Harlan Vaughn

Fuel Your Writing Success: Strategic Tools for Writers to Excel That I Love, by BadRedhead Media (aka Rachel Thompson Author) via Substack I love to help writers help themselves, whether that’s through this weekly newsletter, my monthly #BookMarketingChat (first Wednesday of each month at 2 pm pst/5 pm est on X/Twitter), my three books just for writers (on marketing, branding, and SEO), as well as a consultant and book marketer. I’ve collected my favorites here: 1. Hootsuite Pros: Great for scheduling posts across multiple social media platforms. Offers analytics to track engagement. Cons: Can be overwhelming due to its extensive features. The free plan is sadly, no longer an option. Costs: Plans start at $99 per month after a 14-day free trial. Link: Hootsuite.com I started using Hoot around 2010 when it was maybe $299 for the year. Now, I pay $600/year and can manage my over 50 accounts, so basically, I’ve been grandfathered in. I like Hootsuite because it’s one of the very few social media management scheduling tools that also allows you to interact (reply, like, reshare) right in the app. I prefer the web version, but their mobile version is decent if you schedule more on the go. 2. Canva Pros: Intuitive design tool for creating social media graphics, book covers, and promotional materials. It has a large library of templates. They even have a social media scheduler now. Cons: While versatile, it might not suffice for more detailed graphic design needs that professional software like Adobe provides. Costs: Free basic version. Pro version costs $10 per month. Link: Canva.com So, listen. I hate hate hate anything to do with graphic design. I’ve tried. I just suck at it. Creativity comes to me in words, not visuals. Canva takes a minute to figure out, but it’s super easy once you get the hang of it... Click to read more: https://buff.ly/447hQqm #bookboost #writers #writingcommunity #MondayBlogs

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Fuel Your Writing Success: Strategic Tools for Writers to Excel That I Love, by BadRedhead Media (aka Rachel Thompson Author) via Substack I love to help writers help themselves, whether that’s through this weekly newsletter, my monthly #BookMarketingChat (first Wednesday of each month at 2 pm pst/5 pm est on X/Twitter), my three books just for writers (on marketing, branding, and SEO), as well as a consultant and book marketer. I’ve collected my favorites here: 1. Hootsuite Pros: Great for scheduling posts across multiple social media platforms. Offers analytics to track engagement. Cons: Can be overwhelming due to its extensive features. The free plan is sadly, no longer an option. Costs: Plans start at $99 per month after a 14-day free trial. Link: Hootsuite.com I started using Hoot around 2010 when it was maybe $299 for the year. Now, I pay $600/year and can manage my over 50 accounts, so basically, I’ve been grandfathered in. I like Hootsuite because it’s one of the very few social media management scheduling tools that also allows you to interact (reply, like, reshare) right in the app. I prefer the web version, but their mobile version is decent if you schedule more on the go. 2. Canva Pros: Intuitive design tool for creating social media graphics, book covers, and promotional materials. It has a large library of templates. They even have a social media scheduler now. Cons: While versatile, it might not suffice for more detailed graphic design needs that professional software like Adobe provides. Costs: Free basic version. Pro version costs $10 per month. Link: Canva.com So, listen. I hate hate hate anything to do with graphic design. I’ve tried. I just suck at it. Creativity comes to me in words, not visuals. Canva takes a minute to figure out, but it’s super easy once you get the hang of it... Click to read more: https://buff.ly/447hQqm #bookboost #writers #writingcommunity

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GUYS GUYS ARE YOU SEEING THIS We’ll be learning about what’s in these docs for months to come. In my 10+ years of working in content and SEO, I’ve never seen anything quite like this. https://lnkd.in/eTiz7qBi #SEO #Google #ContentMarketing #ContentStrategy #Moz

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😊 Great things that happened last week 👇 🔎 Loved working with a new agency client. Interesting content and great editorial discussions. 🔎 My post on hyphens, en dashes and em dashes from Thursday has 422 reactions and more than 66,000 impressions – and counting. (And, yes, I'm counting. It's Bonkers McConkers.) 🔎 I noticed someone who I first chatted to more than three years ago was reacting to my posts, so I got all big and brave and sent them a message ... we had a chat on Zoom the very next day! THEY'RE READY. We begin working together in July. Over the moon. 😊 👏 My daughter, Tess, is Form Captain this term. 👏 My boy, Alby, was finding top set maths too fast and was moved down. He got 80% in his recent assessment, and his teacher says he's thriving. (And he can stay where he is, even if he's doing better than top set kids. PHEW.) 👏 Tess played in her first football tournament. She's not confident and won't tackle but loves being part of a team. This was a big thing. 👏 Alby and my partner went to Wembley Saturday for the FA Cup Semi-Final. Free tickets again with my partner's Blue Light Card! All of that offsets the not-so-good things. 👇 👻 Yep, I've been ghosted. I thought the call went well. We had good DM chats. I even wrote and said if things have changed your end, no worries. Not heard back. Maybe they've a lot going on. 😷 I've got some grim throat infection and am hoping to see a doctor today as it's been 10 days now. 👏 One more good thing – I'm writing this at 7.10am and my daughter, who doesn't sleep through the night, SLEPT THROUGH LAST NIGHT. Still asleep 11 hours on. Hurrah! Just as well, as I was coughing and awake during the night. Now to get them both up... good old Monday. What have you got to shout about from last week? #proofreading #editing #copywriting #ContentWriting

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✨I keep seeing freelance writing jobs with rates as low as $17/hour. ✨ And it really p***** me off. “That’s all the job is worth.” 🛑I beg to differ.🛑 🔷Over the course of a great piece of content’s life 🔷It could garner thousands to 100Ks of hits… 🔷That is worth some MONEY. And an experienced content writer? 🥇Worth their weight in gold. ✨SO: a case study of pay for MY team of writers at Excelsior Content.✨ I asked the freelance writers on my team their average hourly time spent per article. ↪️Which I used to figure their hourly pay rate. ✨✨Here’s what I found:✨✨ ⭐Average time spent per article⭐ –1500 words: 2 hours –2500 words: 3.1 hours ⭐Average pay per hour:⭐ –$52-$60/hour* *This range is based on the time spent per article. ⭐Factors that affect the writer’s time spent per article:⭐ 🦋Whether the content was a batch piece 🦋Familiarity with the topic 🦋Time spent at EC (the longest-employed writers tend to spend less time) 🦋Personal factors (i.e. caring for a child while trying to write) ⭐Individual writer pay breakdown⭐ Writer 1️⃣: $40-60/hour (dependent on if she’s caring for her child while writing) Writer 2️⃣: $60-80/hour (grad student/spends a lot of time writing/reading) Writer 3️⃣: $60-80/hour (does the most work for EC) Writer 4️⃣: $40-50/hour (newest to EC) ✨✨✨I pay all my writers the same per-word rate.✨✨✨ And I’m fully transparent about that fact. When they get a pay raise, it’ll be a collective one. I based my rate on the average hourly rate a writer will spend on my articles. 🏆In fact, streamlining content was an important goal for me… 🏆Only to ensure writers got better pay for the work they did. →Here’s how I help them mitigate the time they spend per article: 🔵I write the most detailed outlines/briefs they’ve ever seen ➡️I know, because they’ve told me 🔵I don’t believe in group feedback ➡️Unless it’s an error everyone is making all the time ➡️Feedback is specific to the writer ➡️I find they integrate feedback easier with this method) 🔵I vary their work ➡️Writers do better when they are not bored ➡️Some topics are boring! ➡️So, I split up the work among them 🔵I limit batch content per writer ➡️Batch content is important for content strategy ➡️But freelance writers burn out easily on it ➡️So I limit to two of the same-style pages per week, per writer 🔵I use daily due date systems ➡️Writers, like everyone else, need help keeping on track. ➡️Instead of weekly or monthly due dates ➡️I make assignments due on differing days of the week. Assisting writers with submission accountability WORKS. 🔵I work with long-term clients ➡️This means writers get to know each brand ➡️And experience helps you write in less time. I wish I could pay the writers on my team even more… 🙌🏽But I sleep well knowing the writers on my team are paid Almost DOUBLE the average pay ($23.27/hr) of other freelance writers in the U.S. #freelancewriters #contentwriters #freelancepay #contentslayer #payrate

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There are a significant number of direct response copywriters on this platform.  And some of them seem to be touting their type of copy as the only copy that’s good, or that works i.e ‘if it doesn’t generate immediate sales/lead to immediate conversions what’s the point in it?’ … and all other copywriting is second rate etc.  I hate to burst anyone’s bubble, but that’s nonsense, I’m afraid.  There are different types of copy and they all have a place at the table.  Otherwise, creative ATL campaigns simply wouldn’t exist - no big brand is going to keep spending millions on copy/messaging that doesn’t work.  Dan Kennedy is not ‘the best copywriter in the world’ - he’s just great at his particular type of copy/niche.  David Ogilvy, Dave Abbott, and Bill Bernbach could also be considered ‘the best copywriters in the world’, and they didn’t cover direct response copy, high-converting funnel campaigns etc.  Creative copywriting works differently. It’s a slower burn. Easyjet’s and Octopus Energy’s copy/messaging is great - love their tone.  Will I ‘convert to a sale’ immediately? No.  I’ll buy a flight from Easyjet in two months, when I’m ready to go on holiday.  I had a two year gap, saving, before I moved into my current flat… then I immediately sorted Octopus as my energy provider - they were top of mind because of their creative, fun approach/TOV.  Just because you only work on one type of copy and ‘don’t get’ creative copy, doesn’t mean it doesn’t work.  Stop touting immediate-conversion copy as the only type that works. That’s simply not true. 

I'm actively looking to onboard one B2B SaaS or agency client to my freelance roster. We'd be the perfect fit if: 👉You're a B2B SaaS brand in the marketing space looking to create long-form blog posts, specifically product-led and SME-backed content 👉You're are a marketing agency who wants niche-specific writer to write blog posts for your Martech clients 👉You're a link building agency or Martech brand who wants to support your link building for your clients through guest posts Here's what I'm proud of: → Product-led and SME-backed SEO blog post projects I've worked on with brands like Storylane, InsightIQ and Planable → Unique examples and SME insights I sprinkle into blog posts with the help of a personally curated and vetted network of experts → Several blog posts ranking on first page of Google—by satisfying E-E-A-T and optimizing the blog posts using SEO tools like Frase and SurferSEO Want to work together? Send me a DM and let's talk:-) #saasmarketing #martech #freelancewriter

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Calling all content leads/managing editors/marketing pros – I've got your next best freelance hire. Writer & editor extraordinaire Alison Bowen has some availability for new clients and you should snap her up ASAP. I've been working side-by-side with Alison nearly two years, and I cannot sing her praises loudly enough. (If I had the work, I'd give it to her! So you're lucky she's temporarily available!) Here's what you'll get if you work with Alison: • A thoughtful, whipsmart, incisive editor who will source and manage freelancers, write assignment briefs, handle onboarding and invoicing, deliver developmental and copy edits, and upload to a CMS • A brilliant, award-winning writer and researcher who can tackle everything from front-page national newspaper stories to branded lifestyle content to B2B research reports. She spent over a decade as a features writer at the Chicago Tribune and she specializes in finding compelling human stories that make you care about the problems people are facing. • A kind, considerate, joyful person to work with. Alison is always positive without being Pollyanna. She approaches every business problem with curiousity and a spirit of collaboration. She can speak to CEOs and veterans with PTSD and treats everyone with the same level of respect and genuine inquisitiveness. • An organized, punctual project leader who can delegate to and mentor editorial collaborators. If you have a large-scope project that needs a careful, experienced guiding hand on copy, Alison is your person. • A veteran journalist who can work seamlessly with marketing and branded content stakeholders. Alison understands that the best branded content is produced with journalistic rigor and the highest editorial standards, while still uplifting and promoting the brand. I know I'm gushing. But it's all true. If you'd like any more of a recommendation, please DM me and I'm happy to share more about my experience working with Alison. I'll link to her portfolio in the comments, and you can reach Alison at byalisonbowen@gmail.com.

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Writers, bloggers and LinkedIn posters LOVE lists, but sometimes they use them as a crutch. Here’s the third of nine suggestions on how to write better lists: ***Provide useful hot links — and not just to your own site. *** When I read a list post with no hot links, like one from Inc. on how to be happy (see link in the comments), I can’t help feeling that the writer is being indolent. Here, for example, tip 12, “Smile and laugh more frequently,” could have easily been linked to a story on Sean Achor. Achor is a well-known expert on positive psychology and his 12-minute TED talk is both informative and deeply entertaining. (See photo here and link to speech in the comments) The more information you give to your readers, the more fulfilled they’ll be. And the great thing about hot links is that readers who aren’t interested can easily skim by them. ✍️ What guidelines do you keep in mind when writing lists? ♻️ Please share if you think this post might help others. [photo by Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia]

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"We all use AI. It's no big deal." It isn't a big deal... Until someone uploads something they're not supposed to. Suddenly, it's a big deal. "No need -- I don't work with AI." What happens when your clients do? "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Is there a plan for that conversation? Could you be standing on the bridge without knowing it? Editors, writers, and organizations can all benefit from having a content policy for the use of ChatGPT and similar text-based generative AI tools. An AI content policy is a statement of usage and practices and an action plan to prevent or mitigate the risks inherent in AI tool use. It covers editorial accountability, transparency and disclosure, guidelines, and more. Join me July 8 - 22 for a comprehensive course in creating AI content policy that works and grows with you. AI Content Policy for Editors: From Development to Disclosure provides practical guidance on creating and implementing clear editorial policy statements and processes for AI use. #editors #AIcontentpolicy #aieditors #generativeAI https://lnkd.in/ej2xSd_X

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This is...quite a range. If you're hiring influencers, how would you differentiate between talent at: ~ $1,000/mo ~ $10,000/mo ~ $25,000/mo Is it simply scale (larger audiences and/or more content = higher compensation)? Curious... 🤔 #influencermarketing #talentmanagement #adspend

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All writers worked for, say, $50, if not $0, per article at one point as journalists or fledgling marketers. Here are some lessons I've learned while evolving from working for free 10 years ago to charging $2,000/article: 1. You can charge more for subject matter expertise. I don't charge my clients simply for writing articles; I charge them for bringing ideas to the table that push forward the conversation in their industry and establish them as experts. In large part, I can do this because I've written hundreds of articles about ad/martech. 2. Follow senior comms/marketing people in your industry. Learn what they charge. Build relationships with those people. You don't know what your potential is until you find out what people more experienced are charging. 3. Think critically about the business value of your writing, and challenge yourself to make the case for it. You can't charge $1k+ for an article or $10k/month if you don't know how your content is going to drive revenue. Content marketing and PR exist to grow businesses. Learn to explain how. 4. Everything sounds crazy until it doesn't. I wrote a ton for free as a freelance journalist. When I started in marketing, I made less than $200/article. I saw veterans charging $2k/article and have steadily raised my rates. Often, asking for the next jump in rate has felt uncomfortable. But then, someone confirms your value, and asking for the new rate feels more comfortable the next time. 5. Ultimately, charge for strategy and ideas, not content and not per word. I've written an article for clients or even covered them as journalists just to see them use a phrase I applied to their business for years afterward. The more you know about the business and the more you're contributing ideas, not just words, you're a consultant; you're being paid for your intellectual contributions, and those far outlast the scope of a single 1,000-word article. Pursue rates that reflect those contributions because, ultimately, even $1,500/article isn't ideal. Being paid for your impact is. 6. If you can, explore verticals where rates are higher and clients have more money. I am *not saying* that it's easy to get from $50 to $2,000 for an article. A lot of things out of my control helped me do that, and one of them is that I happened to land in an industry, adtech, with decent financial standards. At the very least, keep the financial conditions of the industry in mind when exploring opportunities. What advice would you add for humanities-brain people trying to build a career in business?

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What's with the unhinged customer communications trend? It's not effective. If anything, it's creepy and borderline abusive. Twice this past week, I've gotten stalker-ish messages from two organizations. One was political, the other from an e-commerce brand. The political one was a follow-up text to a request I'd received 3 days prior about signing some petition. I ignored the original request. The follow up said: "We know you didn't sign our petition. We're not mad (well, maybe a little). So, sign our petition." 😬 The second was from an online shoe company I'd never bought from before. I left without buying. Two hour later, I got an email that said, "We see you left without buying any shoes. That's not cool. Come back and buy some shoes." 😟 It's not the first time I've gotten messages like this from organizations. The approach appears to be getting more common. Please, for the love of Bob, don't send messages like this. I don't know what communications goo roo suggested this approach but it's awful. The only thing these kind of messages persuade me to do is block your organization from contacting me again. I'm willing to bet I'm not the only person turned off by this approach. #CustomerService #ContentStrategy

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There's an interesting freelance writer job posting trend I've noticed over the past 6 to 12 months. I generally see an uptick in activity toward the end of the month. I'm not sure why this is the case, but my best guess is that publishers and editors are looking to get their ducks in a row for the coming month. Now that we're in the last full week of April, I hope this trend holds true again. I'll keep you posted on my findings. And in the meantime, check out these two top opportunities: ✅ 🇺🇸 Draft.dev is hiring freelance writers to create content on technical topics ($300+/blog post) https://lnkd.in/gYGg6yQr ✅ 🇺🇸 Morgan Cutolo is hiring freelance writers at ConsumerAffairs https://lnkd.in/gqYHexPK Find more gigs in today's edition of Freelance Framework: https://lnkd.in/gYi3mjjn

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A big mistake I made at the start of my editing career: (And something I still see a lot of editors doing.) Looking to a client's or employer's *old* content to answer questions about how to edit their *new* content. For example: You're editing a blog post for a client. You have a question about the way they like to discuss a particular subject. So you do a "site:" search and find a piece of their old content that discusses that topic. That's all fine. This is where the mistake happens: You use the old content as guidance for the new content. Why is this a problem? Because they hired YOU to make their content better. (Hopefully.) It's (very) likely that they don't like some or all of their old content. And they may not even have a full picture of everything they have floating around on their site. There's no guarantee that they want it done the same way they did it a year or more ago. Don't rely on that. What do you do instead? If you can't answer the question with your editing instincts, style guide, onboarding materials, etc., there's a really simple solution: Ask. Just ask the question. Don't be embarrassed or scared. Good clients will be glad you asked. #Editing #EditingTips #Editors

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