With the Internet as loud as it’s ever been, any writer will tell you that you can have the best blog or article piece the Internet has ever seen but it won’t mean anything if you can’t reel your audience in with an enticing headline. Think of a headline as a first impression and (almost) everybody likes making good first impressions. Coming up with strong headline is the easiest, most difficult part of creating a blog or article. A good rule I use when crafting a headline is to brag and back it up. What does that mean exactly? It means that you want a headline that is going to immediately get the viewer’s attention and have them curious to read on to the article or blog, almost as if they have to. As a quick note, keep in mind that the tone should be appropriate when called upon to do. I mean, you don’t exactly want to make light of reprehensible news unless you’re into the dark comedy niche. One obvious thing more than anything is to be accurate about what your blog or article is portraying. Don’t make an article about how to leverage Microsoft Excel functions for monetary budgeting and I read an article about relationship problems and how to solve them using Microsoft Excel instead (as intriguing as that sounds). For the technical aspects, one of the most popular things many headlines use is numbers, let me assure you that readers love numbers (especially when paired with adjectives) so go wild especially with uncommon numbers (often odd numbers) such as 17 or 23. Also make sure to keep your headlines short as this has many benefits such as fitting into various formats through channels such as Google and e-mail messages, easier for sharing and lets you craft more impactful headlines. With a few exceptions, always aim for crafting headlines around action verbs. The idea is that you want the readers to subconsciously want to read the article, instilling a sense of urgency in them. Now let’s apply these concepts in action. Using titles like “5 Weird Ways Penguins secretly lead society” or “8 Crazy Things Humans Eat” or “20 Surprisingly Awesome Lessons that Shakespeare Taught Us” can increase the likelihood of someone sticking around to read your content. Creating snazzy headlines is no easy task and it often takes a while to build experience and savvy on how to attract readers while retaining the integrity of your blog or article. Remember, creating the greatest article ever doesn’t mean jack if you can’t reel your audience in with an attention grabbing, earth shattering, galaxy bending headline so make sure you got one ready so people will actually read your article or blog. Any unique tips and tricks you’ve done to create killer headlines or titles? Let us know in the comments. If you’re new to Freelancing, odds are one of the first things you are probably thinking about is how to reel in clients and naturally this is where the pitch comes in. There are plenty of great articles and advice from well regarded pros (on both sides of the table) but here I want to give you a unique twist to crafting pitches that show potential clients you are worth their time. The idea here is that while it is important to develop strong pitches that properly showcases your skills and value, it is equally if not more important to develop a pitch that is tailored specifically to your client’s needs so here are few things you want to check for while creating your pitch.
First you want to analyze their job description, not simply look at, but analyze it. What I mean by this is that you want to incorporate the at-face needs of the clients into your pitch, but you also want to spotlight the underlying needs of the client. For example, a client is looking for someone to help craft a sales speech that they will use to pitch their product or service to potential investors. First off, you know they need a sales speech but pay attention to the wording of their description; incorporate words that will resonate with them and show off your knowledge. Also pay special attention to their audience as this is a big one that many freelancers miss. When crafting your pitch, keep the audience of the project in mind and demonstrate a quick snapshot of your knowledge as it relates to that audience (your portfolio/samples will do the rest of the work). Next is the tone of their description and it takes a keen eye to notice the subtleties and how you can incorporate that into your pitch. While not always true, the tone of your client will often demonstrate how you can approach them. If your client takes a more casual or relaxed tone to their job description then you may reply in kind; likewise, if a client uses strict formal speech then reply accordingly. As a reminder, it is always imperative that you maintain a high degree of professionalism in your pitch no matter the tone; you are a professional first and foremost. Breaking into freelancing may seem intimidating and a large part in my experience comes from getting your foot in the door and that need to craft the killer pitch. A strong pitch is worth a great deal to your freelance success but the right pitch finely detailed to individual clients’ needs is invaluable. As such make sure to pay attention to the little things, not simply paraphrasing what the client needs in your pitch but also demonstrating your knowledge and/or previous experience as it directly relates to their needs and analyzing the tone of their speech so that you may respond accordingly. How were your experiences crafting pitches and what strategies did you use? Let us know below in the comments. Stepping into the Freelance world is always a scary thing, whether you’re inexperienced or not the idea of working on your own and being solely responsible for everything you do just seems foreign due to the message that our media often pushes with the benefits of guaranteed job security and being told when and where to work. Looking at the Freelance game and seeing all of these experienced, successful freelancers can be quite intimidating. Have no fear, the freelance market is big enough for all and there are a variety of ways for you to build confidence and put your best self out there. 1. Contact Your Support Network One of the first things to consider when trying to build confidence is contact your support network. This can be family, friends, e-friends, groups, teachers, fellow freelancers, etc. Having a strong support network can be greatly beneficial in helping you get over that slump or hesitation. In some instances, your support network can actually help you land your first clients through referrals. 2. Set Up a Goal Plan Set up a goal plan and for each milestone you make, reward yourself. The best thing to do is to work with others to set up your plan so that you can have someone on your tail to get things done and/or not create a lazy plan. To give you an idea, you can set specific goals by day or week (try to avoid monthly goals from that start as they may be harder to commit). Basically you want to hit goals that are quick to see so that you can slowly build confidence for your efforts. 3. Stop Comparing Yourself To Others A big thing a lot of Freelancers do (and we as people do in general) is compare ourselves to others, often those who are “better” than we are. This can be damaging as this thought process can belittle our self-worth and clients will also see that lack of confidence. It’s quite the habit to kick but don’t compare yourself to others or if you can’t help but to, leverage that mindset. Instead of saying “man, they are so successful and have so much experience how can I possibly compete with them” instead opt for “man, they are so successful and have so much experience I want to learn from that and leverage that expertise so that I can be as successful in my own path as they are in theirs.” Those little mental tricks can make a big difference for your psyche and build confidence. Talk to just about any freelancer and they’ll tell you, often the hardest part about jumping in is literally taking that first jump. The worst that could happen is that you get a couple of rejections, and it can indeed be a frustrating experience after a prolonged period. However, a major part of freelancing is perseverance and adaptation and if you stick with it, freelancing can (and will) be a very rewarding path. Was confidence a barrier for you when you decided to enter freelancing? Comment and let us know. Since you don't have a lot of wiggle room to dig into the trials, tribulations, motivations and aspirations of a character you'd be better off looking for a central theme that you want to build around and give the reader enough to do the rest of the work (i.e. interpret) themselves. Mix and match different storytelling styles for your micro story until you find something that feels cohesive and your tale flows well. Now you absolutely can go for the generalization route and make it work (I play with this style myself) but in terms of designing something more intimate and character driven, you may have to trim it down. It varies case by case and by no means am I the definitive voice on writing a good micro story; just have fun building your character(s) and make sure the rest falls into place with that.
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Frank Sheppard
NOTE: all opinions/views represented here are my own and do not reflect on any third party that I am affiliated with. Archives
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