The Golden Thread – The Week in Review
May 27 – June 2, 2007

Welcome to The Golden Thread Online, your free e-letter from American Writers & Artists Inc. Every Saturday, you will receive this recap of all the strategies, insights and opportunities we send to you and your fellow AWAIers each week. Whether it’s a message from a fellow writer about how he landed a new client … a technique from a Master copywriter for writing a control … an insight into how to succeed in a new market … news of a brand new writing job or business opportunity for you … you’ll find it here in this easy-to-access and always available “Week in Review.”

In This Issue:

• 6 Surefire Ways Copywriting Can Build Your Business
  Heather Robson reveals six ways the skills you've learned can land your clients.
• Quick Tip: Danger Lurking in Email
  How to avoid phishing scams in your email inbox.
• What to Do When There’s Nothing to Do
  Will Newman shares strategies for getting the most out of the time you have between projects.
• Quick Tip: Why You Shouldn’t Buy Adobe CS3 … Right Now
  Advice for determining if you should upgrade to Adobe CS3

6 Surefire Ways Copywriting Can Build Your Business
By Heather Robson, AWAI-trained copywriter

"Where do I go from here?"

Any new copywriter trying to land a first client has asked this question.

Fortunately, you already have the tools you need to find clients: Because the secret to building your success is your copywriting skills.

Here are six copywriting strategies to use to land clients:

1. Write a sales letter.

   When trying to reach a top prospect for the first time, I start with a direct-mail package. I find out who the marketing director is, and I send her a direct-mail letter or full direct-mail package. I reserve the full package for companies that already work with freelancers.

   (By the way, if you're not sure where to find companies in your niche and/or the names of the people to contact, check out the Ed. Note at the end of this article.)

   The letter introduces me and establishes my skills. It also turns any future phone calls from a cold call into a warm call. I've used this method to contact companies of all shapes and sizes, from real estate brokers to high-tech Internet companies to small non-profit groups.

   You've learned the secrets of selling products using AWAI's direct-marketing secrets. Now put them work in your letter to "sell" yourself.

   Use the four P's – Promise, Picture, Proof, Push – and remember that you’re “prospect” is the marketing director. Always keep her in mind … how you will make her job easier … her life better.

2. Write a postcard series.

   Sending a single DM letter won't fill your work calendar with jobs. You need to connect with prospects regularly. Postcards are a quick, cheap way to do this.

   Write 5 or 6 postcards as monthly follow-ups to each sales letter you send. Include helpful tips or powerful benefits. Eventually, you'll reach a prospect when he has an immediate need for your services and he will convert to a client.

   I take a "Top Five Reasons to Work With Me" approach. This gives me the chance to focus on five separate benefits, giving each postcard a single big idea.

3. Write a case study.

   Case studies build credibility. Describe how you boosted a client's response or helped her reach an untapped market. Load your case study with facts, figures, and testimonials from the client.

   This strategy is perfect when you have a warm prospect who needs a little nudge to turn her into a client. I use case studies to highlight how I've helped clients in a situation similar to my prospect's. For example, I helped one client establish a better Web presence. I then wrote a case study that helped me land several other clients for similar projects.

4. Write a white paper.

   White papers are articles that provide solutions to common industry problems … for instance, mistakes online copywriters make and how to fix them.

   White papers range from simple one-pagers to multi-page productions. Use an objective tone and position yourself as an expert with answers.

   When I send hot prospects my full DM package, I include a white paper on the benefits of outsourcing. It overcomes any objections they might have about hiring me. It's a powerful, unbiased way to help prospects rationalize the decision to work with me.

5. Write an article.

   Articles are tremendous expert-image builders. You can write a short article and get lots of marketing mileage out of it.

   I use articles several ways. I send them to existing clients to keep in touch, I post them to online article banks to build website traffic, and I publish them in trade magazines.

   Keep a notebook and computer file where you jot down inspirations for articles whenever they come to you. Then turn those inspirations into marketing gold.

6. Write a tip sheet.

   Do you know five ways to instantly improve headlines? Or 10 ideas to craft an irresistible offer? Write a tip sheet. These one- or two-page offerings make excellent additions to your first prospecting letter.

   I include a tip sheet in my full self-marketing DM package. It covers common mistakes people make when writing copy. It shows that I know my stuff and delivers value, especially to smaller prospects who don't have copywriting experience.

Copywriting is your best tool for building your own business. The six techniques I shared with you today will help you establish name recognition and credibility with potential clients. At the same time, they provide an instant example of your writing skills.

Harness your new copywriting skills to reach more clients … and start today.

Quick Tip:
Danger Lurking in Email
By Will Newman

This morning, I received this email:

"Thank you for your loan request, which we received yesterday. We'd like to inform you we are accepting your application. We are ready to give you a $272,000 loan (Approved refinance) for a low monthly payment. Approval process will take only 1 minute. Please visit the confirmation link below and fill out our short 30-second form."

Click on the link, and you could be sent to a porn site, a Viagra at $2-a-pill site … or just about anywhere.

This is far more than annoying. It's dangerous. This type of email is called "phishing."

It's dangerous, because if you click the link you could be sent to a website that loads tiny programs on your computer that do nasty things … like logging your keystrokes when you're typing in logins, passwords, or account numbers.

Some phishing emails can look exactly like a request from your bank, credit card company, utility company, etc., describing a problem and asking for your help.

You innocently click the link and are sent to a legitimate-looking website that asks for personal information – like your Social Security number, password, or even something as innocent as your middle name.

In a month, you're getting real notices from creditors. You're $20,000 in debt! Your identity has been stolen.

Here are three effective solutions:

1. NEVER click email links from senders you're not sure of.
2. Banks, credit card companies, etc. NEVER ask for passwords or other information in emails. If you get an email (or phone call) from one of these institutions, call your local branch for verification, not the phone number in the email.
3. Buy software that protects against "malware" of all sorts. (Macs are NOT immune to phishing scams.)

What to Do When There’s Nothing to Do
By Will Newman

You’ve finally finished and sent off that big project. You’ve worked hard, and you’re ready to kick back and veg out for a while.

Resist the urge. Certainly, you’re entitled to a break. But it’s tempting to let a break grow and expand until it has taken over most or all of the time you should be working. So instead of earning money, you’re cruising the Net, canning peaches, or watching TV.

Okay. So maybe you don’t have any work waiting for you. What should you do, fake it? Well, that’s one of the things we’ll get to in a moment. For now, let’s look at a few – very important – activities to do when there’s nothing to do.

1. Go Client Hunting.

   In Secrets of a Freelance Writer, Bob Bly advises that if you’re not doing something that makes you money directly, you should be doing something that will help you make money. “Promoting yourself” has to be at the very top of that agenda.

   Use downtime to generate a list of your dream clients. Call them or research the Internet to find out key contact names. This might not be a group of people you feel comfortable contacting … yet. But by developing the list now, you’ll have information you can easily update and add to as you build your career.

   In a similar vein, make a list of clients that are probably ready for your services right now. Research their contact information. People respond better when you contact them by name … even product managers.

2. Develop Your Portfolio and Self-Promo Package.

   This is where “faking it” comes in. If you don’t have a very thick portfolio, work on putting one together that shows off your skills. Develop a stunning DM package for real or made-up products in a number of different niches (health, financial, etc.) in a number of different formats (magalog, #10 letter, etc.).

   These are samples of what you can do, not “real” work – so label it as such. And work as hard on them as you would on a real assignment that pays $5,000 … because, some day, this work will pay off like that.

   But don’t stop at developing a strong portfolio. Expand it into a compelling self-promotion package that includes an introductory letter, resume, list of clients (if you’ve had any), testimonials (if you have any), and your self-designed business card.

3. Master Photoshop, InDesign, or Other Software.

   The worst possible time to master new software is when you’re working under a deadline. If you have a good instruction book in one hand and your mouse in the other, you can turn out some pretty good results. But, guaranteed, you won’t remember how you did it.

   Take advantage of your downtime to perfect your software skills. And learning new software systematically can be fun … so it seems like you’re playing while you’re really working.

4. “Hose Out” Your Computer.

   Use some of your “there’s nothing to do” time to do some needed computer system maintenance. Like defragmenting your hard drive. Or reorganizing files and folders into a logical order.

   Keeping on top of this crucial aspect of being a computer owner can save you grief down the road by preventing a computer crash.

   And while we’re on the subject of crashes, do not wait until you have some downtown to back up important files. It should be done on a regular schedule – preferably every day. Don’t rely on your memory, either. Invest in good, reliable software to do it automatically.

5. One More Suggestion …

   If the above recommendations don’t keep you busy during those times when it seems like there’s nothing to do, consider doing volunteer work. Pick an organization that does work you admire, and offer to do some design work for them … free of charge.

   You’ll not only be building your portfolio, you’ll also be improving the world around you.

Quick Tip:
Why You Shouldn’t Buy Adobe CS3 …
Right Now
By Will Newman

The latest buzz in design software is the new Adobe Creative Suite 3.

The reviews for this version of the popular design and image manipulation software have been extremely positive. And when new software like this comes out, we tend to have a strong urge to buy it. After all, with reputable software publishers like Adobe, new is usually better.

But don’t buy it. At least not now.

While based on CS2, this software is, to a large extent, a complete remake of that previous version. Adobe delayed the release of CS3 several times to flush out any hidden bugs … so that’s not the problem.

The problem is that many of the service bureaus your designs might be sent to might not yet have updated their own software. So, if you send an InDesign CS3 document to them, they might not be able to handle it. They’ll send it back, costing you and your client time and, ultimately, money.

If you are really itching to get CS3, have some patience and wait a few months. The applications in CS2 are powerful, and can do the work you need done until service bureaus and commercial printers have caught up with the new technology.

Word of advice: Hold off on upgrading to a brand-new version of any software – not just Adobe CS3 – until it’s been around a minimum of three months.