One question Be a Freelance Blogger readers ask a lot is: how can I convince a potential client that I’m the right writer for them?
The answer: you don’t have to convince. You just show them, and they convince themselves.
The convention of proof in freelance blogging is that you give the potential client links to 2 or 3 of your most relevant published posts, or to your online portfolio. But what if you had bigger, more powerful proof to offer?
What if you gave them a copy of your book on their niche topic?
Let me give away your potential client’s big secret right here: they’re human, and they’re impressed by the same stuff as anybody else. That means they view you as an expert in any topic you’ve published a book about. Magazine articles and academic publications count for a lot, too, but a book tops the list.
Yeah, yeah, publish a book. Riiiight, Sophie.
I’m not kidding. Self-publishing isn’t difficult; there’s a learning curve, but it’s nothing you can’t handle. And I’ve brought in an expert to give us a few pointers.
Self-Publish to Self-Promote
Dana Sitar is a self-publishing expert, founder of the DIY Writing community, and the author of A Writer’s Bucket List (plus a whole range of other books for writers and entrepreneurs).
She’s self-published her way to a level of credibility and professional authority that’s sure to impress any client she chooses to query.
Here are just three of the tips I’ve learned from her about self-publishing as a marketing tactic for freelance writers.
For more info on the benefits of self-publishing your ebook, check out the blog and resources at Make a Living Writing and the Freelance Writer’s Den. But if you know this is what you want to do, don’t sit around reading about it — get started!
Win a Place in the E-Pub Bootcamp by DIY Writing
Today’s prize, donated by Dana Sitar, is a place for one Be a Freelance Blogger reader in the E-Pub Bootcamp, a series of learning modules that walk you through the self-publishing process from idea to launch and beyond.