worked out a schedule for when the site will be populated with enough content to
go live, discussed a few expansions that he will implement, and once live he is offering royalties
(a percentage of membership fees) as well as periodic bonuses on top of my base rate and has
every intention of continuing to work with me as long as I please.
Taking note of sources and fishing through Craigslist in cities that appealed to me certainly
turned out well; my first real client is a dream client who pays invoices promptly and is as much
a mentor as a client. The pay will suffice for now, and I am learning critical skills for my new
freelance writing and consulting business while being able to work from home on my own
schedule.
Analysis
This case study shows that being a little creative with your job searching can pay real dividends.
It also shows the importance of communicating your specialization with the client. If you don’t
have a portfolio, there are other ways you can hook the client, such as a great LinkedIn profile.
Additionally, offering services beyond just writing can make your offer much more appealing,
and open up many more opportunities.
Your Turn
 What services can you offer, in addition to writing?
 How can you impress potential clients outside of your portfolio?
 How many specializations do you have, beyond the obvious?
Case Study
The One Email

That Lead to Many
Gigs
Courtney Elder is a freelance writer based just

outside of Portland, OR. She writes for a variety
of companies and enjoys creating content for her
disc golf and healthcare clients the most. Her
full portfolio can be viewed at Author-Eyes, a
creative content studio she runs with her husband.
When she’s not writing, Courtney loves spending
time with her husband, two sons, and three cats.
 She chose a niche and focused her marketing efforts
 Stayed persistent, sending out many failed pitches before landing the right client
 Sought a “business partnership” and not just a writing client

“
C
ontext is always important, so here’s the quick backstory about my writing journey
and why landing this particular client was so impactful for me. Despite being in love
with writing during my youth, my adult life took me down the path of working in
healthcare. It was with my husband’s encouragement that I got back into writing, and
in April of 2016 I landed my first gig on Upwork.
I worked very part time, basically during evenings and weekends, and soon began to build a
portfolio. Eventually, I was making good enough money that I decided to quit my job and
freelance full time. January 1st of this year was my first day as a self-employed individual.
Alongside the clients I had already created relationships with, I wanted to reach out to new
prospects to continuously build my brand. My husband and I started a content creation
company, Author-Eyes, and while we are available for all clients, our primary niche is the disc
golf industry. We are both avid players and it is very much a part of our family’s life.
One of the more prominent brands is a company based in Emporia, Kansas named Dynamic
Discs. Not only do they manufacture disc golf products but they sponsor many top players and
have an incredible social media presence. It was on my radar to reach out to most of the major
companies in the sport, and DD just happened to be first on my list.
I checked out their website before sending an email to their Media Director Bobby Brown. To
my surprise, they did not have a blog. I decided to take a leap of faith, and just 12 days into my
official freelance career, I sent this email:
Hi Bobby,
My name is Courtney and I am pretty obsessed with disc golf. My husband and I love to
take our kids out to play, and we pretty much talk about it non-stop!
We recently started our own business - a creative studio that offers writing services to the
disc golf community (our website is still under construction!). I'm an experienced writer
and have been working for a variety of clients for many years. Not only am I working
with Chris Finn to expand content on the Dude site, but I'm also in discussion with Nate
Heinold regarding written coverage at Ledgestone.
I noticed the DD website doesn't have a blog section. I just recently finished an interview
with Tina Stanaitis and thought my article would be a great starting point for a DD blog.
It can feature player profiles, news, disc reviews, tips for your game, etc.
I'd love to hear your thoughts about beginning a partnership together.
Thanks so much for your time!

Courtney Elder
Owner, Author-Eyes
To my complete surprise, he emailed me back the same day asking what I had in mind! Bobby
mentioned that they were upgrading their website and that when it was completed, he wanted
a blog element. I pitched my already completed article to him as a starting point and he loved it.
His time frame was about six weeks out, so we agreed to stay in touch.
About a month later, I received an email from the Events Coordinator at Dynamic Discs, Doug
Bjerkaas. He asked if we could have a phone conversation about some other opportunities. I’ll
probably always save the voicemail that he left for me because it was a huge confirmation that I
was on the right path:
“Hey Courtney, it’s Doug Bjerkaas with Dynamic Discs calling. I know I mentioned that I wanted
to talk with you earlier and I’ve just been so busy. But I do want to talk to you about a couple of
articles we’d like to commission you to write.”
All of a sudden my pitch for blogs began to turn into a big opportunity! Doug and I spoke and he
asked me to write two feature articles that would be placed in a magazine that’s distributed to
over 900 players at their largest annual tournament. I could tell I was gaining traction with DD,
so I made sure to keep in touch with Bobby during and after my work with Doug.
Wanting to further the presence of our company, my husband and I went on a “mini-tour” and
visited several large disc golf events in March. I was able to meet Bobby in person and put a face
with the name, and we reaffirmed our plans to collaborate on the blog. Shortly thereafter, I
began my work for Bobby and now provide Dynamic Discs with a weekly blog post.
Two days before writing this I received an email from Bobby regarding that large annual event;
their website for the tournament, Glass Blown Open, needed content on a last minute basis.
Bobby was unsure if I could even provide remote content, yet I assured him it would be no
problem. I’ve been commissioned to write one article each day for the event, which spans about
one week.
It’s amazing when I think about what came from one little email. That’s not to say I’ve had this
level of success with every client; I have sent countless pitches that never garnered a response,
or have had people engage in a response and then stop further dialogue after my secondary
email.
Being a freelance writer is hard work; I’m still building my business and find that I work a lot
more than I did in my 9-5 job. Yet the success stories like this one are proof that sometimes
putting your name out there is all it takes!
Analysis
I like this case study, because Courtney shows how one pitch can lead to many opportunities.
She didn’t just randomly send out pitches, however. She chose a niche, developed a long term
strategy, thought of her career as a business, and was diligent about communicating and
following through with her clients and potential clients.
I also like that she clearly states that she sent out many pitches that failed; such is the nature of
freelance writing. Most successful freelance writers are pitching all the time; you get used to
rejection, or worse, not even hearing back about your pitch. Eventually one is too busy to
notice, but it does take time. Sending out pitches is part of the job; as is not hearing back from
most people you send a pitch to.
Your Turn
 What is your niche?
 What do you like about the pitch in this case study?
 How can you establish long-term relationships with your clients?
Case Study
A Brand New
Writer Beats a
Crowded
Jessica Denne is a 27-year-old student at

University of Maryland University College, studying for
her Bachelors of Science degree in Psychology. Jessica
grew up in the military lifestyle as a “Navy Brat” and
later went on to serve active-duty in the U.S. Navy,
herself. She has travelled extensively, and has spent
her life with extremely diverse individuals from all
walks of life, and varying cultures from around the
globe. As such, Jessica has developed a deep awareness,
concern, and fondness for all humans; as well as an
appreciation for their likeness and also for their
differences. She an avid lover of words and likes to use
hers to inspire open, honest communication and
connection in [and to] the world around her.
 Jessica entered a pitching contest in a niche where she had no professional experience
 She crafted a very good pitch
 She won the competition, despite competing against many writers with more qualifications.
“
I
am a 27-year-old student at University of Maryland, University College- studying for my
Bachelors of Science in Psychology degree. I have learned a lot about how to research
through my educational endeavors, and this research paved the way for my personal and
professional writing aspirations. Prior to successfully submitting a winning pitch to the ‘Be
a Freelance Blogger’ website, I had never published any of my work(s); I had only ever managed
to conduct ample research on how to blog, or how to become a freelance writer, hardly any of
my time was spent writing; furthermore, I certainly wasn’t writing anything for publication. I
did, however, start a personal blog that [truth be told] I have not spent nearly enough time
contributing to, either. I have been told by friends, family, and professors for many years that my
writing is a talent I should pursue, but my inner critic has always caused me to be doubtful, and
to shy away from trying to write professionally.
During all the research I had conducted in my journey for knowledge on how to be successful in
today’s online world of writing, I found the ‘Be a Freelance Blogger’ website. Their website
offered an option to sign up for their email list, with the promise to deliver helpful tips and
tricks to help get ahead in the field of freelance blogging. It was through this website that the
opportunity arose. Sophia Lizard (the founder of ‘Be a Freelance Blogger’) sent out an email to
her subscribers with the headline, “Can we pay you $100 for a blog post?”, wherein she explains
that BAFB hosts a ‘Pitchfest’ every 3 months [March, June, September, and December]. The
email encouraged writers of any stature to enter a pitch for the contest, even if the entrant had
never been published before.
Initially, I blew the email off telling myself, “I’m not experienced enough. Someone who is far
better and more mature in their writing endeavors will surely beat me out; there’s no point in
trying”. About an hour later, I had convinced myself that it wouldn’t hurt to try. If nothing else, it
would be good practice. The criteria were to follow the theme: “Plan B: What to do when things
go wrong”. It was also required that the pitch be relevant to their niche; being beneficial to, and
aimed toward, freelance bloggers.
Prior to drafting my pitch, I reviewed the BAFB guest posting guidelines to be sure I followed
their rules and requirements exactly as they have them specified. Then, I went back and re-read
the instructions for the current Pitchfest, to be sure I understood the theme, and the founder/
editor’s criteria.
Once I was sure I understood everything, I sat down and pondered ideas to pitch. In the end, I
stuck with what I know: being a newbie, how discouraging it can be, and how to persist despite
the difficulties most immediately faced by writers entering the field of freelance blogging. I have
a good deal of helpful information from all the research I have conducted on the topic, on my
own time, coupled as well with my own personal experiences. I used all this information to
create the pitch titled, “5 Backup Plans Required for Success in the Field of Freelance Bloggers:
A Guide for the Newbies”. (My pitch was originally posted here). *My entire pitch has also been
included at the end of this document, for your reference and ease of access.
All my interactions throughout the Pitchfest process took place with both Sophie Lizard
(Founder, BAFB), and Lauren Tharp (Managing Editor). I submitted my entry to the contest on
March 29th, 2017 @ 9:25pm… the deadline for submissions was March 31st, 2017, by the end of
the day. The date came along for a winner to be announced and Lauren Tharp [Managing
Editor, BAFB] addressed all the entrants, informing us that the date for announcing winners
would be pushed back a few more days, as there were so many entries. I replied to her saying,
“Lauren, I appreciate your update reply. This is an exciting opportunity that I am genuinely
grateful to be a part of! Happy writing, all!”
On April 10th, Lauren Tharp responded to my pitch, “Not gonna lie, Jessica: This is probably the
best pitch I’ve seen thus far. Very well done. I love that you tell the reader what Plan A is… and
then what they can do as a Plan B if Plan A fails. That’s PERFECT. Exactly what we’re looking for.
� There may be some hidden gems further down in the entries, but you’re going to be hard to
beat. Haha.” I gleefully responded with, “Lauren, thank you so much for your positive feedback!
I am absolutely stunned by your kind words and am feelings more confident in my writings, as
of now. I sincerely appreciate your outstanding words! [:”
On April 11th, Sophie Lizard announced the winners- starting, “1st prize- Jessica Denne, 5 Backup
Plans Required for Success… (see Jessica’s winning pitch: http://beafreelanceblogger.com/plan-
b/#comment-203365). My written reaction was, “OH MY GOODNESS! ;;jaw drops;; I did it!!! �
Thank you for this opportunity, and congratulations to the other winners. For anyone who
wasn’t chosen- don’t give up! Keep writing, keep growing, and keep trying! You can do this!”
As a result, the drafted article- the expansion of my winning pitch- must be [at least] 1,000
words, and is due on April 30th, 2017. As the 1st prize winner, I will receive payment of $100 on
publication. My article will be published on the [popular] Be A Freelance Blogger website. I will
gain exposure, on top of the experience and confidence I have already gained from this
opportunity. It is clear that my situation has changed: I am more confident in my writing; I will
now be a published writer, having gotten paid for my craft. [HOW COOL!?] �; I have been more
brave and bold in the writing opportunities that I seek out; and I am more committed to/
focused on my personal blogging, as well as various ways in which I can expand on my
professional writings.
My full ‘Be a Freelance Blogger’ Pitchfest Entry:
Headline: 5 Backup Plans Required for Success in the Field of Freelance Bloggers: A
Guide for the Newbies.
Opening: The lifestyle available to established freelance bloggers is to be coveted by

aspiring writers. These big [yet still attainable] dreams are not easy to fulfill. The market
for freelance bloggers is growing rapidly, and clients are very particular about what they
do and do not want.
The first, most difficult lesson aspiring freelancers learn? Most clients do not want you.
Point 1: Finding a reputable first client, and the level of difficulty entailed. Address the
importance of researching clients before applying to work for them. Plan B when falling
for a scam and getting "played" by a false client: use the circumstances of the situation as
another avenue to research, while researching clients prior to applying.
Point 2: Criticism is usually quite harsh. For new writers, this can be discouraging. When
receiving harsh criticism/ feedback, instead of shutting down and declaring that your
work sucks too bad to ever be chosen- incorporate a Plan B wherein you use these
criticisms and bits of feedback constructively, to build on the quality of your writing.
Point 3: Keep at it. Finding a reputable client to work for and generating the income
aspiring freelance bloggers anticipate won't happen overnight; coupled with harsh
criticisms to come, the pursuit of clients and gigs will be very discouraging at times. In
the meantime, utilize a Plan B that involves various free tools, forums, and pieces of
advice that will help you to expand on your current skills as a writer until you can secure
a gig that is promising for the future.
Point 4: Do not put all of your eggs in one basket-- do not only submit one application to
one client and think that's how simple it is to get into the field of freelance blogging;
because it isn't. As a Plan B, you should submit samples and applications to many
clients, to increase your chances of being selected for a job. Even if you aren't selected,
some clients will provide feedback on why you were not selected, and as I said before,
this criticism can be used to expand on your skills as a writer so one day, you will be
selected.
Point 5: Be patient. Freelance blogging to make a substantial living is not something that
will be mastered quickly, even for the most naturally avid writers. Be aware that success
in this field is not guaranteed, it is achieved through hard work, dedication, and relentless
persistence. For the interim, your plan B should be: don't quit your day job. ;)
[Required]: I feel that this is a great post for the freelance blogger website because it is
relevant and practical information and advice for newcomers to the field of freelance
blogging. This article could inspire the next greatest freelancer to not give up-- and that
is a great feat! I am sure that I am the best person to write this article because I have
spent a great deal of time researching freelance blogging opportunities and outcomes. I
have tried, and I have failed, but I know that persistence and growth are key- so I would
like to use this article to inspire others to just keep writing.
Analysis
This case study shows that you don’t need to have experience or credentials to have a
successful pitch that leads to publication. You simply need a good pitch. That alone is usually all
it takes. The other main point is that research is good, but eventually you just need to put
yourself out there. As Jessica says it doesn’t hurt to try.
Your Turn
 What magazines, clients, blogs, etc, could you pitch to?
 Have you accumulated knowledge in any particular field, even if you’re not an expert?
 How can you adapt your pitch to the decision maker, even if they don’t explicitly list
their requirements?
Case Study
How Everytown, USA

Became My Freelance
Writing Goldmine
Theresa St John is a freelance travel writer based in Saratoga

Springs, New York. She has been published in over 200 publications. She
writes about travel, history, food, and local tourist attractions.
 Dreamed of becoming a freelance travel writer, but was completely broke and had no
experience
 Realized her starting point was surprisingly close to home
 Now stays in luxury resorts, vacation rentals, enjoys seven-course dinners, and more. All as
part of her freelance travel writing career
“
I decided that I wanted to be a journalist/travel writer in 2013. Of course, like many others
starting out, I had big dreams and bright, shining stars in my eyes. I thought I'd be traveling
to exotic countries, hosted at five-star hotels, spoiled rotten, all on someone else's dime.
And, those things certainly did come, but it took a little while to get there. I needed to
concentrate on establishing myself first.
I'd just come out of a nasty divorce, with fistfuls of bills I couldn't pay. They were killing me.
Thanks to my gambling now ex-husband, we'd lost every single thing and I was struggling to get
back on my feet.
I realized that my freelance writing career would need to begin closer to home, right in my own
back yard, so to speak. I embraced that reality immediately and my mantra soon became
'Everytown USA is a destination for someone, especially my town.'
And it was true. I'd hit a goldmine.
Today, less than four years later, I am hosted in other towns, cities, states and countries. I do stay
at luxury resorts, in vacation rentals, enjoying private tours, museums of interest and seven-
course dinners.
I'm published over 200 times; in several on-line, in-print and in-flight magazine arenas. I write
about travel, history, food, and local attractions in any area I'm invited to visit. I get to interview
the most interesting people, and submit those articles to various publications as well.
I still love local and find new things to write about here all the time.
Make sure you're familiar with your area. If you're not, it's time to get started!
I'd always gone to museums in my area. I loved taking a few hours out of my day to learn about
the past, present and future of my hometown.
There are so many attractions here, I couldn't count them if I tried, (some discovered for the first
time on Google ) and they cost little to nothing to visit.
Now that I knew I wanted to write about the place where I had roots, I jumped in with a
notebook, pen and my camera. I was enthusiastic, revisiting places I enjoyed and even attractions
I had no initial interest in.
Look for local publications

Once I had a few visits under my belt, and good notes that I could use to weave a story, it was
time to look for someone who might want to buy my article.
There are a lot of opinions on writing. You've probably read them all. Should you ever write for
free? Should you write your story before you pitch, or visa versa ? What about those pitches -
should you query one publication at a time - or send out an email blitz and see who bites?
My first two articles were written for free, just so I could claim a few by-lines tucked under my
belt. I understood that it was important to start building a reputation as a writer. Soon though, I
began looking for outlets that paid their writers.
I decided to begin my queries with a single, local publication, rather than an email blitz. I
searched for local publications on Google and found 'Discover Saratoga.' It was on-line, and a
member of the Chamber of Commerce. I searched for, then targeted my pitch, to the woman in
charge.
This is what my query letter looked like:
Dear Miss -------:
Good Morning:
My name is Theresa St John. I'm a freelance travel writer and photographer based right
here in Saratoga.
I've always loved this area of Upstate New York and am hoping you are open to working
with freelancers, as I'd like to submit some content to your website.
I'm very interested in visiting our local attractions and museums. I am thrilled that we
have so many in Saratoga to choose from! I'd like to craft a story about each, then submit,
along with a photo essay, for your consideration.
I truly believe, because I am local, my insight would appeal to your readership. An

'insider's view' can go a long way sometimes.
I appreciate your time and look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Theresa St John
4316 Route 50
Apartment 5E
Saratoga Springs, New York 12866
It took less than a week to hear from the editor, who loved the idea and gave me the green light.
Besides that, I was actually able to gain free entrance to many attractions, in exchange for
coverage in an article.
This is one of the articles I wrote for 'Discover Saratoga's' website.
https://discoversaratoga.org/saratoga-weddings/discover-the-canfield-casino-in-congress-park
I didn't wait for it to come out. I visited another attraction, wrote a second article and sent it in,
just a few days later. Over time, I built a solid relationship with the editor, was sent on several
assignments and at the end of that year received a $100 gift certificate to my favorite restaurant
in town. It was a nice surprise!
Think about paid publications, we all want to see the money!
I still kept it local, but this time it was a farmer's market that I wanted to write about.
Saratoga Springs has a huge following in Farmers Markets. Fresh fruits and vegetables, organic
gardening, it's an entire mindset here in our area.
I got in touch with one of the founders, asked if I could come talk with a few of her vendors, and
take some pictures for a story I wanted to write. She was thrilled!
I took the idea further and did some research on the history of Farmers Markets. Where and
when did they start? How did it become a culture and how did they make their way to Saratoga?
Once I fleshed out some historical facts, I came at my travel story from a specific angle, moving
from the past into the present day farmers markets.
And I looked hard for paying publications.
I learned something interesting in that process; Just because I lived in Saratoga and often wrote
about Saratoga didn't mean I had to keep my story in a local publication. I decided to cast my net
further and went to work, searching Google's tool bar.
This is what I typed in, and I believe it would work for whatever genre of writing you decide to
pursue.
“Submission guidelines to farming magazines that pay freelance writers”
I prepared my query letter, included my published links and sent this pitch to 10 magazines I
thought might be interested.
My article ended up in a beautiful print publication called Farming Magazine and it paid $125.
It's actually the first link that comes up on Google. If you'd like to go view back issues, Mine
appeared in Winter 2015. ( Note: The process from pitch to publish can take awhile sometimes. I
queried in April of 2014! So, keep in mind, patience is a virtue. Every writer needs it. )
The truth is this: Everything, everywhere, is a story
There might be a local restaurant or new theater you want to write about. A stay in a luxury hotel
or visit to a hole-in-the-wall bar make a great story. And the interest in dog-friendly attractions is
huge, no matter where you go!
There are museums that appeal to many, and new coffee shops pop up on all four corners of any
downtown block. Believe me, I find new things to write about all the time. Now I have fun,
digging for publications I know might be anxious for new, interesting content.
I've moved on to land several covers of magazines. I often write features, round-ups, food
articles and profile pieces. I've traveled extensively, most often hosted by visitor's centers, all
over the country. I've also been sent to Ireland, Paris and Fiji, covering luxury vacation rentals
and writing about local attractions.
I just had to take those first steps.
No matter what area you want to write in, you need to do the same. Take those first steps in the
direction you choose to go. Make it happen.
Analysis
This case study shows the creativity that is sometimes needed to get a story published. But
–– even before her first publication, her thinking required a ‘creative shift.’ She found a niche-
within-a-niche that wasn’t obvious to her at first: Travel writing for her home town. This kind of
unexpected thinking is often what it takes to succeed in more competitive fields.
Your Turn
 What niche do you write in? Is there another way of thinking about your niche that
could lead to new opportunities?
 Is there a way you can find an audience outside of your niche?
 What “insider access” could you pursue, in order to get a better story?
Case Study
Tenacity Leads to
Steady Writing Work
Melissa Sharpe works in a university writing center and

freelances as a writer, editor, SME, and project manager in the
education sector. Her fiction has appeared in Redevider,
Pennsylvania English, and Zygote in my Coffee, among others. She
lives in the Detroit area.
 Struggled with content mills, earning pennies in exchange for hard work
 Tried a new strategy and chose one niche to specialize in
 Found steady writing gigs in her niche that paid well and gave her time to spend with her
daughter
“
E
ight weeks into my twelve week (unpaid) maternity leave, I decided I wasn’t going
back to work. Or at least I wasn’t going back to teaching. We were a two income
house, but it was a 50/50 split. My decision would cut our total income in half,
leaving us without enough to money to pay the bills each month, so I would have to
find a way to still earn money at home. A few months before I gave birth, I started tutoring for
an online company. Two to eight hours a week I waited in a chat room for students to pop in,
send me a copy of their essay, and then watch on a shared screen as I walked through their
document leaving notes and comments in Microsoft Word. It brought in about 1/7 of my full
time job’s income. I would need something else.
I knew I could write. In my early 20s I was sure I would be a writer – literary of course – and
perhaps also an English professor with a pretentious office globe and wood paneled walls. I had
had just enough of my writing published to think it was a possibility. Surprise! Literary
magazines, the ones that pay, don’t pay enough to make a living. It’s a wonderful pursuit and
ego boost, but it wasn’t going to bring me the money I needed to leave my teaching job.
However, I knew if I could write stories, I could write something that did pay. I just had to find it.
I started joining all of the freelance slush pile websites. The jobs were plentiful, but they were
mostly looking for content to monetize websites. Write 200 words on a topic for $1. Each of
these $1 jobs would have several bids from overseas companies specializing in churning out
these blurbs in something that was just close enough to fluent English. Turning myself into a
one woman content mill wasn’t going to replace my income either.
Every now and then something would appear on these freelance sites that looked like a real
possibility. Again, the bids would pile up. As a freelancer on these sites, you need credentials to
stand out. The sites track how many projects you have secured, how much money you have
earned to date, and ratings from the people who hired you. My poor little account was full of
zeroes. Zero projects. Zero dollars. Zero stars. I still put in bids, hoping my resume would pull me
through. I had a degree in English, a nearly complete master’s degree in education, a few of
those lovely literary magazine credits, and bylines from a few music magazines – these also
dated back to my early 20s when I turned my ability to write short stories in a (non- to low-
paying) gig writing features on musicians and local people of moderate interest. It took little
more than the ability to write a complete sentence, meet a deadline, and be fine with doing it
all for free.
I had to rely on these things to make me more appealing than the freelancers with badges, gold
stars, and earnings in the five digits.
There was a lot of silence and “Sorry, this job has closed and the project was awarded to
someone else” emails. I earned about $25 one week for writing some descriptions for items in
an online store. The money I saved for my maternity leave was trickling away. I had to refocus
my resume. I chose education. And education alone.
Education was the topic I had the most practical experience in. While I could likely write more
product descriptions, or I could try to apply to be a part-time editor for a car parts newsletter, it
wouldn’t make sense for me. I had assumed it was being a writer as the job I was chasing. That
was too broad. I needed an industry.
I refocused my resume around education. I highlighted the English and education degrees,
teaching experience, and listed the names of places that had published me that could pass for
having something to do with Education. I love you Zygote in my Coffee, but this wasn’t the
resume for you. I bid on education related jobs only – still sitting in silence.
A lot of the jobs were looking for work samples. I couldn’t attach a short story or an interview
with a guitar player as my work sample for curriculum design or lesson plan editing. I could,
however, submit my own lesson plans or writing I did as part of my master’s degree. So it wasn’t
published – it was still a work sample.
Once I paired a work sample with my newly focused resume, I finally won a bid on a project.
Lesson plan writing, $300 per unit. The company was hiring several writers for what would be a
year-long project. I plowed my way through a unit or two a week, knowing that once all the
available units were taken, that would be the end of the project. I crafted quiz questions and
created projects while my daughter napped.
And I had a real work sample.
A few months into the lesson plan writing gig, I had to start looking for more jobs. Bid after bid
after bid – and again nothing. I realized I maybe had just gotten lucky. The freelance slush pile
was demoralizing, tiring to sort through, and a waste of time. For an individual writer, the time
spent looking for work wasn’t worth the jobs that one could secure. I realized that these
websites weren’t offering long lasting jobs in the first place.
If I wanted a writing job in education, I would have to search for one the way I would look for
job. I ended up checking the employment pages on the websites of text book and educational
publishers. I discovered the wonders of Indeed, where a search for “writer” in a “remote”
location made me feel like I was looking for a job and not a random gig that could earn me $25
for a month’s worth of work. It was through Indeed where I eventually was added to a list of
freelance writers, editors, and subject matter experts for a company that produced content for
its clients, who ranged from schools to education websites to textbook publishers. I started off
writing and revising questions for a textbook publisher’s quiz question bank. I had to remove
every “all of the above” or “none of the above” distracters and replace them with specific
choices instead.
And the work never stopped. I was offered week-long projects. I was offered projects with
steady, guaranteed work for months at a time. I was offered projects that other people backed
out on. The best part was that my resume was growing with even more legitimate work
samples. I never needed to search for more work, however. I was fine with having a project and
then nothing for a few weeks or a month. I had started working as an adjunct before my
master’s degree was even mailed to me, and that was regular enough pay to fill in the gaps. By
the time my daughter was two and a half I was out earning what I made before she was born.
Six years later, I still work with this client and one other textbook publisher I met along the way.
I occasionally turn down work from them, as I am also employed full time in a university writing
center, but I continue supplement my income writing and editing educational materials. I may
not be the writer I thought I would be fifteen years ago, but I do get to put writer on my tax
forms each year.
Analysis
This is a story that so many writers can identify with. You know you want to break free of a nine-
to-five work schedule and work as a freelance writer, with all of the flexibility it entails. But
how? There are obvious answers that end up being dead-ends: Content mills and freelancing
platforms such as Upwork. Melissa found herself in those very traps. She got out of those traps
by choosing a niche and focusing on finding work in that one niche. This can be more
challenging than it seems. It can require removing prestigious credentials from your resume,
because they don’t align with the niche. Letting go of valuable experiences is not easy. But, as
Melissa’s example shows, focusing on one niche can make it much easier to win clients and to
build a solid income. But, this is not all she had to do. She also stopped looking for work on
freelancing platforms, and found where the real jobs were posted in her niche.
Your Turn
 What could you remove from your portfolio or resume to make it more focused on a
single niche?
 What type of clients are available in your niche? Are there potential clients you haven’t
found yet?
Case Study
The Ghostwriting
Grind
Timothy Sholtz is a freelance content writer, former law

enforcement officer, and lifelong martial artist who loves to
bring different perspectives through writing and content
creation.
 Found a steady writing gig through a freelancing platform
 Wrote 5,000 words a day on a wide variety of topics
 Learned how to quickly write about nearly any subject matter
 Left the client for other work

“
T
he Ghostwriter. A mysterious, often less chosen path not taken by most. Often met
with perplexed looks and conjecture, I love the bewildered looks I often get when I
tell people what I do. Often, I just give a vague job description to get a reaction. In all
reality, ghostwriting is merely a small cog in the well-oiled machine that a writer is
required to be.
What Do Ghost Writers Do?

If you don’t know the definition, Dictionary.com defines a ghost writer as:
a person who writes one or numerous speeches, books, articles, etc
for another person who is named as or presumed to be the author.
So yeah, ghost writers are the men and women who work, often uncredited, behind the scenes.
Ghostwriter’s primary objective is to ensure their client's stories are told.
Have you ever wondered how all these famous people have written impeccable
autobiographies, let's tilt our hat towards the elusive, mysterious ghost writer.
“The Client”
The first client I worked with was a “Content Mill” of sorts, where you’re given a daily word
count. Lets put it this way, it was a grind, to say the least.
I met the client, let’s just call him Gary, on a content platform which I’m sure many of you have
considered at one point. This was my first go around with freelance writing so I was eager to
begin. The entire process was very vague aside from “Add this person on Skype and create a
login on this website.” Before I agreed to anything, I wanted to get to know who I was working
with so I asked plenty of questions of who he was, what his origins are, and what direction he
wanted to take his company in. I found out Gary is a website designer from the United Kingdom
who generally employs foreign writers to provide them with a decent wage, but wanted to work
his way into writing for American clients.
The Interview
The interview with Gary was straightforward. I just submitted my proposal and my best works I
had saved in my portfolio. I was the writer he was looking for, so I eagerly accepted his offer of X
amount of dollars per Y amount of words and we discussed which niches I would want to write
about. Writing for word counts instead of an hourly rate was a new concept for me because I
was so accustomed to the generalized ways of doing things so I realized this could be very
beneficial or it could be a significant hit to my financial situation.
Structure of Writing
The structure Gary incorporated with his business made ghostwriting a very simple task. I had a
virtual assistant, or “my handler” as I so affectionately called him, let’s call him “Malik,” handled
all the assignments and questions I had.
At first, our platform was just “Hey, here’s your article, make sure to meet these guidelines from
the client.” After a while, Gary finally finished programming our content platform and we had a
dedicated portal where we could interact with the client, view our earnings, and a word count
tracker. It wasn’t a bad gig, especially for my first real client.
I created a dedicated folder on my laptop for Gary and our projects so I could easily manage
writing 5000 words a day. The inconsistency is what killed me. I would start my day by writing a
product review for one project then a study on DNA sequencing methods the next. It was a
grind, to say the least. I am thankful for all the feedback I received writing for various niches
throughout my days working for this company, it made me a versatile writer very quickly.
This was my daily routine:
 Get assignment from the portal

 Research the topic I was contracted to write about
 Edit and revise
 Submit article for client feedback
 Re-edit and submit
 Start the next assignment
Once I felt proficient of my capabilities, I started to get less and less feedback and more
assignments throughout the day.
Staying Focused
Writing multiple articles in various niches a day may seem like utter chaos, which it can be, but
with structure and discipline, you can flow easily. When I felt stuck on a certain topic, I realized I
was slacking and procrastinating, which as a freelance writer, can be a death sentence to a
professional career. Having an organized and structured routine can save a lot of headaches and
downtime. One of my personal systems is working for an hour then taking 20 minutes to work
on various tasks on my daily to-do list. By keeping busy and getting things done, I was always
productive and preventing myself from allowing my inner critic to babble self-doubt on
whatever I was doing for the day. I highly recommend every writer has a set schedule or routine
to maximize productivity, you will be shocked by how much you can really get done when you
set your mind to it.
Conclusions
All in all, ghostwriting can be extremely beneficial for a writer to incorporate into their skillset.
It’s a simple matter of Risk vs. Reward. If you know you have the discipline and structure to do
so and the rewards are worth the rewards you will get for your work, I highly recommend you
consider a career as a ghostwriter. It’s not as alluring as published works but it can be very
rewarding for a writer as long as the passion is your motivation. I’ve since moved on from Gary
and his business but the experience and knowledge gained are invaluable.
Analysis
I included this case study for two reasons. First, to show the overwhelming work that is required
to make a living from most content mills. It is simply unsustainable. Second, even though it is
unsustainable, successfully pulling this off requires learning how to write consistently, no matter
the subject matter or mood of the writer. Learning to write, no matter what, is a skill that can
serve any writer.
Your Turn
 How would you structure your day if you have to write 5,000 words a day?
 How can you develop your research skills, so you can comfortably write about any topic,
without prior knowledge?
 How would you motivate yourself to write for six to eight solid hours a day?
Case Study
How I Transitioned
From Content Mills to
a $30,000 a Year Part-
Time Writing Career
Julie Wilson is a serial entrepreneur, mother of three, and

dedicated freelance writer. She holds an MPS in Publishing from
The George Washington University. She is a regular contributor to
several print and online publications including Mobile Cuisine
and Golf Car Advisor. She is obsessed with helping those with
entrepreneurial spirits travel the path to self-employment and
her blog, AllAboutSelfEmployment.com is dedicated to this
mission. Julie can typically be found in line at the vegetarian
food truck or at a high school sporting event. Reach out to her
at [email protected]
 Got stuck in the content mill trap
 Found a unique source of high-quality writing clients
 Used a simple technique to get $1,070 in recurring income in less than a week
“
W
riting was always a dream of mine. Until I was in desperate need of Christmas
money and came across an advertisement for a writing service (aka: content
mill) looking for writers. The dream quickly became a reality. I signed up,
submitted a writing sample, and began receiving writing jobs. They were far
from the glamorous jobs I had envisioned, but they added up and Christmas was a success.
Over the course of a year, I averaged $1000/month in earnings. Here are a few of the writing
jobs I picked up:
 Writing catchy clickbait headings
 Crafting legal blogs about medical malpractice
 Creating business profiles for hundreds of retirement homes
 Documenting case studies in standard formats
Although I enjoyed the extra cash and developed relationships with a few clients, the demands
of the content mill were unrealistic. I had to get out.
My Challenge
I experienced three main challenges while working with writing services.
Poor Communication. Content mills are designed to extract content from writers, while
protecting their clients. In other words, the content mill will go to any length to keep writers
from communicating directly with clients. This makes writing difficult when the writer needs
clarification or a deeper understanding of the job. Having to go through customer service reps
and chat messaging to understand the scope of a job sets writers up to fail. And when I failed, I
did not get paid. Even though the client had possession of my work and was likely using it.
Impossible Deadlines. When a writer accepts a job, the clock starts ticking. Most deadlines
were automatically set for 24 or 48 hours. It didn’t matter if the job required clarification from
the client, or if my daughter had a softball tournament. The deadlines were not discussed; they
were assigned. At times, I was forced to reject jobs because of impossible deadlines. The client
was disappointed and wanted to know why. I later learned that clients tried to adjust deadlines
to accommodate my schedule, but the inflexible platform would not allow it. And if I missed a
deadline, I received a “strike.” Too many strikes and I would be fired. Just like that.
Low Pay. I mentioned before that I submitted writing samples when I applied to the writing
service. The service evaluated the samples and assigned a level to my writing. The higher the
level, the higher the compensation. I was assigned the highest level, which was four-star. A four-
star writer received 6.6-7.6 cents per word. THIS IS THE MOST A WRITER CAN EARN! That is
unacceptable. Keep in mind that most writers are assigned a two-star level, which only pays 2
cents per word, so I guess I was one of the lucky ones. My average blog post was 500 words, so I
earned $33 for an average post. And then there were edits and rewrites galore. Since I was
unable to speak to the client, it was tough to get it right the first time. Spoiler alert: I typically
earn $75 for a 500 word post today.
The bottom line is that content mills do not care about the writer or the client. They can’t
because for them to earn a profit, they must process jobs like an assembly line. Quantity is
prioritized over quality every time, which is every good writer’s worst nightmare.
My Solution
I began to plan my escape. I created profiles on Upwork and Contently and sat in line with
thousands of other broke writers, but then it hit me. I discovered a large pool of potential
clients that desperately needed my writing skills and just didn’t realize it yet. I began to create a
list of every service I had used in the past year. This list included my hair stylist, chiropractor,
water service, landscaper, pool service, auto mechanic, dermatologist, and Crossfit gym. I sent
out this email:
“Thank you for providing such great service! I am on your website right now and notice
that your blog has not been updated in a while. Adding regular blog content is a great
way to improve your website’s discoverability and get in front of more potential
customers. Over the past year, I have been crafting content for businesses like yours and
I would love to write for you, also. Since I have first-hand experience with the high-
quality service you provide, I can start with sharing my testimonial in the form of a blog
post.
My pricing is pretty simple. I charge $75 for a 500 word post, $112 for a 750 word post,
and $150 for a 1000 word post. But, if budget is an issue, I am open to working out a
barter arrangement. Let me know if you are interested and give me a call. I can also
conduct some keyword research and write website content if you want to improve your
website and drive more traffic.”
I sent out 30 of these emails with a few personal touches added for each service. Then, I
waited.
The Results
Over the course of the next week, I received five emails and three phone calls. Four of the
services were interesting in bartering and four wanted to pay me on a monthly subscription
basis. Two clients hired me to research keywords and rewrite their website content in addition
to creating monthly blogs. Here is the income breakdown from that first batch of emails:
Local fishing charter company: Complete website rewrite at $350 plus $75/month for a blog
post.
 Hair stylist: Two blog posts per month at $75/each.

 Water service: One blog post per month in exchange for water service. Value:
$50/month
 Chiropractor: One blog post per month in exchange for monthly therapeutic massage.
Value: $85/month
 Landscaper: Two blog posts per month in exchange for monthly landscape service.
Value: $150
 Crossfit gym: Two blog posts per month in exchange for membership. Value: $110
 Dermatologist: Two case studies per month at $150 each.
 Local party rental company: Complete website rewrite at $275 plus two blog posts per
month at $75/each.
First Month Income: $1695
Monthly Recurring Income: $1070
None of these clients had ever been contacted by a writer. I had no competition and already
had an established professional relationship. Since that first month, I have been hired for
additional website rewrites. Using this same technique, I have grown my part-time writing
income to over $30,000 annually.
Analysis
I love this case study for one simple reason. Julie recognized what wasn’t working, and moved
on, repeatedly, until she found something that did work. She didn’t stick with bad content mills.
She didn’t struggle to play the writing platform game. While both were able to be successful,
she looked for an opening where there was little competition. She put herself on a much easier
playing field, and yielded great results.
Your Turn
 What companies do you regularly visit or work with? Do they have a website that needs
content?
 Would you be willing to barter content, in exchange for services?
 What opportunities have the lowest level of competition?
Case Study
A Celebration of
Successful Pitching
and Local Networking
Leanne Flynn is a former crisis intervention worker and

teacher. She now enjoys part time freelance writing and
photography for both non-profit and paid opportunities.
 Took a chance writing for a new magazine
 Partnered with a photographer
 Working with the new publication became an important stepping stone, leading to new
opportunities
“
A
bout two years ago, I was looking for paid writing opportunities and I was feeling grief-
struck and sad. Maybe I was sad because I wasn’t getting paid writing opportunities- or
maybe I was sad about other events in my life.
Celebrating the proverbial ‘place I was in’ seemed impossible. Don’t read me wrong. I was doing
alright financially; I was healing quickly from injury; and I had some great friends. Then an ad
asking for local writers caught my eye on Facebook. The ad had a great logo and the word
‘celebration’ was in the headline. I couldn’t believe that the ad was for my local area.
So, I turned my eye towards my local area with the idea of ‘celebration’ in my mind. I found
many things, almost immediately, that I could celebrate. Conversations with friends turned to
celebration. Before I had published or been paid for writing about celebrating our local area,
many conversations about local places, people, events, history and legend took place.
I was nervous. This was a new magazine, but it was obviously a serious publication and I didn’t
want to send less than my best effort. I took a cue that I had learned from someone who’s name
I no longer remember: Ask the people what they would like to read about and let that guide your
publication. And, wonderfully our focus was the word ‘celebration.’ What vivid memories were
recalled by local pensioners; what visions of municipal success and tourism success were
described by younger people.
The editor requested a bio and a pitch. The idea for my pitch came directly from asking friends
and neighbors what they would like to read about. I also partnered with a friend, a photographer,
to make the pitch a more complete offering. My first pitch to the publication, Grey Bruce Life,
started like this:
“Good morning. Our article is a celebration of Owen Sound Harbor winter ships, and a
quick look back at harbor history and the recent 're-discovery' of over 20 shipwrecks
within the harbor. We will review the findings of this past year of the marine
archaeologist hired by our Owen Sound City council after 3 wrecks were located near
our water treatment plant. “
Read the complete pitch here. We also sent a sample of photographs. The pitch was long and
detailed, but it was accepted right away by magazine editor, Jeremy Walpole.
In fact, Jeremy felt that the article should be a two-part series and he published both articles in
the e-zine almost immediately. Article 1, “On The Beauty of Owen Sound Winter Ships- A
Photo Essay” can be viewed here. The second article “They Rise Again! Ghostly Ships and
New Shipwrecks in Owen Sound Harbor- A Photo Essay” can be viewed here. Grey Bruce
Life magazine paid $90 per article at that time.
Those articles led to another article about the harbor, as one of our ships that winters over in
Owen Sound, the Chi-Cheemaun was undergoing some interesting upgrades and renovations. I
went to the Chi-Cheemaun website and located a phone number to ask if there was a chance of
boarding the ship to take a few pictures of the inside renovations. To my delight, I was offered
an onboard tour and an interview with the VP of Operations to discuss the upgrades to the ship.
You can read the pitch for that article here. The finished article can be viewed at this link.
The house that I was in was also an inspiration for an article for Grey Bruce Life magazine, as it
has a phenomenal history and we had been doing some restorative work on the antique
brewery gardens. I decided to pitch a photo-essay, as we I had a collection of excellent pictures
of the gardens. That was also a successful pitch. You can view the pitch at this link, and the
completed article here.
I also conducted a successful phone interview with the CEO of a major nuclear energy company,
Mr. Duncan Hawthorne of Bruce Power, while working with Grey Bruce Life.
Few of my pitches were rejected and I think we did a great job of celebrating our area that year.
Since then, Grey Bruce Life has changed formats and no longer prints articles by contributing
writers. But you can visit Grey Bruce Stories, and founder Jeremy Walpole, on Facebook.
What I learned while pitching and writing for Grey Bruce Life was invaluable. Placing the focus
on celebration created opportunities for discussions and meetings with people in my local area
that were productive and phenomenal. I heard the voices of local authors, my own neighbors,
that I had never heard before. I gained confidence in my ability to network. I also added some
valuable pieces to my own portfolio and do retain all rights to republish them.
My advice to other freelancers is to take a good look at publishing opportunities right where you
live, and pitch to every new magazine that you come across. New magazines offer a platform
that might not be a lasting opportunity – as we know the publishing industry is unpredictable at
best – but new magazines offer fresh perspectives and vibrant opportunities for dialogue that
are really priceless.
Analysis
Leanne makes a very good point in this case study: New publications can be a good opportunity,
as long as you are willing to take a risk that they may not survive. They are often less
competitive, and more likely to give you both leeway and direct feedback. Leanne’s pitches also
show the value of adding photography to your repertoire, or partnering with a skilled
photographer. Magazines are often willing to pay significantly more for photography, in addition
to an article, and are often much more likely to accept a pitch if it includes skilled photography.
Your Turn
 Are there new publications in your area that may need freelance writers?
 Are there local networking opportunities, where you can find new publications or
photographers to partner with?
 How can you add value to your pitches and proposals, beyond just providing writing?
Case Study
How I Got Featured on

The Penny Hoarder and
Doubled My Website
Traffic
Shelcy Joseph is a freelance writer and the voice behind A

Millennial’s Guide to Life, a career destination for multi-
passionate creatives who want to make a living by doing all the
things they love. On her free time, she loves to read, vlog, try
out new restaurants and visit new places.
 Pitched an article to a popular website
 She was offered money or a link back to her website
 Doubled her website traffic by taking the “link” as opposed to the direct payment
“
A s a freelance writer, I am always looking to grow my personal brand, earn additional
income and expand my network. I recently had the opportunity to do all three from
being published on The Penny Hoarder.
If you’re interested in personal finance, you’re probably familiar with the blog. With over 6
million active readers, it’s the ultimate destination for tips on managing, growing and saving
your money.
A year after subscribing, I came up with an article that I thought would be a great fit for their
website. I was going to talk about my side hustle as an Instagram micro-influencer. They had
several articles relating to making money on the side, but none of them addressed monetizing
social media in that way. So I did my homework and found the email to send submissions to. I
was excited to reach out and share my idea. Below is the exact email I sent:
Hello,
My name is Shelcy Joseph and I am - first and foremost - a serial side hustle starter. I'm
also a blogger and millennial coach who wants to help creatives make a living by
pursuing their passions.
I've been reading The Penny Hoarder for a few months and I'm a huge fan! I recently
took it upon myself to become financially literate and your articles have helped me make
smart choices! As someone with multiple sources of income, I take particular interest in
your "Money Hacks" section.
I was reaching out because I have a story that might be a great fit for your website:
"How A Micro Fashion Influencer Leverages Instagram to Land Paid Opportunities"
I have a solid portfolio of work and below are some writing samples:
http://www.amillennialsguidetolife.com/3-things-you-can-do-right-now-to-diversify-your-
income/http://www.amillennialsguidetolife.com/secret-to-financial-freedom/
http://www.amillennialsguidetolife.com/i-added-700-income-month-heres/
http://www.amillennialsguidetolife.com/how-i-made-310-from-craigslist-gigs-in-a-
week/
http://www.amillennialsguidetolife.com/how-i-made-310-from-craigslist-gigs-in-a-
week/
I would love to contribute to your website! I hope to hear from you soon.
Best regards,
Shelcy Joseph
LinkedIn | Blog
They got back to me the following week and their email read:
Hi Shelcy,
Thanks for your interest in contributing to The Penny Hoarder. Can you elaborate on
this pitch and include figures? Bullet points are fine.
I followed up with an elaborate outline of the article. They then asked a series of specific
questions relating to the side hustle. It was like a screening questionnaire to assess what I
could contribute. They eventually (four weeks later) gave me permission to write the full post.
It took me two weeks to finish it and two months for us to edit it together. I was given the
choice to get paid $75 or include a link to my website. I chose the potential traffic over the
money. In hindsight, I’m glad I did because the return on investment was huge. I was thrilled
when the post finally went live at the end of April!
I couldn’t have imagined the amount of publicity the post brought me. With over 50,000
readers, It was their biggest story of the week! I later did a Facebook live with them where I
went into details about the article and it boosted the numbers by 11,000 readers.
Almost a month later, I gained over 60 new email subscribers and doubled my website traffic
(from 475 monthly visitors to 988). I also increased my Instagram following by 150 and landed
the opportunity to be a guest on a podcast.
Being published on a publication I love was a dream come true. It taught me about the value of
guest posting as I learned that not all rewards are monetary.
Analysis
This case study shows the potential advantage of running your freelance writing career as a
business, and not just as a path to publication (and income). Because Shelcy has her own blog, it
gives her the opportunity to build an audience, as well as get paid for her writing. Sometimes
she is forced to choose between the two options; in this case, she chose to build her audience,
and it paid quite well. In some cases, she can have it both ways: Getting paid and getting links to
her website. (As is the case for this case study!)
Your Turn
 Would you have chosen to take the money or the website traffic? Why?
 What could you potentially promote on your own website?
 What else could you promote, besides your website, through your writing/publishing? A
book, a business partner, or a charity?
Case Study
From Nine-to-Five to
Say-At-Home
Victoria Womersly is Australian born, but moved to the

UK in 2004, travelling through South East Asia on the way and
visiting various development projects in Thailand, Cambodia,
Vietnam and Nepal. She has a long standing interest in
environmental, equality and human rights issues and enjoy writing
about related topics. She combines many of her interests with her
love of writing and has had her work published on a wide range of
websites and printed media, as well as working directly with non-
profits and businesses around the world crafting content that
informs, excites and supports them to create a kinder world.
 Wanted to work from home when her maternity leave ended
 Shifted to thinking about her writing career as a business
 Developed and implemented a marketing plan
 Matched her income from her traditional job, working 16 hours a week
“
F
or years I worked in a regular 9 - 5 job, dreaming of becoming a writer. Eventually, I
signed up to a creative writing correspondence course and wrote in the evenings,
working my way through the practical assignments – learning all about the different
types of non-fiction markets, styles and opportunities.
Throughout that time, I had some success with articles and letters being printed in magazines,
however, it was never big enough to warrant me quitting the security of my job.
With the arrival of my first child, my partner was made redundant from his position and began
freelancing as an archaeological illustrator. After nine months of paid maternity leave I chose to
return to work part-time to help provide some stability of income for our family.
Around the same time, I responded to an ad for volunteer writers and began writing for a
charity’s blog about maternal health, equality and social justice issues and carried on submitting
the occasional piece to magazines and newspapers on my own and as my correspondence
course instructed.
It wasn't until three years later when my second child was born and I opted for voluntary
redundancy that the opportunity to move away from the 9 – 5 grind seemed feasible. We
needed to move to a bigger house to accommodate our growing family, and as I didn’t have a
job to return to after my maternity leave ended, we decided to move somewhere for lifestyle
rather than work – North Devon in England. Around this time I was offered the Volunteer
Editorial role with the charity blog and began editing contributor’s works, along with
occasionally writing posts.
As the end of my paid maternity leave drew closer, I began to feel the pressure to return to
work. I really didn’t want to go back to a typical office type of job, be it full or part time. I
wanted to make the leap into the world of freelancing writing and wasn’t sure of how to go
about it despite the correspondence course preparation.
Initially, I tried finding work on freelancing platforms like Elance (which has now become
Upwork) with limited success - my income was sporadic at best. I ‘won’ some difficult jobs and
some pretty low paid work that had me earning around £5 per hour (sometimes less). I took
them on despite the awful pay just to build my account profile and positive feedback. I also took
on a few jobs for free from friends to build my portfolio and had a few articles accepted by the
local papers, but although they accepted work, they didn’t pay freelancers. Competition was
tough and I could see that these platforms were simply taking me closer to the situation of
needing to find a ‘proper job’.
What I really wanted was a regular income writing about topics that mattered to me with clients
whose businesses or causes I believed in. I wanted to be able to work on a brief given to me by
the client – just as my partner did with his illustration work - rather than complete hours of
market research on magazines, brainstorm topic ideas that might published and then send
countless pitches trying to get paid for the time I’d already taken so I could write the piece I had
in mind. But everything I’d learned in the non-fiction modules of the creative writing course told
me that that was the life of a freelance writer.
Then it came to me – just like any other business out there selling a product or service, I needed
to get in touch with the people I wanted to make my customers, to let them know what I did
and why it would make a difference to their cause or business. I had to reach out and stop
waiting for the perfect client to appear on freelancing platforms, or the editor that would love
my article and offer a regular writing gig.
I decided to take a chance and write to local charities and businesses in my area. I grabbed the
local phone book and took down the details of EVERY charitable organisation, web design
company and marketing agency in my area. I researched those I had listed on the internet,
noting what their websites were like (if they had one), who the business or organisation head
was, and their contact details. If I couldn’t find what I needed on the internet I called them to
ask for the information. I spent around ten minutes on each prospect and put basic details into
a spreadsheet so I could track communications.
I bartered some content work for business cards with my brother in Australia and had him send
me 250 cards with my contact details on one side and the writing services I could provide on the
other. While I waited for these to arrive I thought about what made me unique, what I could
bring to those businesses and organizations and how I would like to work with them if I did get a
positive response. I created two prospecting templates – one for businesses and one for
charitable organizations. I decided to send these out by post along with my business card, rather
than an email as I wanted my pitch to be noticed and not get lost in someone’s junk mail.
I recorded the date these letters were sent on a spreadsheet and followed up with each of the
organizations who’d not responded to my letter two weeks after posting. Most of calls went
something like this:
Me: ‘Hi, my names Victoria, I was wondering if I could speak with x about the letter I
sent two weeks ago as I haven’t yet heard back.’
Receptionist: ‘Sure, may I ask who is calling?’
Me: ‘Yes, it’s Victoria.’
Receptionist: ‘I’ll just put you through.’
Client: ‘Hello, X speaking.’
Me: ‘Hi X, I’m just calling to follow up on the letter I sent you on x date. I’ve not heard
from you and I was wondering if you received my letter and if so, what you thought
about using my writing services.’
I received some great feedback from the calls which I used to refine future prospecting letters
and expand my prospecting.
I carried on sending out around 3 prospecting letters a fortnight to charities, web designers,
printing companies and marketing agencies as well as contacting the organizations I had already
sent letters to, which included a local charity. I was put straight through to the Managing
Director and invited for a meeting the following week to discuss my proposal.
At this meeting I clarified what I could do for them and my hourly rate. (A project fee wasn’t
applicable for the ongoing work they wanted.)
The Managing Director took the details to the next trustee meeting and I was subsequently
authorized a limit of £500 per month to manage their social media accounts, work through the
content of their current website and re-write it for the new site, and also to write blog posts
about their work and news articles for the local media. I logged my time working for them
manually on a word document and invoiced them at the end of each month for my time,
detailing the tasks I had carried out in the hours they were being invoiced for.
Shortly after this, I heard back from a web design agency I had contacted requesting a meeting
with me. I met the owner to talk about what I could do for her and her clients. She was very
eager to tell me about how successful she was and that I would find it impossible to find work
with anyone other than her. She wanted a 20% cut of any work I did for her clients. Despite
writing up a detailed proposal for her, no work was ever sent my way.
While working for the local charity, I carried on contacting web design agencies by post. When
calling one agency to obtain details for my letter, I was asked to chat with the head designer
over the phone about why I wanted to write to them. After explaining what I was doing, they
asked me to email their Managing Director immediately as they had some content work they
needed doing almost straight away. I did as requested and received my first job from them that
week – crafting content for a sail making company’s location pages to improve the Google
search ratings.
After that first job I received occasional content writing work from them every second month or
so, usually to the value of around £150 – the web design agency asked me to bill their clients
directly and never asked for a cut on the work I did through them – I was adding value to their
business by supplying the content their clients needed but did not have the experience,
expertise or time to do themselves.
I should note that although I work for an hourly rate with the charity, this is mainly due to the
nature of the work they have me doing. I prefer to charge a flat project fee to most other
clients, which I base on how many pages and what kinds of pages I am writing content for
(Landing pages cost more than other web pages), or by how long I estimate a job will take me
with a little bit of breathing space added for unexpected issues arising. I charge a lower rate for
working with charitable organizations (£16p/h, and a higher rate for other work £20p/h)
Six months into my contract with the charity, I requested a meeting with the General Manager;
I’d found I was spending more time on their account than what I was budgeted to. I explained to
him what I had achieved for them over that time and that I needed to cover the additional time
I was spending. He asked me how much extra I was working – about £100 – and immediately
increased my budget to make up the difference.
After 1 year I was working a maximum of 16 hours a week writing, with two regular clients and
additional occasional clients (through referrals) requesting one-off jobs, I was earning £800 per
month - the same as my income as a 3-day office worker all those years ago after the birth of my
first son. However, I didn’t have any commute costs (I work from a cupboard in our dining
room!), child care costs were vastly reduced and I am able to flex my work time so it fits around
my family life, allowing me to be the kind of parent I always wanted to be – present and able to
enjoy time with my partner and children without the worry of income.
Victoria’s Prospecting Template:
Contact Name Victoria Womersley

Contact Title Freelance Writer
Business Name Address Line 1
Address line 1 Postcode
Address line 2 Ph:
Town Email:
County
Post code
DATE
Dear Contact Name,
Recently I came across (Business Name and where I discovered them) and wanted to make contact as I am
interested in your business and the possibility of working with you. As a freelance writer who has recently
moved here, I am looking to build my local client base and know that I could offer great value to your
company and its members.
For the past 5 years I have worked with companies across the globe providing a variety of business writing;
my most recent project being the (insert relevant high profile project here). In addition to this I am the
Blog Editor for the International Women’s Initiative, writing myself and managing a group of volunteer
writers and photographers to ensure content stays fresh, on theme and is renewed daily.
My background is in Communications and Customer Services within the charitable sector, and since
finishing my contract with Southern Universities Purchasing Consortium (SUPC) I have refocused my
efforts toward building my writing into a full-time occupation.
Today’s customers make most of their purchasing decisions online, often visiting a company’s website
before ever walking through the door, so web sites, blogs and other social media are more important than
ever. It is not enough these days to simply be the best at what you do, you need to let the world know this
through the various social networks that we are all now familiar with. Better copy now translates to
increased interest and sales for businesses and this is where I can help.
I specialise in providing the following types of business copy, and would like to offer these services to you:
• Company materials for promotion/information or internal use

• Web content and Blog posts
• Social media support – tweets, LinkedIn profile management, blog editing, Facebook page
management.
Enclosed is a copy of my resume and contact details, I would also be more than happy to provide examples
of my work. I look forward to hearing from you in the near future.
Kind regards,
Victoria Womersley
Freelance Writer
Analysis
There’s a lot to like about this case study. First, Victoria’s focus on her writing career as a
business gave her the tools she needed to find new clients. The mailing campaign, followup
phone calls, and the level of organization she used to track her results are all standard aspects of
many businesses.
Your Turn
 How can you structure your new-client acquisition from a business perspective? More
specifically, what tools and systems can you use?
 Have you built a “prospect list” of potential clients to contact? If not, how can you go
about creating such a list?
Your Next Steps
This book raises many questions for the potential freelance writer. It also presents many answers
that your fellow writers have found.
The next step is for you to begin to create your own case study.
Imagine the path you want to take with your writing career. You can blend together these case
studies, bring in your own fresh ideas, and start to take action.
Here are some possibilities:
 Choose a niche
 Start to approach potential clients
 Build a portfolio of published writing
 Continue learning by enrolling in The No B.S. Course on Freelance Writing
If you have any questions, feel free to email me: [email protected]


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The Case Study Guide

Questions, comments, complaints, or

 The One Email That Lead to Many Gigs

 A Brand New Writer Beats a Crowded

 How Everytown, USA Became My Freelance Writing Goldmine

 Tenacity Leads to Steady Writing Work

 The Ghostwriting Grind

 How I Transitioned From Content Mills to a $30,000 a Year Part-Time

 A Celebration of Successful Pitching and Local Networking

 How I Got Featured on The Penny Hoarder and Doubled My Website

 From Nine-to-Five to Say-At-Home

There is something about you that is very special.

May this book serve you well.

And may it challenge you in unexpected ways.

The Dream Client

Caroline Baily is a formerly reluctant writer who spent fifteen

 No portfolio, because of restrictions from previous clients

 Found a new gig with a steady paycheck

That afternoon I got a reply:

The One Email

Courtney Elder is a freelance writer based just

 She chose a niche and focused her marketing efforts

 Sought a “business partnership” and not just a writing client

I'd love to hear your thoughts about beginning a partnership together.

Thanks so much for your time!

Jessica Denne is a 27-year-old student at

 She crafted a very good pitch

My full ‘Be a Freelance Blogger’ Pitchfest Entry:

Opening: The lifestyle available to established freelance bloggers is to be coveted by

How Everytown, USA

Theresa St John is a freelance travel writer based in Saratoga

 Realized her starting point was surprisingly close to home

And it was true. I'd hit a goldmine.

Look for local publications

This is what my query letter looked like:

Dear Miss -------:

I truly believe, because I am local, my insight would appeal to your readership. An

I appreciate your time and look forward to hearing from you.

This is one of the articles I wrote for 'Discover Saratoga's' website.

Think about paid publications, we all want to see the money!

And I looked hard for paying publications.

“Submission guidelines to farming magazines that pay freelance writers”

The truth is this: Everything, everywhere, is a story

I just had to take those first steps.

Melissa Sharpe works in a university writing center and

 Tried a new strategy and chose one niche to specialize in

And I had a real work sample.

Timothy Sholtz is a freelance content writer, former law

 Found a steady writing gig through a freelancing platform

 Wrote 5,000 words a day on a wide variety of topics

 Learned how to quickly write about nearly any subject matter

 Left the client for other work

What Do Ghost Writers Do?

This was my daily routine:

 Get assignment from the portal

Julie Wilson is a serial entrepreneur, mother of three, and

 Got stuck in the content mill trap

 Found a unique source of high-quality writing clients

I experienced three main challenges while working with writing services.