[Note from Sophie: Yes, this is a Pitchfest announcement with the usual $100 prize. But don’t skip to the contest – first, Lauren has some helpful advice to share with you about how to spare yourself the horror of working on a project that goes against your personal ethics and values.]
When it comes to freelance blogging, what you don’t do is just as important as what you do.
Every once in a while, you’ll be faced with a tough decision, and you’ll have to look deep inside yourself to see what you’re truly capable of. Are you willing to sell out an entire race just to feed your family? Is earning a paycheck more important than your humanity?
Earlier this year, I was hired by what I’d assumed to be a legitimate publication. I quickly found out that they were peddling hate speech and wanted ME to write it for them. I refused and removed myself from the project.
From there, I wrote a few posts on my personal website about my views on certain issues – sexuality, racism, etc. – so that future clients wouldn’t be confused about where I stand. I made it clear that I don’t tolerate hate, and that I refuse to write about it (unless it’s in the context of stopping said hate).
This put me in the Famine part of the Feast or Famine cycle for a while. Turning down a high-paying job is never easy, even if you believe strongly in your moral convictions.
However, thanks to the posts I made, I ended up with one of the best jobs of my career. They liked what I had to say on issues that were important to them. Because we were in synch on the tough issues, we ended up getting along incredibly well – and I fully back their company’s mission statement.
By sharing a little about my personal views, I was able to weed out the clients who were bad for me; and draw in the clients who were a perfect fit. It was a risky move, but well worth it.
Adjusting Your Website to Fit Your Personal Needs
Keep in mind that you don’t have to bombard potential clients with ALL of your thoughts on EVERY issue. It can be as simple as adding a note that says “I refuse to write hate speech” to your services page. Or “I really like to write about dogs” on your about page.
Pick a few key issues that are important to you and make it clear what you do and do NOT like.
Not only will this help potential clients and readers get to know the “real you” better, it will help to repel unwanted job offers and e-mails. The people who like you will stick around – the ones who don’t will leave. It’s as simple as that!
Make it clear that you’re a human being. In fact, my tagline for my personal site is “Lauren Tharp: Writer and Human Being.” And even on my business’ about page over on LittleZotz Writing, I have a section that describes me as a person – highlighting some personal stories and offering up some of my “likes.”
When it comes to things I won’t do, I relegated those to my FAQ page. I don’t write hate speech, I don’t accept guest posts on my websites, I don’t do anything illegal, and so forth. I make it clear exactly what NOT to ask me for. (And if someone DOES ask me for something I don’t do, I kindly refer them to my FAQ page).
One “don’t” in particular needed a link to a full post: why I don’t place articles. Spoiler alert! It’s because it’s illegal. Though you’d be surprised just how many “potential clients” ask for this “service.”
Know Your Don’ts
If you’re looking to weed out bad clients by adjusting your freelance blogging website, you’ll have to ask yourself some tough questions:
- What are your morals/values?
- What’s illegal in your area?
- What makes your skin crawl to write about?
Stuff like that. Really get nitty-gritty with yourself and think about the things you absolutely do NOT want to blog about, and why.
Like I said, you don’t have to go into full-on RANT MODE or write a 10-page essay about why you don’t like certain things. It can be as simple as one sentence stating what you won’t accept at your business.
If you can’t think of anything right now: wait. At some point in your career, something WILL come up that you’ll have to say “no” to. At that point, you can add a sentence on your website saying “I don’t blog about ________________.”
In the end, YOU are your freelance blogging business and YOUR professional integrity is what matters. Think about yourself every step of the way and you’ll not only be happier, you’ll earn more money in niches you can be proud of.
We Want to Hear YOUR Ideas
Hey! Guess what! This post is part of our quarterly PITCHFEST contest!
In case you’re not familiar, Pitchfest is a blog post pitching contest we run here on Be a Freelance Blogger every three months. You tell us your blog post idea and we choose our favorites, with prizes of up to $100 for the winners.
The contest starts today.
Your theme for this Pitchfest
This time we’re looking for pitches on the theme of “professional integrity.”
Interpret that theme any way you like! It could be anything from how to handle a client who gets too personal, to how to draft the perfect “I don’t do that and here’s why” email, to what you should write in an article if you strongly disagree with your source’s point of view.
We’re looking forward to seeing what YOU come up with.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Your pitch’s theme not only has to involve the “professional integrity” theme, but it also MUST revolve around freelance blogging (Be a Freelance Blogger’s niche). Whatever idea you present to us HAS to benefit freelance bloggers (or their clients) in some way.
The rules
- Anybody can enter the contest by typing (or pasting) their pitch into the comments box at the bottom of this page.
- Only ONE PITCH per person, please.
- Follow the pitch format I’ll tell you in a moment.
- After you submit your pitch, Sophie and/or I will offer feedback to help you optimize your idea for this blog’s audience and improve your pitching skills. You may also get feedback from other entrants, BAFB team members, and innocent bystanders — pay attention, because they represent your readers here.
- After you get our feedback, you can revise your pitch if you like and re-submit it by pasting it into a follow-up comment. And yes, that means you can offer us a completely different idea ifwe’ve told you your first idea definitely won’t work for this blog.
- If you win, we’ll ask you to send us a draft of at least 1000 words, so bear that minimum word count in mind when you pitch.
The prizes
- First prize: $100 for your guest post, paid on publication.
- Second prize: $50 for your guest post, paid on publication.
- Third prize: A 3-question mentoring package with Sophie via email.
The deadline
- Submit your pitch before the end of Saturday, September 30th, 2017.
- We’ll announce the winners on October 7th, 2017.
- If we choose your pitch, we expect you to deliver your first draft to me (Lauren) by October 21st. But if you need a little longer, let us know and we’ll work around it.
How to pitch
- Read our general guest blogging guidelines first, then come back here to submit your pitch.
- Suggest at least one headline designed to make freelance bloggers want to read your post.
- Follow the headline with the opening lines you’d use in the post. No less than 30 words, no more than 60. You DON’T need to write a whole post (or even a whole introduction) before you pitch — we’d like to give you feedback on your idea before you write a draft.
- After the opening lines, give us no more than 6 pointsyou’ll make in your post, and provide a one or two sentence summary of each point. (If you plan to make more than 6 points in your post, only tell us the most important 6 in your pitch.)
- Then explain in no more than 3 sentences why this is a great post for Be a Freelance Blogger and why you’re the right person to write it.
- Put your pitch in the comment box at the bottom of this page.
- Check the little box that says “Notify me of follow-up comments” so you’ll know when we’ve given you feedback.
- Submit your comment and if you followed all the steps above, you’re entered into the contest.
Extra tips
- It’s a good idea to explain how your pitch reflects the theme we’ve set for you — unless it’s blindingly obvious, in which case you can probably assume we’ll see the connection without extra signposting.
- Remember to tell us why you think your blog idea will interest the people who read Be a Freelance Blogger.
- To get a better idea of what Sophie and I are looking for in your pitch, study the pitches and responses in previous Pitchfests.
- Save a copy of your pitch somewhere before you post it here — if your comment gets lost in the internet, you don’t wanna have to re-write it from scratch.
- Your comment may get held in a moderation queue, especially if it contains hyperlinks. Don’t worry if that happens; we’ll get to it and reply!
OK, it’s time.
Let the Pitchfest begin! This contest is closed now.
‘Should Professional Sports Players Take A Knee For The National Anthem?’
In the wake a President Trump’s tweet about NFL players being fired for kneeling during the national anthem, should professional football players – who’s salaries are often in the millions – be allowed to protest before games?
* Why this should be allowed
* Free speech vs traditional routine
* Comparisons
* Counterarguments
* Reflection
* NFL ratings
This has absolutely nothing to do with freelance bloggers…
Maintain Professional Integrity By Exercising Ninja Values
Exercising Ninja Values, while maintaining a righteous heart, will advertise your integrity through simply allowing your conscience to be your guide.
*Making a strong statement requires ninja focus.
*A ninja’s power comes from dedication to his mission and his ability to achieve his goal comes through having a righteous heart.
*Resolution in one’s own beliefs while blogging, just as on the field of battle, can incite much adversity.
*The best of ninja bloggers were only those whose Masters resided in their own hearts.
*Adversaries showing up in the comments or on the field can only provide for a greater chance to exercise diligence in your professionalism and beliefs.
I am a civilian journalist who has had the pleasure of teaching many students who have adhd, dyslexia, and other disabilities to overcome the constant negative bombardment of their teachers and parents by showing diligence and fortitude. This blog post shows the power of integrity, not only as a righteous virtue, but also as a tool for the incitement of conflict and conversation which only gives more opportunity to express diligence in integrity.
Making a strong statement requires ninja focus. Keeping an eye on the ball when it comes to making a home run out of the perfect pitch is imperative. A ninja’s power comes from dedication to his mission and his ability to achieve his goal comes through having a righteous heart. A ninja would fall to his own blade whether than not complete the mission set forth by his master. Yet, the best of ninjas were only those whose Masters resided in their own hearts. Resolution in one’s own beliefs while blogging, just as on the field of battle, can incite much adversity. Adversaries showing up in the comments or on the field can only provide for a greater chance to exercise diligence in your professionalism and beliefs. Exercising Ninja Values, while maintaining a righteous heart, will advertise your integrity through simply allowing your conscience to be your guide.
I totally want to get me some ninja values – you made them sound super cool! However, I don’t see a clear indication of what advice you’ll offer beyond the inspirational tips… How will you teach your readers to actually DO this?
Thank you for replying to my blog entry!
I am currently writing a book called ‘Ninja Values’ which offers multiple examples of students of mine who have been resolute in their values and who have achieved financial and professional success.
Of course, it is not out yet … at the same time I am writing a biography on a student of mine who was named the most valuable bounty hunter in Houston due to the ninja values I taught him many years ago.
Below you will find links to a couple of recent blog entries I have published, which will demonstrate how I use hyperlinks and references of past events and posts that back up my viewpoints and keep the reader engaged.
In short, the entry you requested was very ‘brass tack’. Each bullet point I included will be elaborated on and accompanied by further research and hyperlinks.
Though my own experience is a great way to help readers learn to exercise those values. Short of a book or class, they could not learn them from me. Yet, in a blog post I can inspire them to exercise their own integrity through references and great inspirational article content.
The most important part of blogging, I have found, is to entice some conversation on the topic, ehich means ending the blog in a question which stiffly states your position on the subject “such as integrity”.
I can write up and forward you a draft of the full blog if you would like. I can use it on my own site if it is not chosen regardless:)
this is blog on confederate statues:
http://jaymhorne.blogspot.com/2017/08/confederate-statues-fall.html
this is a bounty hunter blog:
http://bountyhunterlife.blogspot.com/2017/08/ninja-to-bounty-hunter-my-first-account.html
Thanks again!
Jay M. Horne
Hi, Jay!
Your description is still a bit vague and going over my head (and I’m sure Sophie will feel similarly).
Could you just take ONE of your bullet points and go a little more in-depth on it so we can get a better feel for EXACTLY what you’re bringing to the table?
For example:
“Making a strong statement requires ninja focus” – I intend to describe exactly what a strong statement is and then explain how freelance bloggers can hone their “ninja focus” in order to make said statement. “Ninja focus” involves blah blah blah which can be achieved by blah blah blah.
Hopefully that made sense. We just need something a little more direct in this case. Thanks! 🙂
In 2008, I realized that I was slowing down. I’ve always worked, and I’ve always written. What I had not done was to write for pay. That wasn’t for lack of trying. I have my collection of rejection slips.
Internet content was an amazing opportunity. At first, I wrote the pay-per-click content, then I discovered agencies, and the race was on. I was, as the old cliche goes, in hog heaven — until the night I was asked to write a murder mystery.
Now, I have no problem with writing fiction and murder mysteries can be intriguing and a challenge to do well. But this one! First, the client wanted to take the assignment to Skype, away from the agency page, which is never a good sign. Second, the murder was to be done by a female agent. Worse than that, it would involve killing a child in a disgustingly suggestive manner.
As the conversation with the client progressed, I became more and more uncomfortable. Soon, I opened up another window on my computer, and messaged the agency help desk. “Oh, my,” the person on duty messaged back, “We haven’t had one of these for a long while. No, you don’t have to continue with the contract. I will quickly help you out with that.”
That client began my “I won’t write that” list. Since then I have added: writing about someplace as if I have been there; writing to sell pseudo-medical products; writing from a religious point of view that I do not share; and “copy” writing. Furthermore, if the topic makes me feel uncomfortable, I won’t write it, and if I don’t get paid, I won’t write for that client twice.
Under the uncomfortable heading I place: writing about harming children, writing from a religious bias, writing that encourages harm to animals or to the environment, writing that suggests overthrowing governments, or any writing that encourages causing harm to others.
Fortunately, there are plenty of business people and busy people and even people who just need a little boost with their grammar and spelling that I can usually find writing assignments that are just good, clean fun or unabashed advertising. I might be bored when writing the 150th blog that says, “We are good guys, bring your car to us,” but I’m not embarrassed or worried about my content.
Yikes! That’s a scary story – but I’m glad you found a happy ending. 🙂
If you’d like to enter the contest, please scroll up and follow the instructions to submit your entry!
Hello Lauren, Sophie, esteemed BAFB community, innocent bystanders…
A lot of posts will talk about how to be a great freelance writer. I am going to target the other side of the equation this time; ‘HOLDING YOUR INTEGRITY AS A FREELANCE CLIENT’.
Venturing into the freelancing world is not as easy as a lot of people assume. There are a thousand freelance writers who are willing to sell their services for a dollar, and even more clients who are looking to buy for less than a dollar.
•Avoid the freelance bidding platforms: This point applies to both hirers and freelance writers. The prices offered are insultingly low, the quality of work may not be 100%, not because the writers are bad but, due to the cheap pay.
•Do not take advantage of the ‘starter mentality’: A lot of freelance writers in the beginning phase of their careers unfortunately fall into the ‘starter mentality’. They believe their work is not good enough, and therefore are willing to sell their services for embarrassingly low prices. Do NOT take advantage of this. When you spot good work, offer what you know to be a fair price.
•Begin ‘hunting’ early: Half the time, the jobs posted on bidding sites have the words ‘urgently needed’. As a client, you need to begin searching for writers early enough. This gives you time to receive more than enough pitches and you can conveniently sift the good from the bad, from the downright cringe worthy.
•Be a decent human being: A client should offer what is fair to the freelance writer. Don’t be cheap, don’t start at a ridiculously low price hoping for a desperate catch, don’t be insulting; budget a fair price and stick to it.
•Considerable scouting : Although I have condemned bidding platforms, really good writers can be found on these. You may take your time to sort through prospectives and even though they offer to write for $1, let them know you are willing to pay for what their services are really worth, as long as they provide quality work.
•Be transparent: Assertive freelancers will demand your planned pay arrangements. Ensure to, from the beginning, give out the schedule for payment, method of payments and all other details.
I think a lot of people who read and subscribe to BAFB, myself included, are starting freelancers and they need to be armed with the knowledge of how to separate good clients from bad clients.
This is all great advice for people who hire freelance writers – but that’s only a very small fraction of our audience! I don’t think we’d publish a post written from this perspective (unless it was blatant and hilarious satire).
But I agree that freelancers need to be able to tell good clients from bad, so if you wanted to write a post about how to do that with professional integrity, we’re open to a fresh pitch from you. 🙂
Thank you for the feedback, Sophie . Here is my revised pitch
Venturing into the freelancing world is not as easy as a lot of people assume. It takes grit, perseverance, and a great deal of assertiveness. With hundreds of freelance writers out there ready to sell their services for a dollar and even more clients looking to buy for less, it may seem the easiest thing to let go of any professional values. You, as a freelance writer, may possess the most unbending moral principles but, there are clients out there that want to bring you down.
•The Ones who offer a dollar or its equilavent for a 750+ word article
This is especially popular on the bidding sites. Stay away from those. The clients are aggravating, the pay is ridiculous and the work is repetitively boring. Simply state what you know to be a fair price and leave if the client is unwilling.
•The Ones who devolve you to the ‘starter mentality’
Every starting freelance writer has been there…right? You feel you aren’t nearly good enough to receive what more experienced freelancers earn. The worst kind of client is the one who reminds you that you are a starter and shouldn’t earn as much. If your work is as good as more experienced writers, you should be paid appropriately, nothing less.
•The Ones with the shady details
A boss is…well, the boss. This doesn’t mean you should not assert yourself or ask for clarification on unclear issues. As a freelance writer, you will cross paths with a lot of questionable clients. A decent client will from the onset inform you about the payment method, pay schedule and other details. It’s the shady ones you should avoid. Assert yourself and demand details before you begin whatever work. If this is non forthcoming, extract yourself with grace.
•The Ones with the questionable topics
As a writer, and a human being with integrity, once you set a strict ‘no go area’, you should stick to it. Clients offering you topics that question your principles, spread negativity or just plain give you the tinglies, should be given a wide berth.
•The Ones who try to breach the terms
I have worked for a client who agreed to a stipulated number of articles for an agreed price, and then when the project was completed, he tried to sic even more work on me. For no pay. He went, ‘just take a look at this last topic before we end this’. May I just add that I had completed the project for a very meagre pay and it was repetitive, boring and out of my niche. Never work for free outside the agreement. Remind the client clearly and firmly of the agreed terms.
I believe a lot of people who subscribe to BAFB, myself included, are starting freelancers and need to be armed with the understanding of how to tell good clients from bad. They also need to understand that being a freelance writer does not mean you have to ‘settle’ for anything. Being a freelance writer means that you do have a choice, that is the great part. I am perfect to write this because I am among the starting freelance writers and I can channel my own experiences into my writing.
Have a lovely day.
Thanks for the update, Tracy! This is much more suitable for our audience. 🙂
An honest and dedicated professional. Always available for my clients . My ethical and moral conduct is what defines me as a personnel. No matter whatever situation life puts me in, I stand for what I believe .
Good for you, Divya! 🙂
If you want to write a pitch about HOW you (and other freelance bloggers) can maintain that kind of integrity in their careers, please feel free to read the instructions for the contest and join in on the fun!
‘Finding my Atheism at the Yale Divinity School’
On the path to becoming a professional academic in the philosophy of religion at the Yale Divinity School, I went from being a progressive Christian to committed atheism. In this guest post, I would discuss the difficult lived experience of navigating my own professional integrity alongside my changing personal beliefs, which spanned over the 2-year course of my program there.
You can read an existential treatment of this experience on my personal website lfbraley.net
I’m sure that you have an interesting tale to tell; however, this topic has absolutely nothing to do with the theme of this contest.
How to Effectively Scream Into the Void (Not at Your Clients)
Ripping your hair out and having a meltdown in front of your freelance writing clients (even virtually!) is a surefire way to lose both your dignity and integrity as a professional writer. Understanding how to effectively manage your emotions before pressing ‘Reply’ to infuriating emails can be a career saver.
1. Never hit reply when upset. Give yourself at least several hours to process and try some of the following techniques to figure out how to handle the situation.
2. Text makes intent difficult to hear on the first try, you may be projecting. Try reading the email as different characters: Sympathetic, angry, cranky old lady, innocent child, and so on.
3. Own your emotions privately. Write out your furious response in all its glory in a safe text box somewhere unconnected to your email to work through all the feelings you’re experiencing.
4. In your actual reply email, focus on what actions need to be taken to rectify a situation. Focus on the business relationship and what needs to change to move forward.
5. If possible, get a trusted professional friend who can tone-check your replies and make sure you’re only including effective content.
Freelance blogging can be a volatile experience, particularly for anyone who isn’t an expert at every single skill involved with the job. Between administration, marketing, contract writing, actually writing, and client communication, there’s bound for something to go wrong at some point and it’s important freelance writers are equipped to maintain integrity when the time comes. As a long-time freelance writer who also deals with depression and anxiety, I’ve used these steps to make the void my best friend instead of mismanaging my emotions directly with clients and losing great business relationships.
Note to Lauren: Ugh, I forgot to click the “follow-up” comments by email checkbox! I feel so foolish. Not sure if you can do that manually for me or provide feedback for me on this comment instead. My apologies for the slip-up.
Hey, Anne!
No problem. 🙂
I like your pitch. I’m a LITTLE concerned about you reaching the 1000+ word count though, since your tips seem a little simple…
However, I think you could easily beef it up (and I know you were limited to only six bullet points by our rules). Not to mention I think that a template for a “rectifying e-mail” (your #4 point!) would be AMAZING. What do you think?
Hey Lauren, I’m glad you like the pitch! Beefing it up is no issue – should I resubmit an alternate version of the outline or is that a note in the event my idea is chosen? 😀
Also, I can definitely come up with a template or two for #4 based on some of my past experiences!
Awesome! I love the template idea.
And, sure! Feel free to reply with another comment further outlining what you intend to do, if you like. I’m sure Sophie would love to see that as well. 🙂
Rather than attempting to broaden the points in my pitch, I have added some details of the studies and sources I’ll be working from. These will each give me plenty of data to ensure each section is clear, compelling, and authoritative – as well as easily hit the 1,000 word mark.
Pitch Take #2:
How to Effectively Scream Into the Void (Not at Your Clients)
Ripping your hair out and having a meltdown in front of your freelance writing clients (even virtually!) is a surefire way to lose both your dignity and integrity as a professional writer. Understanding how to effectively manage your emotions before pressing ‘Reply’ to infuriating emails can be a career saver.
1. Firstly, always follow the golden rule: never hit reply when upset. No matter how ‘right’ you are, lashing out will destroy your dignity and integrity as a professional. Give yourself at least few hours, optimally including a night of sleep if possible. Harvard Business School reports a night of sleep helps you see the positive side of things. This section will explain the psychological aspect of waiting on an important decision.
http://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=49810
2. Next, give the writer the benefit of the doubt by reading the email with different inflections – sympathetic or angry, for example – or even with different characters. Text removes both body language and vocal tone from communication. A study from Journal of Experimental Social Psychology showed we tend to place stereotypes on people. This means intent is difficult to discern properly on the first try. Trying to see from multiple other perspectives may help you find clarity in the intent of the original email in question. This point will explain the psychological elements involved with communicating over email and work through all the possibilities.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022103104001076
https://www.fastcodesign.com/3036748/why-its-so-hard-to-detect-emotion-in-emails-and-texts
Humorous take on this point by Key & Peele with texting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naleynXS7yo
3. If you’re still upset, journaling can be helpful for anger management, when used correctly. In simple cases, you can simply vent out your would-be reply safely to a text box before deleting it and moving on. However, you can employ actual anger management journaling techniques to work through the issue more in-depth privately. This section will provide a journaling template and/or a prompts list to do this.
http://www.gracepointwellness.org/116-anger-management/article/5814-anger-diary-and-triggers
http://www.angermanagementresource.com/journaling.html
4. Now it’s time to craft your reply by focusing on the actions necessary for rectifying the situation. In this section, I’ll provide at least one or two example templates and how to adapt them for different situations. While I’ll be using a lot of my own experience, I’ve included an HBR link with some excellent advice on small tweaks to make as well (such as including ‘Thank you!’).
https://hbr.org/2016/10/how-to-give-negative-feedback-over-email
5. Finally, if possible, get a trusted professional friend who can tone-check your replies and make sure you’re only including effective content. Be sure to ask someone who will give you honest and direct feedback! This section will include specific questions to ask. In the worst case scenario, you can ask Watson 😉
https://www.ibm.com/blogs/watson/2016/02/293/
Freelance blogging can be a volatile experience, particularly for anyone who isn’t an expert at every single skill involved with the job. Between administration, marketing, contract writing, actually writing, and client communication, there’s bound for something to go wrong at some point and it’s important freelance writers are equipped to maintain integrity when the time comes. As a long-time freelance writer who also deals with depression and anxiety, I’ve used these steps to make the void my best friend instead of mismanaging my emotions directly with clients and losing great business relationships.
I like this, but at the moment I’m concerned that it could be too similar to an existing post… Which I can’t find right now to point you to it, but maybe Lauren can dig it up – I think it was a guest post from Cherese Cobb or Ashley Gainer. (It includes an email apology template for when you screw up on a client project.)
I’m still interested in your idea, I’d just want to be sure that you’ve seen our existing post and that there wouldn’t be too much overlap. 🙂
I think Sophie might be thinking of this article: http://beafreelanceblogger.com/freelance-relationship/. (P.S. Sophie and Lauren, my pitch is still stuck in the queue.)
Yep, that’s the one! Thanks, Cherese. 🙂
You’re welcome!
You could also be thinking of this one 🙂 http://beafreelanceblogger.com/epic-fail-template/
Yep – that was another handy apology email! So we have TWO to avoid replicating…
Hey Sophie, totally understandable! I think these will come across as very different. My approach and templates are more about things like negotiating rates, hours, and other client relationship issues.
i.e. Mine is about preventing a relationship from blowing up in the first place even when you feel frustrated or feel wronged by the client, not salvaging after you’ve been the one to mess up.
That makes sense – awesome! 🙂
4 Critical Gut Checks Before Taking on a Client
Every writer has a creative core; a compass guiding them through the clients and topics that excite them, as well as those that don’t sit well with them. This post is going to focus on the latter as I lead you through four easy tests to determine if a client is right for you, before you start writing.
I’m going to walk the reader past four guideposts that determine if a client’s morals and brand align with their personal code of conduct and integrity:
• Mission Statements/Ideology: As freelance writers, not every post we write is going to excite us. That said, even if a client’s mission statement and viewpoint don’t excite you, is there something about it that repels you? Even if it doesn’t outright turn you off, is there something about it that doesn’t sit quite right with you?
• Previously Published Posts: Just as potential clients will use your website or a list of clips to evaluate if you’re a good fit, it’s your prerogative to do the same. Even if there was nothing in a client’s mission statement that rose eyebrows, determine if past clips from their organization align with a tone and ideology you’re comfortable with.
• Listen for Red Flags: Once you’ve gotten past mutual background checks with your client, it may be time for a phone interview to see if you’re onboard and vibe with the client. Often, this is when the client may express, in passing, something that raises a red flag. I remember an interview I once had with a communications firm where a partner expressed, regarding the clients he took on, “how he was able to sleep at night.” For me, this rose a red flag.
• The Ghostwriter Test: After a client’s website and interview check out, the final check on business ethics I do is run a hypothetical in my mind. If I’m ghostwriting for a client, and they asked me last minute to attach my name instead of theirs to the piece, would I be ok with that?
I’m new to the world of freelancing, bouncing between ‘content mills’ and trying my hand at pitching to websites and magazines. It’s led me to write about some funky topics in my attempt to turn my one-time hobby into a way of life. I’m the right person to cover this topic because new writers are often in the thick of testing their own personal ethics against the need to make money, and I can draw on previous experiences “not feeling quite right” about clients in the private sector.
All writers can benefit from go-to checks on balancing their personal and professional brand, and this post offers squeeze tests to apply before the lost hours and wages of doing research for a client one doesn’t feel comfortable writing for.
Hey, Evan!
I really like your tips — all great advice! My only qualm about this pitch is that I’m not sure how you intend to stretch out your tips into a 1000+ word post. I’m hoping you didn’t shoot your wad in the pitch and forget about the actual post! :O
I do see potential for expansion in the “Listen for Red Flags” section however! Would you be willing to elaborate on how you could expand that section? The other sections work fine as headers on their own, but this section has the potential for sub-headers within it — you could easily write six MORE tips on types of red flags that come up that freelance bloggers should avoid. Know what I mean? 🙂
Hi Lauren! Great to get your feedback, thank you. I did some overhauling of my pitch; streamlined it, added one additional “gut check,” detailed how I’ll expand on each topic in the final post, and made it flow better. Thank you for your suggestion and I agree, the “red flags” section will be much expanded on in a final edit.
Gauging Your Gut: 5 Critical Checks Before Taking on a Client
Every writer has a creative core; a compass guiding them through a range of clients and topics, in pursuit of their true north. As freelance writers, navigating this true north can be difficult. All writers will have different values and comfort levels; this post’s purpose is to walk any writer, regardless of personal views, past five easy-to-check guideposts to determine if a client’s brand align with their own.
These squeeze tests are easy to apply for both new and experienced freelancers:
• Mission Statement/Ideology: For this first test, see if you find yourself repelled by a client viewpoint. If your gut responds with malaise to a client’s ideology, back away. For publication, I will go into detail on where to look for ideology cues and how to determine how dogmatic a client’s values are.
• Past Posts as Precedent: Next, review some of their published work. Here I’ll detail ‘checks’ you can apply while reading past client works to see if they align with your comfortability.
• Listen for Red Flags: In this section I’ll highlight some of my personal favorite lines I’ve heard that indicate a client’s values or goals may be on the third rail. This section will be broken into sub-sections on the phrases/words a writer should be listening for, totaling four/five ‘red flag’ cues.
• Ghostwriter Check: Ask yourself, “If my name was attached to this piece, would I be comfortable with its publication?”
• Time Check: Like the ghostwriter check, here we ask the question, “If someone found this ten years from now, would I be ashamed I wrote it?”
I’m new to the freelancing world, bouncing between ‘content mills’ and trying my hand at ‘cold call’ emails. It’s led me to write about some funky topics as I’ve tried to turn a one-time hobby into a way of life. I’m the right person to write this piece because new writers are often short on clients, and short on finances, so any potential work is jumped on. As writers, we don’t have the luxury of time to start writing a piece, only to decide last minute we don’t feel good in our gut about it. This post helps writers decide if they can continue with a client before they invest time.
Nice pitch – thanks, Evan!
Thank s for the opportunity!
An Honest Look at Integrity:
We have all heard the word, but do we really know what “Integrity” means? The dictionary defines “Integrity” as Moral Soundness, but morality is difficult to define. We all have a different standard. Mine comes from the Bible. Whether you believe the teachings of Jesus or not: his philosophy works.
Do unto others… The Rule of Empathy:
The Golden Rule and how it applies to your attitude towards your clients
Also how it applies to your clients’ attitudes towards yourself
The workman is worthy of his hire – Your work deserves reward:
Finding a price that is not only fair to your clients but also fair to you
Grace: The all-encompassing rule:
Your clients are human and make mistakes – be forgiving and tolerant
You are human too – practice forgiving your own mistakes
Tact: the ability to say awful things so nicely that people like it
Grace periods: keep a buffer zone of time and money for emergencies
Jesus hated hypocrites: (Really!) Integrity also means being accountable.
A broken deadline is a broken promise.
Taking responsibility for mistakes means fixing them
Honesty is the ONLY policy
Jesus was killed for His ideas:
Integrity doesn’t just mean being nice: it means being honest and firm about your own beliefs and ideals.
Sometimes that means losing good clients – or watching job opportunities die.
Where do you draw the line? You cannot passionately write about things with which you disagree, so don’t.
Somebody always has to pull their religion into a perfectly innocent blog post. Why? Because we all believe in something – even if that something is Nothing. I believe Integrity needs to be defined, and the above is my definition, and where I find the basis for it. Maybe you believe something else – maybe I’ve caused you to think, or maybe I’ve inspired you to write something in response that will cause me to think. I hope so: Isn’t that the goal?
I welcome all discussion on this topic as well as tips and pointers! I am just getting started and am happy for any advice, as I know almost nothing! (I can admit that here, right?)
As a Christian myself, I thought this was a very unique/interesting take on the subject at hand. So long as you talk specifically to freelance BLOGGERS (and not freelance writers in general), I think it could be very sweet. 🙂
It’ll be Sophie’s call on this one though. I’m not sure if she wants an overtly Christian post here on the blog (it would be a first! And part of her brand involves quite a bit of swearing lol).
Having published four guest posts for BAFB myself, I can testify you aren’t REQUIRED to swear.
lol true. I never swear in any of my posts either. I’m just not sure how Sophie feels about religious stuff (it’s never come up before!).
I mostly run away from overt organised religion… I’m more of a private syncretist agnostic. But this pitch I like, because it makes sense and is helpful. Also, the Bible is a great source of epic quotes! 🙂
Thanks for the thoughts, guys! This post was not designed to “convert” anyone or anything of that sort, but more to show that our innate values are what guide our decisions in all aspects of life and that the teachings of Jesus Christ simply viewed as a wise teacher are a good foundation for integrity. Also, Jesus DID call the Pharisees a”generation of vipers” which is basically calling them a “son of a snake”. Pretty insulting. We have a very similar term in America… So maybe swearing isn’t as bad as we have been lead to think? 🙂
Hi Lauren and Sophie,
Here is my entry for Pitchfest.
‘5 Ways to Uphold Professional Integrity with A Difficult Freelance Client’
When you’re a freelance blogger, dealing with clients can be a challenge. Dealing with a difficult client, on the other hand, is a whole other ball game. Whether it’s a client who has wild expectations or one who is constantly in contact, knowing how to uphold your professional integrity in such situations will strengthen both your business and character.
5 ways to uphold professional integrity with a difficult freelance client
Your definition of integrity will vary depending on your personal values and beliefs. These 5 methods will help you to resolve issues and uphold your reputation as an exceptional freelance blogger.
1. Create your best work
Always show up, give 100% and create incredible content, even if that involves dealing with a difficult freelance client. If you’re selling a service as a freelance blogger who is an expert in their niche, you need to demonstrate that.
2. Be honest
If your client is unhappy with your service due to an error on your part, admit your mistakes. Clients appreciate honesty. Communicate with your client and keep them up to date with your progress.
3. Keep calm
Valuing professional integrity and relationships with clients can be testing but you don’t want to jeopardise your reputation. Don’t argue back or get involved in a war of words. While your natural reaction is to want to defend yourself, keep calm, try to understand their frustrations and don’t take it personally.
4. Provide a solution
Be willing to provide a solution or make a compromise. Work with your client to find an effective resolution. I once had to work with a client who provided an incorrect brief. To resolve the issue, I reworked my content to fit the new brief with no extra charge. As a result, I received an excellent testimonial.
5. Know when to walk away
If a client offers you work on a subject you’re not comfortable with, or they are only willing to pay you half of what you usually charge, don’t be afraid to walk away. Clients that don’t value your work or time are not healthy for your business. Building a roster of fantastic clients requires consideration of your ideal client. Avoiding challenging clients is part of a learning curve on building your freelance blogging business.
This is a great guest post for Be a Freelance Blogger as it covers the topic of maintaining professional integrity and as a freelance blogger/writer, I know how overwhelming it can be when dealing with difficult clients. For new freelance bloggers, learning how to uphold your professional integrity in such situations will maintain your confidence as a service provider and help you to grow your business as you’ll be able to identify great clients much more easily.
Best wishes,
Zoe
Very nice, Zoe. 🙂
“Everyone Thinks They’re A Fundraiser: The Pitfalls of Working for an Elite Private School”
All schools depend on fundraising to provide a quality education for its students. The more expensive the school, the harder it becomes to navigate the entitlement that comes from a body of powerful tuition paying parents.
*”Fundraising as a career”- Yes, people get paid to raise money for non-profits and schools.
*”Fundraising ethics” – People think that fundraisers take money from whoever they can get to write a check. That is not always the case.
*”No means no” Saying no to a 5 figure donation because the ethics behind it have strings attached has happened.
*Quitting a fundraising job because board members cross the ethics lines is the right thing to do. Oftentimes board members, if not led by an ethical president/head, cross best practice lines by getting involved in operations of schools and organizations. Warning signs: secret task forces with no school representatives; task forces running daily operations of a school; endowment donors receiving instructions from board members on how their donor advised funds are being designated, and on….
This would be a great post because fundraising is a very hard career. Everyone thinks its about asking for money, but really it’s about connecting passion and mission. It is a thankless job and the people in these careers do it because they believe in the mission. There are many unethical donors out there and fundraisers and fundraising volunteers need to understand that saying no to accepting a donation with unethical intentions is okay.
I’m sure this would make a great post for SOME publication, but it’s not a good fit for ours as it has nothing to do with freelance bloggers.
This sounds amazing!!:)
x Finja
Personal integrity
We are all human these days and sometimes it’s natural to gain an attraction to a co worker. Sometimes they might even be married male , female. At the end of the day it’s natural to get close to someone you work with alot.
-Finding ways to not be attracted to someone totally off limits
-why are they so nice, the little physical contact, deep eye contact
-Not wanting to be that person to ruin a family, but are they coming onto me?
-I am attracted to them, should I say something or totally zip my lips.
-We live double lives. Work life – Home life. Is everyone like this.
-Will there be a breaking point- or a back off point.
I feel this is a sensitive topic, but also knowing I may not be the only one. Others could relate to this topic and also have questions or get help to not do something crazy. Maybe hearing there thoughts on paper may point them in the right direction. I could be the right person for this topic because hearing others stories could help!
Not sure if this is appropriate or even an angle to go off of, but something real intriguing.
Thank you
Hi, Johni!
These all sound like good basic tips; however, I don’t see how you’re going to apply them specifically to freelance bloggers (our audience).
Why the Erosion of Trust is Dangerous to All Bloggers
After a conference I recently attended, a friend told a disturbing story. They had seen one of our colleagues and asked them why they became an affiliate with a known-to-be-terrible hosting company.
“They gave me an advance,” our colleague said. “Would you turn down free money?”
-I was recently approached by this same company, and turned them down. I will go into the
details of why.
-I work in personal finance, and people already don’t trust the industry. Will include
anecdotal evidence.
-When we do things for the money, we don’t just compromise our own integrity; we
compromise the integrity of the entire field.
-When we promote or participate in get-rich-quick schemes, we typically do harm to our
readers even if we benefit ourselves.
– People actually do need help with their money–a huge portion of Americans can’t afford a
$500 emergency. We need people to consume this content, but they won’t if they don’t trust
us.
-If you’re one of those Americans in a tight financial spot, here’s how to raise your rates and
find great people/companies to work with.
Creatives often don’t get paid enough for the amount of work they do, but that doesn’t mean they should sell out. This post highlights why by focusing on a field that is literally all about money; one I have participated in for over six years. It also helps freelancers figure out how to make more money without selling their souls.
Hey, Femme!
It sounds like you have some good advice to share; however, I’m not really seeing how you’re going to apply said advice specifically to freelance bloggers (our audience). It feels a little too general in some parts and a little to specific to the wrong niche (personal finance) in others.
Dear Zoe, Sophie et al,
Personal integrity is everything. Sometimes it leads you to places you never imagined. I propose writing a post about how I came to grips with a growing societal problem, and how I used my personal integrity to do something about it. Stay with me here, this leads directly into professional blogging integrity.
In the spring of 2016 I was exhausted, frustrated and yes, angry, at the pessimism and negativity I saw all around me. The media, both local and national, contributed to this growing state-of-affairs by constantly running negative stories and rarely any about the good. I decided that I would do something to counter all the the depressing stories that contributed to a sense of malaise and anxiety. I started a blog, The Goodness Principle, that extols the good, and only the good. All of my stories have either happy endings or silver linings. When the blog launched, most people were supportive, but then there were those that said I had a moral “responsibility” to write about the negative too (these comments were politically motivated). I countered that I did not, and if they wanted to focus their energies on the negative, that there were plenty of websites and blogs where they could read disheartening stories and fulfill their need for negative news. Eventually, those people left me alone. I continue to write positive stories, because we can never hear too much about people doing good for one another. Particularly in light of our recent weather-related tragedies, it has never been more true. By sticking to my values and beliefs, I maintained my professional freelance blogging integrity.
Hi, Jeffree!
Nice personal story! Not really seeing a pitch in your comment here though…
How to Maintain Your Professional Integrity Blogging When You Get Something Wrong
We are not perfect, in fact, far from it. If you consider yourself an expert on a topic that you blog about, sometimes you can get something wrong. If that happens, you need to be able to properly rebound and keep your professional integrity.
1.Admit you made a mistake
Admitting that you messed up can be the hardest part of the process. However, it is important to do so because otherwise, you WILL lose your professional integrity.
2. Sincerely Apologize for your error
Apologizing for your mistake is the first chance that you get to start gaining the trust of your audience/client again. A sincere, personal apology is necessary,
3. Don’t make excuses
If you make excuses, you sound like you are not taking responsibility for the mistake. It can make sound unprofessional and unreliable.
4. Empathize that you can understand why they may be frustrated
We have all been in a situation where someone told us something or did something wrong. How did it make you feel? A little empathy goes a long way.
5. Assure them that you will do your best to make sure it never happens again
Assuring your readers/clients that you are going to do everything in your power to avoid making further mistakes is an important step in regaining trust.
6. Thank them for being valued readers/clients.
Letting your readers/clients know that you value the fact that they are giving you an opportunity to a part of their life or business will stay with them long after you say it. They may not remember exactly what you said, but they will remember how it made them feel.
———
I believe that this would be an excellent post for BAFB because every single one of us has made a mistake, therefore making it valuable to everyone from new writers to veterans. No one WANTS to make a mistake, but when you do correcting your error is crucial to your professional integrity as a blogger not just for that client, but for future potential clients as well. I think that I would be a great person to write this post because obviously I have made my fair share of mistakes, and I have attended management classes on maintaining employees/customers, and the rules apply, but just need to be tweaked for freelance writing.
Hey, Frank!
Great pitch! So long as you tailor this specifically for freelance bloggers, I think you’ll really have something nice here.
I’d love it if you could craft a template for the “apology” section as an example of what a good/professional apology looks like. Would you be open to doing that if you get chosen?
I’d also be interested in some of your tips from a “manager” standpoint. If you can apply what you learned in your management classes to freelance bloggers, that would be a very unique take we haven’t seen here on the blog before. I could easily see this being applied to the “don’t make excuses” section (perhaps an example of common excuses and how freelance bloggers can reword them to NOT be excuses…?). I also know from my own (limited) manager experience that there are great tips that could be used in the “empathy” section as well…
I see a lot of potential in this idea — I just need to be sure you can reach that 1000+ word count, you know what I mean?
Hi, Lauren! Thank you for your kind words. I am going to elaborate a little bit, and I will be sure to touch on your points as I go.
I believe that the things that I took away from the multiple manager classes I attended can indeed be applied to freelance blogging. This is going to sound SUPER cliche (haha), but it is true. The things I learned in those classes were themed around “managing a business,” or a particular part of the business, for example, I was the Training Manager at Ibex Global, a telemarketing company. But the lessons gained there really apply to every aspect of our lives. It is for that reason that I think it could easily be applied to the topic of freelance blogging, especially since during my six years as a writer I have encountered a wide range of situations and people.
As for the apology point that I made in my pitch, many of the other points tie into the “apology” of it all. If you would like an example, I could write a whole section on crafting JUST the apology.
-As a freelance blogger it doesn’t matter if you are talking to a fan base of 1,000,000 people through your blog, or a client on the phone or through email/messaging, your “tone” can help show that you are sincere. That can be broken down based on your tone (phone) or word choice ( Both.)
-Empathy is another part of the apology. You NEED to have it in there because it helps people understand that you see their point of view. Excellent way to diffuse a situation. (Learned that in management class) For example, “Mr. Client, I can absolutely understand why you are upset. I KNOW how important that deadline was for you.” That is just the opener in MOST cases, you have to prepare for a full-on conversation.
I like what you said about turning excuses into non-excuses. That IS another tool that I learned during my management courses. It all ties back into language — which is what we do best. We all know how to communicate our thoughts and ideas into words, heck, that is what we do for a living. However, sometimes personal interactions really bother some people, and they may be a master wordsmith in WordPress and not so well when talking to someone directly.
In this case. I would use some of the techniques like “dealing with difficult customers/agents” and things along those lines to help teach a method of apologizing when we DO mess up that will leave our fan base or clients in a better mood than they were in before we spoke with them.
I was also thinking of adding a section at the end that explains the benefits of apologizing and maintaining your professional integrity at the bottom. The hope is (if I get picked) I can help encourage freelance bloggers to strive for professionalism. We have ALL seen far too many people in this field just simply not care about anything, the quality of their content, the work, the clients, their blog fans/subscribers, nothing. It gives us a bad name, in my opinion. If we are able to show clients/fans that we are not like the rest and that we are willing to accept our mistakes and work through them like adults.
OOPS. Accidentally clicked it when I was on the last sentence. 😛 Anyway.
“If we are able to show clients/fans that we are not like the rest and that we are willing to accept our mistakes and work through them like adults we are doing our part to revive the wonderful job title of “Freelance Blogger” that many have taken for granted.”
Thank you guys for your time! 🙂
OOPS. Accidentally clicked it when I was on the last sentence. 😛 Anyway.
…work through them like adults we are doing our part to revive the wonderful job title of “Freelance Blogger” that many have taken for granted.
Thank you guys for your time! 🙂
Hey Frank! This was a great pitch – but the apology angle has been covered in a previous post. That said, if you focus on the management stuff you outlined in your follow up comments, I think we’d still have an awesome post here. 🙂
Hi! Not a problem, Sophie! I can easily shift the focus to the management aspect and tailor the tips specifically towards freelance bloggers.
There are tons of different aspects (outlined above) that relate to freelance blogging and maintaining your professional integrity. After all, as a freelance blogger you ARE your own boss (manager.) 🙂
Hi again, Sophie! I was reading my response to you, and I feel like I didn’t flesh out my point to the extent that I would have preferred…so I am going to try again. Lol
—-
I understand that the apology angle has already been taken. So here is what I was thinking. As opposed to maintaining your professional integrity when you mess up, I was thinking more along the lines of a “guide.”
“Guide to Maintaining Your Professional Integrity Like a Manager,” something along those lines.
The guide aka piece of content would basically be me talking through ways to maintain your professional integrity as a freelance blogger, as specified, with a “management-style” spin. I would use everything I’ve learned in my numerous management classes and lectures to explain to people not just how to keep your professional integrity intact, but the positive impact it will have on your career as a freelance blogger overall.
It would be based around topics such as time management, discipline, delegation (if applicable), being organized, and how to correct mistakes if they do occur. Since the apology angle has already been done here before I would only touch on it. The meat and potatoes would focus on how to “show up” to your computer every day to work with the mindset of a manager.
I think this would be beneficial for your readers because let’s be honest, every single one of us have areas of opportunity. Having a “manager mindset” as a freelance blogger means being able to identify our areas of opportunity and grow from them in exciting ways that we never thought possible.
I hope this clears things up. Thank you so much for your time! 🙂
–Frank
PS: “Areas of Opportunity” is manager speak for “things we need to improve on. 🙂
Dear Lauren and Sophie,
This is my first time attempting to do something like this. Here is my pitch:
Maintaining professional integrity is simple. It’s not complicated. There are no gimmicks or tricks that will help you do it. No amount of “Top Ten Secrets” blogger lists will contain the unknown recipe. Everybody wants a quick read to explain the secrets of success – “Professional integrity is as easy as following these FIVE, simple steps!”
Integrity cannot be exploited or created. Maintaining professional integrity is holding on to the inspiration that drove you to the place you are in now. It is exhibiting the humble humility of your heroes that nurtured you to believe the world isn’t such greedy, scary place.
You are a “professional” because you have developed more than adequate skills to do your job. Congratulations. You know how to create content that will drive numbers through the sky. Great! You are an expert on how to market your beautifully curated website. With offers coming in left and right, how do you keep it all kosher, and resist temptations that aren’t “technically” aligning with your original values that brought you this great success and happiness?
Ask yourself this question – “At what price would I discard my unique goodness? At what price would I let my heroes down?”
Hi, Victoria!
I like what you said here, but I’m not really seeing a “pitch” in this comment. It seems like you said all you had to say…
“You Don’t Have To Sell Your Soul To Work For A Content Mill”
Content mills have a bad reputation, and let’s face it, some of them deserve it. For people just starting out or looking to fill some gaps, this can be daunting! Don’t worry, you can still write for content mills and keep your sanity, soul AND professional integrity.
1. Don’t like it? Don’t write it!
You’re going to run across topics that make you squeamish, enrage you, and possibly even make you lose your faith in humanity. I look at it this way: If you would not in good conscience give this advice to a loved one, don’t write it!
2.Be Wise – Don’t Plagiarize.
If a company is asking you to take an article and ‘spin it’ for their content, stay away. They basically want to you rip the other person’s hard work and research and not create your own original works. While there’s always someone willing to do things the lazy way, that’s not you!
3. Do Good Research For Your Posts
While most content mills are ghostwriting for other companies, there’s always a chance you can use rejected materials for your own portfolio. Besides, even if your name isn’t on it, don’t you still want posts out there you’re proud of?
4. Don’t Flood Topics With Posts
On some platforms, a company can put up a topic and then several writers can take a shot at it. The problem is, the more writers for one topic there is, the less chance anyone gets paid! If you see posts already, it’s probably best to move on, even if it’s something you like.
5. Be Nice To Your Fellow Writers
Most of these sites have a forum or chat of some sort that you can talk to other writers on. By keeping things pleasant, cordial, and polite, not only can you make new friends but you can learn of new resources, opportunities, and create networks.
6. Know When To Say No
When you’re just starting out, or you’re in a squeeze, it can feel awful turning down posts and walking away from deadlines. Remember: You’re only human, you can only do so much, and if you can’t produce the best piece possible for the job, then why bother?
As a freelance writer who’s just starting out, I’ve seen dozens of horror stories about content mills. I am currently working for a couple mills myself as I work on building up my portfolio and experience in order to land higher-paying private gigs. I think this post would be great for BAFB because it could help newbies just starting out — and people looking to fill in famine gaps — that even though SOME content mills are evil, not all of them are. They can still be a great place to help hone skills and keep the bills afloat, without having to completely debase yourself!
Hey, Deirdera!
You wrote a great pitch! We generally tell our readers to stay away from content mills at all costs though, so I’m not sure if Sophie will dig this one. You have an interesting perspective though, so we’ll see!!
Side note: Love that you have Reno from FFVII as your avatar. <3
That kind of actually ties in to the whole theme of my pitch, honestly.. most people avoid content mills like the plague! I’ve been lucky enough to find a couple that treat their writers decently and pay well, so they aren’t ALL horrid. I hope she likes the idea, as kind of a one-off thing maybe.. If not, I can always put it somewhere else, it IS a really good idea. Thanks for the inspiration!
Also, Reno has to be one of my all-time fav video game characters.. I’ve got a thing for snarky redheads, might be because I am one! 🙂
How are we defining “pay well” here? If you’re earning at least 10 cents per word or $25 per hour, then I’m interested to hear about your content milling!
There’s a fine, yet blurry, and definitely wiggly line between content mills (which treat you like a commodity vending machine) and content agencies (which treat you like a human, help you develop your skills, and pay a rate you can survive on).
I’ll admit, starting out with no experience, coming from working fast food and retail, and having had many sites reject me for not having any experience, what i’m making is ‘paid well’ to me. Compared to what you’re talking about, though… maybe not AS much. Hm.
I have seen many horror stories about a lot of the content mills out there, and the two sites that I work for right now seem to treat their writers better than the others… I see what you mean about the difference between a mill and an agency, I guess I still have a long way to go!
If the pitch won’t work that’s fine, I’ll polish it up and use it as a portfolio piece on LinkdIn or something.
You wouldn’t happen to know any content agencies who work with writers that have less than a year’s experience in the field, would you?
Honestly? If a content agency cares more about counting the months than about your work quality and professional commitment, then they’ve missed the point. What if I had fifty years of experience but had only written two crappy posts per year? 😉
I’ve watched many of my students go from zero to $100 per post in less than a year. I think the bigger question is why you’re looking for agencies instead of approaching potential clients direct. What’s holding you back?
I’d love to see you come back NEXT Pitchfest to tell us how you raised your rates by finding your own clients. 🙂
“Inspiring Your Readers With Your Blogs”
Whether you are an existing blogger or starting new, your posts always have some purpose for the readers. Blogs are more or less creating awareness to people about someone or something and hence it becomes a social responsibility. This is where professional integrity comes in the picture. You do not want to misguide your readers with incorrect information or inspire them for something unethical for the society, nation or whole world.
Here are some guidelines you must follow to ensure that your blogs uphold the integrity factor:
1. Choose the topic carefully
2. Research the facts and understand the subject thoroughly
3. Who is your target audience/readers?
4. How can the readers benefit from your blog?
5. Examples and how they are relevant
6. Sharing the blog to right platforms
Hi, Kiran!
Could you expand on each of your points so that this is a more in-depth pitch? Right now, I’m worried that you don’t have enough to say about this topic to stretch it out to the 1000+ word count minimum.
Also, it seems like you’re writing this for bloggers in general rather than freelance bloggers. Most of our readers don’t own their own blogs, they simply get paid to write for OTHER people’s blogs…
Professional Integrity Idea:
Politicians In General
This will benefit Freelancers enormously and here’s how. The discussion will be about the integrity about politicians, and especially about Donald Trump, and whether or not he even has integrity or not. I’m sure there’s political bloggers that’ll love to fave such a discussion. And apologies if the connection to freelance blogging isn’t clear here, but best I could do. Mostly do tech reviews on my blog anyways..
I’m afraid you’re right: the relationship between this and freelance blogging isn’t clear. Sorry. 🙁
HEADLINE: “Integrity” Means “Completeness”: Secrets of Being 100% Honest and Dependable as a Blogger—While Still Loving Yourself and Your Work
Do you want to be known as a freelance blogger with integrity?
Are you committed to all that “integrity” implies? It’s not JUST about never telling a lie, or being open about your and your clients’ goals, or even finishing everything by deadline …
OUTLINE:
I. The real implications of “integrity”: it implies soundness and thoroughness as well as honesty, and there’s a lot more to thoroughness than editing and re-editing.
II. Being honest with your clients: what you can and can’t deliver, where you see potential conflicts of interest, things you won’t do for any amount of pay. When to post an “I don’t do …” on your website; how to negotiate with a prospect; when and how to refer them to another blogger.
III. Being honest with yourself: knowing your personal values and where your boundaries are. The self-affirming side of honesty, and why “fake it till you make it” needn’t be a breach of integrity.
IV. How to be blameless without feeling compelled to be perfect: leaving time for sufficient editing, staying on schedule, knowing when to take a break, and what to do when sticking word-for-word to the original agreement is no longer an option. (That last point will include mention of the hurricanes that disrupted much of the “normal” in southeast Texas and Florida in late summer 2017.)
WHY THIS POST? WHY THIS WRITER?
My name is Katherine, and I’m a semi-recovering perfectionist: a very common struggle among bloggers and other creative types whose natural fondness for detail makes us scrupulously honest (good) and obsessed with getting everything “just right” (not so good). Fellow freelance bloggers will benefit from what I have learned, through experience, about maintaining integrity without nurturing an “if I’m not perfect honesty compels me to admit I’m not really very good” complex.
Seems like a good idea so far… Would you mind expanding it so that it’s six points instead of just four? Or perhaps elaborate a little bit on the tips you plan to share with freelance bloggers in the four sections you already provided?
I gather you aren’t sure this is enough material to fill out 1,000 words (although I have a “tell all you know” gift that could probably get at least 750 words out of ONE of these points). I could add a couple of sections on being thorough in research and editing, but that feels a bit like trying to force a straight “how-to” into what’s largely a “right attitude” outline. Maybe if I divided each of the four points into three subheads?
I. The Real Implications of “Integrity”
A. Etymology and history of the word
B. “Complete” and “whole” as the primary implications
C. Why you can’t necessarily call a piece “complete” when the typos are gone
II. Being Honest with Your Clients
A. Matters of judgment: Will you have time to complete their requests and deliver excellent work? How do you explain–without hurting your professional image–that someone is asking for the impossible?
B. Matters of ethics: Types of jobs you won’t do, and how to go about making that known. What to do if you see a potential conflict of interest. If someone asks for something illegal or offensive, should you try to educate them?
C. Matters of professional relationships: when and how to refer a prospect to another blogger, and how to keep the lines open if you still want to work with that prospect yourself in the future.
III. Being Honest with Yourself
A. Knowing your personal values and what would definitely violate them, while keeping an open mind willing to consider other points of view. What to do if a work inquiry just gives you bad vibes.
B. Knowing your limitations, setting your boundaries, and knowing when to say “no” to your own impulses. Leaving space to keep up learning and marketing while you’re at your busiest. C. Being honest with yourself without devaluing yourself: why “fake it till you make it” needn’t be a breach of integrity.
IV. How to Be Blameless Without Being a Toxic Perfectionist
A. How to plan, with adequate time margin, so you do your best on every project; how to avoid fooling yourself into promising too much.
B. You work faster with frequent breaks: hints for pacing yourself while staying on schedule and making the best use of your peak energy levels.
C. What to do when sticking word-for-word to the original agreement is no longer an option (e. g., a hurricane knocks out the power to your computers and floods the streets so you can’t get to an alternate worksite).
Wonderful! Exactly what I was looking for. Thank you!! 😀
Great pitch as usual, Katherine! 🙂
Pitch: How to Procrastinate Productively
You know you’re going to put things off as you write, so here’s how you can keep your integrity even as you procrastinate.
1. Factor in procrastination when you negotiate your deadlines. It’s normal to spend an hour or two browsing the internet . How long do you usually procrastinate? Be realistic and factor that in when you’re negotiating your deadlines.
2. Get off the computer when you procrastinate. Go for a walk, prepare a meal, or clean your desk. At least you’ll get something important done .
3. Assess how you spend your time when you procrastinate so you can try to notice patterns. Try to reduce activities that really don’t help you advance your career or well-being.
4. If applicable, work on your personal projects. If you write for pay but are also working on a novel, short stories, or a screenplay, then procrastinate by working on these projects for a few minutes.
5. Outline your next projects. Say you have various deadlines, if you’re not excited about your current project then start on the next one.
6. Remember that boredom can help you write better. It’s well-documented that many of the world’s best ideas occur to their makers when they’re in the shower or doing nothing.
Eventually you should get your work done within agreed-upon deadlines. Procrastinating productively is not a substitute for getting things done on time, but it’s about realizing that you’re not a machine. Taking any pauses in your work into account will help you maintain your integrity and sanity as you work.
Good tips, Ingrid! But could you tell us how you’re going to apply these to freelance bloggers specifically rather than just freelancers/workers in general…?
These are indeed good tips – I feel like they’re not directly professional integrity tips, though, except to the extent that doing your job productively is an element of professionalism in general.
Hi Sophie and Lauren!
Today, I’d like to pitch you a post that will help to dispel the myth for your readers that reaching your maximum earning potential and maintaining your professional integrity is an either/or proposition. It’s tentatively called “Why You Don’t Have to Choose Between Doing the Right Thing and the Profitable Thing”.
In the movies, the heroes decide whether to do the right thing, or take the money and run. Our decisions in freelancing can look similar–do I take the lucrative blogging gig, even though the client makes me queasy? Or do I starve with integrity? This is a false dichotomy, however. Acting with integrity is actually the best way to earn the most money.
In my post, I will discuss:
A. Why Do We Think It’s Either/Or?
1. Our culture has weird guilt about earning well. We think you need to choose to either be greedy magnate Lex Luthor, or humble reporter Clark Kent.
2. When you’re starting out, you probably won’t have more than enough gigs to choose from. Turning down bad gigs means losing money–but only in the beginning of your career.
B. My Story
1. I had a potential client recently who was offering lots of work at good rates–but was a dumpster fire of a person. In one meeting, he managed to insult working mothers, my religion, and people with mental health issues.
2. Having just lost my biggest contract, I was desperate for work, and sorely tempted to ignore his issues and just take the paycheck.
3. I realized that I was framing the question wrong–it wasn’t “can I afford to act on my principles”, it was “can I afford not to?”
C. Why “Shady Practices” and “Earning Well” Rarely Go Together in Reality
1. The clients that act shady but promise big payouts may not come through. I realized that if my client had so quickly offended me, he may well offend his next potential investor.
2. A client who disrespects others will inevitably do the same to you when it suits them.
3. It’s easy to justify ignoring your integrity in the short term until you can “afford” to be choosy in the future, but bad work tends to beget more bad work.
4. Ignoring your business integrity will always have consequences, and they may be expensive ones.
I think your audience in particular would love this, because it reframes a common moral problem for freelance bloggers into a financial one. Instead of trying to decide whether acting with integrity is worth the financial loss, my piece will show readers how they can treat it as a business investment.
I am a freelance blogger and copywriter, and you can see samples of my work here [ https://medium.com/@nickyknacks/hey-boomers-a-millennial-here-can-we-talk-4b8c7cca450d#.x5eosr25h ] or here at http://www.nicolehallberg.com. I have previously written for Vox, Freelance Mom, Kinkly, and Raging Chicken Press.
Thank you for considering my post! Shall I write you a draft?
Awesome pitch, nicely done! 🙂
Hi there! Apologies for the duplicate comment. This is the same pitch as before, but includes everything (I tried to edit after posting but there was no option for this, which is totally my fault).
Pitch: How to Procrastinate Productively
You know you’re going to put things off as you write, so here’s how you can keep your integrity even as you procrastinate.
1. Factor in procrastination when you negotiate your deadlines. It’s normal to spend an hour or two browsing the internet . How long do you usually procrastinate? Be realistic and factor that in when you’re negotiating your deadlines.
2. Get off the computer when you procrastinate. Go for a walk, prepare a meal, or clean your desk. At least you’ll get something important done .
3. Assess how you spend your time when you procrastinate so you can try to notice patterns. Try to reduce activities that really don’t help you advance your career or well-being.
4. If applicable, work on your personal projects. If you write for pay but are also working on a novel, short stories, or a screenplay, then procrastinate by working on these projects for a few minutes.
5. Outline your next projects. Say you have various deadlines, if you’re not excited about your current project then start on the next one.
6. Remember that boredom can help you write better. It’s well-documented that many of the world’s best ideas occur to their makers when they’re in the shower or doing nothing.
Eventually you should get your work done within agreed-upon deadlines. Procrastinating productively is not a substitute for getting things done on time, but it’s about realizing that you’re not a machine. Taking any pauses in your work into account will help you maintain your integrity and sanity as you work.
Why this is important for freelance bloggers/Why me:
Ideally, we shouldn’t procrastinate on our projects or other part of our lives that need to be taken care of. However, the struggle with balancing work and play can sometimes lead to procrastination, as can bad habits we’ve cultivated since our childhood. I’ve struggled with this issue personally, have been able to find techniques that work for me, and would like to share them with fellow writers.
Sorry, Ingrid, I’m still not feeling the integrity connection…
How to maintain your professional integrity while building your career.
Learning how to do something new can be difficult especially when learning to handle clients. Being a freelance blogger is like being a successful hairdresser – you get to uphold all your professional integrity while handling your varied clients. Some will be fun and some will be difficult.
Steps to uphold your professional integrity with all clients
1. Set your own professional standards
Before you can produce work for anyone else you first must decide what kind of professional standards work for you…..what is ok for you to talk about, what is not. As a leader in my own chosen field I have learnt it is important to know how to say no, politely and with conviction. You are the professional and people come to you for professional advice so be that for them. Finish what you start within the time frame.
2. Do not take everything personal
My gosh this is a big one. Learn to see it from all angles and you know you may even laugh about it. We all make mistakes and your client may just have said something completely different to what they are asking for now and you know what its your job to give them what they have asked for (painful as it might be). I have found with many past experiences (you know that one client that everybody says I’m not doing it or sneakily moves the appointment over to your column) if you retain your professionalism and calmly work to fix the problem then they will love you forever.
3. Realizing what is your greatest potential
I do believe that within each one of us we have a unique gift and we need to acknowledge this. Is your greatest ability telling fantastic descriptive stories or are you the go to person when something needs to be fixed in the workplace? Do not underestimate yourself. If your funny be funny if your serious be serious – as long as you stay flexible.
4. Learn to take knock backs
Cold calling, rejection letters, putting yourself out there is hard. It’s your ego on the line and its not easy when someone doesn’t agree with you or like your work. It doesn’t matter if your behind the computer or in front of a crowd it still can be soul destroying. One way if you get lots of rejection is to find someone who you admire and see if they can give you feed back and ask for honest feedback. When I ran reports on our staff involving their work performance based on industry KPIs it wasn’t to slap them on the wrist it was to see if anyone needed extra training or help in any way. Now if I hadn’t taught them to see this as a growth experience they would of all crumbled and quit! It is how you see things.
I believe that this would be a great post for Be A Freelance Blogger as life should be enjoyable and sometimes all it takes is to learn a few easy steps on how to handle yourself when pushed outside your comfort zone to a place where you can be yourself. After spending a lifetime within the hair and beauty industry both working along side, leading and coaching team members as well as personally pleasing thousands of clients I have come to learn that there are steps/methods that you can apply to your chosen profession. Steps I know you can apply to any career.
cheers Vicky
A hairdresser’s tips for freelance bloggers…you know, I like how that sounds! But I feel like the integrity theme isn’t deep enough here, and the tips aren’t specifically designed for freelance bloggers – knowing your potential and learning to take knockbacks are more what I’d call basic work survival skills for any career.
So, here is my pitch (thank you for reading it!)
Headline: How to monetize your blog with integrity
Bloggers need to pay their bills. Yes, blogging is all about writing what you love, and yet, there is a cost of doing it. But how to monetize your blog without ruining your professional integrity? This is what we are going to discuss in this article.
POINTS:
1. Choose the right products
2. Remember: you aren’t an online shop
3. Add your links or banners carefully
4. Ask someone else to read your posts
5. Listen to your readers’ complaints
Selling a product on your blog doesn’t need to be the same as selling your soul. But the struggle is real. I write articles for a few clients that pay me fixed fee + sales commission, and I know the pain. It is hard to keep my values in check knowing that I can make more money if their readers buy more.
Don’t worry; there is a way to do it. We don’t need to choose between joining the Dark Side of the Force or starve to death. And after dealing with it for over three years, I would like to share my experience and tips with Be a Freelance Blogger’s readers.
Did the rest of your pitch get lost in the comments form? Or were you finished…?
From what I read here, I’d say this pitch sounds interesting but not a good fit for the majority of our audience, who just want to get paid a fair rate to write for their clients.
Hi Sophie! Yes, I thought it was finished, but I can tell now that it was poorly written and not fit for your audience.
This was my first pitch ever and I have learned a lot from all tips I’ve read. Will do better next time, thank you very much!
You’re very welcome – and thanks for joining in! I hope we’ll see you again for the *next* Pitchfest in December. 🙂
Hello Lauren and Sophie!
here is my entry for Pitchfest!
“Blogging Integrity: Why it Matters and The Mistakes You Need to Avoid”
Starting a blog is an exciting decision; blogging can be a great way to express yourself, connect with people all over the world and it can also become a profitable source of income. However, being a freelance blogger takes a lot of passion and hard work and making your blog profitable takes a lot of time and dedication. Creating a blog simply to make money violates the trust your readers put in you. Readers turn to a blog because they are looking to read something authentic; being a blogger with a certain influence means you can provide your audience with what they need but it also means holding yourself to a certain standard of ethics.
This is why blogging integrity is important.
Unfortunately, when some people “make it” they forget just how important integrity is as they don’t want to lose clients. But people need to know whether they can trust you or not; if they think you’re not trustworthy anymore, you lose your readers. In the long run, it’s much better to lose a client rather than lose your readers.
Here are the mistakes you should avoid in order to keep your integrity as a freelance blogger.
1) Always Give Honest Reviews
This is a no brainer; people expect honest opinions about a product. While it’s true that the same products may not work for everyone, in some cases fake reviews are glaringly obvious and it isn’t uncommon for bloggers to give great reviews to products they don’t actually believe in. Which brings me to…
2) Only Reccomend Products or Services You’ve Actually Tried Out
Yes sure, you might get an affiliate commission when you post a link to something you can buy online. However, readers are usually only interested in something that is tried and tested. Do you like Bluehost or Siteground as your webhosting and want to recommend them to users, perhaps with an affiliate link? That’s totally fine, but only do so if you’ve actually tried the service and enjoy it. Readers will take your advice if they trust you because they really believe you are recommending what you think is best for you, not just for them.
3) Use Affiliate Programs Wisely
Especially if you’re just starting out, don’t sign up for as many affiliate programs as you can. Pick a few which you actually believe in, otherwise your site will definitely look like you’re just trying to make money.
4) Be Honest About Your Endorsements
Always disclose whether a product has been sent to you for free or whether you are receiving money/compensation for a review or an affiliate link. While you may feel as though this doesn’t change your perception of the product or service, your readers will feel betrayed if you don’t disclose this information.
5) Always Disclose the Sources You Use
Are you directly citing another blog or using someone else’s photographs? Credit your sources. Passing off photos or other information as your own is super shady and dishonest. Even when photos are public domain or licensed with creative commons, it’s still common courtesy to credit the photographer.
This is a great guest post because it covers the topic of how to maintain integrity as your blog grows and you actually “make it” as a freelance blogger. Maintaining integrity as a professional blogger will allow you to have a large following of readers who trust you because you are always honest in what you do and write.
Best wishes!
Martina
Great pitch, Martina!
Thanks!
Good pitch, but only a small fraction of our audience is interested in affiliate marketing. I’m sure you could find this post a good home on an internet marketing or work-from-home site, though!
I will do anything for a paycheck, but I won’t do that…
Hopefully that headline was read in the tune of a Meatloaf Song.
Whether one has her/his own blog or freelances only, topics can vary from politics to family life. While one wants to be honest and authentic to the audience, sometimes personal life can be strained because of such realness. Bloggers need to maintain their integrity to their spouses, friends, and family when writing about personal or topics relating to people they know.
-Consider feelings of the husband/wife referenced in the article. Is this something they want known to the world?
-Will feedback from the article warrant too much controversy to handle?
– Will this information shared come back around to haunt your loved one?
– How personal is too personal?
-What tone are you setting? A learning experience or making light/fun?
My family would be embarrassed by a published blog about their quirks, and trumps taking the check. Writing on a personal blog with 80 followers is different than a business asking you to write about your drunk family for their reading pleasure. Integrity means everything when you get that offer and it doesn’t sit right in your gut.
I get the idea, but I’m not getting the advice you plan to include. Can you expand your point by point outline to show us what exactly you advise and how freelance bloggers will benefit?
How to Keep Your Editorial Integrity When Writing Promotional Blog Posts
Clients don’t want to publish blog posts just for the sake of publishing. They want to their blog posts to sell their brand and their products. As a freelance blogger, it’s your job to promote your client’s brand and products, while still ensuring a quality blog post. These six tips will help you strike that balance:
1. Focus on the benefits, not features
Clients often have a laundry list of features they want mentioned about their products. But how do these features and statistics actually help your audience? Your blog post should delve into these benefits.
2. Tell a story
Using cliches and false claims about a product will immediately turn your audience off. Help them see the bigger picture and structure your blog post as a narrative with the audience as the protagonist.
3. Put yourself in your audience’s shoes
Why is this topic relevant to your audience? Why should they care? You can’t just tell them that your client’s products or services will help them. You need to show them how.
4. Enlist the help of a subject matter expert
Sometimes the claims of a brand aren’t enough to convince your audience of a product’s value. Seek the input of an outside thought leader, someone your audience will see as an expert and who they trust. A quote or two from them will bring legitimacy to your blog post.
5. Make sure your post is compliant
If you’re ever asked to write a sponsored post, you need to follow a set of specific guidelines from the FTC. Be sure to read up on these regulations to ensure you’re being compliant. Also, always remember to be open and honest with your audience about the nature of the post you’re writing.
6. Think long term
While your client may have immediate goals for the post you’re writing, you’ll also want to consider the long-term goals for the piece. How can you turn your promotional post into a quality article that will continue to benefit your client in the future? Focus on providing evergreen content that both fulfills your client’s immediate needs and produces a quality piece.
This would be a good post for Be a Freelance Blogger because freelance bloggers need to know how to maintain the integrity of their writing while getting paid to fulfill a need for a client. I am a marketing copywriter, and the blog posts I have written in that capacity all need to have a delicate balance of being both promotional and quality work. Freelance bloggers who know how to do this will be better equipped to write blog posts their clients are happy with.
Oh, yep, I like this idea a lot. Well pitched!
In this pitch I use the words “Proposal” and “Contract” interchangeably. Either works.
More examples would be added to fulfill the 1,000 word requirement.
A sample Proposal Template would be provided for reference and future use.
_____________________________________________
A Well-Written Proposal Can Shine a Light on Your Professional Integrity
Any experienced freelancer can tell tales of beginner mistakes and lessons learned. Most mistakes I made when I started as a freelancer 20 years ago, could have been avoided if I had chosen to carefully write a proposal instead of providing a quick estimate. A proposal (or contract) is typically viewed as a “cover-your-ass” tool, but it can also serve to develop and support your reputation as a professional with integrity. Follow the structure of the Proposal Template attached and use it to:
SET THE TONE
• The mere fact that you start the relationship with a detailed proposal instead of a quick estimate says, from the very beginning, that you intend to be open and thorough in your communication.
• Labeling a proposal “Confidential” reassures the client that you are trustworthy and that any negotiations or disclosed information between you and the client will not be shared with others.
MANAGE EXPECTATIONS
• The conditions you specify (examples) will help avoid potential misunderstandings. Clients will appreciate that you value the relationship enough to leave no room for assumptions that could lead to dissatisfaction on either end.
• An abandonment clause shows that you will be fair and you will do right by the client in the case of necessary abandonment. (example scenarios: Advanced notification in writing when possible, recruiting another freelancer to finish the job…) Clients will see you as dependable and feel assured that you will not leave them in a bind.
DEFINE YOUR BOUNDARIES & YOUR VALUES
• Written policies show clients upfront where your boundaries are (example: specifying additional charges if revisions exceed 3 rounds of changes), but they are also an opportunity to display your values. For example, offering discounts or money back when you can’t fulfill your commitments or when you don’t deliver to your own expected standards, shows that you are honorable and can be expected to “do the right thing”.
• A copyright disclaimer shows that you respect copyright laws and use ethical practices.
_________________________________
This article would be very appropriate for readers of “Be a Freelance Blogger” who presumably don’t have the experience of either being a blog writer, a freelancer, or both. They are more than likely seeking advice that can help them succeed, and this post will guide them in creating a valuable tool that will help them avoid some common beginner mistakes as well as representing you as a professional with integrity.
________________________________
This my first pitch… ever! I have 20+ years freelancing as a Creative Director/designer/illustrator. I enjoy writing as well and have ended up writing the copy on certain projects in the past, but this is my first attempt at getting published. I am testing the waters here. : )
I see where you’re going, but I have a problem with the idea of using “proposal” and “contract” interchangeably.
A proposal is something you write pre-acceptance to explain what you can do for the client and what they can expect from you. The client can tell you if they’d like you to change it, but they never write the proposal for you.
A contract is something you sign on acceptance of a proposal or assignment, that lays out the legal terms and conditions of the work. The client can request edits to the contract or simply ask you to sign one they’ve already prepared.
You’re Not in My Office, You Couldn’t Be Doing the Work I Paid For:
10 Ways to Prove Your Worth Without Groveling
This post will be about how you can prove you work ethically and efficiently. Many potential clients are concerned with bloggers being able to complete work that is up to snuff in a timely fashion. It’s our job as a blogger to creatively pushback and engender more trust. Tips to gain that trust are:
1. Show up/call on time for preliminary appointments.
2. Schedule initial meetings via a medium the prospect is comfortable with.
3. Give references – satisfied clients are sure to put an uncomfortable prospect at ease.
4. Provide samples of your work early on. You can pitch all you want but holding samples back will damage your credibility.
5. Keep your online presence professional. A client searching for you online may be turned off if you have searchable social profiles or a website that is less than professional, or downright vulgar.
6. Once you secure the job, inspire confidence by working to set up reasonable deadlines.
7. Be early for deadlines. Sure, on time is great but being just a little bit early impresses.
8. Be available. Stay reachable by email and/or phone. Okay well, it’s the 21st Century, be reachable by the preferred means of communication.
9. Be willing to say no. If a client makes a request that you feel will negatively impact them, say no but explain why.
10. Be willing to walk away. Sometimes relationships just don’t work. When you don’t click, you need to know when to walk away.
This is interesting – especially because as freelancers we’re entitled to do our work when and how we want, as long as we deliver what we promised by the due date. There’s a balance between building trust with a a client and trying yourself to unnecessary limitations, and it looks like you’ve found some straightforward ways to maintain that balance.
The only thing that’s missing here is your explanation of who you are and why we should hire you to write this post.
The Connection Between Integrity and Long-term Success
While it is certainly important for a writer to have a grasp of grammar and language, other factors are also crucial to success. Integrity is an integral part of a writers ability to provide quality and value to clients and is instrumental to long-term success.
1) What is the textbook definition of Integrity and what does that mean. The concept of integrity involves ethics, morality, values and a person’s sense of right and wrong.
2) Showing integrity, in all aspects of life, has health benefits because immoral actions can hurt both mental and physical health.
3) Showing integrity with associates and clients is instrumental to building trust, and ultimately, a writers reputation. Integrity is not only doing what is right but also ensuring that promises and deadlines are kept and met.
4) Being a writer with integrity helps to build relationships which are an essential component of success. The internet has changed the world and made it less personal, yet people still crave personal relationships and value them.
5) Most importantly to many writers is that these first four points ever rea into a financial benefit. Many writers love to practice their craft and would continue to do so even if no one ever read their work, but it is sure nice to get paid.
6) Finally, now that the value of integrity is established what a writer can do to maintain and even increase the integrity of their work? Answers to this question include avoiding plagiarism and learning to research quality and primary sources.
The connection between integrity and success is a perfect topic for Be A Freelance Blogger because integrity is such an important part of creating a successful writing career and life in general. I am the right person to discuss this issue because I have over forty years of experience in management and sales, plus formal education in the field of ethics. My experience provides plenty of practical knowledge of the value of integrity as well as examples of its importance, while my training gives me an inside perspective of how integrity influences us and how it can be maintained.
I’d like this pitch if it had only 20% explanation of what integrity *is* and 80% instruction on how to achieve and demonstrate integrity. Right now it feels like the focus is in the wrong place. Your point #6 is what we’re most interested in…
The Connection Between Integrity and Long-term Success
While it is certainly important for a writer to have a grasp of grammar and language, other factors are also crucial to success. Integrity is an integral part of a writers ability to provide quality and value to clients and is instrumental to long-term success.
1) What is the textbook definition of Integrity and what does that mean. The concept of integrity involves ethics, morality, values and a person’s sense of right and wrong.
2) Showing integrity, in all aspects of life, has health benefits because immoral actions can hurt both mental and physical health.
3) Showing integrity with associates and clients is instrumental to building trust, and ultimately, a writers reputation. Integrity is not only doing what is right but also ensuring that promises and deadlines are kept and met.
4) Being a writer with integrity helps to build relationships which are an essential component of success. The internet has changed the world and made it less personal, yet people still crave personal relationships and value them.
5) Most importantly to many writers is that these first four points ever rea into a financial benefit. Many writers love to practice their craft and would continue to do so even if no one ever read their work, but it is sure nice to get paid.
6) Finally, now that the value of integrity is established what a writer can do to maintain and even increase the integrity of their work? Answers to this question include avoiding plagiarism and learning to research quality and primary sources.
The connection between integrity and success is a perfect topic for Be A Freelance Blogger because integrity is such an important part of creating a successful career and life. I am the right person to discuss this issue because I have over forty years of experience in management and sales, plus formal education in the field of ethics. My experience provides plenty of practical knowledge of the value of integrity as well as examples of its importance, while my training gives me an inside perspective of how integrity influences us and how it can be maintained.
Pitchfest- Maintaining Your Professional Freelance Blogging Integrity
Pitch Submission
Megan Johnson
Headline
Why I Chose to Feature my Interview with Pornhub on my Educational Website
Opening Lines
“Pornhub”. Not a word you would expect to see on an educational website. Much less a word you would expect to see with a link to Pornhub’s Sexual Wellness Centre. But it’s there. In two places actually.
Pitch Points
How I was introduced to Pornhub’s Sexual Wellness Centre
Here I will talk about how I came to be interviewed with Pornhub’s Sexual Wellness Centre, who I know there, and how it all came to be.
Why I chose to interview with them
Here I will talk about why I support Pornhub’s Sexual Wellness Centre, despite the hypocrisy and arguable lack of support for smaller/local sexual wellness centres. I will also discuss why I chose to interview with them
Why I chose to feature the interview on my website that focuses on education
Here I will talk about my debate with featuring the interview on my website, including my belief that sexual education is more complex than “traditional” education (i.e. math and English). I will also discuss that learning does not stop, and that includes sexual education.
Why it matters
Here I will talk about the integrity of my interview and why I chose to be honest about it. It is important that anyone who visits my website knows who I am and what I stand for. Otherwise I could be gaining inauthentic followers. Also, by not being honest with my followers and others who may want to work with me or visit my website, I am lying to them.
Why this is a great post & why I am the person to write it
This is a great post for many reasons:
Working with Pornhub (even the Sexual Wellness Centre is still Pornhub) is taboo, frowned upon, even scandalous (you should have seen the look on my friends’ faces when I told them!)
I think we forget that learning is lifelong. And we forget that sexual education is a part of education and learning
Integrity played a huge role in me featuring my interview on my website. Being honest with myself and with others is huge for me. When I first started my website, learning new information a lot of the things I saw was about getting followers and page views. At first, I didn’t want to feature my interview with Pornhub’s Sexual Wellness Centre because I knew it would be a hot topic. But in the end I couldn’t keep that info from my website
I am a great person to write this article because I have a unique story. Very few people have interviewed with Pornhub’s Sexual Wellness Centre so this article would bring something unique but also relatable to the table.
Bio
Megan holds a Bachelor of Arts, a Master of Education, and is a certified yoga and mindfulness instructor for both children and adults. She owns Learning Lotuses, a website and blog aimed at encouraging social-emotional wellbeing to education using yoga and mindfulness practices.
http://www.learninglotuses.com
Twitter: @MissMeganLL
Source List
Pornhub Interview: https://www.pornhub.com/sex/yoga-sex-life/
Learning Lotuses features: http://www.learninglotuses.com/events-press/
http://www.learninglotuses.com/new-start-here/about-miss-megan/
I so *want* to publish this, just because I love the topic and your intro. But sadly, this isn’t relevant enough to the freelancing side of our freelance blogging niche.
Headline: How to Maintain Integrity when Writing Freelance Personal Essays
One of the most popular forms of freelance blogging is the personal essay. In today’s world of digital information overload, readers want to be able to relate authentically with the writer. In addition, adding personal anecdotes gives you authority as a freelancer. We live in the age of anybody can be an expert, but when adding your “truthful” stories you must have professional integrity.
Reasons why this is important
Creating and maintaining trust with your readers and clients
Often times when you write a freelance personal essay you’re providing a solution to a problem, such as helping new moms with breastfeeding or writing a product review of a writing tool as something you know and love. So, if you’re aren’t being honest about that experience or recommendation then you are deceiving your reader base. Also, what would this do to your career if they found out?
Professional integrity is personal integrity
The idea that one is different from the other isn’t true. If you compromise your own values and beliefs for a client, in order to get paid then you will take the joy out of writing. Being a freelance writer is already tough enough, without having to change your belief system in order to become published or to earn money.
You become part of the fake news cycle
In the last months, fake news stories have become commonplace and a widely talked about topic. As freelance writers, we have an obligation to be truthful as possible, so that we don’t accidentally add to the already growing number of freelance articles being written as truth, but in fact have political, racial, and social agendas.
How you can maintain your professional integrity
Think of the truthsayer in your life
Most writers find a writing collaborator who they trust with their writing. The person I trust the most is my stepmom. She was a journalist for many years and has a sixth sense for a lie of any kind. She also knows my life story. So, when I find that I want to change facts slightly or make something bigger than it is, I think of her reading it. This keeps me honest. But, keeping yourself honest doesn’t have to come from a writing collaborator, it can come from a belief system or guided by a role model.
Create a professional integrity manifesto
When I was getting an MFA in Creative Writing, I took a class that asked me to write my writing manifesto. At that time, I was clueless. But, now, older and hopefully a little wiser, I suggest writing your professional integrity manifesto.
Don’t dramatize for a better story
As a creative person, you inherently understand what a good story is and want to entice your reader to read more or tie in ideas to make your essay better. Through this desire to tell an emotional or thought-provoking personal essay, you may change facts or situations to fit the theme or idea. But, then this becomes fiction and is dishonest
Knowing how to maintain professional integrity for a newbie freelance blogger or the more experienced one is important. Laying the integrity foundation will help the writer have a map they can follow.
This is good, but now you’ve got me curious about the idea of creating your own professional manifesto… I’d love to see a pitch that just focused on why and how to do that!
Hi Sophie,
Thanks for your feedback. I wrote another pitch focusing on the “professional manifesto” angle.
Suggested Headlines:
How to Write a Professional Integrity Manifesto
A Professional Integrity Manifesto You Can Live By
When I think of a manifesto, the first thing that comes to mind is Martin Luther King’s speech I have a dream or Albert Einstein manifesto questioning the use of nuclear weapons. In graduate school, I took a class that required me to create a writer’s manifesto. We read manifestos like SCUM Manifesto by Valerie Solanas and even studied the Apple ad Here’s to the Crazy Ones.
But, as a young writer, I had no idea how to write one. The problem was that a manifesto is a declaration of your intentions, beliefs, and views of the writer and at the time I wasn’t sure what kind of writer I actually was or wanted to be. I now know that creating a professional manifesto for a freelance writer or blogger is easy if you follow these steps.
1. Research popular manifestos
2. Think of a manifesto as your story
3. Outline your beliefs, views, and intentions as a blogger
4. Write Your first draft
5. Share it with a trusted friend
6. Revise it to perfection
7. Post it where you can see it
8. Integrate it into your professional life
By writing a professional integrity manifesto you’ll clarify your beliefs, values, and intentions for your freelance blogging career. Doing this will serve as a guideline for you and your clients, making it easy for you to live a path that truly honors who you are personally and professionally.
I’m not seeing my pitch.
Freelancers, Just Say No! (Or At Least Learn How Too)
As a working freelancer, whether you’re new to the game or an old hat pro I’m sure that you’re familiar with the letters N and O, but how familiar are you with actually using them?
*Why It’s Hard To Say No
A psychological overview into this societal predilection and the reasons behind what’s fueling our “yes”.
*Freelancer’s Guilt
How the ability to over think can lead to one’s own downfall and the difference between uncertainty and insecurity.
*No and Reputation
It’s not what you say but how you say it, addressing the fears by showing how saying “no” can actually aid your reputation.
*Personal vs. Professional Reasoning
The difference between a hard no and negotiation, a breakdown of when it’s okay to go with your emotions and when there’s wiggle room for negotiation.
*Reasons It’s Worth Getting Better At Saying No
A reality check to priorities.
*How To Say No Even When It’s Hard
Real life applications to make saying no easier and more worthwhile in the long and short term.
The inability to say no is a bad enough trend but when you work in an industry that functions more on an ebb and flow scale it can be downright impossible. Uncertainty breeds insecurity breeds desperation leading to some, if not compromising than emotionally wreaked places. I know from personal experience how comforting it is to be reassured that as a writer it’s still okay to have scruples…besides, it was my idea. 😉
– Glory A
Although this is only loosely connected to integrity, it’s a good idea. 🙂 I’d have liked to know more about the”real life applications” you plan to cover…
I can see where I kinda came at it with a “New York” pitch style – a-go-go. ? I was curious when pitching is it across the board standard to give a brief overhead of what you’re going to cover or give the opening sentence as an example of how you’re going to cover it? Thanks all the same, it’s always fun to see what you can come up with on the spot. Like brain candy. nom-nom-nom. ???
How Too Many Tips Can Ruin Your Freelance Writing Career
“Too much of a good thing” – As You Like It, William Shakespeare (Act 4, Scene 1, Page 6)
You’re a new and aspiring writer. You want to make it big like the gurus you’ve read about and followed.
You’ve spent loads of time reading every blog post with the hopes of being an expert. This has lagged on for weeks, months, and years, but it’s gotten you nowhere.
1. You Keep Reading Blogs, But Never Get Started
Since you have nobody truly guiding you at the time, you keep reading blog after blog after blog after blog. If you keep on reading blog, you’ll never get started. You might as well read a novel instead.
2. You’re No Longer Being True To Yourself
If you keep on receiving tips, it’s time to take the reins and take the action. By taking immediate action, you’ll eventually learn to think for yourself and create your own tips.
3. You’re Acting According To The Giver
Are you receiving tips or advice? Receiving all sorts of tips is one thing. But by taking advice only makes you act according to others’ plan and agenda. I would first question where their advice works for them before you follow it.
4. You’ll Never Make A Decision
With all sorts of information overload, you wonder why you see so many people trod nonchalantly like mindless zombies. You keep on overloading yourself with information you’re no longer seeking the wisdom you’re meant to find.
5. Freelance Tips become Counter-tips
I found that several well-known and advanced freelance bloggers/writers have many of their own tips that overlap with others. But later on you’ll find many tips oppose each other. This doesn’t mean their tips are crap, but because they write for different niches and different purposes.
6. You Just Can’t Keep Up With It
Your first instinct is to subscribe to every blog, and that only makes you look like a desperate spammer looking for work. How will you have time to read every post? You won’t. You won’t have time to grow your business.
I find the above points are helpful because many new freelance writers start that way with those habits. Most of them get frustrated and then quit wondering why they never get their writing careers off the ground. I think newbie writers who read this will start taking action a lot sooner.
I agree with your points, but the integrity theme isn’t coming through clearly here… Still, a well-constructed pitch! 🙂
How To Maintain Professional Integrity When You Outsource Your Freelance Blogging Work
At the beginning of your freelance blogging career, you probably worried about getting enough work. Now you have a better problem, but a quandary nonetheless: you have more work than you can comfortably handle on your own. Here’s how to outsource some of it to other writers while maintaining your professional integrity with both your client and your subcontractor.
Point One: When outsourcing is a better solution than firing a client or trying to do it all yourself.
Point Two: Make sure you’re outsourcing the right work. For example, if your clients pay different rates, you should outsource the lower paid work first.
Point Three: Where to find/how to choose a good writer to subcontract your work to.
Point Four: How much to pay your subcontractors. This point would get into treating your subcontractor with professional integrity by not paying them content mill rates, providing feedback and other etiquette.
Point Five: Ensuring consistent quality for the client. This point would explain how to maintain professional integrity with your client when you outsource by proofreading the piece first, checking for plagiarism, and making any necessary edits.
This article would be helpful to freelance bloggers because it’s something we don’t think about at the beginning of our careers, and I don’t see it discussed much on freelance writing sites. I’m the perfect freelance blogger to write it because I landed in this situation myself this summer and learned a lot from trial and error.
Ooh, yep, great topic! You don’t usually get *details* in posts about outsourcing freelance writing work, so a real breakdown of how to do it right would be awesome. Plus I’d love if you could include a short personal section on how you grew your business to the point where you needed to outsource!
Thanks for the feedback, Sophie! I would definitely include my personal experience with outsourcing and growing my business.
Headline suggestion(s):
5 Ways to Gain the Trust of Clients and Readers
Opening:
I was hired to write a blog post about a new pet care product. The product was marketed to veterinary clinics and animal shelters to remove pet odors (urine, feces, etc.) from the environment. It sounded like a great product that worked extremely well; a dream come true.
But as I began to research my blog post I started to find that at least one ingredient in the product was listed by more than one reputable source not to be animal friendly. Or even animal safe.
I declined to write the post.
Five points:
– Don’t write about products that you know don’t work or are harmful. Don’t write content that can be used to harm others.
– Don’t ignore good sources that don’t support your point of view.
– Be scrupulously honest in how you bill your clients as well as all paperwork, contracts, and deliverables.
– Disclose gifts, sponsorships or product comps
– Don’t blur the line between an article and an advertorial
As a blogger your professional reputation is important. Clients need to know that you apply ethical standards to your research, writing and business dealings.
If you are perceived to be cutting corners in your research or not disclosing important information, then you will be shunned by the best clients. If you are cutting corners with your writing, your product, how can they be sure you aren’t being dishonest in your business and financial dealings with them?
This leaves you with clients who want you to do link placement or to write what they want even when there is no research to support it.
Not only are these clients bad for the soul, they also will destroy your reputation as a writer and they will try to bid you down on fees or even not pay you.
Readers have the ability to tell when what you are writing is inauthentic. They will respond by refusing to engage with your content, resulting in disappointing results for your client.
This piece is great for Be a Freelance Blogger because it discusses the important component of trust that a successful freelance blogger needs : trust from your client and trust from your audience.
I appreciate the trust aspect of maintaining professional integrity, but I feel like some of the ideas here are oversimplified or naive.
For example, “content that could be used to harm” is often the same content that’s also used to help, or to prevent harm. And “readers know when you’re being inauthentic”… If that were true, over-the-top advertising copy wouldn’t make any sales – but it does, and lots of them!
I’d be interested to see a more considered, nuanced pitch for this idea.
‘How To Write Negative Product Reviews (Without Burning Bridges)’
We know how fun it is to write a glowing positive review of a product we loved. Whether it was store-bought, received in exchange of a review, or after getting paid to write about it, it’s so easy to rave about all the positives…
But what if we didn’t like the product we got? How should we tell the world that we disliked an item that we got gifted from a vendor? And how can we maintain our integrity without losing sponsorships?
⦁ Be honest: Your professional integrity will be questioned by your audience if every product you talk about gets a 100% positive review. Let them know that you can be critical too, so your audience can trust your judgement.
⦁ If you were paid to write the review, contact the vendor before publishing: Chances are, they are paying you because they want to see a good review on your site. Let them know about your experience with the product, they might find a way to fix it.
⦁ Be specific as to why you didn’t like it: This will make your review useful for the vendor and potential buyers. Mention examples and provide pictures if necessary.
⦁ Try to address the problem from someone else’s perspective: You already mentioned the parts you didn’t like, but is there a chance someone else might be okay with them? Maybe you reviewed a pair of shoes that was incredibly tight and uncomfortable, you can add a note that maybe someone with leaner feet might be able to wear them.
⦁ Don’t talk for others: You might have read other negative reviews talking about the same thing you disliked about the product, but that doesn’t mean you should address them on your review. Saying “other people had the same problem” or “I’m sure I’m not the only one that disliked this” might sound like you are trying to inflate the negative parts.
⦁ Write a list of pros and cons: Create a template to use in all your reviews [note: I would provide an example of a template here] so your audience and sponsors know what to expect from you. This way you will also make it easier for you if you feel awkward about the negative parts of the review, since you’re also adding positive comments about the product.
***
As a book and subscription box reviewer I’ve had experiences with “good” and “bad” products I received for free. I know that is not easy to write negative reviews, especially if you were contacted directly from a vendor or an independent artist.
But I also know that my audience trusts me because I’m not afraid of writing my honest opinions, and they trust that my sponsored content will not be biased in any way.
I know that a great number of freelance bloggers are offered free products and sponsorships, and that they would benefit from this blog post. Writing honest reviews is directly related to the writer’s professional integrity, but they might be scared to burn bridges with vendors by writing negative comments.
Nice pitch! However, we’re looking specifically for advice on freelance blogging, i.e. earning money for blog posts that your clients will publish. Sponsorships and free-for-review arrangements aren’t usually part of a freelance blogger’s work – and many of our readers don’t even have a blog of their own.
I bet you can find a good home for this pitch, though, on a site that’s aimed more at *non-freelance* bloggers.
Freelance Blogging: I’m Okay; That’s Not Okay
Wow! A response to my inquiry to write description reviews about various companies on a blog. Giddy with anticipation, I opened my e-mail, then frowned at the ‘additional information.’ They want me to ‘make up’ positive reviews on this blog giving kudos about supposed experiences I’ve had. That’s not okay. Therefore, the topics I’m going to cover are:
1. Follow that first impression- The offer of great cash payment for these blogs was enticing. However, if your conscious is saying, “I can’t lie and give reviews for a company I’ve never experienced,” then acknowledge that inner warning.
2. Think about your friends and family – Everything you write is read by friends and family. I We teach our kids through example. How could we forgive ourselves if they thought it okay to lie to promote a rotten company, or worse yet lie to disparage a good one.
3. Take your writing seriously – Would you consider referring other clients to this type of blog. In freelance blogging, reputation is everything. This blog won’t escape a poor reputation eventually, which leads to #4.
4. One scumbag leads to another – Often times we come to a rut we can’t get out of. If you’re a great writer and pull off this gig with success for this blog, word will get around. You’ll have other scumbags vying for your attention. Again, the pay may be great, but you’ll lose the other opportunities who’d rather have an honest writer.
5. Protect your freelance community – In freelance blogging, you may not be able to call the BBB and tattle, but there are other things you can do. Ensure the next newbie that comes along won’t fall for the wording, and not recognize this type of SCAM! There’s communities all over social media to raise the awareness of these situations. You can share the incident from your own blog, or guest post.
6. Your freelance blogging is under your control – Keep your personal integrity in tact. Don’t be afraid to say, “No!” Every paid job doesn’t need seen as an opportunity. You have the power, because it’s your business on the line.
This post takes a relative perspective on the topic presented for this contest. One of the things I’d like to stress most is that young adults are catching on to freelance blogging, and it’s easy to get wrapped up in situations like this. I almost fell for this situation, but it was for Yelp reviews not a blog post, but I can see it happening. Can’t you?
I certainly can… It’s scary how some people aren’t the least bit bothered by assignments like “review this hotel you’ve never visited!”
Learn how to sell yourself as a freelance blogger yet still maintain professional integrity
It’s ok to sell your freelance blogging services and image online. In fact, it’s the best way to get ahead of the curve. Here’s how you can do so while avoiding the pitfalls of establishing yourself in the murky waters of online journalism.
• Use your website to elicit business/clients without stepping on anyone’s toes
There’s nothing wrong with having your own website to sell your image and services – just be wary when listing ‘packages’ for money, especially if you’ve made mention you’ve had articles published for xyz website. This way you’ll avoid being bullied by xyz website you’ve had articles published for and you won’t get blacklisted either.
• Only link/display excerpts of published articles
When linking articles written for a third party in your portfolio, make sure they are only excerpts with a link to the full article and reference the publications/website at the top. There’s also nothing wrong with having links to your entire portfolio either in a separate section.
• Take a unified approach
As well as having a website and facebook page, use one clear image, master message and/or mission statement to not only have consistency, to make you seem professional which shows you know what you’re doing (even if you’re not quite sure you do!).
• Learn SEO!
Search Engine Optimisation is BIG when it comes to freelance blogging, especially if you are maintaining your own blog/website. Understanding what a ‘focus keyword’, ‘meta description’ and ‘internal link’ are could place your website higher up on a google search while placing YOU higher in the minds of others as THE professional in your field.
• Have a Mailing List
Even if you don’t think you have much content or you’ll be bugging people, it’s the best way to keep people engaged and up-to-date with what you’re doing. Mail Chimp is the best way to go and setting up a Mail Chimp account is quick, easy and can help you tailor a campaign to your target audience.
• Use Testimonials
A testimonial is a favourable quote from a client testifying to the strength of your writing. This could be from a client or simply a friend who can vouch for your blogging prowess, it doesn’t matter and be posted to your website, facebook page, email list and so on.
This would be a great post for Be a Freelance Blogger as I had troubles when I was starting out as a freelance journalist and would’ve loved some tips and tricks of the game.
I remember when I set-up my website, I received angry emails and phone calls as I had decided to position myself as a music journalist that could help musicians get published in Australian Music Websites (that I’d written for at the time), and this was seen as a conflict of interest so seeing me as a threat these publications tried to bully me out of the market.
I was new to the online journalism world and didn’t realise what was considered a ‘conflict of interest’ or ‘ethical’ so I had to learn the hard way (and boy did I!) when all I was doing was trying to establish myself as a professional freelance journalist.
Hi! My pitch is below.
How Professional Integrity Determines Our Freelance Blogger Success
Our success as freelance bloggers is determined by the strength of our professional integrity. It encompasses our purpose, personal performance and our job choices.
Points to be illuminated:
1.Quality Performance – When our personal standard of work performance is high, we attract a high standard of client. This involves the personal integrity of doing our best job/work. I will lay out the details.
2. Transparency with pricing – being straightforward about the high value of our work with research and writing. Our conviction and demonstration of worth, warrants high paying cients.
3. Choices of topics, style and voice – each client has their own approach. We determine if we want to represent their cause and express their voice. We can only succeed when we make an honest choice.
4. Purpose-our personal purpose and mission as a freelance blogger needs to shine forth through our work. When we can fulfill our purpose, (i.e. provide helpful information to others) we not only perform better, but we deliver a stronger impact.
I am the best person to write this post because I have the knowledge, passion and skill to do it.
Your readers will benefit from this post because it addresses the root of successful freelance blogging and lays a strong foundation.
There’s Help for Ethical Dilemmas
As a journalism professor, I taught future communicators how to effectively and ethically transmit their ideas. A course in ethics is required in most J-schools. But most bloggers probably didn’t spend four years tied to a traditional journalism curriculum. While that’s ok, maybe even preferable, traditional journalism does offer valuable guidelines to help bloggers solve ethical dilemmas.
• Like it or not, bloggers are journalists and journalists are professional communicators traditionally bound by ethical rules of conduct.
• As bloggers, your decision to use the media to disseminate facts or opinions comes with similar responsibility. Examples will be provided.
• But don’t despair, journalists have left a legacy to do’s and don’ts to help guide bloggers through the morass of ethical mazes. More examples of what happens when journalists aren’t ethical.
• Organizations such as the Society of Professional Journalists have codes about the need for accuracy, fairness, context, identification of sources, telling both sides of every story, providing opportunities for response to criticism, requiring that advocacy and commentary be labelled as such, and many more.
• Bloggers have a great deal to learn from their journalistic ancestors and adherence to their codes of professional responsibility will make them more respected by readers, and even themselves.
This article will help bloggers understand that they are part of a great tradition, which explains their special obligations, protected by the First Amendment. The medium may have changed, and bloggers can now go directly to the people without gatekeepers, but that doesn’t mean that the history of professional responsibility will not be instructive to their writing. I recently retired after 30 years as a Professor of Journalism. I taught media law, ethics, public relations and a variety of lecture courses about the need for diversity and giving voice to the voiceless in our society. I can gently instruct without lecturing and believe what I have to offer will add a soft layer of conscious professional integrity to future blogs.
What does it mean when it says, “Your comment is awaiting moderation?”
It simply means that the website owner has to approve your comment and/or post. <3 Hope that helps! 😉
Headline:Blogging on Political subjects requires professional integrity
Political leaders increasingly play on fears that human rights are a Trojan Horse, threatening societies by promising rights to dangerous “others.”As a blogger the temptations of singing the tunes of political leaders rather than those of the subjects you intend to defend are real.You must watch whose rights you protect.Blogging is about making your points as objective as possible dissuading from the political sways that look to hedge on bloggers pen.
My post will duel on the following points:
*Blogging on political issues is a balance for neutrality so as to remain the real pillar of the truth
* Bloggers act as voices for the readers and should not be influenced by political favours
*Let the reader see your objectivity on issue based blogging and not political innfluences
*Dont bend your integrity with political manifestos that promise to enhance your rights ,this is total biaseness
*Blogging is like democracy which believes in freedom and equality of all persons and therefore our main aim as bloggers is to represent the views of the people equally and justly.
*Let your right as a blogger not malign or infrindge on other people’s rights as you will be tagged a psychophant
Politics in the word are changing every day.An objective blogger educates the public without being associated with the formation of the changes.I think this post will be very interesting and a great post for Be a freelance as it will depict the freedom of freelancing with emphasis for objectivity rather than being buttons for political agenda.Politics are known world wide to sway writers in the world and by so corrupt proffessional integrity,this post will help highlight the sensitivity of blogging on such an emotive subject and still remain accountable to professional integrity!As n upcoming blogger,I believe my experinece with polical scopes in africa where politics and corruption target bloggers will give me an unmatched background to highlight clearly with a nuanced focus, the connection between the subject and the theme of the pitchest.
Title ideas:
1. Save the Drama for your Mama
2. Why you should let bad drama lie
Main idea:
Why you should never create drama from someone who writes you a bad review.
Opening words:
Drama is not only the key ingredient in any five star YA book, but the element that can get you a contract with Penguin or place you forever at the bottom of any kindle list.
5 points made in the article:
1. Why negative reviews hit writers so deep
Understanding the reasons why words hurt us is important. The more we understand why we react, the easier it is not to react.
2. The best way to reply to any review
Learning proper etiquette to replying to a reviewer is very important. You never want to make the mistakes writers have in the past that got them all that negative feedback from their own reply.
3. Why we should not respond to a negative review
Even though the first reaction is to tell someone why they are wrong, it is always best to stay silent and learn from the negative review the best way you can.
4. What you can gain from a negative review
Knowing how to put a negative review to work for you by taking what they wrote and trying to see their perspective is a good way for writers to grow their own craft and make it even better. Learning is what writers do best.
5. How to channel your negative vengeful thoughts into positive behavior
Just how we exercise to blow of anger, using certain writing exercises after getting a bad review can help us blow off the steam and get back on track to writing that master piece.
Why is this a great post for the blog and why I should write it:
Knowledge is power, and if you want to be the best at what you do you must learn from past mistakes that yourself or other writers and bloggers have made. I want to write this article because this is an important matter that is not talked about enough, since I see LOTS of writers making this mistake. I have over 10 years of experience as a self-published writer and I have seen (not everything) but a lot of mistakes, either made by myself or others, and I know I could write an amazing article that will give great advice to new (and old) writers alike.
Hi, Elizabeth!
I get the integrity connection here, but I’m not really seeing the freelance blogging connection. Our audience is freelance bloggers who want to be better freelance bloggers — it’s a very strict niche. For your post/pitch to be accepted, it has to cater to that audience specifically.
If I had the time I could reformat it to fit better, in your eyes, with Freelance Bloggers. I honestly believe that reviewers OR even people who comment on a blog post in a negative light can affect an author AND blogger in the same way. So I think it would still be a great post for Freelance Bloggers as well. I wish I could show you by re-writing it. I know you are going to be announcing the winner today. Is there any way I could re-write it and pitch it to you through email to at least be considered for your blog? Even though I won’t be the winner of your contest it would still then be a win in my book if you thought it was good enough to post on your amazing website. 🙂
Headline: Warning: 6 Ethical Traps That Will Kill Your Blogging Career
Introduction:
Wouldn’t it be great if every writing assignment that you were offered was a terrific one — one where golden ticket sources, breathtaking images, and popping prose would just falling into your lap? Imagine a gig that could catapult your career to its next level in a nano-second. (Aww…yes!) Unfortunately, in the messy world of blogging, that’s not how things always work out. From pinning students’ papers to self-plagiarizing, we’re pointing out ethical traps that could flush your dream career down the toilet.
Point 1: Stealing content without attribution.
Despite being told since childhood that it’s wrong to copy someone else’s work, a surprisingly large number of bloggers still do it. Want to use another bloggers’ words or ideas? We’ll teach you how to do it right from block quotes to link backs.
Point 2: Bashing or defaming public figures.
There’s a word for this practice: libel. It’s actionable is court and can cost you or your clients big fees. If you have opinions about the behavior or activities of someone else, you’ll need to use objective facts and clearly-labeled opinion statements.
Point 3: Writing biased or exaggerated product reviews.
A common way to earn a little extra money is to review a product on your client’s blog. There’s nothing wrong with this in theory. But, if you’re not really testing the product, or you’re making outlandish claims about what it can do, then it’s unethical. Period.
Point 4: Writing college students’ term papers.
If writing college students’ papers is part of your daily bread and butter, then we’re sorry to tell you that it’s completely unethical. As a college-level teaching assistant and a Maryville College graduate, educators really want students to write their own papers—if that doesn’t dissuade you, remember that the student your pinning copy for might be your doctor or child’s teacher someday. (Scary!)
Point 5: Self-plagiarizing.
Recycle fraud can happen to the best of us—even Renegade Writer Linda Formichelli was fired once for self-plagiarism. But, there’s a way to avoid it: know your article’s copyright status and disclose where it’s been published before.
Point 6: Hiding a conflict of interest.
If you’re interviewing your aunt about antiques or getting paid to drop a company’s name in an article, then you’ve got what we journalists call a conflict of interest. Pretty words for lying by omission! How to avoid it: disclose it to your editor and/or find new sources using services like Help A Reporter Out, LinkedIn, etc.
Who am I:
As a professional writer, photographer, and graphic designer, instead of eating brains, I use mine to write. I’ve spellbound audiences at Beyond Words, Lumoid, Sierra Magazine, Make A Living Writing, etc.. A word-witch, my poems have been published in Frogpond, Shemom, A Hundred Gourds, The Mainichi, the Asahi Shimbun, and many others. Boo! I’ve broken Rule #1, stealing content without attribution; luckily, I learned from it, and my writing career didn’t give up the ghost. My haunting ground is Maryville, Tennessee, and online @cherese_cobb, where I live with my undead parents and a cat.
Hi Sophie and Lauren!
I hope you both are doing well.
Below is my pitch, please.
HEADLINE:
5 Reasons You Might Remain a Helpless Tadpole Forever (And Never Get an Opportunity to Dance in the Spotlight)
OPENING/MAIN POINTS:
Imagine how being a successful, well-known freelance blogger would be like.
The respect. The attention. The high-paying clients.
Without an iota of doubt, I know you are excited and can’t wait for this “big dream” to come true.
But, you shouldn’t get excited so soon.
You might never get to that height in your lifetime!
Here are five reasons why:
1. You See “NO” as a Taboo:
When a client tells you to work on a project that’s illegal, against your faith (or beliefs), or simply misleading to their audience, you find it hard to tell them “I’m sorry, I can’t…”
To avoid denting your reputation, you must learn to say “NO!” when you ought to, without looking back.
2. You Forget “the Writers Run the Show”:
When a client sends a gig your way but expects you create the content following a certain model you know will harm their conversion rate, don’t hesitate to guide them (else, you’ll get the “bad name” and negative remarks when the copy/content fails to convert).
Being the professional, you should tell the client what works and what doesn’t (if they knew the right thing or could do it themselves, why then did they reach out in the first place?).
3. You Over-promise and Under-deliver, Every time:
You promise to create a piece of content that beats every existing one on the web, but end up delivering mediocre and plagiarized content, thus betraying and ruining your client’s trust in you.
Through paid courses, books, and other resources, learn how to craft good content that doesn’t suck (and NEVER tell a client you are a “professional” when you know you aren’t).
4. You Let Your Emotions Control You:
You argue with clients and use abusive words when they tell you your idea isn’t concrete enough or your content is below par (indirectly creating for yourself a bad name and a dented image).
To become a successful freelance blogger, you must learn not to take things personally and understand that rejection is something you can’t run from, no matter what!
5. You Close the Deals Too Quickly:
You don’t care if the writing project a client needs your help for is one you can handle perfectly well but rush into it because of the “gain” involved (and later end up ruining the project and messing yourself up!).
Before agreeing to handle any writing assignment, be sure it’s something you can do well; so you don’t end up backing out when you discover the project isn’t as promising as it seemed initially.
WHY CHOOSE ME? WHY PUBLISH THIS POST?
I’m Favour Abalogu; a freelance writer and copywriter who started from ZERO level and remained at ZERO level for a very long time because of the exact reasons I outlined above.
I believe this post will do well if published on Be a Freelance Blogger (BAFB) because, frankly speaking, many freelance bloggers struggle to get their names out there, command the rates they deserve, and get the high-paying gigs they dream of.
Or, to be plain, many writers are stuck at a point but can’t quite figure out what is/are making them lay inert.
Headline – 5 SEO Copywriting Tips to Stay Ahead in the Game in 2018 & Beyond
Pitch: I’m sure you’ll agree:
A large number of writers spend endless hours publishing content after content to pull torrents of traffic to their client’s websites.
Most of them believe that just publishing SEO optimized content, day in and day out, will help their client’s win the rat race of ranking on the web.
If only it were that easy…
Here’s the deal:
More than 2 million blogs are published each day and only a few are able to rank on SERPS?
Why?
This is because just a few blogs are able to engage target audiences and make them stick to the site like superglue.
So, if you’re serious about building blogs that can attract torrents of traffic, you’ll need to do what experts do.
The BIG QUESTION?
What do experts actually do to make their blogs rank higher on SERPs and pull that virtual ocean of traffic?
Well, this post will pull the curtains and reveal 5 amazing SEO copywriting hacks that experts use to ensure high rankings for their SEO content.
The 7 SEO copywriting hacks to be discussed in the blog are:
1. How to create a High Converting Headline?
2. Formula for Writing A Great Intro Paragraph
3. How to Write Compelling Subheadings?
4. How to Add Bucket Brigades to Increase the Dwell Time ?
5. Keyword Research for Your Blog
I’m sure this blog will be a great fit for your blogs and freelance writers would be able to instantly use the tips offered in this article to add loads of value to their content.
Hi, Saumya,
SEO is super important. But, I’m not seeing how this relates to the contest’s theme: professional integrity. Maybe, if you slanted it to, say, black SEO techniques?
Hi Lauren and Sophie, here’s my pitch.
Is embracing professional integrity an impediment to building a cash-rich freelance blogging career?
Let’s make it clear right off the bat that as humans we, by nature, often feel the irresistible urge of doing things lying beyond the acceptable bounds of morality. This can be true for anybody involved in any profession. Freelance bloggers are no exception. Aside from nurturing a steady flow of creative juices, enjoying independence, and making a name for themselves, another important reason a freelance blogger writes is to earn money. However, problem arises when raking in moolah, actually a shitload of moolah overnight, becomes their obsession. It does more harm than good. You may even get on the wrong side of the law, either knowingly or unknowingly. Here I present the golden rules for keeping your professional integrity intact, thereby dodging unpleasant consequences.
Exercise due diligence: It goes without saying that before you start writing for a client you must thoroughly check their credentials. I mean who they are, which industry they belong to, how much reputation they enjoy within that industry, how long they are in business, if you are hired to write for their blog, then the amount of traffic the blog attracts, whether their rates are below industry standard or considerably higher, and so on. In this context, I would like to share a personal experience. Two years ago, I got a lucrative gig from a health and fitness blog. Since at that time I was an absolute newcomer, I was on cloud nine. But when I researched a bit more about the blog, I came across a revulsion-worthy fact. The owner, a self-proclaimed spiritual guru, of the blog is under trial for sexual assault on a woman. Yikes!
Don’t go overboard: There’s a limit to everything. You can’t continue to gorge on food even if your stomach is full. Most likely to get rid of the suffocation caused by overeating, you will puke up the extra food. Likewise, refrain yourself from writing an insane amount of content day in and day out, else you will do a grave disservice to your health and clients will take you for granted. They might think you are always available for churning up stuff no matter how big it is.
Repurposing content is good, but beware of the shady ones: After you finish your assignment and submit the same to the client, it’s their property now. They have the prerogative to use it as they please. But what if they use it for any malicious activity instead of the stated purpose? You may say it’s not always possible to know what the client does with the write-up post delivery. You are correct. However, one fine morning if you find the content you have developed long time ago is now gracing some dark corner of the Internet, how would you feel? Not elated obviously. Reputed blogs will never repurpose content to engage in this sort of shenanigans. So at regular intervals watch carefully where your articles are getting published. If anything fishy comes up, don’t engage with the respective party in future.
You want to write for normal visible people, not for a cohort of secret agents: Is the client hiding something? Are they not providing all the required information you need to create the content? Are they taking an inordinately long time to respond to your emails? These questions are enough to raise a big red flag. You are probably dealing with a top undercover guy. Just kidding! You should never take the above mentioned signs lightly. Common sense says you could be in a tight corner later if you do business with a client who is showing extreme reticence. Just run away from them. Separate the wheat from the chaff.
Fake urgency is really disgusting: Whatever may be the type of the writing job you will be doing, there’s invariably a deadline. Your client expects that you will complete the job within the deadline. If you miss, you will shoot yourself hard in the foot. On a rare occasion, due to a cogent reason, a nice client may bring forward the previously communicated deadline. And they will definitely update you about the situation in clear words. However, when a client bombards you with undue requests to wrap up early, you should make no mistake, the client is coercing you. If you give in out of fear of losing the contract they will have you in the palm of their hand. This is a trick to see how far they can bend you and then exploit your services to their heart’s content. Moral of the story: bid adieu to them.
Listen to your conscience: Your upbringing, the social environment you live in, the faith you believe in, or the political affiliation you have are the major factors that shape your core values. So, you may not brand something as immoral which another person may find objectionable. But whichever way you slice it, there are certain nasty things that any sane, self-respecting, and honest writer will loathe to engage with. For instance, will it not prick your conscience if you, say, are told to write a venomous article that fosters hate between two communities or a filthy blog post that indirectly promotes child pornography? I bet it will. The best tactic to follow in such cases is to simply turn down the offer. You will feel better as a writer, more importantly as a human being.
We have reached the final section of this post. Thank you for staying with me for so long. At this juncture, I would like to tell my fellow freelance bloggers that maintaining professional integrity doesn’t mean you have to carry a holier-than-thou attitude. Don’t do that, it will be interpreted as mere pretension. Since you are a mere mortal, you can drop the ball. Admit, rectify, and resume with utmost sincerity.
A freelance blogger can go places only when they handle the whole spectrum of the activity with all the dexterity of a top-notch service provider. Within that spectrum, professional integrity represents a large part and this post categorically talks about how to use professional integrity to make right decisions. Hence, it can be a great post for BAFB. Further, I am the right person to write the post because in the last two years as a freelance writer I have dealt with a lot of difficult clients, but sticking to professional ethics has saved the day for me.
How to Know When It’s Time to End a Client Relationship
If you are freelance writer, you’ve been there.
You’ve had a bad client.
Don’t worry – we all have.
Call it a ‘right of passage’.
It doesn’t matter that you’ve had a bad client.
What matters is that you know it is a bad client.
And you cut her loose.
1. There is little to no effective communication from your client
Your client cannot nail down the action or specific work she wants you to provide. Instead she speaks in general, grandiose ideas and possibilities.
2. You client is using your services in an illegal format
Your client is using earmarked funds to pay you for your work, which does not fall under the appropriate use of funds. Or maybe she is asking you to reword your services on your invoice to fit her needs.
3. Your client is promising you the real work after fulfilling the client’s sideline obligations
Your client hires you for work not related to your pitch, and promises you that after you get all of that work done, she will have your desired work ready for you.
4. Your client has a bad reputation
Other professionals in your client’s line of work speak very poorly of her, along with other freelancers and independent contractors. Your client’s own employees also speak harshly of her.
5. Your client does not respond to emails, text messages or phone calls
She never responds to your attempted contacts, stating she is far too busy to be bothered. She gives you her private cell phone number, but ignores your texts as well.
6. Your gut tells you something is amiss
If your body is exhibiting physical signs of stress, such as headaches, an unsettled stomach, or loose bowl movements. It’s time to act.
This is a great post for Be a Freelance Blogger because the site has a couple of posts on how to end a client relationship, but none indicating how to know that you should end it. I’m a great fit for this piece because I had a client (my very first client) who did all five of the above mentioned items, and it took me nine months to decide I needed to end it. I should’ve ended it a lot sooner, but I didn’t because I ‘ran in her circle’ in my day job.
Headline:
What Wonder Woman Can Teach Freelance Bloggers about Sticking to Our Integrity
Opening Lines:
Defining your morals is hard enough, but then sticking to them in the face of adversity can feel like going toe to toe with a god of war bent on world destruction. When a well-paying client offers you a sweet cheque to turn on your values, you need some heroic resolve to stand firm and say, “No!”
6 Article Points:
– When life is ideal, integrity is easy.
On the paradise of Themyscira, Diana didn’t have to worry about her integrity. As a blogger, when you’re on the feast end of the cycle sticking with your integrity is easy; when you’re offered a bad job during the feast end of the cycle, however, how do you hold true?
– Integrity isn’t always accepted by those close to you.
Diana’s mother had her reasons, but she stood against what Diana believed to be right. As a freelance blogger, how do you challenge when a paying client wants you to ignore your integrity (and how do you find those allies that will stand with you in integrity when you do)?
– Integrity isn’t often accepted by anyone.
As a freelance blogger with integrity, you’re just like Diana stepping into the world of Men where no one will believe you about Ares. How do you hold your integrity strong when everyone acts like they’re naive and idealistic?
– Sometimes, you just need to be a badass.
The moment has come and you’ve chosen to stick with your integrity; how will you wield your sword and shield to climb out of the trenches and do what’s right, even when others tell you it’s a bad idea?
– Questioning yourself is going to happen.
You may not have the god of war whispering rhetoric into your ear, but at some point you may wonder if your integrity is worth being hungry over. When faced with your climax, how do you know that your integrity is right—and stick with it to save the day?
Why It’s A Great Post for Be A Freelance Blogger:
It’s an entertaining way to use a (pop) cultural touch point as a metaphor to compare and demonstrate a freelance bloggers real-world integrity decisions. (Plus, such a comparison makes freelance bloggers feel heroic, and who hasn’t wanted to feel heroic?)
Why Me:
I’m a superhero story aficionado and new freelance blogger, searching for my blogging voice and a way to stop falling into “overly formal” and “kind of freaking bland.” Pitching an article like this will be entertaining to your audience and helpful to me in finding my voice.
Lucas, I love your “Why Me?” section. Your pitch reminded me of a Batman vs. Superman article that was on BAFB in the past. (Side note: I’d love you to work in the Lasso of Truth. 😉 )
Thanks Cherese! You can safely bet the Lasso would make an appearance in the full article.
How Professional Integrity can make you land your dream client and make you even more money
The world is becoming very competitive and a global village. More freelancers are vying for available opportunities. Everyone wants the dream to work from home and travel all over the world on a yacht. A freelancer, especially a newbie, can find it very frustrating when looking for a writing gig for extended periods and getting none.
Over time, one can be become desperate and accept any freelance work not caring about the client. It is more than just paying the bills, your primary goal should be integrity first.
Warren Buffet said, “In looking for people to hire, look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if they don’t have the first one, the other two will kill you.” In the long run, your integrity would speak and bring the right clients to you. Read on to know where you can improve.
1. Let your client/employees know what you stand for: It is important you let your client know what you stand for. With this, you can attract the right type of people. Persons with like mind would approach you for jobs. On the other hand, for established freelancers who employ other writers, it is important to let them know what you stand for so you do not offend your client.
– Your client has to understand your values.
– Share my personal values.
2. Do not procrastinate: this can have a huge impact on your deadline. Factor in those moments you don’t feel like doing anything.
3. Do not make false promises: The world is filled with people who overpromise and under deliver. You want to attract high-paying clientele right? Then promise what you can deliver.
4. Do not take jobs you can’t-do or have no experience in some freelancers out of desperation apply for jobs that are totally out of their field of expertise and most times turn into a shady job.
ii. How to go about jobs that are not in your field: you can subcontract it out.
5. Maximize your peak period:
i. What is peak period?
ii. Why should you maximise it?
6. Do not plagiarise: The quickest way to lose your clients. The story of President Buhari of Nigeria plagiarised speech, the embarrassment it caused and the consequence for the writer.
This would be a good post because every freelancer dreams of the perfect and ideal client. This post would serve as a reminder that every freelancer can relate with. It would also help those with integrity issues identify where they are faltering and teach them how they can be better. Additionally, we all want to make more money.
Olaolu, this is a nice pitch. 😉 Though, I disagree that you shouldn’t take jobs that you have little-to-no experience in. As long as you’re honest with your client about it, sometimes jumping in is the only way to learn. And, if you’re a blogger, you can always interview sources who are the expert in whatever field.
Thanks, I agree with you Cherese, your point would be a flip side of the theme. Should you take jobs you have no experience in 😀
How to Feel Good About Every Blog Your Write –
9 Questions That Will Protect Your Professional Integrity
A few months ago, I was stressed over a 500-word blog assignment from a local ad agency. How to choose an online Canadian pharmacy was my topic. I researched all the benefits about online pharmacies. There was a problem, though. Shipping prescriptions over the border into the U.S. was illegal.
*This experience prompted me to create a list of No Thank You topics. Anything illegal was number one. Building out my list would take some time . I also needed a way to quickly evaluate blog projects as they came in. I developed a list of 9 questions to get this done.
* Questions include “Would I be comfortable if my work for this company or product was on the local news?”, “Would I buy this product?”, and “Is the company known for scandals or scams?”
* Questions would include a paragraph of detail and/or examples. I’d talk about how freelance bloggers could use my questions to help protect their blogger professional integrity. Over time, they could add their own personalized questions too.
* I’d wrap up by reiterating that it’s acceptable and necessary to set limits that will protect your freelance blogger professional integrity. It’s never easy to write for products and services that you don’t believe in, that make your stomach turn, or make you blush!
This blog would be a helpful additional to your site since it offers a real-world example and offers bloggers immediate actions steps to protect their professional integrity.
I am the best blogger to write this blog because it’s based on my personal experience. I also have mad writing skills, meet deadlines and appreciate feedback.
I look forward to getting your feedback on my pitch.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Sincerely,
Nancy L.
Nancy,
You learn something new every day: I had no clue that you couldn’t ship medicines from Canada to the U.S. I’m glad that you stuck to your guns! I love your idea about a list of no-thank-you topics. I need to add one to my personal website. 😉
Cherese,
Thank you for your comments. This was news to me too. A great benefit of blogging is all the new things we learn about that otherwise would not be on our radar.
Wishing you continued success,
Nancy
Unjustifiably Cruel Entities Can’t Seduce This Compassionate Pet Blogger
Just like everyone else, freelance pet bloggers have to eat too. We all hustle to try and make a buck blogging for different businesses, but there’s a line that I won’t cross. I will never write for brands or entities that support wanton cruelty towards domestic or wild animals.
Why Humans Do This
Just because they can, doesn’t make it right.
Alternatives
There are other ways to test products that don’t hurt animals.
Humanity
Hunting animals for sport reflect poorly on the human race.
Evolution
Since this is the 21st century with all of its gadgets and inventions; there’s no need to harm or kill animals for product testing or their skin.
Animal Rights
All living, breathing creatures on this planet have rights; this includes four-legged, furry creatures too.
Karma
What goes around, comes around. Cruel treatment of animals will eventually return to the people that inflicted the pain and suffering.
As a lifelong avid animal lover living with furry companions, I believe that all animals have the right to exist happily. People need to know why cruelty to animals is morally and ethically wrong. For children to learn properly, we need to lead by example.
Hi, Stephanie,
It’s great to meet another animal fanatic on BAFB! Your pitch rocks, but I actually think it’s more suited for an animal blog or magazine. BAFB’s main readership is bloggers, who are itching for tips, tricks, and anecdotes about how to blog smarter and faster.
My advice: change the slant of your pitch. I’m not sure how you’d exactly do it, but I can tell from your writing your one smart cookie! 😉 I’m rooting for you!
The Tale of the Sliced-Off Penis and the Feminist Ghostwriter
By Sharon Turnoy
If John Wayne Bobbitt, the physically abusive, cheating husband who became the butt of nationwide jokes on Johnny Carson’s and David Letterman’s late-night TV shows in 1993 when his wife sliced off his penis, approached you to write “his side of the story,” would you do it?
Points:
1. NEEDED THE MONEY: That was the question I had to ask myself 15 days after I returned from cancer radiation treatment. I had run through all my savings and was living off credit cards that were nearly maxed out. A $78,000 bill from my surgery was staring me in the face. But I couldn’t face going back to serve the upper echelons of high-tech corporate America; that toxic environment was what got me sick! I had hung out my shingle and was hoping for a miracle. Was this it?
2. ETHICAL DILEMMA: I decided to put my judgments aside and listen to what the man had to say. When the story first broke, I’d been convinced, like the rest of America, that Lorena Bobbitt had been pushed to the breaking point from physical and mental abuse. She’d simply lost control and did what many of us had fantasized about–or even threatened! Feminists rallied behind her, and as a long-term feminist and a former victim of verbal and physical abuse myself, I didn’t blame her one bit. In fact, I applauded her. John Wayne Bobbitt naturally wanted articles and blogs and even a book telling his side of the story. He said what you see and hear isn’t always the real story. He wanted the public to know what had really happened. Didn’t he deserve a chance to do that? But was I the one who had to write it? What would my lifelong feminist friends think? Had I sold out?
3. ASSOCIATION WITH SUCH A SORDID STORY: And besides, it was such a sordid story. Did I want to be associated with that? First, Lorena sliced it off. Then, John had it reattached and, miraculously, it worked. Meanwhile, a jury found Lorena not guilty of malicious mutilation due to temporary insanity, while John was acquitted of domestic violence. Then, John had penis enlargement surgery and entered the world of pornographic movies. Having been divorced by his wife and not sure he could convince women he could satisfy them sexually, what better way to prove that “it still worked”? Ugh. Seamy and distasteful. But what if he hadn’t been judged fairly? He maintained that his marriage to Lorena was a favor to a friend to keep her from being deported. As far as domestic violence went, he’d just been defending himself because she was always physically attacking HIM. Hmm. Could that be true? And what if there was a redeeming side to his story? What if he’d had an epiphany since then? After all, he’d left porn and had been getting ready to marry again. And he considered himself a supporter of women when he had penis reduction surgery “because my size hurt so many of them.”
4. EASY ENTRÉE TO FAME: While ghostwriting blogs, articles and a book for this man in a positive light would require wrestling with my conscience, the payoff would not only be in money. I would meet the famous (and infamous) folks John hung out with, because I’d need to interview them. Who knew what other doors might open up for me? Was this the beginning of a lucrative career? Had my two years of bad luck just turned around?
5. RESEARCH: I did my research. I read everything I could on the subject. It appears Lorena and John surfaced in the media again in 2003, on the 20th anniversary of the event. Then John surfaced again in 2016, talking about finding God and writing a memoir. But some part of it struck me as opportunistic. He’d had no problem confessing to me that he was broke and needed to make a buck.
6. DECISION: But more than anything, it was the endless conversations I had with John on the phone that convinced me of what to do. He wanted to talk, and he needed someone to listen. I realized he was lonely. His fiancé, the one for whom he’d had the reduction surgery for, had broken up with him. He really wished he could be the kind of guy women would be proud to take home to meet their parents. He was afraid that, because of the decisions he’d made in his life, that would never happen. But the conversations revealed a few other things about John as well. (I will go into some detail here.) In the end, I knew what the right thing was for me to do.
This is a fascinating story of your own personal integrity battle when it came to writing a story. Really interesting stuff!
Unfortunately, I don’t really see what you plan to teach OTHER freelance bloggers who may end up in a similar situation. It focuses a little TOO much on you, and not enough on our audience…
Hi Lauren,
Thanks for your comment. Since this was a pitch for a post and not the post itself, I did leave some things out. The numbered points comprised the 6 points we were required to send in, and most of the conclusions and learnings occurred for me in the final point.
I do think that a lot of the audience of freelance bloggers find themselves in a similar position, don’t you? They are broke, starting a new career in which they have to market themselves and find all their own clients. and they’re hoping for a miracle. Then, one walks in the door. The only problem is that it’s not a miracle they can feel really good about.
That was my dilemma with John–feed myself and pay for my housing or continue to be broke? Deep down, deep, deep down, at his core, I came to the conclusion that he was an opportunist at heart. In an article in 2013, he had “found God and got engaged.” In 2017, his fiance had left him and he was spending most of his time partying with cohorts in Las Vegas.
If I could have found in him one or two redeeming characteristics, even just a vow to really work on his thinking and attitudes about women, I might have been able to justify giving him a soapbox. However, it wasn’t just that he wasn’t committed at all to doing that or felt no incentive to try; it was that he just wasn’t all that bright. He wanted to talk, he wanted me to listen, and I’d have to bite my tongue when he denigrated “freakin’ women’s libbers” or one of the pejorative terms for a person with an ethnicity other than white.
John wanted to be back in the limelight–and make a few bucks while he was at it. He didn’t realize he was no longer famous. Besides having a core nature of an opportunist, he appeared to be a narcissist and a misogynist to boot. It never occurred to him that America wouldn’t be fascinated by his every word.
I remembered that I had gone into freelance writing to get out of the slavery of writing in corporate America. I had vowed I would write about what I cared about. Writing John Bobbitt’s justifications and rationalizations–“his side of tne story”–was not something I cared about.
I thought that getting the sensationalism out of the way and getting back in touch with my core values as the guideline to follow in deciding what to do could be a useful lesson for other writers. No?
I’d appreciate your opinion of whether this additional information made you feel anything different about the potential value of this article.
THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED!!
Big thanks to everyone who participated!
If you haven’t gotten a response from either Sophie or me yet, hang tight — we always answer EVERY pitch. (I take weekends off, so expect to hear from me Monday!).
We’ve read each and every pitch as they came flowing into the BAFB backend. And each of you will hear our thoughts shortly. 🙂
Winners will be announced on October 7th by Sophie, so stay tuned!
I pressed “send” on my submission at 11:55 PST on September 30, sticking to the rules. I have no idea why it’s being marked as October 1 at 7:55 am. I’m going to try to post a picture of my PC screen that shows the current date and time below.
That didn’t work and there doesn’t seem to be a way to attach it here, so I’m going to email a photo of it as an attachment to the email address listed elsewhere in your blog. Hope you’ll look for it.
Thanks,
Sharon
It was marked that way because Sophie is in the UK, so BAFB runs on UK time. Luckily for you, I’M in Los Angeles and I run the Pitchfest contests on PST. 😉 You’re fine. No worries!
Thanks so much. I never intended to be this last minute. I raced home from out of town to get it in on time. I appreciate hearing back from you.
Sharon
Hi, should I expect any comments from you about my pitch since I was so last minute?
Yes, absolutely. Either Sophie or I will reply to your pitch. I’m sorry I haven’t been around — my doctors advised me to take a week off from work! — and Sophie’s been struggling to reply to all the people I didn’t get to… But one of us WILL reply to you!
What does it mean if no one comments on your post? What should we do then?
This should answer your question: http://beafreelanceblogger.com/integrity-pitchfest/#comment-212310 🙂
Hey Elizabeth! Thanks for asking. I wondered the same thing!
And thank you Lauren for the answer!
Peace
My pitch never got a response. Was it considered for the contest? I followed the directions.
Apologies for the delay. My doctors advised me to take a week off from work, so I haven’t been around. Sophie’s been trying to reply to everyone I didn’t get to on her own, but I guess she hasn’t gotten to you yet. One of us WILL reply to you by the end of today.
We read each of the pitches as they come in and make notes behind-the-scenes, but sometimes we’re super bad about actually replying. So sorry! You WILL get a reply though. We always reply to each and every entry eventually.
Thank you so much for the up-date. I replied to the comment. I’m just confused about one more thing…Since there was a delay in responses to some pitches are you extending the due date so we can edit our pitches with the suggestions and/or concerns you raised?
OK folks, we’re finally done comparing our favourites and we’ve chosen our winners.
If you pitched but didn’t get a response from us yet, don’t worry – we READ all the pitches as they arrive, we just haven’t managed to reply to them all yet. I’ll be adding more feedback comments over the next couple of days to catch up with everybody!
THE WINNERS ARE:
1st prize:
Elizabeth Spencer, on outsourcing your freelance blogging work:
http://beafreelanceblogger.com/integrity-pitchfest/#comment-212231
2nd prize:
Nicole Hallberg, on why integrity and profit aren’t either/or:
http://beafreelanceblogger.com/integrity-pitchfest/#comment-212101
3rd prize:
Katherine Swarts, on integrity as completeness:
http://beafreelanceblogger.com/integrity-pitchfest/#comment-212079
(Katherine, I have sucked at email mentoring lately as it takes me too long to reply – let’s book a 15-minute “live chat” mentoring session instead. Email me at sophie@beafreelanceblogger.com for a booking link!)
Other people whose pitches we feel are ready to draft:
(If your name’s on this list, we encourage you to either pitch your idea to one of the sites in The Ultimate List of Better-Paid Blogging Gigs, or write a full draft and submit it to lauren@beafreelanceblogger.com for publication as a traditional, unpaid guest post on Be a Freelance Blogger.)
* Anne Dorko
* Evan Beck
* Paul Campbell
* Frank Spear
* Amber Roshay
* Maria Elharaoui
* Maureen Rubin
* Cherese Renee Cobb
Congratulations and well done to everyone who entered!
Congrats to all of the winners! 😉 And to everyone that had the courage to enter!
Wow!! I’m honored to be writing for you guys again 🙂
Congrats Elizabeth and Katherine!
Thanks to Sophie and Lauren for taking the time to run Pitchfest! It’s always fun to see the variety of ideas. Congrats to Nicole and Katherine, and all of the runners up! I look forward to reading your work!