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THE FREELANCE WRITER’S
GUIDE TO CONTENT
MARKETING
MRIDU KHULLAR RELPH
Copyright © 2018 Mridu Khullar Relph.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or
mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without
written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a
book review.
 For my parents,
who believed me when I said
writing could be as profitable a career
as engineering.
 CONTENTS

About the Author

Introduction

1. What is Content Marketing?

2. Why Content Marketing?
3. Myths That Hold You Back
4. The Ethical Lines Between Journalism and Content Marketing
5. The Skillset
6. What Do Content Marketing Writers Do?
7. Why You Need a Niche
8. The Different Types of Clients and How to Pitch Them
9. How to Find Clients
10. Connecting with Clients
11. Updating Your Website
12. Your Letter of Introduction
13. The Elevator Pitch
14. Your LinkedIn Profile
15. Content Strategy

Afterword
Making Six Figures
Free Resources!
The Freelance Writer’s Guide Series
The Finishers
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mridu Khullar Relph is a multiple award-

winning journalist and author who
divides her time between New Delhi,
India and London, UK.
She has written for The New York
Times, TIME, CNN, ABC News, The
Independent, Forbes, Ms., and more.
She has lived and worked in several
countries around the world and was
named Development Journalist of the
Year in 2010.
Mridu is the founder of The
International Freelancer, a website that
shows globally-minded writers how they,
too, can write for a living, tell
meaningful stories, and find financial
freedom.

Visit her at:

www.mridukhullar.com
 INTRODUCTION

I introduced content marketing into my freelance business in the

summer of 2013. When I did my annual numbers at the end of that
year, I found— much to my amazement— that my income had
doubled from the year before.
The extra income was all from content marketing. Even better?
I’d only spent 20 percent of my time doing it.
The numbers made me sit up and take notice.
The work was the same. I was still writing news, profiles, and
trend pieces, so why was content marketing paying more while my
journalism income continued to stay stagnant?
The answer was simple: I was paid $1-2 a word for the content
marketing stories, the revisions were almost non-existent, most of
the agencies I worked with had a policy of paying writers as soon as
the content was submitted, and I was being given more assignments
that originated from the client instead of having to come up with my
own ideas.
For much of my content marketing work that year and in the
years following, I made between $300 and $400 an hour.
Until that point, I earned a pretty decent rate of $100-200 as a
journalist and so the fact that content marketing was bringing in
double that rate was something I was interested in exploring further.
I was obviously doing something right. While other writers in my
networks were complaining about not having work, I had—within the
span of a few months— picked up clients that included a large US
bank, an international financial services company, an American
nonprofit focusing on sustainability, and an African government
agency.
The story of how I broke into content marketing as a journalist is
neither sexy nor entertaining. In fact, it’s actually quite boring.
Which makes it much easier to replicate.
So let me tell you how I got my start.
I’m fairly active on a forum for professional journalists. Until I
moved to the UK three years ago, I specialised in India and
developing world issues and pretty much everyone who’s ever come
into contact with me knows that. So when an editor, who also hangs
out in this forum, had a need for freelancers based outside the US
who specialised in various regions of the world, she contacted me.
Turns out, she was working for an association doing content
marketing work. Would I be interested in writing profiles at $1 a
word? Sure.

TIP #1: SPECIALIZE. TELL EVERYONE ABOUT YOUR SPECIALTY.

So now I was intrigued because I’d just done exactly what I do as a
journalist but for an association, got paid well, had zero edits, and
the payment arrived six days after I’d submitted the story. I’d like
some more of that, thanks.
Therefore, when someone posted on a Yahoo group that his
London-based friend was looking for international journalists,
especially in Asia, to do some journalism work for an agency, I read
between the lines and realized they wanted content marketing
writers. I got in touch, received several £350 assignments over the
next few weeks and made £3,500 from that client over the course of
the year. Each assignment took an average of two hours to
complete.

TIP #2: JOIN GROUPS.

TIP #3: WRITE EFFECTIVE LETTERS OF INTRODUCTION.
SEND THEM FREQUENTLY.

TIP #4: ALWAYS RESPOND TO POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITIES

RIGHT AWAY.
In the meantime, I’d applied to a content agency, had a phone call
with one of their editors, realised that my specialty (developing
world) meant that I was never going to get any work from them and
had, by this time, written them off. Except, at this point, I did start
getting work because my niche was so specialised. So specialised, in
fact, that they simply couldn’t find anyone else to tackle the work
they wanted done. This, for me, meant that even though I’d get
fewer assignments, I was in competition with nobody. This is a
fantastic position to be in.

TIP #5: SPECIALIZE. OH WAIT, I SAID THAT ALREADY. LET ME

TRY AGAIN. BE CONFIDENT IN YOUR SPECIALTY, EVEN IF IT’S
INCREDIBLY NICHE. THIS IS WHAT WILL HELP YOU BREAK IN
WITH THE BIG GUYS.
Then NewsCred (another big agency that’s popular with freelancers)
wrote about me on their blog as a featured freelancer and told the
story of my worst year in freelancing and how I clawed my way out.
I had never worked with NewsCred until this point, even though I
was in their database, but this agency that has hundreds of top
freelance journalists on their books liked me enough to feature me
on their blog.
TIP #6: GET SMART ABOUT RELATIONSHIP BUILDING AND
STAY IN TOUCH WITH EDITORS, EVEN WHEN YOU’RE NOT
ACTIVELY GETTING WORK FROM THEM.
So, as you do, I posted the link on Facebook and a former editor of
mine who now runs a content marketing agency saw it and thought,
oh, I didn’t know Mridu did this sort of work and hired me on the
spot to do work for one of her big clients.

TIP #7: BRAG ON SOCIAL MEDIA.

And of course, by this time, I’d started contacting and getting work
from clients directly as well.

TIP #8: SEEK OUT CLIENTS DIRECTLY.

You see how it snowballs?

The fact is that the growth of the content marketing side of my

business was actually slower than for many other writers I know
because I started out with the “international” niche instead of the
more popular finance or health niches. The work that came to me
was very specialised and therefore higher paying, but it took time for
me to build my client base.
If you specialise in a more profitable niche, then getting those
first, second, and third assignments can be fairly effortless and can
lead to ongoing work quickly. And if you don’t, this book will show
you how to create a profitable niche for yourself and start applying
for work right away.
Every week, I get dozens of emails from writers asking how they
can start getting content marketing work, what other avenues exist
for their journalism and storytelling skills that might pay better, and
how to supplement their incomes while they do the difficult work of
querying The New York Times Magazine and The New Yorker.
 This book will answer those questions for you. We’re going to
cover the content marketing industry, where you fit in as a
journalist, the ethical considerations and boundaries you need to
maintain if you want to continue your journalism work, finding your
niche, getting in touch with potential clients, and lots more.
Let’s get started.
 CHAPTER ONE
WHAT IS CONTENT
MARKETING?

IN 2008, Steve Goedeker, who runs an appliance retail company in

the US, was trying to save his family’s business and so, as a first
step, he took it online. Profits soared, according to the New York
Times story in which Goedeker was featured.
But then something more exciting happened. Goedeker decided
to replace his Google ad spend with content marketing. His company
hired two full-time writers and they now spend between $100,000
and $150,000 a year on content marketing efforts.
The NYT story goes on to talk about Marcus Sheridan, owner of
River Pools and Spas who published a post on the company’s blog
about how much it costs to install a fiberglass pool and—pay
attention to this bit—made $2.5 million in sales from just that one
single article. Another business owner in the same story attributes
between 1 and 3 percent of their business growth (an estimated
$120,000 to $360,000) directly to content marketing.
It doesn’t stop there.
According to a report published by MarketingProfs and the
Content Marketing Institute, 92% of B2B (business to business)
brands are using content marketing, 58% of them were planning to
increase their content marketing spending, and 64% of these brands
were likely to outsource the writing of this content.
And who is going to do all this outsourced content marketing
writing?
 Why, freelance writers, of course.
More specifically, if industry chatter is to be believed, freelance
writers and journalists with experience covering niche topics.
Businesses expecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in return on
their content marketing investment aren’t about to hire writers off
Craigslist to do the work. Instead, they want writers with proven
storytelling, publishing, and writing skills.
People like you and me.
But let’s back up a bit because I still haven’t answered the
question.

What is content marketing?

The Content Marketing Institute defines content marketing as “a

strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing
valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a
clearly-defined audience—and ultimately, to drive profitable
customer action.”
Basically, your average business owner or CEO realized that with
so much advertising vying for consumers’ attention and a lot of it
being routinely ignored, it just wasn’t enough to blast advertising
messages into customers’ faces anymore. Instead, if advertising
wasn’t getting potential buyers to your website, perhaps talking to
them one-to-one might? With blog posts, for instance. Or video.
You know, content.
If you’re a Walmart or a Tesco, say, a free monthly magazine
with tips on how to keep your home smelling nice and a few recipes
with ingredients easily available at this particular supermarket might
not only create returning customers who’ll buy those ingredients, but
helps create a positive brand image in their minds as well.
That is content marketing. Or, as Sonia Simone of Copyblogger
puts it, “… content marketing is communicating with potential
customers in a way that an audience actually enjoys paying attention
to, and that demonstrates to that audience that you would be a
good person to do business with.”
Remember, good content marketing is never about actively
selling products or serving an agenda, even though they may be
mentioned. It’s about providing information, advice, resources, and
trustworthy content to a business’s clients and customers.
Here’s the all-important distinction: If a business asks you to
write promotional content such as brochures or sales newsletters,
that’s not content marketing. That’s pure and simple marketing copy.
Content marketing writing, however, often isn’t all that different
from the kind of work you’re probably already doing as a journalist
or freelance writer.
In the next chapter, we’ll talk about the opportunity for earning
the big money and how content marketing can take your freelance
career to a much higher financial level.
But before we get there, let’s talk about when content marketing
writing may not be right for you.
Presumably, you’re here and you’re ready to learn, so you’ve
already figured out enough about content marketing writing to know
that you like it and are committed to getting more of that work, but
in case there are still any lingering doubts, here are some of the
cons of doing content marketing writing, especially if you’re a
journalist.

1. YOU CAN’T BE an investigative journalist if you’re also doing

content marketing writing. You can’t take money from large banks to
write their content and then publish articles in the New York Times
about the banking crisis or offshore accounts facilitated by large
banks. So yes, you will be shutting yourself off to certain kinds of
work. Be aware of this before moving forward.

2. SOME EDITORS—AND they’re increasingly rare—may not want

to hire you as a journalist if you’ve done content marketing writing.
Consider, however, that both The New York Times and TIME have
content marketing arms and that this is a rapidly-changing industry
with changing norms.

3. YOU’RE likely going to want to have two or more areas of

specialty if you want to keep your content marketing and your
journalism lives separate. We’ll talk more about this further on in the
book, but start thinking about what really motivates you as a
journalist and try to keep those topics off-limits when it comes to
content marketing writing work.
 CHAPTER TWO
WHY CONTENT
MARKETING?

I BET you’ve heard it said before but there’s never truly been a more
amazing or profitable time to be a freelance writer. Don’t listen to
the naysayers who’re telling you that $50 blog posts and 10-cents-a-
word parenting reprints are all that’s available to the average
freelance writer. They’re not.
As businesses have started understanding the importance of
good content, they’re increasingly investing more money to bring in
writers to create that content. These businesses are both large and
small—I’ve written content for large multinational financial services
firms as well as small retail stores—but they may not even be
businesses at all. Associations, non-profit organizations, even
governments are beginning to understand how to use content
marketing to further their goals and connect with their customers
and audiences. And they need good writers to do so.
At the beginning of this book, I told you that I’d been amazed
when I found that my income had doubled from the year before with
only 20% of additional effort. When you consider the higher payoff
and return on your time, it’s a no-brainer that content marketing
writing could not only massively increase your income, but also get
you to the six-figure threshold quite easily.
Here are some of the reasons why content marketing writing is
better and more profitable than your average freelance work. I list
these reasons not only to show you how content marketing can
make a difference in your income, but also because as you move
through the industry and try to find the right clients, you’ll come
across all sorts. The list below will help you set the standard by
which you need to measure your clients because what I’m listing
below is not out of the ordinary by any stretch. So if you’re waiting
three months for your payments to clear or getting repeat edits like
you did with that women’s magazine editor, you need to revisit the
relationship.

1. GREAT PAY
Let’s get straight to the good stuff. Content marketing writing pays
well. I average $300-400 per hour, but even if you’re a bit less
experienced, finding the right clients could easily mean 50-cents-a-
word assignments right off the bat.
That said, you do have to be somewhat experienced. If you’re a
new writer, you may have to build up your clips and credits with $50
blog posts, but the good news is, once you have about 3-4
recognizable credits and good clips to show in a certain industry, you
can start getting higher-paying work pretty easily.
If you are new, try going after some traditional media work first,
even if you have to do it for low pay. That blog post you wrote for
The Atlantic’s website or a New York Times blog may only pay $100,
but it will build credibility very quickly, especially in the content
marketing space. Businesses love to see recognizable names in your
portfolio and they’ll often pay more if you have those clips and a
specialized knowledge of their niche or topic.
In stark contrast to the falling rates many of us see for stories in
newspapers and magazines, in my experience, content marketing
rates have consistently stayed high for talented writers who
understand this market. The more efficiently you work, the more you
will make.
2. ENJOYABLE WORK
Writing good content for businesses isn’t all that different from the
work you may be doing as a freelance writer for websites or even
newspapers and magazines, with the exception of hard news or
investigative reporting.
The point of content marketing is to deliver information to
readers that is well researched, trustworthy, and entertaining. As a
content marketing writer, I’ve been asked to write service stories
(how-to style articles), trend stories, and profiles in exactly the way I
would have written them for any of my magazine or newspaper
clients.
And if I’m going to write the same types of stories as I normally
would, I’m quite happy to earn substantially more for my time.
A common misconception among writers is that content
marketing writing equals just blogging. Since I don’t particularly
enjoy blogging for businesses, I’ve stayed away from those jobs.
Yet, I still get enough work that I routinely have to turn down
assignments that don’t appeal to me. Likewise, if you love the idea
of writing posts for a company’s blog but don’t want to work on case
studies, you’ll likely be able to do that.

3. EFFICIENT EDITS
This is probably the biggest sell of content marketing writing for me:
The ease and efficiency of edits.
Compared to traditional media, businesses run with a much
higher sense of urgency. When a business fails to be efficient, in
content or anything else, they lose money. They learn to get things
done pretty quickly, even if they’re a big hairy corporation that
requires multiple levels of approval. This drive for efficiency works in
your favor.
Because business clients are less likely to ask for multiple
revisions and aren’t content specialists themselves (which is partly
why they’ve hired you), I find that they request fewer—and easier—
edits. When you spend less time on revisions, you have more time to
devote to your next assignment and boost your hourly earnings.
As an entrepreneur myself, the efficiency of these business
clients appeals to me greatly. And as a writer who likes to get paid
on time, it appeals to me even more.

4. QUICK PAYMENT
Speaking of efficiency, have I mentioned that no matter whether you
work through an agency or directly with a client, you’ll often be paid
within a week of submitting your work? Of course, this depends on
your clients and their policies, but typically, many clients will pay
pretty quickly—no later than a month after acceptance.
If you pick your clients wisely, work with reputable agencies that
have established relationships with clients whose names you
recognize, and negotiate your contracts well, you’ll find that chasing
invoices will quickly become a thing of the past.
(And if you find that this is not your experience and you have to
chase payments with someone, it may be time to dump that
particular client.)

5. CONSISTENT WORK
One of the biggest problems freelancers face—and a common
reason why many quit freelancing—is irregular cash flow.
Traditional media (and even online publications) often simply
don’t have enough work to give to you on a monthly basis. Even
when I had stellar relationships with editors, I could never get more
than one article in their magazines each month. Unless you’re
blogging for a publication or get on board as a columnist, it’s very
difficult to get regular slots in enough publications that your cash
flow becomes regular.
Not so with content marketing writing. In fact, if you provide
consistently good work that needs little or no reworking, you’ll find
that you can rely on assignments on pretty much a weekly basis
from the same clients, sometimes even more. This dependable work
helps you forecast your income for the month and more importantly,
find some stability in your cash flow.
 CHAPTER THREE
MYTHS THAT HOLD YOU
BACK

LET’S BE HONEST, no one really knows what’s going on with media

at the moment. We’re all trying new things, we’re all experimenting,
and in terms of freelancing income and work prospects, content
marketing writing seems to be coming out on top.
But—and this is where smart people hurt their own careers—you
may be overthinking it.
You wouldn’t be alone.
Until last year, I firmly believed that the moment I stepped out of
my journalism shoes and dipped my toes into content marketing
waters, I’d stop being taken seriously by my editors. I worried that
there would be conflict of interest issues, that I would be asked to
write marketing crap rather than the stories I’m skilled at telling, and
that I would have to “sell my soul” for the money and put my name
on things that I couldn’t truly stand behind.
It couldn’t have been further from the truth.
In fact, since taking on several content marketing clients, I’ve
found that not only has my income skyrocketed, but also that I’m
getting to do good work that I can put my name behind and believe
in. Any conflict of interest issues or discomfort I may have initially
had with writing content for businesses went straight out the
window when my clients said simply, “write as you normally would.”
However, there are still certain content marketing myths that
repeatedly keep coming up in journalism circles that keep freelance
writers and journalists wary of approaching new clients in this field
or experimenting with the idea.
Here are the most persistent ones and why I believe them not to
be true.

MYTH #1: YOU CAN’T BE A JOURNALIST IF YOU TAKE ON

CONTENT MARKETING WORK
In the next chapter, we’re going to get pretty in-depth with the kind
of work you’ll be doing as a content marketing writer and the ethical
issues that may come up. I think journalists, especially freelance
journalists, have to be super careful of the lines they’re treading and
the conflict of interest that comes up every now and again, so my
modus operandi has always been full disclosure and complete
honesty.
My work for a financial services client involves writing articles on
how to save and invest money and my work for a government
agency has been about cool projects that are coming out of the
country. These are articles I could easily have reported and written
in the same way for my editorial clients. However, the next time a
publication assigns me a financial story on developing world
markets, I’ll be extra careful to let her know that I’ve done work for
a certain financial services company and send her the links to it.
In my experience, 99% of the time, it simply does not matter.
There is obviously a different set of considerations if you’re an
investigative or daily news reporter.

MYTH #2: YOU’LL HAVE TO WRITE MARKETING CRAP

This myth is probably the reason I resisted content marketing for as
long as I did, but I realized last year that I’d been doing some
content marketing without even realizing it. That non-government
organization that helps girls get education, for instance, for which I
wrote blog posts. Or the hard-hitting news story I wrote on data
trends in emerging markets for a custom publication. I write for
trade publications all the time; some of that work is now content
marketing.
I can safely say that out of my half a dozen content marketing
clients, not one has ever asked me to write anything that doesn’t
involve reporting, sources, and fact-checking. I’ve written how-to
articles, profiles, trend stories, case studies, and more. And every
time, the process has been exactly like it would be were I writing for
a publication.
If I didn’t actually know who the client was, it would be just
another day in journalism for me.

MYTH #3: CONTENT MARKETING PAYS REALLY WELL

This isn’t as much a myth as it is a generalization. Yes, content
marketing pays well, sometimes really well. For instance, my lowest-
paying client pays $0.65 a word and my per-hour average for
content marketing is easily $300 an hour. But like with most of
freelancing, quality, experience, and negotiating count for a lot of
what you’ll eventually end up making.
I’m able to get a lot of higher-paying work and big-name clients
because I’m a proven journalist and have the clips to prove it.
Because I’m so niche in my knowledge of the developing world,
many of my clients simply cannot find enough writers to write their
content and therefore end up paying me more simply for that
knowledge, that experience, and that specialty. I bridge the gap
between East and West, and as one of the very few writers who
seem to do so, I get the work that no one else can do. I’m also a
really hard negotiator.
Your experience will be different. Your income will be different. It
will depend not only on your clients, but the quality that you provide,
the speed at which you provide it, and of course, like I’ve always
said, your business skills.
MYTH #4: YOU CAN’T WRITE ANYTHING NEGATIVE/YOU HAVE
TO EDIT THE TRUTH
So yes, if you were writing a “how to save money” story for Bank A,
you’re probably not going to get away with saying that readers
should put their savings in Bank B, even if that’s what you believe to
be the case.
That said, if you’re worried about that, you’re probably missing
the point of content marketing, because like I’ve been saying all
along, content marketing isn’t about serving an agenda, it’s about
providing information, advice, resources, and trustworthy content to
a business’s clients and customers. The reason journalists make such
a good fit for this kind of work is because we specialize in well-
researched, trustworthy content.
Will you have to edit out the truth? I never have and I’ve never
been asked to. But if I were—and I’m sure the situation could come
up—I’d simply walk away from the assignment or ask the client to
change the scope of the work. Easy peasy.
The rule of thumb is this: Hold yourself and your work up to the
highest standards of truth and storytelling. If something doesn’t gel
with your goals and your ethical lines, walk away. Do this and you’ll
have absolutely nothing to worry about.

MYTH #5: CONTENT MARKETING WRITING MEANS YOU’LL

HAVE TO WRITE A LOT OF BLOG POSTS
You may have to write some blog posts, but most of my work so far
has included profiles of inspirational people, case studies, how-to
articles, trend stories, and more. In fact, in comparing my journalism
work to my content marketing work over the last year, I can find no
substantial difference. Same skills, same storytelling, sometimes
even the same format.
MYTH #6: CONTENT MARKETING MEANS WRITING FOR BIG
CORPORATE BRANDS
Content marketing certainly does mean writing for brands, but a
“brand” can mean anything. It can mean Tesco and HSBC, but it can
also mean that animal welfare organization that runs out of your
small town and that needs some blogging help. It could be the
restaurant down the road or the small online business that your
friend runs.
Even the blog posts on my website The International Freelancer
can be classified as content marketing.
Start looking and you’ll find that content marketing is
everywhere. And if you’ve been a freelancer for any length of time,
you might find that you’ve already done a bit of it.
 CHAPTER FOUR
THE ETHICAL LINES
BETWEEN JOURNALISM
AND CONTENT MARKETING

YOU ONLY HAVE to visit a journalism forum once or twice and

throw in the phrase “content marketing” to get a wide variety of
opinions—some informed, some not so much—on either how great
an opportunity content marketing is for journalists, or how much of
an ethical minefield it can be.
Both things are true, if you ask me.
Does that mean that the two can’t co-exist in your career?
You really needn’t worry. Most journalists I know are either
supplementing their income massively with content marketing work
or tentatively dipping their toes in the water to feel it out.
That said, while there are opportunities, there certainly are costs
to factor in as well.
Are you going to be able to do hardcore investigative reporting
on financial companies if you’ve been doing content marketing in the
financial services space? Not a chance. In fact, I’d say hardcore
investigative reporting will probably go out the door altogether. For
me, this wasn’t an issue but for you, it could be, so it’s definitely
something to keep in mind.
Are you going to potentially lose the opportunity to work in a full-
time reporting role covering the environment if you’ve been doing
content marketing in the energy and oil sector? Probably.
 But can you write trend stories, opinion pieces, profiles, and
news stories? Definitely.
There are, however, a few ethical issues to keep in mind as you
add content marketing into your freelancing mix. Here are some of
them and what you’ll need to consider in order to best avoid them.

LEARN EVERYTHING YOU CAN ABOUT THE INDUSTRY

You’re already doing that here so you’re mostly covered, but this is a
quickly changing industry with a lot of moving parts, so I’d
encourage you to continue adding to your knowledge once you’ve
finished reading this book.
Subscribe to blogs and newsletters that cover the content
marketing industry and make it a part of your weekly goals to learn
something new about the industry or catch up on what’s going on.

BEWARE OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST WHEN YOU SOURCE

STORIES
If you’ve done content marketing for a bank, say HSBC, don’t use
HSBC executives as sources in your news stories. While you may
have done so completely innocently, there’s a clear conflict of
interest there.
This applies no matter whether you’ve worked with the client
directly, through an agency, or through an agency that serves
another agency. The number of levels doesn’t matter. It doesn’t
matter that you never even spoke to anyone at HSBC. It doesn’t
matter that the payment was made out to you by the agency. If it
was work done for HSBC, you never get to use them in your
journalistic stories. Period.
This also means that you can’t report on stories that break out
about HSBC. In fact, you can’t report on stories that break out about
any competing bank because you’ve got HSBC as a client and writing
a negative story about their competitor is a clear conflict of interest
issue as well.
 Make sense?

DISCLOSE, DISCLOSE, DISCLOSE

The moment you start feeling uncomfortable about a relationship
with a client or a potential conflict of interest, ask this: Would I be
okay with my readers knowing about my relationship with this
company or this person? If yes, proceed. If not, be cautious.
It’s always wise to talk to your editors (on the journalism side)
and your clients (on the content marketing side) if you have any
questions about potential conflicts or any sort of unease about the
work you’re doing.
While disclosing relationships, clients, biases, and work
partnerships should be routine for most journalists, it often isn’t. If
you’re going to add content marketing to the mix, I’d recommend
being very open about whom you are working for, what kind of work
you’re doing, and how you’re keeping the two separate. You don’t
have to announce it to the world, but as long as you’re not hiding it
from your editors and clients, you’re good to go.
If it seems like a potential conflict, talk to your editors.

BE INDEPENDENT
One of the main reasons I don’t find it difficult to straddle both
journalism and content marketing is because at the core, I’m an
independent journalist and writer. I haven’t signed allegiance with
any one publication, editor, client, or brand. I’ve never been asked
but if I were ever in a position where I had to write untruths or
exaggerated positives about a brand, I’d easily walk away.
What keeps it simple for me is that I’ve set my own standards
and they happen to be the same for both journalism and content
marketing work. They are:

To never write anything I don’t completely stand behind.

Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
left near the trap standing up against a tree, and
Dave ran up and grabbed it and struck the animal on
the head and cut his throat. How we did laugh and
dance around that defunct porker. Exciting sport this
trapping for fresh pork. In half an hour Dave and Eli
had the pig skinned and dressed. Is not a large one
probably weighs ninety pounds or so, and is fat and
nice. Have sliced up enough for about a dozen men
and are now cooking it on sticks held up before the
fire. Also frying some in a skillet which we are the
possessor of. When the hogs run wild and eat
acorns, roots and the like, the meat is tough and
curly but is sweet and good. We fry out the grease
and then slice up the potatoes and cook in it. Thanks
to Mr. Kimball we have plenty of salt to season our
meat with. The buzzards are after their share which
will be small. And now it is most night again and the
“Astor House” larder is full. Seems too bad to go to
bed with anything to eat on hand, but must. That is
the feeling with men who have been starved so long,
cannot rest in peace with food laying around. My two
comrades are not so bad about that as I am, having
been well fed for a longer period. Have sat up three
or four hours after dark, talking over what we will do
when we get home, and will now turn in for a sound
sleep. It’s a clear moonlight night, and we can hear
very plain a long distance. Can also see the light
shining from camp fires in many directions, or what
we take to be such.
Dec. 22.—As Dan Rice used to say in the circus
ring: “Here we are again.” Sleep so sound that all the
battles in America could not wake me up. Are just
going for that fresh pork to-day. Have three kinds of
meat—fried pig, roast pork and broiled hog. Good
any way you can fix it. Won’t last us three days at
this rate, and if we stay long enough will eat up all
the hogs in these woods. Pretty hoggish on our part,
and Dave says for gracious sake not to write down
how much we eat, but as this diary is to be a record
of what takes place, down it goes how much we eat.
Tell him that inasmuch as we have a preacher along
with us, we ought to have a sermon occasionally.
Says he will preach if I will sing, and I agree to that if
Eli will take up a collection. One objection Eli and I
have to his prayers is the fact that he wants the
rebels saved with the rest, yet don’t tell him so.
Mutually agree that his prayers are that much too
long. Asked him if he thought it stealing to get those
potatoes as I did, and he says no, and that he will go
next time. We begin to expect the Yankees along. It’s
about time. Don’t know what I shall do when I again
see Union soldiers with guns in their hands, and
behold the Stars and Stripes. Probably go crazy, or
daft, or something. This is a cloudy, chilly day, and
we putter around gathering up pine knots for the fire,
wash our duds and otherwise busy ourselves. Have
saved the hog skin to make moccasins of, if the
Union army is whipped and we have to stay here
eight or ten years. The hair on our heads is getting
long again, and we begin to look like wild men of the
woods. One pocket comb does for the entire party;
two jack knives and a butcher knife. I have four keys
jingling away in my pocket to remind me of olden
times. Eli has a testament and Dave has a bible, and
the writer hereof has not. Still, I get scripture quoted
at all hours, which will, perhaps, make up in a
measure. Am at liberty to use either one of their
books, and I do read more or less. Considerable
travel on the highways, and going both ways as near
as we can judge. Dave wants to go out to the road
again but we discourage him in it, and he gives it up
for to-day at least. Are afraid he will get caught, and
then our main stay will be gone. Pitch pine knots
make a great smoke which rises among the trees
and we are a little afraid of the consequences; still,
rebels have plenty to do now without looking us up.
Many boats go up and down the river and can hear
them talk perhaps fifty rods away. Rebel paper that
Dave got spoke of Savannah being the point aimed
at by Sherman, also of his repulses; still I notice that
he keeps coming right along. Also quoted part of a
speech by Jefferson Davis, and he is criticised
unmercifully. Says nothing about any exchange of
prisoners, and our old comrades are no doubt
languishing in some prison. Later.—Considerable
firing up in vicinity of the bridge. Can hear volleys of
musketry, and an occasional boom of cannon.
Hurrah! It is now four o’clock by the sun and the
battle is certainly taking place. Later.—Go it Billy
Sherman, we are listening and wishing you the best
of success. Come right along and we will be with
you. Give ’em another—that was a good one. We
couldn’t be more excited if we were right in the midst
of it. Hurrah! It is now warm for the Johnnies. If we
had guns would go out and fight in their rear;
surround them, as it were. Troops going by to the
front, and are cavalry, should think, also artillery. Can
hear teamsters swearing away as they always do.
Later.—It is now long after dark and we have a good
fire. Fighting has partially subsided up the river, but
of course we don’t know whether Yankee troops
have crossed the river or not. Great deal of travel on
the road, but can hardly tell which way they are
going. Occasional firing. No sleep for us to-night. In
the morning shall go out to the road and see how
things look. Every little while when the battle raged
the loudest, all of us three would hurrah as if mad,
but we ain’t mad a bit; are tickled most to death.
 SAFE AND SOUND.

ONCE MORE SEE THE OLD FLAG AND THE BOYS IN BLUE—MR.
KIMBALL AND MRS. DICKINSON RECOMPENSED—FIND THE
NINTH MICHIGAN CAVALRY—INTERVIEWED BY GEN’L
KILPATRICK—ALL RIGHT AT LAST.

Dec. 23.—It is not yet daylight in the morning, and

are anxiously awaiting the hour to arrive when we
may go out to the road. Slept hardly any during the
night. More or less fighting all night, and could hear
an army go by toward Savannah, also some shouting
directly opposite us. Between the hours of about
twelve and three all was quiet, and then again more
travel. We conjecture that the rebel army has
retreated or been driven back, and that the Yankees
are now passing along following them up. Shall go
out about nine o’clock. Later.—Are eating breakfast
before starting out to liberty and safety. Must be very
careful now and make no mistake. If we run into a
rebel squad now, might get shot. We are nervous,
and so anxious can hardly eat. Will pick up what we
really need and start. Perhaps good bye, little house
on the banks of the Ogechee, we shall always
remember just how you look, and what a happy time
we have had on this little island. Dave says: “Pick up
your blanket and that skillet, and come along.” Night.
—Safe and sound among our own United States
Army troops, after an imprisonment of nearly
fourteen months. Will not attempt to describe my
feelings now. Could not do it. Staying with the 80th
Ohio Infantry, and are pretty well tired out from our
exertions of the day. At nine o’clock we started out
toward the main road. When near it Eli and I stopped,
and Dave went ahead to see who was passing. We
waited probably fifteen minutes, and then heard
Dave yell out: “Come on boys, all right! Hurry up!” Eli
and I had a stream to cross on a log. The stream was
some fifteen feet wide, and the log about two feet
through. I tried to walk that log and fell in my
excitement. Verily believe if the water had been a
foot deeper I would have drowned. Was up to my
arms, and I was so excited that I liked never to have
got out. Lost the axe, which Dave had handed to me,
and the old stand-by coverlid which had saved my
life time and again floated off down the stream, and I
went off without securing it—the more shame to me
for it. Dave ran out of the woods swinging his arms
and yelling like mad, and pretty soon Eli and myself
appeared, whooping and yelling. The 80th Ohio was
just going by, or a portion of it, however, and when
they saw first one and then another and then the
third coming toward them in rebel dress, with clubs
which they mistook for guns, they wheeled into line,
thinking, perhaps, that a whole regiment would
appear next. Dave finally explained by signs, and we
approached and satisfied them of our genuineness.
Said we were hard looking soldiers, but when we
came to tell them where we had been and all the
particulars, they did not wonder. Went right along
with them, and at noon had plenty to eat. Are the
guests of Co. I, 80th Ohio. At three the 80th had a
skirmish, we staying back a mile with some wagons,
and this afternoon rode in a wagon. Only came about
three or four miles to-day, and are near Kimball’s,
whom we shall call and see the first opportunity. The
soldiers all look well and feel well, and say the whole
confederacy is about cleaned out. Rebels fall back
without much fighting. Said there was not enough to
call it a fight at the bridge. Where we thought it a
battle, they thought it nothing worth speaking of.
Believe ten or so were killed, and some wounded.
Hear that some Michigan cavalry is with Kilpatrick off
on another road, but they do not know whether it is
the 9th Mich. Cav., or not. Say they see the cavalry
every day nearly, and I must keep watch for my
regiment. Soldiers forage on the plantations, and
have the best of food; chickens, ducks, sweet
potatoes, etc. The supply wagons carry nothing but
hard-tack, coffee, sugar and such things. Tell you,
coffee is a luxury, and makes one feel almost drunk.
Officers come to interview us every five minutes, and
we have talked ourselves most to death to-day. They
say we probably will not be called upon to do any
fighting during this war, as the thing is about settled.
They have heard of Andersonville, and from the
accounts of the place did not suppose that any lived
at all. New York papers had pictures in, of the scenes
there, and if such was the case it seems funny that
measures were not taken to get us away from there.
Many rebels are captured now, and we look at them
from a different stand point than a short time since.
Dec. 24.—This diary must soon come to an end.
Will fill the few remaining pages and then stop. Co.
“I” boys are very kind. They have reduced soldiering
to a science. All divided up into messes of from three
to five each. Any mess is glad to have us in with
them, and we pay them with accounts of our prison
life. Know they think half we tell them is lies. I regret
the most of anything, the loss of my blanket that
stood by me so well. It’s a singular fact that the first
day of my imprisonment it came into my possession,
and the very last day it took its departure, floating off
away from me after having performed its mission.
Should like to have taken it North to exhibit to my
friends. The infantry move only a few miles each day,
and I believe we stay here all day. Went and saw Mr.
Kimball. The officers commanding knew him for a
Union man, and none of his belongings were
troubled. In fact, he has anything he wants now.
Announces his intention of going with the army until
the war closes. Our good old friend Mrs. Dickinson
did not fare so well. The soldiers took everything she
had on the place fit to eat; all her cattle, pork,
potatoes, chickens, and left them entirely destitute.
We went and saw them, and will go to head-quarters
to see what can be done. Later.—We went to Gen.
Smith, commanding 3d Brigade, 2d Division, and told
him the particulars. He sent out foraging wagons,
and now she has potatoes, corn, bacon, cattle,
mules, and everything she wants. Also received pay
for burned fences and other damages. Now they are
smiling and happy and declare the Yankees to be as
good as she thought them bad this morning. The
men being under little restraint on this raid were often
destructive. Nearly every citizen declared their
loyalty, so no distinction is made. Gen. Smith is a
very kind man, and asked us a great many
questions. Says the 9th Michigan Cavalry is near us
and we may see them any hour. Gen. Haun also
takes quite an interest in us, and was equally
instrumental with Gen. Smith in seeing justice done
to our friends the Kimballs and Dickinsons. They
declare now that one of us must marry the daughter
of Mrs. Dickinson, the chaplain performing the
ceremony. Well, she is a good girl, and I should judge
would make a good wife, but presume she would
have something to say herself and will not pop the
question to her. They are very grateful, and only
afraid that after we all go away the rebel citizens and
soldiers will retaliate on them. Many officers have
read portions of my diary, and say such scenes as
we have passed through seem incredible. Many
inquire if we saw so and so of their friends who went
to Andersonville, but of course there were so many
there that we cannot remember them. This has been
comparatively a day of rest for this portion of the
Union army, after having successfully crossed the
river. We hear the cavalry is doing some fighting on
the right, in the direction of Fort McAllister. Evening.
—We marched about two or three miles and are
again encamped for the night, with pickets out for
miles around. Many refugees join the army prepared
to go along with them, among whom are a great
many negroes.
Dec. 25.—Christmas day and didn’t hang up my
stocking. No matter, it wouldn’t have held anything.
Last Christmas we spent on Belle Island, little
thinking long imprisonment awaiting us. Us escaped
men are to ride in a forage wagon. The army is
getting ready to move. Are now twenty-four miles
from Savannah and rebels falling back as we press
ahead. Night.—At about nine o’clock this morning as
we sat in the forage wagon top of some corn riding in
state, I saw some cavalry coming from the front.
Soon recognized Col. Acker at the head of the 9th
Michigan Cavalry. Jumped out of the wagon and
began dancing and yelling in the middle of the road
and in front of the troop. Col. Acker said: “Get out of
the road you —— lunatic!” Soon made myself known
and was like one arisen from the dead. Major
Brockway said: “Ransom, you want to start for home.
We don’t know you, you are dead. No such man as
Ransom on the rolls for ten months.” All remember
me and are rejoiced to see me back again. Lieut.
Col. Way, Surgeon, Adjutant, Sergeant-Major, all
shake hands with me. My company “A” was in the
rear of the column, and I stood by the road as they
moved along, hailing those I recognized. In every
case had to tell them who I was and then would go
up and shake hands with them at the risk of getting
stepped on by the horses. Pretty soon Co. “A”
appeared, and wasn’t they surprised to see me. The
whole company were raised in Jackson, Mich., my
home, and I had been regarded as dead for nearly a
year. Could hardly believe it was myself that
appeared to them. Every one trying to tell me the
news at home all at the same time—how I was
reported as having died in Richmond and funeral
sermon preached. How so and so had been shot and
killed, &c., &c. And then I had to tell them of who of
our regiment had died in Andersonville—Dr. Lewis,
Tom McGill and others. Although Jimmy Devers did
not belong to our regiment, many in our company
knew him, and I told them of his death. Should have
said that as soon as I got to the company, was given
Capt. Johnson’s lead horse to ride, without saddle or
bridle and nothing but a halter to hang on with. Not
being used to riding, in rebel dress—two or three
pails hanging to me—I made a spectacle for them all
to laugh at. It was a time of rejoicing. The Buck boys
did not get out of the wagon with me and so we
became separated without even a good bye. Before I
had been with the company half an hour Gen.
Kilpatrick and staff came riding by from the rear, and
says to Capt. Johnson: “Captain, I hear one of your
company has just joined you after escaping from the
enemy.” Capt. Johnson said, “Yes, sir,” and pointed
to me as a Sergeant in his company. General
Kilpatrick told me to follow him and started ahead at
a break neck pace. Inasmuch as the highway was
filled with troops, Gen. Kilpatrick and staff rode at the
side, through the fields, and any way they could get
over the ground. The horse I was on is a pacer and a
very hard riding animal and it was all I could do to
hang on. Horse would jump over logs and come
down an all fours ker-chug, and I kept hoping the
general would stop pretty soon; but he didn’t. Having
no saddle or anything to guide the brute, it was a
terrible hard ride for me, and time and again if I had
thought I could fall off without breaking my neck
should have done so. The soldiers all along the line
laughed and hooted at the spectacle and the staff
had great sport, which was anything but sport for me.
After a while and after riding five or six miles,
Kilpatrick drew up in a grove by the side of the road
and motioning me to him, asked me when I escaped,
etc. Soon saw I was too tired and out of breath. After
resting a few minutes I proceeded to tell him what I
knew of Savannah, the line of forts around the city,
and of other fortifications between us and the city, the
location of the rivers, force of rebels, etc. Asked a
great many questions and took down notes, or rather
the chief of staff, Estes by name, did. After an
extended conversation a dispatch was made up and
sent to Gen. Sherman who was a few miles away,
with the endorsement that an escaped prisoner had
given the information and it was reliable. General
Kilpatrick told me I would probably not be called upon
to do any more duty as I had done good service as a
prisoner of war. Said he would sign a furlough and
recommend that I go home as soon as
communication was opened. Thanked me for
information and dismissed me with congratulations
on my escape. Then I waited until our company, “A,”
came up and joined them, and here I am encamped
with the boys, who are engaged in getting supper.
We are only twelve or fourteen miles from Savannah
and the report in camp is to the effect that the city
has been evacuated with no fight at all. Fort
McAllister was taken to-day, which being the key to
Savannah, leaves that city unprotected, hence the
evacuation. Communication will now be opened with
the gunboats on the coast and I will be sent home to
Michigan. I mess with Capt. Johnson and there is
peace and plenty among us. I go around from mess
to mess this pleasant night talking with the boys,
learning and telling the news. O. B. Driscoll, Al.
Williams, Sergt. Smith, Mell Strickland, Sergt.
Fletcher, Teddy Fox, Lieut. Ingraham and all the rest
think of something new every few minutes, and I am
full. Poor Robt. Strickland, a boy whom I enlisted,
was shot since starting out on this march to the sea.
Others too, whom I left well are now no more. The
boys have had a long and tedious march, yet are all
in good health and have enjoyed the trip. They never
tire of telling about their fights and skirmishes, and
anecdotes concerning Kilpatrick, who is well liked by
all the soldiers. Am invited to eat with every mess in
the company, also at regimental head-quarters, in
fact, anywhere I am a mind to, can fill. And now this
Diary is finished and is full. Shall not write any more,
though I hardly know how I shall get along, without a
self-imposed task of some kind.

END OF DIARY.
 THE FINIS.

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF WHAT BECAME OF THE BOYS—

REFUSED PERMISSION TO GO HOME—A REFERENCE TO
CAPT. WIRTZ—RETURN HOME AT THE END OF THE WAR.

It may interest some one to know more of many

who have been mentioned at different times in this
book, and I will proceed to enlighten them.
George W. Hendryx came to the regiment in
March, 1865, when we were near Goldsboro, N. C.
He says that after running away from Andersonville
at the time of the discovery of a break in which all
intended to get away in the summer of 1864, he
traveled over one hundred and fifty miles and was
finally retaken by bushwhackers. He represented
himself as an officer of the 17th Michigan Infantry,
escaped from Columbia, S. C., and was sent to that
place and put with officers in the prison there,
changing his name so as not to be found out as
having escaped from Andersonville. In due time he
was exchanged with a batch of other officers and
went home North. After a short time he joined his
regiment and company for duty. He was both
delighted and surprised to see me, as he supposed
of course I had died in Andersonville, it having been
so reported to him at the North. He did valiant service
until the war was over, which soon happened. He
went home with the regiment and was mustered out
of service, since when I have never seen or heard of
him for a certainty. Think that he went to California.
Sergt. Wm. B. Rowe was exchanged in March,
1865, but never joined the regiment. His health was
ruined to a certain extent from his long confinement.
Is still alive, however, and resides at Dansville, Mich.
Sergt. Bullock was also exchanged at the same
time, but never did service thereafter. He is now an
inmate of a Michigan insane asylum, and has been
for some years, whether from the effects of prison life
I know not, but should presume it is due to his
sufferings there. His was a particularly sad case. He
was taken sick in the early days of Andersonville and
was sick all the time while in that place, a mere
walking and talking skeleton. There is no doubt in my
mind that his insanity resulted from his long
imprisonment.
E. P. Sanders arrived home in Michigan in April,
1865, and made me a visit at Jackson that Summer.
He was the only one of all my comrades in prison
that I came in contact with, who fully regained health,
or apparently was in good health. He was a
particularly strong and healthy man, and is now
engaged in farming near Lansing, Michigan.
Lieut. Wm. H. Robinson, who was removed from
Belle Isle, from our mess, it having been discovered
that he was an officer instead of an orderly sergeant,
was exchanged early in 1864, from Richmond, and
immediately joined his regiment, doing duty all the
time thereafter. Soon after my escape and while with
company “A,” a note was handed me from Capt.
Robinson, my old friend, he having been promoted to
a captaincy. The note informed me that he was only
a few miles away, and asked me to come and see
him that day. You may rest assured I was soon on
the road, and that day had the pleasure of taking my
dinner with him. He was on his general’s staff, and I
dined at head-quarters, much to my discomfiture, not
being up with such distinguished company. We had a
good visit, I remember, and I went to camp at night
well satisfied with my ride. Told me that a pipe which
I engraved and presented to him on Belle Isle was
still in his possession, and always should be. Was a
favorite with every one, and a fine looking officer. He
is now a resident of Sterling, Whiteside Co., Ill. Is a
banker, hardware dealer, one of the City Fathers, and
withal a prominent citizen. It was lucky he was an
officer and taken away from us on Belle Isle, for he
would undoubtedly have died at Andersonville, being
of rather a delicate frame and constitution.
My good old friend Battese, I regret to say, I have
never seen or heard of since he last visited me in the
Marine Hospital at Savannah. Have written many
letters and made many inquiries, but to no effect. He
was so reticent while with us in the prison, that we
did not learn enough of him to make inquiries since
then effective. Although for many months I was in his
immediate presence, he said nothing of where he
lived, his circumstances, or anything else. I only
know that his name was Battese, that he belonged to
a Minnesota regiment and was a noble fellow. I don’t
know of a man in the world I would rather see to-day
than him, and I hope some day when I have got rich
out of this book (if that time should ever come,) to go
to Minnesota and look him up. There are many
Andersonville survivors who must remember the tall
Indian, and certainly I shall, as long as life shall last.
Michael Hoare tells his own story farther along, in
answer to a letter written him for information
regarding his escape from the Savannah hospital.
Mike, at the close of the war re-enlisted in the regular
army and went to the extreme west to fight Indians,
and when his term of service expired again re-
enlisted and remained in the service. In 1878 he was