“These are the days that must happen to you.”
– Walt Whitman
TODAY’S TOPIC IS… COMMON THEMES + CONCLUSION
Let’s look at common feedback that’s come up organized by sections in the B2BWI Training Catalog:
- Phase 1: Finding Work
- Phase 2: Selling to Clients
- Phase 3: Pricing Your Writing
- Phase 4: Preparing to Write
- Phase 5: The Writing Process
- Phase 6: The Post-Writing Process
- Phase 7: Writing Templates
Phase 1: Finding Work
How do I find writing work for new/intermediate writers?
- Superpath by Jimmy Daly
- Peak Content Job Board by Elise Dopson
- ProBlogger by Darren Rowse (Often B2C)
- Listings like this:
Phase 2: Selling to Clients
- Making Friends With Marketing Managers
- How To Run a Prospecting Call
- “Magic Pills” Prospecting Script
Phase 3: Pricing Your Writing
How do I walk the line between trying to “surprise and delight” clients and “holding to boundaries/charging my worth”?
- Pricing/Margin – Getting to a point where you have enough space to be generous. 25% more generous than you “should.”
- Develop over time – As you come to learn more about the type of project
- What’s generous – and what’s being taken advantage of?
- AWAI Pricing Guide
- Ed Gandia Pricing Guide – Download
- How Much Should I Charge? Holistic Pricing Rubric (B2BWI)
Phase 4: Preparing to Write
Scheduling and Capacity Planning Basics
Stress-Free Editorial Processes
How do you know an outline is done/the best way to say something?
If you find yourself constantly revising the outline… Hard truth: Perfectionism is a form of procrastination.
Phase 5: The Writing Process
How do I get the tone of voice right?
- B2C is about inspiring feelings and emotions
- B2B is about informing and persuading with facts
- “Beauty is in the eye of the stakeholder.”
How do I make the transition from outline to first draft?
Leave it in outline form, slowly build sentences, then pull out all the outline pieces so it’s visually pleasing to read. (Make it as easy as possible for your marketing manager to review!)
✨The Underpainting✨
Source: “Bewildering Reflections and Perspectives Shift in the Hyperrealistic Oil Paintings of Nathan Walsh” from ThisIsColossal.Com
What to do about getting wordy?
- 1. Get the first draft at all costs
- 2. Then go back through and analyze sentences.
How do I stop analysis paralysis during the research phase?
- Be selective about your sources.
- Deloitte, Gartner, Forrester, PwC, Pew, Boston Consulting Group, Industry Dive, SmartBrief, Trades Magazines, Harvard Business Review, etc.
Paid sources:
They might already have access, so ask about that. If you hit a paywall…. Open a private tab and copy paste the URL.
Get more shrewd.
What is necessary? What is NEED to know?
A lighter overview of a topic.
It doesn’t have to be A+, 100% the whole time you’re writing.
- A+ Outline
- C- Crappy First Draft
- B+ First Draft
How do I switch off my editor brain while drafting the whole thing?
Time blocking curbs the Maker Brain and the Manager Brain problem
- Traditional Pomodoro – 25-10-25
- Power Pomodoros – 50-20-50
Embrace rituals – Food, Music, Candles, Places, Times
Are you resting enough?
How do I cite my sources?
If you state a fact, use a source to back it up (Footnotes, hyperlinks, in-text citation (Source), end notes). Easier to have too many sources than to go back and figure out where you found something. Not only is it the right thing to do to avoid plagiarism, but adds an air of thoroughness, professionalism, and credibility.
Phase 6: The Post-Writing Process
How can I make the final delivery of the piece look good?
When it comes to presentation, your goal is to make the client feel easy and organized. Try to bring consistency to how you organize the final content _ fewer style changes, fewer comments, fewer notes, etc.
(Make it as easy as possible for your marketing manager to review!)
- “Client’s editing rounds are driving me crazy!”
- Required reading:
Phase 7: Writing Templates
- Thought Leadership Article Primer (With Template)
- White Paper Primer (With Template)
- Webinar Primer (With Template)
FINAL THOUGHTS
This is HARD! If it doesn’t feel good, that is not a sign to stop. That’s a sign you’re learning something new and expanding your skillset. That’s a sign you’re doing something tangible that increases your worth on the market. Your time is now worth more than people who have not pushed through what you pushed through!
And it won’t always be hard! Every single time you do this, it gets 10% easier. You’re forming pathways in your brain. The only way to make it actually easy (less stress, less time, less uncertainty) is to keep doing it.
It also helps to get paid for it. It hits different when a client gives feedback, sends a check, asks for more.
🙏THANK YOU!🙏