Jan82026 by Jyssica SchwartzNo Comments

Make More Money: Marketing Isn’t a Dirty Word

Copywriting, Editing, Entrepreneur, LinkedIn, Medium, Sales & Marketing, writing

The people and businesses who need you the most don’t know who you are yet.

Why do so many people, especially freelancers, hate the idea of marketing themselves?

I’ve asked many writers, editors, and artists this question, and I’ve gotten a lot of different answers, including:

I don’t know how
I hate talking about/promoting myself
Marketing doesn’t matter
I don’t have time

Do any of these sound like you?

You’re shortchanging yourself thinking this way. And your business. And especially your bank account.

Why freelance marketing is exceptionally important

Marketing yourself is just another way of saying “looking for clients.”

For freelancers, who usually don’t have the budget or resources for a marketing or advertising team, it comes down to building a pipeline of upcoming clients.

Some believe freelancing is feast or famine, but that can be managed very effectively by continuous marketing efforts so that you always have a new line of potential clients finding out about you.

Literally, a few small changes and 15 minutes per day can change your business (I added a list at the end to help!).

Marketing isn’t a dirty word — it will change your business.

You probably already do some marketing, even if you don’t call it that.

The most common marketing strategies for freelancers and small businesses are:

Facebook/Instagram/TikTok ads
Social media posts and comments
Newsletters/email campaigns
Maintaining a nice website and updating it when needed, potentially with a blog

The thing most people seem to find distasteful or anxiety-inducing is the idea of simply reaching out and messaging, emailing, or calling someone they don’t know or who hasn’t reached out to them first.

Surprisingly, something many freelancers have told me they find difficult is asking for reviews and referrals from previous clients.

This shocks me! Asking someone who has already worked with you, with whom you have a good professional relationship, and who would be the most likely person to refer someone to you, seems like the simplest possible thing to me.

Marketing and advertising are not the same.

Marketing yourself is way different than just advertising your business. In fact, advertising is actually a pretty small part of the whole of marketing.

Marketing starts at the conception of your idea and encompasses everything your business does to generate income.

That includes the products/services you offer, the group of people you want to be your audience/target, where they are, what they want and why, how you price your products/services, your branding, your overall strategy for both the business and the products/services, and much more.

By having a “brand” at all, that is marketing — getting your business seen and exposed to potential buyers.

According to the American Marketing Association, “Marketing is the activity, institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value.”

Basically, “marketing” is simply a short way of saying that you are trying to provide value to a specific group of people, AKA your “target market.”

A target market is the group of people you think would most likely buy and/or benefit from your product/service.

If you believe it benefits them, why wouldn’t you let people know your product/service exists?

That’s what it comes down to. The people who want to or need to work with you simply don’t know who you are.

Many freelancers will claim they “aren’t good at marketing,” but with how much information is available for free online, that is a truly lazy excuse.

Simple marketing ideas for freelancers

There are lists everywhere, including at the top of this post. I’m going to highlight two simple and effective marketing ideas here: emailing to ask for referrals and planning for monthly retainer clients.

Asking for referrals and reviews

Start by reaching out to current and former clients with a brief email asking for referrals and a review (only to people you’ve finished a project with).

Here’s a simple email I’ve sent for this purpose:

Hi, Lauren,

It was great working with you last year when I edited your book manuscript. I hope publishing went well!

I just wanted to ask for a small favor — I’d love to get a short review from you about working with me. I’d like to update my website with more recent reviews, and I enjoyed working with you. You can just type it in an email, and I’ll post it on my site with your name and business name.

I also recently finished a big project and am looking to take on up to two new clients. Do you or anyone you know need any writing or editing assistance? I’m always happy to help!

Have a great day,

Jyssica

Everyone I sent a similar email to has replied, and most were happy to give me a short review. Even if they didn’t, they’d reply that it was good to hear from me, which puts my name at the top of mind if they have any needs soon.

Planning for monthly retainer clients

Recurring income is the second-best kind of income (the first is passive recurring income).

Instead of working per-project or per-word, I tend to think more expansively. When talking to a client, I always discuss my skills and how, even though they thought they only wanted blogging, they actually want someone to research, write, add links, fact-check, edit, source photos, and pull quotes for social media posts.

I also often discover that they need someone to help with related tasks, such as editing other writers’ pieces, posting the blog on their website, creating a content calendar, or planning topic ideas. Or I can mention how it seems their website is due for an update and explain how I can help with that, or how I noticed they hadn’t posted anything on their company’s LinkedIn page in over a year. Or maybe I discover they want to write a book but don’t know where to start. Or maybe they’re a good candidate to write one, but haven’t considered how it would benefit their business.

It all starts with a simple conversation. Get the potential client (or current client) on the phone or on a video call. Establish a rapport and be friendly.

Then, shine. Be yourself, be knowledgeable, and show off your expertise so they can trust your judgment. Make sure you research the person and the company so you’re informed and can make good suggestions that show you know what you’re doing. Offer to show samples or reviews from previous clients. When talking to an editing client, I describe my process and the timeline in detail, as well as explain the different types of editing – something many clients don’t know yet. So, I’m already showing off my knowledge and abilities.

These conversations inevitably come down to pricing.

“I love everything you’re saying. What is this going to cost?”

“Great question! My pricing is tailored to your needs. Based on everything we’ve discussed, I’ll email you the numbers and what they include once we hang up. But I need to know how you want to structure it. We can do a monthly retainer rate covering 15-20 hours of work on any task for you, including any new projects or ideas. I can also do it per project, but you’d need to clarify exactly what each project entails, and the cost would not cover anything outside that specific project. Most of my clients prefer a monthly retainer, as I’m available throughout the week for whatever you need, even when you come up with a cool new post or idea you want to try right away.”

This is how I approach it. I offer it as an option, not the only option. I’ve had half a dozen clients that started out as per-project or per-word pricing (editing) and became monthly retainer clients after a couple of months. They realize it’s easier and, if they need a lot, cheaper.

A few small changes & 15 minutes per day

I said above that that’s all it takes.

So, where do I start?

Here are the big 3 things you need to do. Do number one to make the whole thing easier. Do numbers two and 3 regularly, and I promise you’ll see positive results and more replies.

Stop telling yourself you hate marketing or that it’s stupid, and accept that it’s part of having a business. Reframe it in your head so that instead of hating it and it being a chore, you just do it as part of your daily tasks.
Ask every client for referrals and a review. Upload it to your website when you receive one. Make sure you include in the email or after receiving it that it will be posted on your public website with their name, title, and company name.
Send 20ish messages per week on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, or wherever your prospective clients are.

Here’s some advice for cold messaging prospective clients:

Keep the message pretty short. Maybe 3-4 sentences.
Include a link to your website or blog, wherever they can see more about you and your work.
Have a short template message you use and tailor it, including greeting them by name, for each person. Make sure the message focuses on THEM and not on you. Your first message to them should show what value you can bring and how it benefits them.
Example (bad): “I’m a great editor with 10 years of experience. I could really help you make more money. Do you need any writing or editing assistance?” Notice how the whole message really focuses on “I” rather than the prospective client.
Example (good): “Your website design is striking and eye-catching, but I noticed the copy is a bit confusing, and your blog hasn’t posted new content in over a year. Did you know that having an active weekly blog publishing fresh, original content keeps site visitors on your page longer and converts them to customers faster?” In that second one, I included this article that dives into blogging stats from Databox.

In the first (bad) example, it gives the prospective client some information, but doesn’t touch on how you can help their business, specifically.

The second example shows you how I like to message businesses. I find something to compliment, raise an issue that I can assist with, and explain why that thing is important. You can see just by reading them how they come across differently. Example 2 shows a tailored yet simple message that leaves the reader feeling like they learned something (because I’m an expert in my field) and seeing immediately how I can add value to their business. Plus, I gave them a free resource to see even more reasons why they need me.

Other small changes to make:

Create and adjust ads as needed to try different copy and keywords (if you run ads). Also, try testing ads in places you haven’t tested before. You may find new places where prospective clients are online.
Update your website regularly, adjust the copy and keywords, add new projects you’ve worked on, and add reviews. You can check out my homepage to see examples of client reviews.
Respond to comments on social media.
Add your website or blog to your social media bios and email signature.
Start sending out weekly or bi-monthly newsletters — they can be short, but it helps to do occasional (and USEFUL) emails with announcements and links to your site.

Spend 15 minutes a day on marketing activities. That could be one day, setting up an email to go out to your email list. Or it could creating an email list and adding the link to your website, social media bios, and email signature.

It could be as simple as sending 5 LinkedIn/TikTok/Instagram messages (wherever your audience is) or posting a social media post on 1–2 platforms.

Just get your name out there and be proud of your business — don’t hide it! The people and businesses who need you the most just don’t know who you are yet.

May162023 by Jyssica SchwartzNo Comments

9 Easy & FREE Marketing Ideas for People Who Hate Marketing

Books, Copywriting, Editing, JS, LinkedIn, Medium, Sales & Marketing, writing

I get it, I am a weirdo.

Perhaps an anomaly.

But I…(shhh, don’t tell anyone!) like marketing myself and my business.

No, no, don’t run away!

I know most people hate marketing themselves.

It can feel “braggy” to talk about yourself. There is anxiety when approaching strangers. What if the person/company doesn’t like your work? And, hey, marketing takes time away from other (paid) work.

“I’m just not good at it.”

“I don’t see the point.”

I have HEARD IT ALL.

And I still know it to be 100% true that if you market yourself, even a little bit, you will get back SO MUCH return and will be more profitable and successful FASTER.

So, instead of a lecture on why marketing is super important and why you really just need to do it, full stop, I am going to give you a few quick tips you can implement starting right now to do some marketing with minimal work or effort on your part.

None of the below ideas require you to spend hours researching or scrolling through social media or emailing individual companies and people. They are all free. And even just picking a couple and trying them will show you how useful this kind of marketing can be.

I CHALLENGE YOU:

Do just a couple of these things consistently for 60–90 days and see if you are getting more leads, more money, and better clients.

Just see if it works for you.

You may find that some things work better than others. Great! Drop the ones that don’t work after the first 30-60 days and focus on the things that are producing results. Maybe replace it with another item on the list if you have time to incorporate it.

You may be surprised that some of these end up being things you actually enjoy doing. Yes, I blog for my business — but I genuinely enjoy blogging!

1. Add your blog, books, and links to your email signature (and social bios).

Time it takes: 10 minutes (max)

Cost: Free

This is a super simple one. Add the links for your company, website, books, courses, etc. into your email signature and also into all of your social media bios.

It takes basically no time, and then they are there forever.

Here is my Gmail email signature:

2. Ask for referrals.

Time it takes: 10–20 minutes

Cost: Free

This is something you SHOULD be doing with every client, but it’s easy to forget.

Go through your spreadsheet or email folders or wherever and gather the list of previous clients you’ve worked with over the past, say two years.

Shoot them a super quick email saying hello and checking in, and letting them know you enjoyed working with them previously. Mention any exciting developments (you launched a new course, have new services, got married, etc.). And end it by saying, “If you or anyone you know anyone who needs _____ services, please let me know! I am currently looking to add 2 new clients to my roster. Thank you!”

You can even create a referral program where you give an old client $100 or a percentage of the first project you do with any client they refer.

If you decide to create a referral program, mention it in the same email!

Then, moving forward, every time you work with a client, ask for referrals. You don’t have to wait until you’re done working with someone. Once you’ve done some work for anyone, they have enough information to know they like working with you.

Always ask for referrals!

3. Upsell your existing clients for more services.

Time it takes: 10 minutes of conversation (or a REALLY good email)

Cost: Free

As a writer/editor, most first-time or prospective clients assume that writing or editing is all I do. They ask me about the cost of website copy, blogging, or editing a book, and that’s it.

However, I use the conversation to let them know about my other skills and other ways I can bring value to their business.

For example, instead of ONLY writing the blog post, I offer to source images, upload the post to their site (if they want), and create a social media post with the link, a quote from the article, and hashtags.

This takes a lot off their plate — uploading, scheduling posts, grabbing images, etc.

They then get excited when they realize I can do the entire process, which also helps them understand why my prices are what they are — because I’m worth it.

Or if I am editing for a client, I like to also offer my writing, fact-checking, research, and formatting services.

So, think about additional things you can do to make your existing services bigger. It is the easiest and fastest way to make more money!

If you offer graphic design and are brought on to update the website, talk about your logo creation services, too.

In most cases (in my experience), the client didn’t even think to ask if you also did these other things and are excited you can take more off their plate.

The result is more money from each client.

4. Create a free one-pager, article, infographic, 3-minute video, or other informational item related to your business.

Time it takes: 1–2 hours one time (+ long-term returns)

Cost: Free

This one and #5 work hand in hand.

You can offer a free opt-in item to anyone who is interested.

I’m sure you’ve seen plenty of popups on websites and blogs that say, “Get a FREE ____ workbook!” or “Click here to download a free 10-day meal plan!”

Those are free opt-ins.

You can create ANYTHING to be a free promo item. It could be a PDF of an article you wrote that is particularly valuable for your industry, a one-video short webinar on the topic you get asked about the most, a listicle of paid opportunities in your field, an infographic, a free ebook you’ve written — anything.

But having a free promo item helps you build your email list AND gets your name and work to a wider audience with basically no additional work from you.

Then you can add the link to your free promo item in your email signature and bios, at the end of blog posts, as a popup on your website. There are plugins for that OR you can do it via your mailing list site (see #5), and every time someone signs up for your free item, they are added to a mailing list and become leads.

5. Build an email list and send out newsletters.

Time it takes: 20 minutes to get started, then ongoing, maybe 30 minutes per newsletter

Cost: Free (depending on what resource you use)

I use a free MailChimp account for my email list and to send newsletters. If you choose a different service, this might not be free.

But MailChimp (and other email services) have free signup forms you can create and add to your website or blog to encourage people to sign up for your mailing list. In my MailChimp account, I can go to any audience and click on “Create a signup form” to get their form builder.

This is mine for my main mailing list, Schwartz Freelancer News

I have the link to my mailing list form (that “eepurl” URL at the top left) at the bottom of blog posts and on my website. You can also add it to your email signature, social media bios, and more.

Once I put it at the bottom of my blog posts, I started getting new signups every week!

Once you have a few signups, start sending out newsletters to your list. You choose how often you want to send them out and what they say. Do it consistently, similar to how you might create a blogging schedule.

I tend to only send out newsletters about once a month. I usually feature a recent (useful) blog post and mention what I am working on next and any announcements about my work or business.

Yours could be anything. They could be valuable resources you’ve found for people in your industry, a list of websites that pay for contributor articles, a recommended reading list, a recent blog post or video you posted, or anything!

But sending out newsletters keeps your name in peoples’ minds, engages with leads, and shows them the value you provide for free. They will be certain your paid services are worth your price.

6. Write and post blogs consistently.

Time it takes: 1–2 hours per blog

Cost: Free

Content marketing is super important, but all you need to know is that you should post more on your blog, whether that is on your website or on an independent platform like Medium.

Blogging consistently (I recommend at least once per week) will grow your audience and get you ranked higher in the search engine results pages (SERPs). Original content is huge for search engines.

And if more people find you from the SERPs, you’ll continue growing your audience and your credibility with useful content.

Bonus tip: Do some guest blogging! If you have a piece of content that could be a good fit on another site, shoot them an email and ask if they accept guest posts. Whether they pay or not, you’re widening your audience base and getting your name further afield.

7. Post on social media more often (& not necessarily work stuff!).

Time it takes: 5–10 minutes a couple of days a week

Cost: Free

You have an online business. You KNOW you should be using social media, even just a little bit every week.

Start making a point to post on social media 2–3 times per week. The posts do not need to be only about your business. In fact, most consumers prefer to see the humanity and authenticity behind the brand. Post about yourself, a cute photo of your pet, a challenge you are working through, anything.

Posting more often widens your reach and expands who sees you. And then, when they check your bio, they see all the stuff you do! It all works together.

Make sure to use hashtags when posting so that the people who follow those tags see your posts, and remember it doesn’t even have to be original content — you can retweet and share other people’s content. Tag them so their audience sees you, too.

Finally, don’t sleep on LinkedIn. I’ve gotten a bunch of clients through LinkedIn. Grab the post you just made on Facebook or Twitter and paste it into LinkedIn to share. Throw up a blog post from your blog onto LinkedIn’s platform occasionally. Just use it; there are so many business owners on that platform!

8. Get involved in a couple of Facebook or LinkedIn groups in your field of expertise and answer a few questions.

Time it takes: 10 minutes a couple of times per week

Cost: Free

You’re probably already in a few groups here and there for your industry. I am in a couple of writing groups on Facebook and LinkedIn. While I don’t check them every day, I do like to go in once or twice each week and answer some questions.

I have gotten new clients who told me they saw my comments in the FB/LI group and wanted to work with me.

I just answer questions with a few sentences. Not every day and not every question, but I go in and clearly answer a few things weekly to show my authority and continue to brand myself as a thought leader.

I am also not afraid to ask a question or two myself in the group and get some info from others.

It’s a great way to engage with people and get your name out without having to actively market yourself. It also shows off your knowledge and expertise. Win-win!

9. Join HARO & PodcastGuests to get featured in articles and podcasts.

Time it takes: 2–3 minutes to scroll through the list. 3-5 minutes per answer

Cost: Free

I’ve talked about HARO before, and I’m saying it here because it’s a great way to get free publicity and market yourself by getting quoted by other websites for free.

HARO stands for Help A Reporter Out and is at www.HelpAReporter.com. Go to the website and sign up as a “source.” It’s free and quick.

You will receive 3 emails per day from HARO with a list of all the writers and reporters looking for information and quotes for their articles. They always list out what they are looking for and the information they need, and in most cases, they list the publication.

If they like your response, they’ll quote you in the article and usually send you a link once it is published.

In case they don’t, I do a Google search of my name about once a month to see if anything new has been posted with my name.

If you’re interested in getting on podcasts, a similar free resource to HARO for podcasts is podcastguests.com. Sign up and you’ll receive daily emails about podcasts actively looking for people to interview on their show. You can very quickly fill out a Google form for each one you’re interested in.

Not only is this a great free way to get your name even further out there and pops up when people search your name, but it ALSO is a great addition to the Media page on your website. My media page lists everywhere I have been featured or directly interviewed, including podcasts. It just adds to my credibility when people look at my website and search for me online.

Here’s my media page: https://jyssicaschwartz.com/media/

An Important Note:

James M. Ranson, a close friend of mine who is also a successful freelancer, wants to add his thoughts to this post. This comes directly from his own experience:

If you look at these 9 marketing tips and just don’t want to do any of them or don’t see the point in doing them, you may not have a marketing issue — you may have a business problem. Take some time to reflect and make sure that you are happy with what you do and offer and the work you produce. Revisit what you do, why you do it, who you do it for, and how you feel about doing it.

If you aren’t excited to share it, you may not be doing the thing that is right for you. And that’s ok! It’s totally fine — even encouraged — to reassess and pivot to a new offering or work that you like more.

Be ruthlessly honest with yourself about what’s working for you around those things and what isn’t. Then use what you find to tweak, refine, pivot, or even completely revamp your business into something you’re excited to do at least SOME of these 9 marketing tasks for.

Sep62017 by Jyssica SchwartzNo Comments

How to Stop Procrastinating

JS, LinkedIn, Medium, writing

Working from home doesn’t make me more likely to procrastinate, it’s just easier to get away with it because no one is watching.

In the corporate world, procrastination is there, it’s just slightly less detectable. Facebook and Twitter in between clients, Instagram while you go to the bathroom, texting all day. Reading the news is the easiest way to procrastinate at work because it seems that it is the most “acceptable” non-work thing to do.

It’s unlikely that anyone will sit at a desk in front of a computer and work nonstop for 8 solid hours with no distraction or rest.

Instead of policing an employee’s every move, it should be understood that some distraction can be a good thing. Leaving a task and coming back with fresh eyes is great and can catch errors you may have missed before. Refreshing yourself and coming back to work with renewed vigor is great!

Working from home, I have found that I can just as easily get into Facebook for half an hour as I can stop and sweep the house or take pictures of my cat.

4 Tips to Stop Procrastinating

Schedule tasks. If you know you need to do specific things on Tuesday or have them done by Wednesday, put them on your calendar. Schedule an hour to block off specifically for “edit Client A’s Chapter 2–3.” And then keep to your calendar.
Close out of social media. When focusing on a specific task, close out of all social media websites and put your phone face down. It is a simple way to remove distractions.
Get in the right mindset. Instead of thinking, “Shoot, I have to do this task.” Consider trying a different perspective. Try, “I am going to knock this out and be done with this whole task in only 45 minutes!” It’s been shown that changing your mindset affects your attitude and even likelihood of success.
Just start! Stop trying to think of why you don’t want to do something and just start. It will go faster than you think, and you’ll wonder why you spent so much time complaining about it or procrastinating when you could have been done that much sooner.

What do you do to get started on work? Do you find yourself procrastinating a lot? How do you accomplish your goals?

Dec52016 by Jyssica SchwartzNo Comments

Networking: Standing Out in a Crowd!

networking1 — Photo Credit: http://www.business2community.com/strategy/order-work-need-network-01640509#211hApMQjqjMpTYO.97

Depending on who you ask, networking is either relatively enjoyable or a necessary evil to suffer through.

If you were to ask me, I’d be able to regale you with anecdotes from hundreds of career fairs, association meetings, networking meetups, and client visits. I genuinely enjoy the face-to-face connection you get in a networking situation. You get a more casual environment to meet people, discuss business, but also pepper your conversation with real pieces of your personality. It’s not a job interview, so the solemnity tends to be lessened, and people generally feel more comfortable in a group setting.

I know some people who wouldn’t go to a large networking event even if you paid them, and I know others who knew about it before you tell them, and are already registered.

Obviously, our comfort levels in crowds of near-strangers are individual to each of us. I am a salesperson, and people are my specialty. I have no problem walking into a crowd and introducing myself and my company, and enjoying meeting new people every time I turn around. I am marryied to an introvert who finds it stressful to be in crowds of strangers, and tends to not know how to introduce himself to complete strangers. Luckily, we balance each other out!

It’s not only a personality thing, though. Usually at an event, I’m representing my company, so I feel that I’m able to offer value to people and to companies. I am able to bring something to the table, so starting a conversation is even easier! Not that as myself I am not valuable, simply that as a representative of my company, I am bringing a different sort of value to the table.

Here is an example of how networking has been a huge help to me previously. I was tasked with bringing a rebranded company name out to market in NYC when the company rebranded in 2014. Being able to get in front of people who knew me as the former brand, and explain in person our new name and logo, but with the same great services, was the best way for people to associate the new name with our old brand that was so well known. People could associate me with the new name, as they already did with the old one. Giving presentations at networking events allows me to stamp myself and my company into people’s brains.

A great networker is someone who is remembered. They are not the funniest or best looking person in the room, or the one who spoke the loudest. It is the person who had great conversations with people, who was credible and knowledgeable without being pushy or a know-it-all. It’s someone who focused their undivided attention on the person they were speaking with, and not allowing passersby to distract them. A great networker expands their network by mingling with new people and introducing themselves to newcomers, and being a genuine, friendly source of information.

Bringing value to your events is so important. If you are looking for a job, the way you should think of this is “what do I bring to the table?” This is a view of what YOU can do for a company or service, and don’t even begin to focus on what they can do for you. You are not owed anything by companies, but you may be bringing fresh perspectives, specialized experience, or a tech-savvy eagerness to learn to them, all of which are invaluable to companies.

Expanding your network is vital to branding yourself (or your company) in your chosen industry or market. You can really learn and gain a lot from meeting pillars of your field, or perhaps you are one and you have a lot of knowledge you could be teaching others. Everyone has value to bring to every conversation. Mingling with other experts is a great way to learn new things, meet potential clients, and more.

As a salesperson, when you are marketing anything: yourself, your employer, a client, you are a subject-matter expert putting yourself in a position to expand your network. Hand out business cards, and get them from people you meet. Connect with them on LinkedIn and check in occasionally. Networking is an important piece of the puzzle, but not the only one!

Have you ever had an amazing or amazingly bad networking experience? What has expanding your network done for you, personally and professionally?

This article originally was posted on LinkedIn on 3/11/2015 by me (original content). It has been edited a bit for relevance.