So, Sophie and I were going through the BAFB archives and we came across THIS POST and we thought to ourselves, “Gee! Wouldn’t it be nice to have another post that involved templates?”
But neither of us felt like writing it ourselves…
So we decided to make “Templates” the theme of the December 2016 Pitchfest!
That’s right: It’s Pitchfest time again!!
We want to see YOUR pitch for the best template-themed post for freelance bloggers. And, if we absolutely love it, then we’ll give you a prize.
More importantly, this is your chance to view REAL pitches from REAL freelance bloggers – and see what REAL editors have to say about them!
This is your chance to get your pitching style critiqued in a “safe” environment. (Sophie and I are both nice ladies and promise we won’t bite your head off if you slip up!).
This contest is FREE to enter and the prizes and knowledge to be gained are fantastic.
Follow the directions carefully, stick to the theme, and have fun!
Here’s how you enter…
Enter the Pitchfest!
In case you’re not familiar, Pitchfest is a blog post pitching contest we run here on Be a Freelance Blogger every 3 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 “templates.”
Interpret that theme any way you like! These could be templates for anything from how to set your rates to how to write the perfect “to-do” list to how to write canned e-mail responses to reply to difficult situations.
We’re looking forward to seeing what YOU come up with.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Your pitch’s theme not only has to involve a template, 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, Lauren and/or Sophie 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 if we’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, December 17th, 2016.
- We’ll announce the winners on December 23rd.
- If we choose your pitch, we expect you to deliver your first draft to me by January 13th. (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 points you’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.
I’m looking forward to the templates! I hope you’ll publish the templates according to categories too…not just the 1st and 2nd prize winners…after all, they would be helpful to us freelancers…
EVERYBODY loves templates, right? And we’ll publish all the best ones we receive, even if it takes a few months to fit them into our editorial calendar. 🙂
Agreed, Farah! Sophie’s template post from a couple years ago is one of my favorite ones on the site that I return to whenever I feel “stuck.” I’m looking forward to reading everyone’s ideas!
Hey There! My name is Lex Paige and I love your website. I think a great pitch I would love to write for “Be a Freelance Blogger” Would be “How to Sell Yourself with a Media Kit”
I get a lot of my promotions from sending out my media kit as a freelance blogger. My subtitle would be “How to create a media Kit” and the best aspects to put in your kit. I believe this post would be great for Be A Freelance Blogger because there are a ton of bloggers whop don’t know what to put in there media kit in order to sell themselves.
If you would like to discuss this idea further, please do not hesitate to contact me!
Thanks, Lex, that’s an interesting idea! 🙂
To be a Pitchfest entry, though, we need your outline to follow the instructions Lauren gave in the post. Following instructions is the first law of pitching!
I agree with Sophie, Lex. Fantastic idea! But you should have followed the contest guidelines if you wanted to be considered for a prize.
You can, of course, send me a full pitch any time for an UNPAID post, if you like…
How a Freelancer can use Templates to your advantage, and what templates are…
When I was working as an exec at a corporate job, I spent a lot of time with our attorney, and I was surprised to learn that, in writing legal documents, lawyers use templates. They squirrel away useful documents for the future, and you can too…
• Where to find the basis for your templates (these will be online, item sent to you, items you have written yourself that you are pleased with)
• What templates can be useful to you (your own blog templates, cover letters, email auto responses, invoices, monetary and work contracts)
• How to file them clearly, so you can find them when you need them (basics of computer filing)
• How to personalize your templates when you need them (i.e., how to carefully adjust the data to your current needs)
• Why templates? (While plagiarism has no place in freelance writing, templates can be important when dealing with legal matters, and they can also save you time. If you have a great work contract document, it’s better to work with it instead rather than trying to make a new one every time…
I think that I’m well equipped to write a blog like this, as I’m versed in the subject matter, and can be interesting and funny. P.S., no templates were involved in writing this pitch.
Nicely pitched. I would put the “why templates” point near the start rather than at the end — but it’s all good. 🙂
Not bad… I would have liked a little bit of an intro to the post to get a feel for your writing style (you mention that this post “can” be funny, but I’m not really seeing that in your pitch).
Headline: ISO Yellow Brick Road
-I am a 23 year old disabled woman looking for an apartment in the city of Chicago. Being disabled makes this mission ten times harder and I’m here to tell you why.
1. Price: Everyone has a budget, including me, and my budget is reasonable for a middle class worker fresh out of college… Basically I have to make sure that with what I can afford I still get all the accommodations I need. Also note, the cheaper the rent usually means the older the building which also means less accessibility.
2. Neighborhood: Is it safe? Is it lively? Is it convenient location to walk to substantial stores (grocery/accessories/liquor….)
3. Distance: How far is it from my job? (less than an hour is ideal travel time)
4. ACCESSIBILITY: The main piece to the puzzle. there is a very long list that people with disabilities and myself look for when going apartment hunting that able bodied people don’t need to think about at all.
Maybe it’s me, but I didn’t see the “templates” theme here. This sounds like you could turn it into a good pitch for a site that covers housing, politics or disabilities! 🙂
Hey, Sawsan!
This looks like it’d be a good post for some publication, but not here. For a post to be accepted here, it has to relate to freelance blogging…
HEADLINE: Can You Fit Your Blogging Career Into a Template?
OPENING LINES: Are you looking for the perfect formula to get a six-figure blogging career off the ground within a year?
News flash: that foolproof universal template doesn’t exist.
And yet, in one sense, it does. …
OUTLINE:
1. My personal experience—and repeated failures—with trying to succeed at blogging by perfectly imitating other bloggers’ “systems.” Everyone is unique, so what worked for someone else will never work 100% the same way for you.
2. So long as you’re looking for a “how-to instructions” approach first, you’re going to be stuck at the mediocre level or lower. The only real universal “template” for succeeding at freelance blogging follows: its four rules and why none of them involve work schedules, number of queries, or means of soliciting clients.
3. Rule 1: Know yourself: what hours you work best, what topics you’re passionate about, what sort of clients you best relate to, whether your writing style is really BLOGGING. If your career-building approach contradicts any of these, you’ll at best be “successful” yet unhappy.
4. Rule 2: Know your ideal client: where they focus their attention, what they think of content in general and blogging in particular, who THEIR ideal clients are. Are you looking for new clients in all the wrong places?
5. Rule 3: Know where your world and your ideal client’s world meet. If you can’t think of anything, maybe you’d better reconsider your picture of an “ideal” client.
6. Rule 4: Put together a marketing and business plan that fits all the above: a few examples. Don’t worry about whether it matches “standard” business-plan templates.
WHY THIS POST? WHY THIS WRITER? As noted in the outline, I wasted a lot of my beginning blogging career learning the hard way that imitating others’ “systems” wasn’t the way to go. I want to write this post to help other “young” bloggers who are still stuck in that stage. BAFB has posted many excellent how-to and personal-experience articles, but it’s important to emphasize that there’s more to succeeding at a career than doing everything “by the book.”
Great point, Katherine! And well pitched. 🙂 I’m particularly pleased to see you’ll cover at least the basics of creating a business and marketing plan. If you can devise a *short* template for that — one that won’t scare away inexperienced planners! — then I’m even more interested.
Thanks, Sophie. I’ll make sure to remember that.
Very nice, Katherine. 🙂 Always happy to see you in the Pitchfest comments — you keep getting better! Like Sophie said, as long as you can squeeze in a short/easy template for planning beginners, then this pitch has some serious potential!
Hi Sophie and Lauren!
Today, I’d like to pitch you a post about templates that I think your freelance blogging audience would love–it’s tentatively called “Your Template for When You Screw Up”.
Recently, I had the unfortunate experience of royally screwing up a relationship with a freelance blogging client–in a defcon 5, nuclear kind of way. I hesitated so long to write the apology email that it was too little, too late, and I lost any relationship that could have been salvaged. Not being the type to sit there and cry (for very long,) I wrote myself a template to make writing difficult emails easier, so that I’ll be prepared with an apology should I ever need one again.
In my post, I will discuss:
A. Why You Should Have a Template Ready for your Worst Possible Emails
1. It will prepare you for when you inevitably screw up, and remind you that this isn’t the end of your business, it’s just business as usual, and everything is fixable.
2. It will make your response faster, keeping you from wasting precious time.
B. How You Should Write Your Template
1. Do it now, when you’re calm, and not dealing with shame, anger, embarrassment or fear. The template will be your shield from these emotions, should you ever need it.
2. Keep things vague to fill in the details of your screw-up later.
3. Fill in the parts that will be hardest to write when things do go south–actually type out the words “I apologize”. (Trust me, this is tough to do.)
4. Remind yourself that screwing up and messing up relationships and offending folks is as much a part of business as it is a part of life, and is nearly inevitable if you’re going to grow your business and interact with many different people. It’s not the end of the world.
C. The Template!
1. I’ll share the actual apology email that I wrote to my client, and the template I got out of it for folks to use as a starting point if they’d like.
I think your audience in particular would love this, because it’s easy to be held back by fear when you’re just starting out as a freelance blogger. (I certainly was when I had just started.) Having a concrete plan in place will help assuage that fear of offending people that can be debilitating for a new business owner, and it will help confidence in business acumen–as well as flexing their template-writing skills!
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.nicolepieri.com. I have previously written for Freelance Mom, Kinky, and Raging Chicken Press.
Thank you for considering my post! Shall I write you a draft?
I love this idea.
This is a great idea!
Lauren
Yep, love this idea. It’s much easier to work with a ready-made template than to sit down and write a difficult email from scratch when you’re feeling upset. 🙂
This is great, Nicole! Love it. 🙂
The Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Your Freelance Blogging Rates with Confidence
“How much should I be charging for my writing services?” That question torments brand new and veteran freelance bloggers alike. You’re sure there must be a right answer . . . and you know you don’t have it. So you have zero confidence in your rates. Stop second-guessing yourself and follow these steps to pricing with conviction.
Step 1: Research the market.
You won’t be able to defend with confidence a price that you pull out of the air, so stalk other professional bloggers to see what they’re charging. Plus, check out online and in-print resources for statistics on rates by publication, niche, or service.
Step 2: Get your head on straight.
Recognize that your writing is not a commodity, so the “going rate” for writing is what you make it. You are a professional writer with a unique set of skills, services, and experiences so recognize the value you bring to the table.
Step 3: Clearly define your services.
Before you can set your rates, you need to be crystal clear about what’s included in your basic rate and what services you offer that are paid extras. For instance, does your standard rate include a certain number of revisions, image curation, topic pitching, WordPress uploading, etc.?
Step 4: Start crunching your numbers.
It’s time to start assigning value to each element of the work you do for a blogging client. Consider all the elements of pricing your project, including the time you anticipate needing, the number of revision rounds, what type of rights you’re selling to your work, whether you’re being credited as the author, the turnaround time, a cushion for contingencies or negotiations, discounts or package credits you want to offer, and more.
Step 5: Finalize your rates.
First, take a step back and review your rates – how you feel about them and whether you’re happy working for those rates. Second, advertise your fees by sharing starting rates or a range of rates to weed out the time-wasters who don’t want to pay what you deserve.
Step 6: Revisit your rates regularly.
Upgrade your pricing when you add more services, you can contribute greater value, it’s been a while since your last rate increase, you get a new client, etc.
What freelance blogger hasn’t agonized over setting rates before nervously picking a number, hesitantly telling it to a prospect, and then folding the first time someone balks at the price? I’ve been there, but today I can clearly define what my rates are and why I’m worth them . . . and I can sell that value to a client. I’d love to help other bloggers find their confidence by sharing a meaty, step-by-step process for establishing their prices.
You can find my portfolio at http://www.megannye.com/portfolio. Thanks for your consideration, Lauren & Sophie!
Hi Megan! This sounds like a good fit for our audience — I’d like to get a clearer idea of where the “templates” theme fits into it, though. Would you include templates for figuring out rates, or for communicating rates to clients, or something else?
Hi, Sophie!
Absolutely! I’d incorporate a rate-making template into step 4 with the nitty gritty of pricing.
One more thing I should mention . . .
Before I started freelancing full time, I spent four years working as a mathematician for a major insurance company. My job was to figure out how and what to charge people for insurance. 🙂 So pricing strategy is definitely in my wheelhouse!
Hey, Megan!
Thank you for your follow-up comment. I wasn’t really feeling the “template” theme with your pitch either. But if you can squeeze in a short/easy template into step four, then that would be great.
The Freelance Blogger’s Template for a Perfect Guest Posting Pitch Every Time
Guest posting is a great way for writers to get their name out there. When a website calls for guest posts or you’re cold pitching, some are confused as to what exactly an awesome guest post pitch looks like. Whether you’re experienced or just started, this template is a sure fire way to get you exactly the response you want.
Important points:
1. Match your tone with the website’s tone of writing
You want to match your tone of voice with the blog’s tone of voice in its writing. If they’re laid back and enjoy humor, a stuffy pitch full of boring collegiate jargon won’t be very impressive to them, trust me.
2. Know exactly who you’re addressing
Don’t even dare using the “to whom it may concern” line. To the trash your pitch will go.
3. Explain Why You Especially are Qualified
It’s extremely important to include why you’re the absolute best person to write whatever topic you’re pitching. Also remember that your qualifications almost always lie in your skills, not so much your degree or how many high profile sites you may or may not have written for.
4. Provide Fresh and Exciting New Ideas
Make sure you’re always including some ideas of your own. Editors love not always having to do the work, especially if they see you know your stuff
5. Be assertive
No matter how new you are to this, don’t EVER express that. If you have confidence in your skills, show it!
6. ALWAYS thank them for their time
Editors are super busy, believe it or not, so they like to know that you appreciate them taking time out of their day to read your email or submission. They get a lot, and after reading many that probably didn’t even adhere to their guidelines, your perfect pitch and small “thanks” will make you look like a ray of sunshine.
This post is a must read for beginners. After all, this is the part that most beginners feel stuck on because it’s the make or break introduction to a potential client. When I first started I wasn’t sure exactly what to say or how to say it, and quickly learned the way a proper guest posting pitch should be. This is how any blogger, new or seasoned, should format every guest posting pitch to editors, because it works for me every time.
We can *always* use more pitching tips. 🙂 Would you include a full pitch template in your post, so that people could copy and paste it into an email and adapt it for their own pitch?
Of course! It’d be no use if I didn’t provide a full example!
Looking good, Haneef! Considering how many terrible pitches land in my inbox each day, I can tell you from experience that freelance bloggers could definitely use this template!
Become your own best boss with a goal manifestation template
Hi Lauren and Sophie!
Freelance blogging, along with other self-employment gigs, has some major benefits. You can set your own schedule, manage your workload and tailor the environment to your personal liking.
Those perks don’t come easy, though, and it’s crucial to step up and be your own boss in order to keep producing excellent work. One method I’ve found works really well is to make a monthly habit of checking in with myself, sort of like a performance review.
Having a template on-hand to reflect on your previous month’s performance and set future goals is a surefire way to objectively stay focused while also reminding you to celebrate small victories! In my article, “Become your own best boss with a goal manifestation template,” I’ll walk your readers through the benefits of regular performance reviews and provide an example of one I use for myself.
The key points I’ll touch on include:
– How a monthly performance review template can help you stay accountable to yourself
– The importance of setting long and short-term goals
– Why you deserve to give yourself a pat on the back for achievements
– The outline of a monthly template:
– Three achievements I’m most proud of
– Three things I’m most grateful for
– What’s the most important lesson I learned this month
Looking forward to next month:
– What am I most excited about?
– What am I 100% committed to?
– Where do I need to focus more attention?
– Name one thing I want to learn more about.
– A sample of my own monthly review and explanation of how it helps me stay on track.
I’m a freelance writer and ultramarathoner with work published in Outside Online, Acres USA and Ultrarunning Magazine. Please visit my website, http://www.irunintotrees.com for my personal blog and writing portfolio.
Thank you so much for considering my pitch and please let me know if you’d like a full draft.
Have a great day!
Lauren
This is really cool! With the new year rolling around, I could see the monthly performance review template morphing into a yearly business plan template too. Adding places on the template for “Nice Things My Clients Said About Me” or “Things My Clients Think I Should Improve on” would be awesome. 😉
Nice idea — and bonus points for the awesome domain name! 🙂
Haha! Thanks, Sophie! It’s fitting 😉
Thanks! I like your input!
Very nice, Lauren! After all, a goal without a plan is just a wish. So having a template on how to plan out your goals is great for freelance bloggers.
It’s a done deal
Blogging is all about the idea we are trying to put out there. If your English isn’t that good it shouldn’t deter you from pitching your ideas out there. That’s why we have editors. They are there to help us shape our ideas in a way the public will understand better, and everyday we try to find a way to make our work easier. Here is why templates is our helper:
We need to get our work done quickly –Freelancers are busy people so templates basically makes his a reality. Instead of writing a draft with thousands of words then getting rejected we can actually pitch a template just showcasing our idea
Our grammar might not be that good- The more we write the more we open up to mistakes ,this can turn away possible clients, who might not even consider the idea even though it was good. But if it’s a matter of sending templates we stand a chance of getting an idea through to the client
It shows professionalism- Too much explanation makes the statement lose meaning it can also raise doubt among readers but when it comes to using templates we post our points in a direct manner displaying confidence.
Its saves on cash- Many freelancers go to editors to countercheck their work because when we have done a lot of writing we tend to be unsure of our work. Templates eliminates the editor as we can do the editing on our own
We all get satisfied- On our side we feel satisfied when we get a reply whether positive or not, that’s what builds us. Its not the same when we don’t get a reply. What we fail to realise is that clients gets tons of submissions. So templates ensure that clients get the best ideas and even get enough time to reply.
More is achieved- Freelancing is a hobby for many ,this is something that we enjoy doing. The more clients we can reach the better .Templates ensure that we can get our work done before approaching other editors
Freelancers are some of the most knowledgeable people. Why? Because our work requires a lot of research linking to the idea we want to post .Any means that can make our ideas be read by many and potray our ideas easily is really helpful and that’s where templates come in. I don’t want to brag but the fact that I haven’t gone as being a freelancer is concerned it puts me in a place where I can connect with other freelancers and try to create solutions to the big problems starters face
I admit, I’m confused by your pitch. What type of template would you write about exactly, or would you include multiple templates?
I’m a bit confused by this pitch as well, Bett. :\ Also: spaces between your paragraphs would help as well. It’s hard to read a large block of text. Just sayin’.
Headline: 5 Ways to Tap into the Power of Thank You
Introduction:
It’s that time of year. We’re Netflix binging, gorging ourselves on Christmas-themed cookies, and rushing to the store to find those last minute deals. For bloggers, it’s also the perfect time to say thanks to your readers–those social media cheerleaders that you love–clients, and interviewees. It’s a simple concept, but you’d be surprised how few solid thank you messages you’ll see out in the wild. And since they’re not super common, the bloggers who do send them tend to see really awesome results – in fact, thank you messages generate a 42% open rate, according to Hubspot. But, let’s face it, those two little words hit your brain’s snooze button after a while. Ready to spice it up? Good. Here’s some ready to go free services and messages that’ll swell recipients’ hearts by four sizes.
Points:
1. Send free greeting cards.
Nothing says thank you quite like a good, old-fashion greeting card. Bonus: save the environment and send it at god-speed for free with services like PunchBowl and Paperless Post.
2. Pick from our library of emoticon to say thanks in a different way!
Example: ٩(˘◡˘)۶, Don’t like what you see? Use Blocky to make your own.
3. Send a customized emoji.
Using services like Bitmoji, send an emoji that looks just like you. It’s a little creepy, but it’s also super memorable.
4. Send a custom voice message.
Record and pop off a custom voice message via free tools like Toolster. Give your voice a make-over. Sound like frogs, Darth Vader, and more for a thank you that won’t be forgotten anytime soon. (Hint: Use the thank you messages below.)
5. Shoot off (or record) one of our 25 cool thank you messages.
Examples:
1. a) A peach b) Bee’s knees c) Cat’s pajamas. You’re d) All of the above. Thanks for following me!
2. If it wasn’t weird, I would have sent you a picture of myself. Because I look totally grateful.
Who I am, and why this post is perfect for BAFB.
I’m an extremely introverted freelance writer from Knoxville, Tennessee. I’ve written for clients like The Asahi Shimbun, Lumoid, Fetch, Beyond Words, Dogster, and many others. I’ve also had the immense pleasure of interviewing individuals like pop icon and Boston Marathon survivor Lynn Julian, Julie Austin (the creator of Swiggies), and Dr. Ken Lambretcht, who runs a cat-centric vet clinic, and many others. My thank yous went along way. Many of these people are now friends and others refer clients and sources. Gratitude=win.
This is a great idea, Cherese! The only problem is that for it to be on-target for the season, we’d have to sit on it and not publish until almost this time next year… I like it a lot though, so that isn’t impossible. 🙂
Wow! Thank you, Sophie.
I recently came across Steve Mandel’s story:
“[My client says that] most people…never send thank you notes. If they say thank you at all, they do it face-to-face at the moment a service or gift is being exchanged.”
According to Mandel, she things about his thank you message every time she chats with him. So, maybe, I could focus on everyday gratitude and nix the seasonal aspect.
Hey, Cherese!
This is a really cute idea, but I’m not really seeing the “template” theme coming through. I’m assuming that you’d be writing a template for a typical “thank you” note…?
Hi, Lauren,
Thank you for the comment! I’m glad that you’re feeling better.
I was thinking that point 5–Shoot off (or record) one of our 25 cool thank you messages–fell into the template category. But, a traditional thank you note could always be added. 🙂
THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED!!
First of all, I’d like to thank everyone who entered this time around. We know this is a busy time of the year and it can be hard to make time for competitions like this one, so cheers to you! 🙂
Second, I’d like to apologize for not replying with my comments to your pitches just yet. I’ve been sick and haven’t been online as much as I’d like to be. However, you will get a reply to your pitch if you turned one in! I promise. <3
Best of luck to everyone who entered!!
Lauren,
That’s a real shame – I thought the deadline was the end of today, not the morning? I was going to pitch a piece entitled “How To Eliminate Pointless Blog Revisions With A Buyer Persona Template.”
And sorry to hear you’ve been ill! I’m slowly coming out of the December plague and feeling shabby. But hopefully better in time for actual Christmas!
Please let me know if I can still pitch you. Even if not, Merry Christmas and get well soon!
Ooh, that’s an interesting headline, Victoria! Please do share your pitch with us here – if Lauren wasn’t sick, you probably would’ve had time to submit your entry. 🙂
How To Eliminate Pointless Blog Revisions With A Buyer Persona Template
How would you like to know with 100% certainty that you could write a blog for a client and not make a single edit?
That is, stupid edits. Time-wasting revisions. The kind of rewrite that makes you roll your eyes so far into the back of your head that they get stuck.
Back in the day, when I was cutting my blogging teeth, I insisted on making life difficult for myself.
Once I’d nailed a job, I didn’t ask many questions. I was full of determination and the client liked my writing style, so what could go wrong? I sent them my first draft convinced of my brilliance.
You can see where this is going. They sent it back so full of suggested edits that they may as well have written it themselves. It looked like someone had coloured in an entire page with a highlighter of failure.
I was gutted.
How could I have messed up so badly? Five rounds of revisions later, I was humbled and floundering in self-doubt. What had I done wrong? How could I make sure it never happened again?
—
The introduction would go a little something like that. I seriously messed it up back in the day and it cut me down to size.
Over time, I put together a buyer questionnaire that has completely eliminated any “pointless” edits. The kind that wastes your and the client’s time. You should know in advance what the perfect reader’s pain points are, what competitors are up to, and what kind of CTA you should be aiming for.
I’d go through a condensed version on my template (because the full ticket has about 30-40 questions) and explain how to expand and personalise each one depending on your client.
Having a ready-to-go template also makes the process of interviewing clients and getting work done a lot faster.
This post would be perfect for Be A Freelance Blogger because it tackles the dreaded edits, the bane of all writing jobs. BAFB is all about sorting the everyday problems of bloggers, like your recent piece on 10 Things You’re Sick of Hearing. I once had a client who thought ‘free’lance writer meant I wrote for free. My template is fully actionable and can be copied out and customised for everyone’s needs.
I have been published on blogs such as the DRIVE and One Woman Shop, and I’ve included some links so you can get a feel for my style. I’m a big fan of scannable, memorable sub-heads and anchor links to other posts. I’m sure this would be a great fit for BAFB and I’d be delighted to contribute to such a reputable, quirky and actionable blog.
Please let me know what you think. It would be brilliant to get feedback from the experts themselves. Thank-you for taking the time to help us improve!
Yours,
Victoria
https://blog.scottsmarketplace.com/visual-branding/
https://blog.scottsmarketplace.com/alien/
http://onewomanshop.com/2016/introverted-solopreneur-reconnect-humanity/
Great idea, Victoria, and well pitched! Now I’m curious to find out what’s in your template. 🙂
Thank-you very much – I’m chuffed! I’d be glad to tell you all about it in a full post. 🙂 Is there anything I could improve on, pitch-wise?
Nicely done, Victoria! 🙂 Your template sounds really good!
Hi, Lauren,
I hope you feel better soon! 🙂
-Cherese
Hey, Cherese!
Thank you so much. I’m feeling much better now. 🙂
All the best and get well soon, Lauren!
Thank you, Everyone. This has been an incredibly rough month for me. My meds were changed a month ago and my mental health has been on a steady decline ever since (I’m seeing my doctors tomorrow to get some help — I don’t feel suicidal yet, but I can feel myself drifting in that direction and it’s pretty scary).
Then I was sick. One of those sicknesses where you have stuff coming out both ends and spend your days on the toilet with a trashcan between your legs. Not fun.
Then, yesterday, my orange cat, Ringo, was hit by a car and died instantly. I’m devastated by the loss. I broke down sobbing when I was trying to cook dinner because he wasn’t there to keep me company like he always was. I miss him so much. And my black cat, Robert, doesn’t understand where his buddy is and it just breaks my heart.
I still intend to reply to all of the pitches on this post and help Sophie judge the contest, but I may have to do so later on in the week after I’ve seen my docs and get my head on straight.
If you’re the praying kind, I would appreciate a few prayers sent in my direction. Thank you.
You certainly have my prayers. I’m sorry for your loss as well. Hopefully your family, friends and your other cat are always there for you during this hard time. Rest up and be well.
Thank you for the prayers, Haneef. My family and friends have been very supportive. And Robert the cat is slowly getting used to the fact that he’s living in a one-cat family now.
I’m feeling much better and back to work. 🙂
Lauren, so sorry to hear about your painful month. Hope you can take the time to focus on yourself and heal. Sending prayers.
Thank you, Megan! Taking a week off and getting new meds was just what I needed. I’m feeling much better now and happy to be working again.
Praying! I know how it is to feel “almost” suicidal, and it’s hard to discuss that with anyone because most people don’t know the difference between “almost” and “actual,” and you don’t want to panic anyone unnecessarily.
Thank you, Katherine. And, yes! Exactly. There’s a big difference between “almost” and “actual.” But riding that line is still hella scary because you know that you could tip over at any moment. Thankfully, I was able to recognize that I was riding that line and was able to get help before I tipped. 🙂 I was able to go to my doctors and get the meds I needed to set me straight. I’m feeling MUCH better now. And it feels so good to be able to sit at my desk and work again.
Lauren,
I just wanted to let you know that you are in my thoughts and prayers! I’m so sorry to hear about what happened to Ringo. And I hope that you get to feeling better–both mentally and physically–soon! ❤If you ever need any support, I’m just a click away.
Happy Holidays.
Thank you so much, Cherese. You’re a sweetie. <3
Lauren, you are so brave. Thank you for sharing! I’m so sorry for your loss, but hope you know that you’re never alone in your pain.
Big hugs and love from another Lauren who struggles with mental illness and is saved by her pet <3<3<3
Thanks, Lauren! I didn’t feel very “brave” when I shared all that, but I thought everyone should know what was going on. I know what it’s like to not get a reply from an editor and wonder what the heck happened. I figured a little honesty might be appreciated.
My mental health seems to be back on track now. For the first time in a month, I was able to sleep without having a night terror, so that’s been nice! I feel well-rested, and I’m able to laugh again. And, more importantly, I’m back at my desk and working instead of hiding under my blanket crying because work is “too hard right now.”
I truly love my job(s) and it was very frustrating to not be able to perform because my brain was rebelling against me.
Thanks for the hugs! 🙂
Thank you, Rohi! I’m feeling much better now. 🙂
I guess Sophie’s busy, so I’m going to go ahead and announce the winners myself. 😀
THE WINNERS ARE:
1st prize:
Nicole Hallberg, http://beafreelanceblogger.com/templates-pitchfest/#comment-196602
2nd prize:
Haneef, http://beafreelanceblogger.com/templates-pitchfest/#comment-196745
3rd prize:
Lauren Steinheimer, http://beafreelanceblogger.com/templates-pitchfest/#comment-196828
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.)
* Katherine Swarts
* Megan Nye
* Victoria
Congratulations and well done to everyone who entered!
OH MY GOSH! I’m so excited! Thank you so much for this opportunity!!
I’ll drop the post in your inbox this week 🙂
Sounds good, Nicole! And congrats again! 😀
Congrats, Nicole, Haneef, and Lauren! I look forward to reading your posts! 🙂
WOW! Thank you so much! What wonderful news!
I’m happy for everyone that’s getting opportunity to share their articles here! Congrats everyone!
Congrats, everyone! Looking forward to some awesome templates. 🙂
Awesome! I’m honored. Thank you!!
🙂