a website & community for women who write & blog
You know you need to schedule a photo shoot. On more than one occasion you’ve been asked for a headshot and you’ve had to send an embarrassing selfie instead of a professional portrait. The Welcome, About, and FAQ pages of your website all have stock photos or no images at all. And you don’t even have a picture of yourself in the sidebar of your blog!
You know you need to schedule a photo shoot, but you just can’t build the courage to do so. Trust me, I understand. (more…)
One of the biggest mistakes I see writers and bloggers making nowadays is failing to start and grow an email list. EVERYONE NEEDS AN EMAIL LIST. If you’re a blogger you can use your list to promote your blog posts. If you’re an entrepreneur, you can use your list to promote the products or services that you offer. If you’re an author you can use your list to promote your books and your readings. If you’re a freelance journalist, you can use your list to promote your articles and to stay connected to your contacts, who will ultimately help you generate more story ideas and writing opportunities.
Now, this doesn’t mean you’ll only email people when you want something from them. A good rule of thumb to follow is give, give, give, ask. Be sure you’ve offered valuable content FOR FREE before you ask your list to buy from you.
Yes, growing your social media following is important, too, but you don’t own social media. Algorithm changes can and do affect if your followers actually see your content. Therefore, growing your list should be your priority.
If you want to start and grow your email list, but you’re not quite sure how to do so, keep reading!
I think I was in the 5th grade when I first declared I was going to be a writer when I grew up. I had been writing really bad poetry since I was about 7 or 8 and in 5th grade I started reading the work of Maya Angelou. And so I decided I would one day be a famous poet like her.
As I got older the type of writing I did changed, but my love for writing never did. And as I got older I started asking myself a question that 5th grade Javacia didn’t think much about — How will I make money as a writer? This is probably a question you’ve been asking yourself, too. And this is a question I want to help you answer in part four of the Write Like a Boss series. (Be sure to read part 1, part 2, and part 3, if you haven’t already.)
Let’s discuss seven different ways you can make money with your writing skills.
If I write it, they will come.
If this has been your motto for marketing your work, you need to stop lying to yourself.
As declared in part one of the “Write Like a Boss” series, to be a writer all you have to do is write. And the more you write the more you’ll get clear on the type of writer you are, as discussed in part two of the series. To be a writer who makes money and makes a difference, you need an audience and to find that audience you’re going to have to do more than just write. You must market your work. People can’t read your writing if they don’t know it exists.
Chances are you hate to hear the words, “Build your brand.” Thinking of yourself as a brand may feel gross or even wrong. But it’s not. Building a personal brand simply means defining and clearly conveying what you’re all about — who you are, what you do, and why you do it.
In part one of the “Write Like a Boss” series, we established that you are a writer. Remember, to be a writer all you have to do is write. But I want you to be a writer who makes money and makes a difference. One thing that will help you do this is building a personal brand.
