Friday freelance link roundup

Haven’t done a Friday freelance link roundup in ages, so let’s giddyup! Here’s rundown on a few thought-provoking blog posts I came across during the past week:

6 Ways to Prove Your Writing Chops to Prospects. “No matter how long you’ve been at this, you’re only as good as that one line item clients want to see.” Lori Widmer dives into one of the common challenges that affects veteran freelance writers and graphic designers as well as those who are new to the game: a client who requests samples specific to their industry—and you don’t have anything in your portfolio to do the trick.

No Time to Blog? Here’s How to Solve That. I haven’t included this link to help with your own blog—it’s actually because Denise Wakeman gives a fantastic client perspective on the benefits of using ghostwriters. (Denise cites a poll she did in her community…and 55% of the respondents said they would be open to hiring a ghostwriter.) When you read it, put yourself in potential clients’ shoes: How can you take the pain points she describes, and use them to pitch existing clients or prospects that you could lighten their load and create compelling content with ghostwriting services?

I was alerted to the previous post by Cathy Miller on LinkedIn, whose post Can Questions Guide you to Better Business Communication? is also a must-read. To me, there isn’t a more powerful tool in a freelancer’s arsenal than the ability to ask good questions!

Burger King Tried to Make a Truce with McDonald’s. And McDonald’s Committed an Epic Fail. If you haven’t heard the story, Burger King came up with a clever idea about creating a McWhopper (a hybrid Big Mac/Whopper) for both chains to sell on World Peace Day in September, and the Golden Arches created some backlash with their response. Even if you disdain or abstain from fast food, Justin Bariso offers several lessons that are applicable to anyone in the communication business.

The final link I’ll give you includes a bit of comic relief as well as freelance advice: Questions for a Writer, Editor, and Doctor of Freelance: Jake Poinier. It’s a quick Q&A I did with my colleagues at Copyediting.com as part of their #EditorInterviews series.

Lori Widmer, mentioned in the first link, is my co-host for the “Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Freelance Marketing…But Were Afraid To Ask” webinar on September 14. It’s sold out, but you can sign up to be notified about our next freelance marketing webinar later this fall.