And so I love this approach that my friend Guillermo (I call him G) wrote about from psychologist Dr. Neil Fiore, who says procrastination has little to do with laziness. It’s more about anxiety and how we cope with starting things.

Not only am I delighted to be told I’m not lazy, but I also love that he has solutions to wading through this anxiety that start with recognizing the subtle fear of failure or perfectionism in disguise.

When I started using this “Unschedule” technique that G explains below, it began with me prioritizing my morning sunshine walk. With that bit of exercise and self-care under my belt, everything in the day seemed more doable.

And it’s just gotten better from there, where I really am getting more done and having fun doing it.

Here’s hoping this technique works just as well for you!

Mindy McHorse
Executive Editor, Barefoot Writer Magazine

Unschedule Your Way to Greater Productivity
By Guillermo Rubio

There are a lot of time management systems out there. Depending on your own work style and personality, some will work, some won’t.

Recently, I came across a time management tool in the book, “The Now Habit” by Dr. Neil Fiore. This productivity tool is called the Unschedule.

Now, before I tell you what exactly the Unschedule is, it’s helpful to understand where Dr. Fiore is coming from.

Contrary to popular belief, he doesn’t think the cause of procrastination is laziness.

The cause is much deeper than that.

According to Dr. Fiore:

This anxiety comes from many factors that can include fear of failure, perfectionism, fear of success, and low self-confidence. What’s more, our society has a view that work should be something that is hard, and play is just a waste of time — making work something that is resented and tortuous.

The Unschedule gets down to the source of these issues and provides an effective solution. One that’ll make you a more successful, more prolific writer that gets the job done every single time.

Here’s how it works:

Instead of scheduling work you feel you HAVE to do … you plan for all the things you WANT to do. The things you consider fun. Maybe it’s going to the movies. Spending time with family. Playing a round of golf. Whatever. You get to decide.

Once you’ve scheduled your play activities, schedule other non-work activities, like eating, getting ready for work, going to the grocery store, sleeping, etc.

Now you’ll have a realistic assessment of how many actual hours of work are available to you every day.

As you go throughout your day, work during one of these open hours, for no more than 30 minutes at first (remember, you’re a procrastinator, so you’re trying to build up your productivity muscle. Anything more than 30 minutes may be too overwhelming to start).

Once those 30 minutes are up, THEN you record the work you did and at what time on your Unschedule.

Immediately follow each work session with a reward … no matter how small or trivial.

To help you understand the Unschedule further, here are five of Dr. Fiore’s rules to successfully using your Unschedule to become a more productive, happier you:

1. Fill in your Unschedule with as many non-work activities as possible.

   This might include:

   • Eating breakfast, lunch, dinner

   • Free time, recreation, leisure reading

   • Spending time with friends and family

   • Exercise

   • Routine events like commuting to work, medical appointments, classes, etc.

2. Take credit ONLY for periods of work that represent at least 30 minutes of uninterrupted work.

   After every 30-minute work session, record it on your Unschedule. This half hour of work represents quality work, not trips to get potato chips or calls to a friend.

3. Reward yourself with a break or enjoyable activity after every period worked.

   You deserve it. After all, you got started! By rewarding yourself, you create a positive association that will soon become a great work habit.

4. Keep track of how many quality hours you’ve worked per day and per week.

   This emphasizes what you did accomplish throughout the day and throughout the week. This keeps you focusing on the positive, keeping the momentum towards efficiency and productivity.

5. Allow at least one full day a week for recreation and small chores.

   On this day, you are not to work at all. Instead, have fun. Doing this will re-energize you, making you more productive and effective when you get back to work.

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Here is an example of an Unschedule in action:

In this sample Unschedule, the shaded areas represent the hours Joe worked at least 30 minutes on a very important work project. Then each day, he totaled the hours worked, and came up with a cumulative total at the end of the week.

By recording your progress, you get a visual of what you’ve accomplished and notice any patterns where you are using your time ineffectively, or simply procrastinating.

That way you can readjust as necessary to get the point where not only are you getting work done, you’re having fun doing it.

But Beau found a better, cheaper route—his job title.

It’s one of the things that first attracted me to the writer’s life, like so many of my fellow writers: location independence.

He and his wife, Kory, fell for a beautiful city while on vacation (how many of us can relate?).

But it was a pipe dream until they got home and a late-night visa search turned up something neither of them expected: copywriters were on the fast-track list for the country they’d just been in.

Beau tells the story below. Now, note that since he wrote about it, immigration rules have changed more than once. So I invite you to do your research on where and how this opportunity exists at present.

The important thing to know is that it definitely exists somewhere.

I know for me, Portugal is calling…

What about you? Where might you go?

To your writing freedom,

Mindy McHorse
Executive Editor, Barefoot Writer

Fast-Tracked Residency for Writers

By Beau Thompson

My wife Kory and I walk through Stanley Park …Arguably the most beautiful place in Vancouver.

It’s hard not to find beauty in a place with rocky ocean views and snowcapped mountains. Plus, Vancouver is by far the cleanest and friendliest big city I know. The people are happy and welcoming.

“We have to move here,” Kory says.

We always say these things on the last day of vacation. The rush of a new place. A cubicle nowhere in sight. Time is your own, if only for a few days.

But Vancouver was different.

We fell in love with the people-centric design of the city. Pedestrians and bikes have all the best views.

The seawall runs for an uninterrupted 22 kilometers, passing brand-new condo towers, parks, museums, marinas, yachts, and the Olympic village.

It is truly a city of steel and glass. The type of place I knew I’d love to call home.

Now, I got into copywriting for the freedom and flexibility. Above-average income helps. And traveling to exotic locations is nice...

But, the biggest part of my writer’s life vision was living in another country.

So, where’s the Glicken?

That night back at the condo, I made dinner while Kory researched Canadian visas. She discovered the Canadian government targets certain skill groups for immigration at certain times. These groups are highly valued. They are fast-tracked for permanent residency. In some cases, in a few months.

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For neophytes, permanent residency allows the holder access to most services and privileges of a full citizen, except voting and holding public office. It is a stepping stone to a second passport.

Now, I’d been a longtime student of the market for second passports and residency. This was unheard of. Fast-tracked residency programs typically involve six-figure “donations” to the government… or seven-figure real estate purchases.

For the monetarily challenged, the path to permanent residency can take a minimum of three years, with visas and temporary residencies. During that time, if the rules change, you’re out of luck. It’s not uncommon.

But Canada, at the time, recognized the benefit of the creative field. Writers and other artists contribute significantly to the cultural and economic life of a society. A wonderful, clean, and friendly place knows this.

I joined Barefoot Writer for the freedom to work on my terms. But on that day, it became a pathway to help me achieve other visions of my writer’s life as well.

Who knows? Maybe this Glicken can be your reality, too. If not in Canada (because at the time of publishing this essay, copywriters were off the list), then somewhere else you’ve been dreaming of.

She did a thing that might sound crazy to outsiders, but if you live on the inside of the creative world and you know how energy has to align with the actual work... then this all makes sense.

Also I’m a huge fan of her method. I once used it plan out the colors, design, and layout in my writing office, and enjoyed similar unexpected success.

Should you try it? Yes. Yes, I think you should. And have fun doing it — that’s what this freedom-based lifestyle is all about!

To your best writing life,

Mindy McHorse
Executive Editor, Barefoot Writer Magazine

The 5,000-Year-Old Way to Get Bodacious Clients Now

By Pam Foster

I’d like to tell you about a popular, ancient technique that people all over the world use for getting exactly what they want.

This technique has been proven to generate success for people in all cultures, across the globe, for thousands of years. It’s an approach that anyone can use, anywhere, to achieve goals of all sizes. And it’s a simple approach that has a track record of creating powerful results.

Think I’m a little over-the-top with all this gushy praise for a 5,000-year-old success technique?

Hear me out, and then decide.

A while back, my freelance writing business took a powerful turn and I’ve been absolutely swamped with work and new-client inquiries ever since.

• My income more than doubled in a year.

• And I’m booked solid with steady work for many months to come.

So what made the big difference? What turned me into a client-magnet? And how can you do the same thing for your writing business?

Promise me you’ll keep an open mind, okay?

The 5,000-year-old success technique I was following unconsciously is Feng Shui — or I should clarify … the INTENT aspect of Feng Shui.

You’ve heard of Feng Shui, right?

It’s an age-old practice of intentionally creating an environment that balances natural elements for positive outcomes in one’s life.

Architects apply Feng Shui principles to home design so they can build homes and office structures at the most advantageous angles for the best flow of energy. Home decorators place furniture, plants, and art in certain ways to create positive results. And millions upon millions of other people use Feng Shui techniques to enhance their wealth, health, harmony, and happiness.

But the part of Feng Shui that worked so well for me was INTENT — the intentional part of going after the work I wanted to do as a freelance writer.

Let me explain, because it can be life-changing for you too.

Feng Shui followers believe that intention drives results. So if you intend to be healthy, and you intentionally create a home environment that supports health, you should do just fine.

A few years ago, I decided to put all my energy and focus into marketing myself within a single business category — the pet industry.

Once I determined that pet industry clients were my main focus, I made it my daily intent to bring in more work with pet-related businesses.

I created a website with that single focus. I created marketing materials with that focus. And I approached a specific, targeted pool of potential clients in the pet industry.

It literally changed every single aspect of my writing business for the better. So now I’m …

• Working with fun clients

• Working on fun projects

• Getting paid more for my valued contribution in an industry I love

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So consider this for yourself.

Is your writing business a bit scattered right now? Are you struggling to gain momentum with clients you’re hoping to attract? Are you frustrated that you haven’t found the right kinds of projects yet?

If so, focus your intent in one direction; one industry that excites you. And then back up that intent with action steps that are 100% fixated on marketers in THAT industry.

How do you do that?

1. Apply the INTENT principle of Feng Shui. (You can find lots of Feng Shui resources that explain this in detail, but in short — declare your intent in a sentence or two.)

2. State your intent loudly by saying something like, “I’m the best writing resource for clients in the [fill in] industry!”

3. Next, establish your ownership of that niche market. For example, if you decide to be the best writing resource for the Tropical Island Tourism industry, position yourself as the best writer in that market.

4. Create a simple website that clearly demonstrates your value to that market. Tell your site visitors how you understand the Tropical Island Tourism industry and how to attract people who’ve had enough winters for a lifetime.

5. Once your website is all set, create other marketing materials focused on your primary intent, possibly including a direct-mail letter, an online ad campaign, a trade publication ad, a special report, or other approaches.

6. Then go after the work! Go to trade shows, market yourself to tourism websites, and ask your friends and professional contacts if they can introduce you to clients in that industry.

7. Never waiver from your intent. It’s tempting to start drifting when you see something new in your email inbox, but trust me ... Don’t stray from your original intent.

If you follow this path with 100% focus, day after day, you will see some amazing results.

At the very least, you will have a clear direction that you control when it comes to marketing yourself, and you’ll discover a newfound excitement about writing for an industry you enjoy.

Watergate may not mean much to today’s copywriter… but to the persuasion-minded content creator, this story about the negotiation trick that got Nixon’s own advisors to say yes to a break-in they knew was too risky is both useful and entertaining.

John Forde calls it “reciprocal concession.” And after you read his explanation of how it works, you’ll spot it everywhere — including in a UCLA study where the same demand, framed three different ways, changed how much money total strangers were willing to hand over.

Meaning they made the same ask, but using three unique approaches, and with wildly different results.

(Seriously worth learning — not only have I seen this tactic work in my own copy, I’ve used it on my children to great success.)😋😋

Take a look at the script John hands over and pull from it the next time you’re tackling a money-ask in your sales copy.

To your writing success,

Mindy McHorse, Executive Editor, Barefoot Writer

How to Add Power Negotiation Tactics to Your Sales Pitch

By John Forde

Remember G. Gordon Liddy?

He helped engineer the plan to break into the Democratic National Committee offices at the Watergate Hotel during Richard Nixon’s presidency.

The break-in backfired. The burglars got caught. And eventually, Nixon himself had to resign.

Even though Nixon’s advisors knew there were big risks in Liddy’s plan, they went for it anyway. How did Liddy talk them into it?

By using the power of something called “reciprocal concession.”

Liddy first proposed the plan with a budget of $1 million. “Ridiculous,” said Mitchell, Magruder, and Dean. “You’re an idiot.”

A week later, Liddy came back with the “mission” budget trimmed to $500,000. Again, no go.

But Liddy now had them where he wanted them.

He made his final pitch for a “bare bones” version of the original — a version pretty close to what he had imagined in the first place before he pumped it up into the grandiose plan.

This one could be done for just $250,000. They went for it. Even though the plan was just as risky as the first version.

Why?

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Years later, Magruder said, “We were reluctant to send him away with nothing … ”

This is reciprocal concession in action. Both sides gave something, but Liddy got a big part of what he had wanted in the first place.

Here’s how it works…

At UCLA, they did a study where groups of students negotiated for a pile of money. They were told observers were measuring their negotiation skills.

But beforehand, one student was secretly instructed to try three different negotiation tactics with three different sets of students.

With the first group, he demanded all the money and wouldn’t budge. With the second, he made a reasonable demand that was only slightly in his favor. With the last, he made the extreme demand first, and then backed off to something more agreeable but still in his favor.

Guess which group gave him the most money?

In every test trial, the third group was the most generous.

The study found that the third group was more satisfied with the outcome — even though they had given up more of the money. They were more satisfied because they believed they had controlled the deal.

You can apply this principle in sales copy.

How much are you asking for the product? Could it be worth more? If not, your copy needs to be stronger. If so, you can try this reciprocal concession technique by saying something like this …

“My publisher wants to charge you $1,000 a year for this service. ‘Just to get the same advice from a paid professional’ he said, ‘would easily run a guy four and five times that.’

“Honestly, he’s right. And I’m confident what you’ll get is worth at least 10 times that.

“But I’ll tell you what …

“Suppose one year of service costs you just $750. That’s the price I’m supposed to tell strangers when they come talk to me at the end of seminars. And that’s actually a very good deal.

“However … you and I, we share a common interest here …

“So I’ve twisted my publisher’s arm and worked out a special deal: One year of my service — with all the things we talked about earlier — will cost you only $500.

“Sign up for two years, and you’ll get each year’s worth of full service for an even deeper discount — just $450 per year. Doesn’t that sound fair?”

Okay, ’nuff said. I think you get the idea.

By presenting an almost preposterous offer and then backing off to the real parameters of the deal, you get more agreement more quickly. And, usually, you also get a customer who’s more satisfied after making the purchase.

In addition, it’s an especially good time to buckle down and pick your favorite because the back-to-school pull that comes with every approaching September tends to re-energize entrepreneurs as the lazy days of summer fade out (at least for the Northern Hemisphere).

My favorite tip in this one is the networking advice, along with where Jen tells you not to sell. Being yourself and connecting on a human level will always be the most effective way to land a project or position.

I’m also a big fan of direct mail because, just like I mentioned above, it’s a very human action and feels lovely and personal.

Finally, don’t skip Jen’s last tip at the end. That one is gold!

To landing that next client,

Mindy McHorse
Executive Editor, Barefoot Writer

4 Ways to Land Your First Client

By Jen Phillips April

Congratulations! It’s the school year for most North American communities, when lots of entrepreneurs sit down to “begin again.” I’m guessing you have new goals for moving your writing career forward. One of those goals may be to put yourself out there and take on paying projects.

Fortunately, there are literally dozens of ways to find clients. The key is to pick one or two methods that you feel comfortable with and do them consistently.

Below, you’ll find four proven ways to land your first client.

1. LinkedIn

LinkedIn remains a tried-and-true way to connect with prospective clients. Once you’re connected on the social networking website, you’ll be able to post things they can see, or vice versa.

It’s a great way to build relationships. Because each time you interact with them through LinkedIn, they’ll see your name and you’ll stay “top of mind.”

Another way to use LinkedIn effectively is to join groups where your prospects spend time. For example, if you want to write for the pet industry, you might join a pet-focused group. From there, you’ll want to see what they’re talking about, follow some of the conversations, and when you have something to add, chime in.

When you share valuable advice on a regular basis, other members in the group will see you as a trusted resource. And the next time they have a writing project, you’ll be the first name that comes to mind.

2. Direct mail (aka, send something “snail mail”)

Whether you send a postcard, a letter, or a “chunky” mail piece (an envelope with something bulky like a pen), direct mail is a somewhat formal way to reach out — but it can also be seen as more personal.

First, make sure you get the correct contact information for the person in the company who handles freelance writers. You can usually find this online or by calling a receptionist.

Then, ask yourself how you will address their needs in the mailing and what you want them to do when they receive it. Ask them to take action, like calling you within five days for a quote or special discount.

Outline your strategy ahead of time so you know what offer you’ll make in the letter. And make sure you have a follow-up strategy. Whether it’s an email, phone call, or another piece of mail, following up will increase your odds of landing a client.

3. Networking events

Clients can’t hire you if they don’t know you exist. And one way for you to get in front of them is through business-focused meet-and-greets, such as events put on by your local Chamber of Commerce.

Networking events can be a great opportunity to shake a few hands and have conversations with potential clients.

Your goal here isn’t to land a job on the spot. If that happens, sweet! But meeting someone at the exact moment they need a writer may be a challenge. So your goal is to learn what people need, to ensure you’ll be able to follow up with them in the future.

Another added benefit is that you’ll gain confidence about venturing out as a writer. There’s nothing like meeting someone new and telling them “I’m a business writer” or “I help companies increase their sales by writing targeted content.” It’s especially validating when they say, “How interesting, tell me more.” Try it and see!

Just remember, one of the keys to effective networking is that you don’t try to sell. In other words, don’t attempt to land a client right then and there. It may sound counterintuitive, but you’re there to meet people and learn about their needs. If you try to sell a new contact directly on your writing services, they may be turned off.

Instead, focus on building connections.

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4. Grab “Quick Wins” from Sites like Upwork

If you’re in the beginning stages of building your portfolio, you can land some projects and build your confidence by trying online job boards.

Or, go to job sites like Upwork.com. On these sites, someone posts a job they need completed, along with a pay range. You send a proposal outlining what you’ll do and for how much. Typically, these sites are full of bargain hunters, but there are some gems.

You can also try job boards where clients are looking for writers with a specific type of training or writing background, like WritersWanted.com. As a member of The Barefoot Writer’s Club, you can access both freelance and full-time writing positions from this jobs site.

One Last Tip: Always Follow Up

This is an essential component of getting hired, no matter which approach you choose. Sometimes you’ll meet someone and they’ll show interest in your services. Other times, you may get a referral or see a job opportunity you’d like to pursue. Here’s where you can be proactive by reaching out.

A phone call or short email explaining how you help companies reach their goals is a good start. Something like, “Hi Janet, It was nice speaking with you last week. Based on our conversation, you’re interested in a freelance writer to help with your newsletter needs. I’ve done this for X number of years and would love to talk with you in more detail. Do you have time for a short call this Wednesday between noon and 4 p.m.?” If you don’t hear back right away, follow up again in two or three days.

Remember, the key to a successful life as a freelance writer is to pick a few marketing methods that you’re comfortable with, do them consistently, and follow up!

Before you know it, you’ll have more clients than you’ll know what to do with, and will be looking for other Barefoot Writers to help you out.

But today? It’s closer to 75 million. And they’re earning a whopping $1.5 trillion a year. Growth just won’t stop.

So when you read my friend Christina’s article below, take heart that writing as a freelancer is legit just getting better.

The one thing she doesn’t touch on (which we’ll cover in depth in a future issue), is that AI has split freelancer growth in two:

“Commodity content work,” as I like to call it, is shrinking.

Specialized, expert-level writing is growing and paying more than ever.

If that excites you, read through Christina’s reasoning for feeling good about this career path. And know that these are many of the reasons I’m right here with you, putting in the effort to live this fun and freedom-based lifestyle.

To your writing freedom,

Mindy McHorse
Executive Editor, Barefoot Writer Magazine

Barefoot Writing is Better Than Ever in the “Freelance Economy”

By Christina Gillick

Nowadays, the news is full of stories and statistics about freelancing. What used to be a rare career choice is quickly becoming the norm for many people. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 75 million people are self-employed in the United States (and that number is growing).

Some think this is great news… after all; freelancers are essentially running their own businesses and putting their careers and futures in their own hands. But, some articles would have you believe differently…

They choose to put a negative spin on the growth in freelancing. They make it seem scary by naming things like inconsistent income and lack of job security as issues freelancers must deal with.

While these things could affect you, they’re easy to overcome (and will continue to get easier — or altogether disappear — as more freelancers join in).

Here are six reasons why freelance writing is better than ever:

1. It’s now easier to hit six-figures.

Bob Bly — often referred to as “America’s Top Copywriter” — says he’s contacted at least once a week by a writer or aspiring writer. They want to know, “Can you really still make six-figures as a copywriter in today’s market?”

Bob says you can still do it, and in some ways, it’s easier today. He also went on to say freelancing is changing, but so is every other business.

For example, jewelers used to be consultants who would tell you what to look for in a diamond ring (or other jewelry). They were relied upon as the experts. But, today, you can go online and figure out everything you need. Bob said his local jeweler told him: “People come into my store, they know exactly what they want down to the last spec, the grade, and so forth, and they’re just looking for a price.”

2. The amount of writing needed is growing.

As businesses move online, the need for freelance writers only increases. Right now, there are 161 million “.com” domain names registered and over 33,000 more get added in a single day!

That’s a lot of web pages that need content and copy, and freelance writers are the ones mainly responsible for writing it. Then, of course, every website needs to be updated consistently with new content and copy to stay relevant and attract new and returning customers.

It all adds up to a ton of work for freelance writers (and there currently aren’t enough writers to handle it all).

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3. Freelancers are better understood.

Not long ago, freelancers were scarce. This may sound like a good thing, but it meant more work for the freelancer. Not only did they have to educate their potential clients, but also they had to find them.

Now, businesses know they need writers. And, if you market yourself at all, those clients can find you via the Internet. Gone are the days where the only promotion option is direct-mail self-marketing letters and follow-up phone calls.

Now you can market yourself via a freelance website and have clients coming to you. Plus, those clients are likely to have an idea of what they need, making the freelancer’s job even easier.

4. Freelancing education is easier to find.

Not long ago, if you wanted to be a writer, you had to educate yourself. There was no AWAI, The Barefoot Writer, or any other training program. Plus, very few schools offered courses in freelancing.

If you wanted to learn how to be a freelance writer, you did it by getting hands-on experience. Trial and error. It took longer and the learning curve was bigger.

Today, writing and freelancing education is abundant, and AWAI and The Barefoot Writer are at the forefront of it.

5. Marketing is less expensive.

Marketing used to be very expensive. But today, thanks largely to the Internet, it’s much cheaper. It’s a lot less costly to put up a website than it is to print and design an annual report. With the low cost of marketing, clients are marketing more (which means more work for freelancers).

For instance, a client may approach you and need an autoresponder series. But, they might also need other emails, a landing page, a web page, and several other things. Because of this, it’s easier than ever to turn a $1,000 assignment into a $10,000 assignment.

Also, because the cost of marketing is lower, companies can afford to create more products. Each of these products needs emails, landing pages, sales pages, etc. That’s even more available work.

6. Writers can offer much more than words.

Not long ago, writers wrote. And, that was pretty much it. Now there are many related services to offer — including copy coaching, copywriting training, copy critiques, and even marketing consulting.

The options for a freelancer — and the projects they handle — are pretty much limitless.

So, yes, things are changing, but it’s for the better. There’s more work than ever, and it just keeps increasing. Plus, as more freelancers arrive on the scene, more companies will rely on them.

All you have to do is learn a skill — say writing or social media marketing, set up a freelance website, market your services, and — bam! — take advantage of the huge growth about to take place!

But often, it’s not about the writing, necessarily, or whether it wasn’t clever or cute enough (those last two things don’t generally help anyway).

Sometimes, a sales email comes down to talking to all the personalities mixed up into a single buyer mind.

One of my favorite teachers on the topic, Steve Slaunwhite, breaks it down below. And then as a bonus he throws in some thoughts on how long different types of copy should be (that question we all dread, yeah?).

Enjoy!

Cheers to your writing success,

Mindy McHorse
Executive Editor, Barefoot Writer Magazine

Writing to Both Sides of the Business Buyer’s “Split Personality” and Deciding Copy Length

By Steve Slaunwhite

A while back, I received a call from an in-house writer at a training company. She was obviously frustrated. An email she had written to promote a management seminar had failed miserably. Time was running out before the event date. She needed answers fast. So she asked if I would help her out.

Once I read her promotion, I immediately recognized the problem. Although it was a well-crafted piece of copywriting, it appealed to only one side of her target audience’s “split personality.”

Fortunately, it was a simple fix. I advised her on what changes needed to be made. She rewrote the copy and, as a result, her follow-up email brought in the registrations needed.

Split personality? Let me explain …

As you may already know, there are important differences between writing effective copy for the Business-to-Business (B2B) vs. Business-to-Consumer (B2C) markets. But the one difference most copywriters miss is the need to address the often conflicting interests of the business buyer.

Or, how I like to put it, her “split personality.”

You see, there’s a tug-of-war that goes on in the business buyer’s mind when making a purchasing decision. On one hand, she must consider the needs of the business. On the other hand, she has personal needs, concerns, and interests, too.

Usually, the result is a compromise.

That’s why you’ll see an expensive marble table in a boardroom, even though the company doesn’t really need something so extravagant. The VP just likes it.

So, when writing any type of marketing piece for the Business-to-Business market — an email, letter, press release, web page, white paper — you need to take the business buyer’s split personality into account.

How do you do that?

• First, you must talk about the business needs. Business buyers act on behalf of a company. You need to highlight how the product or service you’re writing about will help the business reduce costs, increase sales, avoid liabilities, gain a competitive advantage, improve quality, boost productivity, or accelerate cash flow.

• Then, you need to address the personal needs. Business buyers are individuals. So you must explain how your product or service will save them time, make their jobs easier, help them look good to their superiors, get them promoted, advance their careers, or get them home in time for dinner!

Say you’re writing a sales brochure for a new brand of industrial forklift. From a business standpoint, it has everything a company wants: safety features that reduce the risk of injuries, long service life for a low annual cost of ownership, and it runs on propane to comply with clean air regulations.

But it’s the plant manager your brochure copy needs to convince.

And he’s not so sure about these “new” forklifts. What if the learning curve is steep and creates havoc on his production schedule? What if these trucks don’t perform well and he gets blamed? How quickly can he get technical support should he need it?

Can you see what a mistake it would be not to address these issues in your copy? No matter how compelling your business case is, if you don’t talk about the personal needs of the business buyer, your marketing piece is doomed.

Should Your B2B Copy Be Long or Short?

Once you know to address both the business and the personal needs of the business buyer, the next step is to address the length of your copy.

Imagine that a client has contacted you to discuss a potential copywriting job. His company is about to launch an exciting new industrial gizmo, and he needs a product brochure written.

No problem so far.

Then, during the discussion, the client throws you a curve ball. He unexpectedly asks, “Oh, by the way … what size of brochure do you recommend? A two-page ‘sell sheet’? Or a longer four-panel brochure?”

The client is assuming that, since you’re writing the copy, you’ll know how much room you’ll need.

So, how do you answer his question?

The good news is, you don’t have to guess. There are specific questions you can ask that will help you determine how long your B2B copy needs to be, whether you’re tasked with writing a brochure, web page, white paper, or advertisement.

In fact, even if the client doesn’t ask, you need to ask yourself these questions before you begin to craft your B2B marketing piece.

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1) “Is it a standard format?”

Many B2B marketing pieces have a standard format that influences how much copy you have to work with. For example, a press release to announce a new B2B product is typically no more than a page or two in length. So, the word count will fall somewhere between 400 and 1,000. A Google AdWords advertisement is severely restricted in word count — just 85 characters in total. (Including spaces!)

2) “Is the size and/or layout carved in stone?”

Sometimes you don’t have much of a choice. The size, shape, and even the basic layout of the B2B marketing piece are already completed. Your job is to write copy that fits. This isn’t the ideal situation. But it happens. For example, you might get asked to write a case study that fits a pre-existing two-page template. If your copy runs over, you’ll be asked to trim it back.

3) “What action are you asking the business buyer to take?”

If the purpose of the marketing piece is to generate a lead — persuading the business buyer to request a free white paper, for example — then you may not need much copy. After all, no money is changing hands. However, if you’re asking for an order, it’s going to take a lot more words to convince the business buyer to sign his name to a company purchase order.

4) “How emotionally involving is the buying decision?”

How much of the buying decision is emotional rather than practical? Purchasing a new photocopier for the office is a practical decision for most business people, usually requiring just a persuasive explanation of the features and benefits. But an executive team-building retreat at some exotic locale would require longer, more descriptive copy.

5) “How dependent is the prospect on the copy?”

How much is the business buyer dependent on your copy to get all the facts and information he needs to make a purchasing decision? If you want to motivate someone to order a $950 software program with your direct-mail letter, you may need several pages to make a convincing argument. However, if the prospect is shopping for a new stapler online, then a one- or two-paragraph product description may be all that’s required to win the sale.

6) “How expensive is the product or service?”

The rule of thumb is: The bigger the price tag, the longer the copy. If you’re promoting a one-day seminar for $99, you may be able to get away with a four-panel brochure. But you’ll need a lot more copy to convince a sales manager to invest $3,500 in a weekend professional development bootcamp.

7) “Is there any brand power?”

How well-known is the product or service you’re promoting? If you’re writing an email campaign to sell subscriptions for Forbes magazine, you may not need a lot of copy. People are already familiar with and trust that publication. However, if the company or product is unfamiliar to the reader, you will have some credibility building to do. And that will take more words.

8) “Is the product part of a high-interest topic?”

If business buyers are highly interested or enthusiastic about the topic your product or service represents, then they will read a lot of copy. For example, a warehouse manager who is under pressure to reduce workplace accidents (and the liabilities associated with them) will be highly motivated to read about a new workplace safety program.

Determining copy length is not a perfect science. But these eight questions will help. If all else fails, follow this well-known tip: “Write until your copy does the job. And then stop typing.”

And remember: when writing copy for the Business-to-Business market, it’s not all business. It’s personal, too. Appeal to both sides of the business buyer’s split personality, and your copy will be more effective — and your client or boss will be more pleased — as a result.

(Because to some extent we all relate to one or more of these things.)

So it’s proof that you can overcome anything, and writing is an excellent vehicle to get you there.

But even on top of that, can you imagine the delight of creating words and phrases that live on for hundreds of years after you coined them?

Or the thrill of figuring out how to excel in something you love, regardless of whatever education you did or didn’t have around it?

I hope you find yourself inspired by these little-known facts about someone we think we know very well simply on account of him being well known. Yet we don’t.

To creating art that outlives you,

Mindy McHorse
Executive Editor, Barefoot Writer

Verily, Things About Shakespeare Ye Didn’t Know

By Katie Yeakle

William Shakespeare is often acclaimed as the greatest writer in the history of the English language. His collective works consist of 37 plays and 154 sonnets.

Most likely, you studied Shakespeare in school and probably know a few facts about him. He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England; he was a performer, playwright, and lyric poet (“bard”); and he wrote such plays as Hamlet, Macbeth, and Romeo and Juliet.

But there are probably some things you don’t know about Shakespeare …

• For instance, it’s said that Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564. But did you know that he also died 52 years later … on the same day?

  (Although, we have to take his birth date with a smidgen of salt. Nobody knows for sure the day when Shakespeare was born. April 23 is only a close guess and is based on his baptism at the Holy Trinity Church on April 26.)

• In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Polonius gives advice to his son Laertes: “Neither a borrower nor a lender be … ” The Bard most likely learned this advice from personal experience. Shakespeare’s father was a dishonest money lender.

• One would imagine Shakespeare was a highly educated man. Forsooth, no. His father took him out of school when young William was only 14 due to financial problems. He had only seven years of schooling.

• Despite an abbreviated education, Shakespeare is said to have had a vocabulary of over 29,000 words. Contrast that with the vocabulary of today’s average person — only about 2,000 words in everyday conversation.

• Shakespeare, who penned his first play at age 25, was a master at crafting the most magical collection of words in the English language: “To be or not to be … ” and “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

• His language was also highly creative as in “mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms” from All the World’s a Stage and “O illiterate loiterer!” from The Two Gentlemen of Verona.

• Of the 31,534 words Shakespeare wrote, 14,376 of them appear only once in his works. He also made up more than 1,500 words which we still use today … including “eyeball,” “assassination,” “leapfrog,” and “puke.” He coined more phrases and sayings than any other English writer, most of which are still used today (e.g., wild goose chase, a heart of gold, vanish into thin air).

• Most scholars pick Hamlet as Shakespeare’s greatest and most famous work. Among his poems, Sonnet 18 — which begins with “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” — is perhaps the most famous due to the sheer number of times its lines have been used in movies, books, TV programs, and reviews.

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Although the Bard died nearly 400 years ago, methinks Hollywood verily loves his works.

Consider there have been more than 300 film adaptations of his plays since the 1930s, with some of the most recent ones being Hamlet, A Midsummer’s Night, and Romeo + Juliet.

Hamlet tops the list with more than 200 movie versions, including some spoofs and interesting remakes such as Green Eggs and Hamlet, A Gay Hamlet, and Last Action Hero. West Side Story and The Lion King II are two of the more than 100 renditions of Romeo and Juliet.

Thank you for all you’ve given us, William. All’s well that ends well.

I’ve used the same tactic myself to turn bad encounters upside down. And it works every time, no joke.

So whether you’re going through a rough pitch, a stressful call, or trying to push through a colossally bad day, this simple action makes everything better.

Note that it’s not about the action itself — there’s a lot that goes on under the surface if you put this into play. Do it, and it’s bound to work in your favor.

Here’s to your writing success,

Mindy McHorse
Executive Editor, Barefoot Writer

Discover More Success with Joe Girard’s Six Simple “Extra Smileage” Rules

By John Wood

When the world’s greatest salesman, Joe Girard, was 17, he was set up on a blind date.

It was part of a double date with his friend and his friend’s girlfriend.

He had the normal apprehension …

What would she be like?

Would they hit it off?

How did he let himself get talked into this?

The night of the date, he drove with his friend to pick her up.

His friend honked the car horn. His date emerged from her house.

In Girard’s words, she was “the ugliest girl in the history of the world.”

He says his heart sank to around his socks. But then something happened.

When she got into the car and introduced herself, she lit the place up with a smile that in Girard’s words was “simply terrific.” In under a minute, Girard says, she became the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

She smiled all evening. It came through in her eyes, voice, and personality.

Smiling not only makes you more attractive and likable, but it can also help change your mood and draw people to you. Plus, studies have shown that smiles have significant health benefits, such as making your immune system work better and lowering stress.

And for writers marketing their services, prospects and clients are more likely to do business with someone who is smiling and in a good mood than someone whose mood suggests the sky is about to fall.

If your life could benefit from more smiles, what follows are Girard’s six simple rules to get “extra smileage” out of life:

1. Smile when you don’t feel like it. This is probably the toughest one to follow. The idea is that you smile even when you’re moody and blue. Don’t let others sense your troubles or that things aren’t going your way. Girard says it’s better if people think to themselves, “What has he or she got to smile about?” than “He or she has every right to wear a long face.” In a nutshell, he says, “Whenever you don’t feel like smiling is the time to smile the most.”

2. Share only your positive thoughts. A smile is contagious. Once you share your positivity, others catch the fever. Girard says to spread only good news. Don’t talk about crime and violence. Talk only about positive things. Also, only do things that will bring joy to people, not depress them.

3. Smile with your whole face. Don’t restrict your smile to your lips only. Smile with your voice. Smile with your entire face. Put a twinkle in your eye and keep it there.

4. Turn the frown upside down. Girard talks about how salesman and author Frank Bettger tells the story in his book How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success of a young man whose early life had been full of sickness, hunger, and misfortune. He grew up to be a real grouch.

   But the young man was smart enough to know that if he was going to be a success in life, he had to lose the sourpuss. If he was to put on a happy face, he knew he’d have to first take off his unhappy face. It wasn’t going to be easy. He started each day with a 15-minute “smiling workout.” He’d think of reasons to be thankful and to smile. Before long, it became a habit.

   Bettger says, “You can cultivate happiness with a smile. Try it just for 30 days. Give every living soul you meet your best smile you ever smiled in your life, and see how much better you feel and look. It’s one of the best ways to stop worrying and to start living.”

5. Exercise your sense of humor. Girard reminds us to try to see the humor in situations. Always smile and roll with it even when the joke is on you. And always smile with the other person, never at him or her in a way that suggests you are making fun of them.

6. Smile out loud. What’s better than a smile? A good hearty laugh, says Girard. A laugh is an out-loud smile, he says. Don’t be afraid to turn your smiles into belly laughs. Nobody has ever been harmed by laughing too much.

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Girard suggests that you put a sign where you can see it that says:

And then when you see someone without a smile, be sure to give him yours.

When you put these six “extra smileage” rules to work, Girard says, you’ll be amazed at how much they help you sell yourself to other people.

The next time you are engaging with people, whether on the phone or face-to-face, try putting on a smile. You’ll find it can improve your confidence, help you make friends, and even give you the winning edge you need to succeed in your writing career.

But what if you’re shy? Or slow to articulate your thoughts?

What if you’re ready to launch your Barefoot Writing career … but you’re just not sure how to get the conversation started?

I can relate to all these dilemmas, which is why I want to share some killer opening lines you can use at your next networking event. Armed with these icebreakers, you’ll be ten times more productive and effective at meeting people. Follow these four tips to easily strike up a conversation with anyone, whether it’s a fellow writer or a deep-pocketed client from a Fortune 500 company.

Opener #1: For social events with food

“I just sampled the cheese croquettes at the buffet. I think I’ll grab another — would you like one?”

Food is a classic icebreaker, and offering someone a small courtesy like getting a refreshment generally wins a smile. Even if they turn you down, it’s an opportunity to continue the conversation by asking what type of slider they do prefer.

An alternative is asking if the person would care to join you as you return to the buffet. Use this approach if you hope to pull the person away from a crowd of other networkers.

Opener #2: For events with potential writing clients

“I noticed on LinkedIn that you’ve done work for XYZ Company. They publish a lot of sales letters — were you involved in launching any of them?”

If you know in advance who will be attending your networking event, it’s a smart idea to glance at their online work history. Take advantage of the easy-access info on sites like LinkedIn and see if any of their past experiences relate to something you’re comfortable talking about.

Opener #3: For connecting with other writers

“How long have you been a member of this organization?”

This is a great, open-ended question that makes it easy for a new connection to share their background and ask you a reciprocal query. Before you know it, you could be relating to each other and exchanging writing advice.

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Opener #4: For connection with people in your community

“I’ve lived here for several years, but I’ve never actually visited the [name of museum or landmark].”

If you list a popular destination, there’s a good chance the person you’re speaking to has either heard of it, visited it, or wants to visit it. Plus, it’s disarming to share something personal about yourself and makes you appear more approachable.

Once you get a conversation started, remember to keep the person engaged by both listening and speaking.

And before you move on to meet someone else, make sure you either ask for a business card or ask permission to connect with the person on LinkedIn or your social platform of choice.

Even better, pull out your smartphone on the spot and request a connection right then and there.

But remember — while networking can be important in the launch of a new writing career, it pales in comparison to the vital step of following up after and solidifying that new connection.

Christiane Marshall knows this better than most. When her family needed her both in good and hard times, she was there. And her clients never knew the difference.

While it’s true that virtual work is common these days, this is about more than being able to do your job through a laptop. Really, it’s about being untethered to someone else’s idea of what your schedule and effort should look like.

Yet this kind of freedom remains a fantasy for a lot of would-be writers. And when important life events are happening, not being present becomes a major pain point.

I’m happy to say, it doesn’t have to be that way. If you’ve ever wondered whether the flexibility of a writing life is real or just good marketing copy, Christiane’s story answers that question.

To your writing freedom,

Mindy McHorse
Executive Editor, Barefoot Writer

There for First and Final Breaths

By Christiane Marshall

Sometimes Glicken shows up in unexpected ways. It’s not just about beaches and bare feet, you know.

I learned this a few years back. I was on a roll with my writing and my life when my first grandchild was born. I had the opportunity to be present to hold my daughter’s hand, bring her cool cloths for her head, and encourage her during her two days of labor.

I breathed a sigh of relief when I heard that first staccato cry! I had the privilege to break into sobs right there in my daughter, Marlene’s, labor and delivery room.

Marlene’s husband was on a deployment and could not be there to cut the cord and greet his firstborn, though his commanding officer allowed him to be there by phone. It was a bittersweet moment as I felt the soft pulsating lifeline and cut through it, knowing he wanted to be the one to do this.

I had the honor and privilege of spending the next six months in sunny San Diego, helping Marlene with my precious granddaughter, Jazlyn Rose. Marlene was still active-duty Navy herself and it would have been a serious hardship for her had I not been able to do this.

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I organized my writing life around Marlene’s and Jazlyn’s schedules. I spoke to clients on the phone and wrote copy, articles, and blogs from Marlene’s kitchen table. Each time I flew home to Ohio for my monthly visits, I accessed the Internet from 49,000 feet in the air to do my research and stay in touch with editors and clients.

It was not an easy moment the day I tore myself away to go back to Ohio when my son-in-law returned — although I rejoiced knowing he would finally be able to enjoy being a daddy (and not just through FaceTime)!

Later that year, my mother called and said she was in excruciating pain. She has never been a complainer so I knew it had to be bad. I prepared for the long drive to Connecticut, packing my laptop and notes for my newest project.

After the definitive diagnosis of terminal cancer and my mother’s decision to try radiation and stay in a rehab center, I moved into her room to help and be a support. I wrote copy right there in that room, using the clean, unused commode as a desk.

I was there to get her a glass of ice water, to keep her from falling, to watch TV with her, to fetch a nurse, open the window for her, hand her the phone …

Six weeks later, she was gone.

If I had a traditional job, I would have had to take time off without pay — or just quit my job entirely — to be there for my daughter, and then for my mother.

But I was able to be there at the last breath of a loved one, and the first breath of a new life. Priceless.

My friend Cindy created a simple system that combines a spreadsheet, a few categories, and the habit of writing things down. That’s it. The payoff is that you stop staring at a blank doc, hoping to summon the right word by sheer force of willpower.

I’ve kept something like this for years — mostly for subject lines and opening hooks, jotted in the notes section of my phone. It’s not glamorous, but it is glorious (because it works).

So I invite you to read this, and then actually build it.

To your writing success,

Mindy

Executive Editor, Barefoot Writer

4 Steps to Make Sure You Never Run Short of Story Ideas

By Cindy Cyr

Have you ever used an idea factory to enhance your writing projects? It can give you a ready source of words, phrases, and story ideas so you can create spicier copy. Plus, it’s a way to build up a bank of story concepts for any type of writing project you take on, such as emails, articles, and even headlines and leads.

Creating an idea factory came to mind when one of my new clients asked me to write 30 product descriptions. They had some basic descriptions created by their technical people that were “pretty vanilla.” My client wanted to know if I could “spice them up.”

One of the secrets to creating copy that motivates your prospect to continue reading is to get away from generic descriptions. Because when you use a generic description, your reader quickly falls asleep.

By using specific, vivid words, you can stimulate your reader’s senses. This helps them visualize pictures from their own personal “sense file.” For example, let’s look at the difference between these two descriptions:

“Learn how to run a successful business.” vs. “Discover the ‘Donald Trump Secret Recipe’ for making more while working less.”

Can you see the difference?

The problem is, sometimes it takes a while to come up with picture-perfect words, phrases, or ideas.

So here’s how you can build your own idea factory tool, adapted from a songwriter tool I picked up from author and Berklee College of Music professor Pat Pattison.

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Step One: Set up your worksheet

Open a spreadsheet and label six separate pages and tabs with the following titles: article ideas, objection ideas, verbs, nouns, adjectives, and phrases.

Step Two: Create categories

Decide on some “starter categories” for each tabbed page.

For your article ideas page, consider categories that reflect topics you regularly write about, such as those for attracting clients to your writing business.

If you already have regular article clients, add their names or topics to your page also. For instance, I provide articles to a Pay-Per-Click specialist every month, so this is one of my categories.

For objection ideas you can use in autoresponders, promotions, and other copy, per the suggestion of Barefoot Writer Anthony Contreras, I’ve organized my categories according to common objections, like “too expensive,” “not enough time,” and “too difficult.”

The categories for phrases are similar to your objection idea page. However, you can expand this to include concepts or topics you write about regularly as well. Some of the categories on my page include making money, success, failure, selling, and writing.

Your nouns, verbs, and adjectives pages are a little more challenging to categorize, but you can group them by meaning.

For example, I have the word “money” on my noun page. That is the generic noun, and underneath it, I list a variety of nouns that mean “money.” “Greenbacks,” “bucks,” and “six-figures” — all fall under my “money” column.

Don’t worry too much about categorizing your nouns, verbs, and adjectives pages though. These pages are mainly for recording interesting words when you come across them and are useful for building your own metaphors and similes.

Step Three: Build your idea factory

If you’ve ever read a promotion and thought to yourself, “That’s a great line,” then you’re set to go with this concept.

Carry a small notepad or use a recording app on your smartphone to record all the great phrases, words, or story ideas you come across in your everyday life. Then transfer them to your spreadsheet so you have a bank of story starters when you’re ready to write.

Grab ideas from conversations, things you read and write, or anything you hear that inspires you. Like me, you might also consider spending time actively searching for great words and phrases to fill in your idea factory.

For example, the other day, I read a Facebook post where a reader used the term “toxic liar” in her comment. That created such a visual for me, I recorded it in my idea factory. It also sparked “toxic ideas” and “toxic business practices,” among other ideas.

Leave your idea factory open on your computer all the time. That way, when you run across something, you can easily copy and paste it into your file or quickly record an idea.

The more you do this, the more you’ll notice word choice and the better your writing will become. Not only that, the next time you need to create a headline, article, or autoresponder, you’ll already have a list of ideas waiting to inspire you.

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Nearly a century later, the message still rings true.

What I love about today’s piece is how relatable Katie made it. She went back through Carnegie’s book and pulled out 18 gems that apply directly to your work as a persuasive writer. Not “in a general sense,” but right now, on your current assignment.

You’ll nod your head at some of these. One or two might stop you cold.

Gem #5 is the one I’d keep taped above my desk.

And gem #18 — if you’ve ever struggled to make a true thing feel true on the page, that one’s for you.

To your writing success,

Mindy McHorse

Executive Editor, Barefoot Writer

Thanks for reading! Subscribe now to get your free report on 9 Ways to Make a Great Living as a Writer.📝💵🌴

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18 Gems for Persuasive Writers … And More!

By Katie Yeakle

Now, as you’re shaping your career as a freelance writer, I’d like to share some notes I sent to the team at American Writers & Artists Inc. (AWAI) a few years back.

I had just re-read Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People and was inspired by the power, honesty, and simplicity of his message.

These first few points, I think, are especially meaningful to you as Barefoot Writer subscribers.

In fact, as you read Dale’s words, I’d like you to substitute “Barefoot Writer connection” for “book.” Read on…

Dale reinforces the importance of what he’s teaching and the impact it can have on your life… all the while pointing out that our success is ultimately up to us:

“If you want to get real, lasting benefit out of this book, don’t imagine that skimming through it once will suffice. After reading it thoroughly, you ought to spend a few hours reviewing it every month. Keep it on your desk, in front of you every day. Glance at it often. Keep constantly impressing yourself with the rich possibilities for improvement that still lie in the offing.”

Dale’s clear about the fact that there’s work involved… but the work is worthwhile… and the results are worth it. Two examples:

“Remember that the use of these principles can be made habitual only by a constant and vigorous campaign of review and application. There is no other way.”

“Learning is an active process. We learn by doing. So, if you desire to master the principles you are studying in this book, do something about them. Apply these rules at every opportunity. If you don’t, you will forget them quickly. Only knowledge that is used sticks in your mind.

“You are attempting to form new habits. Ah yes, you are attempting a new way of life. That will require time and persistence and daily application.”

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And then there are these 18 gems from Dale’s book that, if applied, I guarantee will make you a better persuasive writer starting today:

1. “There is only one way under high heaven to get anybody to do anything… And that is by making the other person want to do it.”

2. “ …the deepest urge in human nature is ‘the desire to be important’… ‘the craving to be appreciated.’”

3. “I consider my ability to arouse enthusiasm among my people,” said Charles Schwab, “the greatest asset I possess, and the way to develop the best that is in a person is by appreciation and encouragement.”

4. “Try leaving a friendly trail of little sparks of gratitude on your daily trips.”

5. “ …the only way on earth to influence other people is to talk about what they want and show them how to get it.”

6. Quoting Henry Ford: “If there is any one secret of success, it lies in the ability to get the other person’s point of view and see things from that person’s angle as well as from your own.”

7. Quoting a performer: “I am grateful because these people come to see me. They make it possible for me to make my living in a very agreeable way. I’m going to give them the very best I possibly can.”

8. “If we want to make friends, let’s put ourselves out to do things for other people — things that require time, energy, unselfishness, and thoughtfulness.”

9. Chinese proverb: “A man without a smiling face must not open shop.”

10. “Your smile is a messenger of your goodwill. Your smile brightens the lives of all who see it. To someone who has seen a dozen people frown, scowl, or turn their faces away, your smile is like the sun breaking through the clouds. Especially when that someone is under pressure from his bosses, his customers, his teachers, parents, or children, a smile can help him realize that all is not hopeless … that there is joy in the world.”

11. It’s all about listening to the other person.

12. “The unvarnished truth is that almost all the people you meet feel themselves superior to you in some way, and a sure way to their hearts is to let them realize in some subtle way that you recognize their importance, and recognize it sincerely.”

13. Advice Dale received after correcting someone publicly at a dinner party: “Why prove to a man he is wrong? Is that going to make him like you? Why not let him save his face? He didn’t ask for your opinion. He didn’t want it. Why argue with him? Always avoid the acute angle.”

14. “Nine times out of ten, an argument ends with each of the contestants more firmly convinced than ever that he is absolutely right.”

15. “Suppose you triumph over the other man and shoot his argument full of holes and prove that he is non compos mentis. Then what? You will feel fine. But what about him? You have made him feel inferior. You have hurt his pride. He will resent your triumph. And — a man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still.”

16. “In talking with other people, don’t begin by discussing the things on which you differ. Begin by emphasizing — and keep on emphasizing — the things on which you agree. Keep emphasizing, if possible, that you are both striving for the same end and that your only difference is one of method and not of purpose.”

17. Appeal to nobler motives.

18. Merely stating a truth isn’t enough. The truth has to be made vivid, interesting, dramatic.

Next time you sit down to write anything… a sales letter, a business memo, a note to a friend… I hope you’ll keep Dale’s advice in mind.

Because when it comes to the world of paid writing, of Barefoot Writer bliss, there’s a lot to love: getting paid, obviously… the freedom to work where you choose, on projects you enjoy… all the “free” stuff that comes with writing (especially travel writing)…

But the real benefits? The best of the best?

Those are the things that can’t be bought or replaced, but make life completely worth living.

Read on and you’ll see exactly what I mean.

To your writing success,

Mindy

The Best “Barefoot” Perks? If You Ask Me, They’re Invisible

By John Forde

There’s a line from a French World War II pilot turned writer that goes, “On ne voit bien qu’avec le cœur. L’essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.”

I know. How pretentious does this guy get, opening with French?

Get ready to groan even louder, as I translate. The line comes from the book, The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and what it says is, “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

I promised my friend Mindy and AWAI I’d tell you about a little of the Glicken that’s iced my own writing cake, over the years. To tell the truth, there’s been a lot. And when I reflected on the list this morning, it’s that line that kept popping into mind.

But first, let me give you a bit of the expected type of reply.

Bright Lights, Big City

Once, thanks to a writing assignment for the International Living newsletter, I scored a full weekend at one of Manhattan’s top hotels, in a suite about double the size of the Baltimore apartment I lived in at the time.

I wanted to impress a girlfriend with a weekend on Broadway, but it was early in my career and a bit above my budget. So I came up with a story idea and wrote to both the hotel and the editorial team. Honestly, I was surprised when it came through.

I was also surprised when we walked into our suite.

Champagne and a tray of chocolate-covered strawberries on the table. Flowers for us in the living room. Thick robes and a personal card from the hotel manager, welcoming us. They laid it on thick.

Possibly a bit too thick. But there it was.

Romantic Vienna, On Someone Else’s Dime

Some years later, I did the same when my wife and I wanted to take an anniversary trip to Vienna — with our nearly two-year-old son along for the ride.

We came up with an article idea called, “Love Plus One: Romantic Vienna with Child in Tow.” I wrote the article, my wife took the pictures of us enjoying the city.

Before it was done, we’d earned a long weekend in a hotel — with a complimentary babysitter for one of the nights — plus a romantic dinner at a nearby café. As a bonus, the publication fee for the article was enough to cover our plane fare.

Oh, and once I wrote a three-stanza poem for a Bass Ale contest that won me a “pub tour” around the world, with $10,000 in spending money to sweeten the deal.

But that’s a story for another day.

When I really think about writing-life Glicken, though, I think back to my opening quote. And really, it’s the invisible things — the abstract perks of the Barefoot Writer’s life that I’ve loved best, above any free trips, dinners, free products, and the rest.

And what are those, exactly?

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The Invisible Essentials

The last time I worked in an office, my wife was days from delivering our daughter. I only borrowed office space, so I didn’t really need to report to anybody. But I called in just the same, to say I’d be staying home until after the baby was born, in case of a sudden ride to the hospital.

In France, where our daughter was born and where we — both Americans — choose to live for a good bit of the year, they keep you in the hospital for at least five days after a birth. So what the heck, I figured, if I can work anywhere ... why not make the best of it?

I haven’t been back to that office since — and our daughter turns eight in October.

When I talk to my friends from college or even high school, there’s nothing better to hear than they’ve got great careers and they’re doing well. But too often, it comes at a high price. Long commutes and long hours preclude a shocking amount of family time along the way.

Sappy as it might sound, the whole experience of fatherhood — one I might have missed, if not for my wife’s encouragement — took me by surprise. That is, I had no idea I’d be such a sucker for it. I love it even better than writing. And luckily, this way of working maximizes my chance to be a part of it.

My own father, I should note, was a great dad and great man, as much a part of our lives as he could be. But he didn’t work like this. He was a lawyer with a commute to downtown Philly every morning, on a train that left at 6:45 a.m. Every night, he insisted on getting back for dinner, but it still wasn’t until after 6 p.m.

Relative to what most people do, that’s a great schedule. But not a perfect one. How many breakfast mornings did it force him to miss? And how much time did we spend looking at the window at the back gate, waiting for him to get home? We did the math on his commutes alone. In 34 years of working, he spent over 12,750 hours in transit. Now that he’s gone, how much would we love to have those hours back?

For me, there’s a different commute: Every morning, my wife and I walk the kids to school. I go for a run afterward. Or we both walk back to the apartment, have a coffee together, and I set up to work in the living room. Lunch is local, at a café two doors away. After school, the kids stop in to say hi and tell me about their day.

Of course, it only works with help — both my wife and kids jealously guard my working hours, as much or more than I do. That’s huge. But now that we’ve worked that out, it opens doors on other opportunities too. For instance, a lot more family travel.

We’ve done a lot together — a hilltop villa in Greece, 10 days in a Barcelona apartment, trips to London, a house with family in western Ireland, and so on — and we’ve got more planned for this year, including a week at the beach and another in the Luberon, over the summer, plus trips to Germany and London planned for the fall.

All but one are working vacations. But that’s better than it sounds. During conferences, I’ll teach while they play. Then we’ll meet up to explore. When it’s just writing, I’ll get up at dawn and work until lunch. After that, we’re free to hang out together. Frankly, while the kids are still young enough to allow it, I can’t imagine living any other way.

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Or should I say, the idea of travel writing brought me in. Back when I was trapped in a 9-to-5 with a long commute and a stiflingly gray office, I’d use my lunch breaks to scroll travel articles like the one below.

As I learned more about travel writing and the people living and loving that profession, I discovered how copywriting was integral to the job. And, presto—next thing I knew I was training to be a copywriter.

If the joy of free travel and getting paid to write about your adventures sounds good to you, you’ll enjoy Roy’s account below of the most epic travel adventure I’ve yet read. (Imagine… so many massages you get tired of them!!)

Even though copywriting became my bread and butter, I did go on to land some travel perks and travel writing jobs of my own. Was it worth it? Absolutely, completely, and without hesitation, yes.

Best of all, once you learn it, travel writing is a skill you can always tap back into if the explorer bug ever hits. Enjoy today’s glimpse into the life of a travel writer.

To your writing success,

Mindy

The Priceless Perks of Travel Writing

By Roy Stevenson

Top travel writers are often able to land exciting press trips with most, or all, of their costs covered by tourist agencies and their media outlets — all because they’ve established longstanding relationships with magazine editors.

I’ve scored some spectacular gigs over the past few years of being a travel writer. I get to write in vivid detail about the exclusive resort or spa my wife and I stayed at (with our own personal concierge), how we were treated like royalty, ate gourmet food when we felt like it, and how we toured around in a limousine like VIPs while tourists gawked at us.

For a few short days or a week or two, we live well above our station and get insight into how the really, really rich spend their vacation time. I’ve had three such trips in the past year… and I’m going to tell you about one that seriously rocked.

Last January, my wife (a professional travel photographer) and I tacked a 4-week stay in Bali onto the end of a two-month S.E. Asian tour that started in Singapore, followed by Borneo.

I had widely advertised my assignment — about “Bali’s Most Luxurious Resorts and Villas” — in a number of travel media-related websites. The response was great! Our Bali trip just grew longer and longer as more and more luxury resorts, villas, and boutique spas invited us to stay there, until I finally had to say “enough” when we had 12 resorts and villas lined up, for 28 nights.

Much as I would have liked to spin it out for another month or two, we eventually had to get back to Seattle to do some work.

Bali is a sparkling, stunning, tropical island with ever-changing landscapes overflowing with colorful rice fields and mysterious temples. Its graceful people seem born to welcome guests to their bustling paradise, and they’re happy to show you their fascinating cultural heritage, always with a wide, white toothy smile.

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Our assignment resorts and villas were the crème de la crème for the elite. Some of the resorts we stayed at don’t advertise their rates because if you have to ask, you can’t afford it (seriously). More than one resort had helicopter pads — another sure sign of an affluent clientele.

We stayed 2-3 nights each in a wide array of idyllic boutique villas: many with native Alang-alang Balinese architecture, spacious air-conditioned rooms, huge four-poster beds draped with colorful mosquito nets, marble tiled and hardwood floors, private swimming pools, indulgent spas, and top-of-the-line restaurants.

Sungai Gold had, for example, a spectacular courtyard with a large infinity pool overlooking the hillside to the river. Surrounding the pool were outdoor living spaces; a living room pavilion, relaxing beds, and a pool deck with lounge chairs, plus a dining pavilion and gardens.

We were subjected to dozens of spa therapies and Balinese healing treatments. Our two-and-a-half-hour “Love and Connectivity” treatment at one spa included a foot wash, an exfoliation scrub, massage that heals the heart chakra, and a rose oil bath for two. Churlishly, by our fifth resort, I had tired of massages and pampering treatments.

Our memorable gourmet meals included a 3-hour, 8-course Imperial Chinese Dinner seated at a 12-meter long table amidst 18^th century artwork, surrounded by the bright red walls of an ancient Chinese temple — definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. An equally appealing meal was the Waroeng Jawa, a humble but romantic dining experience in an open-sided hut where an elderly Balinese lady renowned for her authentic old-style cooking prepared our food over an open fire.

We would cool off in crystal-clear swimming pools as the mood took us. Some villas were so gorgeous that we didn’t leave the property for our entire stay.

We earned our keep by inspecting these palaces for an hour or two, escorted by the property owners or media reps. My wife worked 1-2 hours per day to provide images for the article, and I would write up each resort in an hour or two each evening.

Most of us travel writers know we’re not going to get rich with travel writing, but we’ll show you dozens of stamps from exotic countries in our passports — we visit more places in one year than most 9-to-5ers will see in five years.

You can travel like this too. Between your article payments and comp travel, you can have nice inexpensive trips. Even if you hold down a job with regular hours, you can still do this part-time, with some time management and good planning. So next time you look at your passport, imagine what it will look like with most of the pages stamped.

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Time-saving hacks are always on my radar, so the advice below was a welcome tool.

It’s tricky, though, because in those post-lunch, long hours of the afternoon, this tip makes it much easier for me to want a nap.

Maybe that’s where the freedom of getting to choose your breaks comes in handy.

Anyway, try it and let me know if it helps. (The tip below, not the nap. Well, maybe the nap too…)

To your writing success,

Mindy

Want to Boost Productivity? Turn Up the Heat!

By Mindy McHorse

If you’ve ever spent time in a shared office space, you can probably relate to thermostat woes. It’s one of the biggest complaints of working in a space you don’t control: You’re either too hot or too cold, but never just right.

Fast-forward to life as a Barefoot Writer, where setting your own thermostat is one of the many perks you enjoy.

That said, what’s the ideal temperature for maximum productivity?

Many people say, “the cooler, the better” — the theory being that a dropped thermostat makes you less sluggish and therefore more productive.

But it turns out the opposite is true. Not only is a cold office environment uncomfortable, it also kills your focus. According to a study by Cornell University researchers, a cool 68 degrees caused employees in an office environment to make 44% more errors.

Employees were also more distracted in the colder environment. Researchers reasoned that the resulting drop in body temperature means your body expends energy to stay warm, which means less energy for concentration and creativity.

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However, in the same study, researchers found that cranking the temperature up to 77 degrees made employees twice as productive.

But if you’d like to test this theory, consider upping your thermostat for a week to see if you come out more productive than before.

I totally didn’t take it seriously. 😂😂😂

And yet here I sit with 18 years of working from home as a paid writer under my belt, 15 of those with six-figures in gross revenue.

(Joke’s on me, Paul! You were right all along.)

I highly recommend you take Paul’s message to heart if you enjoy writing, would like more freedom and income in your life, and want to be part of an amazing group of supportive freelancers.

To your writing success,

Mindy

The #1 Secret to Living a Good, Happy, and Wealth-Filled Life in These Difficult Times

By Paul Hollingshead

Warren Buffett, one of the smartest and most successful businessmen of our time, was asked what he thought was the best investment anyone could make in difficult times.

His answer was fast and simple …

That could very well be the best advice Mr. Buffett has ever offered. If ever there were a time to take control of your future, it’s now.

Never before have we faced such perilous times.

A free-falling stock market is jeopardizing the comfortable retirement of millions. Once rock-solid, mainstay companies are struggling to survive. Millions of blue- and white-collar jobs are on the line.

And a lot of experts agree – the worst is yet to come.

But there’s a small group of people who have risen above it all.

They’re folks who don’t have to worry about a free-falling stock market – or if their jobs are going to be there at the end of the day.

In fact, these people don’t even have “jobs” as most people know them.

On a typical day, they’ll wake up, make a cup of coffee, read the paper, maybe go for a run or get a little exercise …

And when they’re good and ready, they’ll saunter over to their laptop – and begin their day.

No alarm clocks buzzing. No drive through rush-hour traffic. No bosses looking over their shoulder.

Heck, they don’t even have to get dressed if they don’t want to.

Yet they have an opportunity to make much more money than the average full-time “work-a-day” Jane …

$50,000.

$100,000.

$200,000.

Some (who choose to spend more time at it) are making $500,000 a year or more.

Better still, they’re making that kind of money doing fun and interesting “work” … using their minds and their creativity, while providing an essential, very-much-in-demand service to a $2.3 trillion (and still growing) industry that’s virtually recession-proof.

And it’s all because they took Mr. Buffett’s good advice long before he gave it:

I highly recommend you do the same today. Especially today …

But how?

The best and fastest way is to take a good, hard look at the resources offered by our very good friends over at American Writers & Artists Institute (AWAI).

For 29 years now, these folks have been giving fed-up, burned-out rat-racers a much-welcomed “second chance” at fun, creative, challenging – and, yes, high-paying – careers.

More than that, the careers they offer are as much about lifestyle as they are about making a very good income.

Take The AWAI Method™ for Becoming a Skilled, In-Demand Copywriter, one of the most popular programs AWAI offers.

Here’s a work-at-home career where, if you can write in a nice, easy conversational tone – and you’re willing to learn the basic formula for writing a good, effective sales letter – you can make a very nice income from the comfort of your own home.

Many who have taken the AWAI copywriting program have not only been able to leave jobs they hated … but move to places they’ve always dreamed of living: mountains, seaside towns, even different countries altogether! All they need is a laptop and a good internet connection.

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And, despite the economy, copywriters are still in very high demand, since they are the engines that drive the $2.3 trillion direct-response industry. Copywriters I talk to say the demand for well-written letters is higher than ever, as marketers tend to mail more often and more aggressively in down markets.

In other words, it’s virtually a recession-proof business!

Plus, the other great thing about mastering the art of copywriting is that it’s a financially valuable skill that will reward you the rest of your life … and give you a source of income well into your retirement years.

What better way to invest in yourself than to learn a skill that could earn you many millions over the course of your lifetime AND let you live your life “boss-free” on your own terms?

Learn more about becoming a work-at-home copywriter.

Another fast-growing segment of the writing market that offers exciting income and lifestyle opportunities is writing for the web.

Website landing pages, pay-per-click ads, email promotional letters, search engine optimization – these continue to be the buzz-terms for long-standing commerce opportunities in the world today. Anyone who sets out to become an expert in any or all of these areas will forever be in high demand with companies all over the world.

And the timing for this opportunity couldn’t be better. Once a job handed to underlings, smart businesses are now realizing that to be competitive online these days, they need knowledgeable, qualified professionals to create powerful sales-driven web content—beyond what AI can do. As a result, it’s estimated in the U.S. alone, businesses from Fortune 500 companies to local mom-and-pop shops in your hometown spent $395 billion in 2025 on digital content and advertising.

This program lets you do what Mr. Buffett and so many other successful people say is the most important thing anyone can do, especially in the times we’re in:

Take control of your future.

Take back your good life.

Invest in yourself.

Learn more about becoming a work-at-home copywriter.

Or maybe you can’t focus because it’s Friday and everyone else has powered down and headed for the mountains…

Then quick and easy boosts like the five shared below might give you that extra little push you need to make it to the finish line.

(My go-to’s are number 5, 3, and 2, in that order.)

To your writing success,

Mindy

5 Quick Ways to Get a Motivational Boost

By Rae Robinson

1. Alternate your big tasks. If you’re juggling several different projects, pick two and switch between each one for 20 minutes each. This keeps you from getting bored and helps you maintain focus.

2. Drink a glass of water. Good hydration makes it easier to concentrate.

   

3. Chat with a fellow writer. Writing friends can be a great source of support, especially when you’re stuck on a project or you’re facing doubts about your writing career. You can connect with other Barefoot Writers here on our public Facebook page.

4. Write down what you’ve already achieved. The next time you feel stuck when it comes to your writing goals, make a list of everything you’ve already accomplished. It could be anything from landing your first client to practicing your writing every day to simply telling people about your writing aspirations.

   

5. Go for a walk. Just getting away from your writing space and giving yourself a mental break can do wonders to recharge your creativity.

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It’s never failed to help, especially in terms of infusing my copy with a little more zazz and heaps more emotion and connection.

So take note of these eight tips and revisit them any time you’re about to ship a new piece. They’re pretty much guaranteed to strengthen your copy and can lead you to many, many happily satisfied clients.

To your writing success,

Mindy

8 Tips for Better Writing
By Mindy McHorse

Simply getting started is often the biggest problem writers face when presented with a new project.

Maybe you’ve been in that situation. You feel overwhelmed by the task of writing great content that achieves all of your client’s goals, so you hesitate and delay.

Keep in mind that the goal of good content writing is to generate a strong message that doesn’t appear forced or awkward.

The best way to do this is by sticking to the basics — and by starting your project as soon as possible.

Here, you’ll find eight fundamental strategies to help you write well and to ensure your clients keep coming back to you.

Tip #1: Never lose sight of the “Big Three”

All good content writing consists of three core elements:

1. Benefits

2. Core emotions

3. A solid understanding of your target market

You can’t do a good job with the first two unless you have the last one. This means every project should kick off with research about your prospect.

First, uncover details like age, sex, income, geographic location, and family status. Next, figure out whether you’re dealing with people who are repeat buyers of the product or service you’re writing about, or whether they’re first-time buyers.

Then, dig deeper.

Once you know your audience, it becomes easier to understand why they buy things, beyond practical reasons. This is where you look for core emotions that drive the sale. It’s also where you’ll recognize which benefits resonate most with your target demographic.

Tip #2: Get emotional

Understanding the core emotions that drive your prospect to buy isn’t the same thing as writing to them. Good writing should provoke those very emotions, but in a positive way.

Let’s say you’re writing about a walk-in bathtub, and your audience consists of older folks who are gradually losing their mobility.

Two major benefits to this product are its safety and ease of use. Paint a picture with your words of the independence and satisfaction your prospect will gain, rather than focusing on the problems he will avoid.

There is a time and place for fear-based statements and “Here’s what you’ll escape” remarks. But, especially when it comes to product sales online, emphasize the positive. Choose words like always over never and tell inspiring stories. When possible, pepper in enthusiastic testimonials.

Tip #3: Have a conversation with one person

Always think of your copy as a conversation with one other person. This means writing in second person and using the word “you” so your prospect knows you’re speaking directly to him or her.

This keeps your copy to the point and makes each of your visitors feel like the content was written specifically to them instead of to an all-encompassing group of readers.

You can also use the “bar stool” technique to make your writing more conversational. The easiest way to do this is to read your copy aloud and edit it until it sounds like something you’d say in a face-to-face conversation, as if you were chatting with someone at a bar.

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Tip #4: Make it snappy

Good writing is concise and to the point. Readers don’t want to wade through long sentences with multiple adjectives, especially if they’re reading your copy online. Even if you have a lengthy list of benefits and features you want to share, the average reader doesn’t have time to wade through long pages of copy.

Keep your copy tight and to the point by using short sentences (16 words or less) and simple words. Aim for paragraphs that are only two or three sentences long. Every now and then, add a punchy, one-line sentence to give your writing rhythm.

One of the best ways to keep your copy short and snappy is to write at an eighth-grade level or lower. If you use Microsoft Word, you can measure this by going into the “Options” menu and selecting the “Proofing” tab. Then, click the “Show readability statistics” box. (Note: The “Check grammar with spelling” box must be checked in order to access the “Show readability statistics” box.)

After you run a spell-check, a box called “Readability Statistics” pops up. It includes the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level. Aim for an 8.0 or less.

Tip #5: Use lots of white space

It’s a daunting thing to click on a web link and see a hundred lines of text. Even the most fascinating subject can be a hard read if it’s too copy-heavy.

Instead, break up long blocks of text with page breaks, headings, bullets, and graphics. All of these serve as visual cues about the information you’re sharing. They help certain elements of your copy stand out, guiding the reader to take note of specific content.

Tip #6: Demonstrate credibility

Even the best writing can be brushed off as unimportant if it’s not presented credibly.

Make sure your copy includes multiple credibility-boosters. Glowing testimonials and easy-to-spot contact information go a long way in making content appear trustworthy. It’s also a good idea to mention reviews and awards.

Sometimes, even talking about a flaw or downside to your product or service helps boost credibility. People appreciate honesty.

Tip #7: Study writers with strong voices

If you want to practice good writing, it’s smart to spend time with successful writers. Make it a point to read articles, blogs, and other content crafted by strong writers.

When possible, get to know them. If there’s no way you’ll ever connect in person, at least connect via social media. Twitter and Facebook are excellent for presenting a well-rounded picture of other professionals. You can find out what books they read, what conferences they attend, and what gurus they follow.

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Tip #8: Review, review, review

Keep in mind that every second of attention you get from a reader is precious. Make an effort to write your content several days before you have to submit it. This gives you the chance to step back and take a break from it so you do the final review with fresh eyes.

By sticking to these basic strategies for good writing, you’ll significantly boost your chances of writing content that works, and — importantly — keeps clients coming back to you for more projects.

Because to those of us on the outside, fortune-and-fame-tinged copywriting careers like his look easy. Maybe it’s a product of his particular genius. Or connections. Luck, perhaps?

Could be a combo of all of them.

But then you read something like this and discover he’s just another human, like the rest of us, who makes mistakes and gets sucked into temptation. The difference though, is that he’s learned to pull himself out and use the experience as a lesson.

So if your paid writing dreams continue to loom large in your life and you want to bump them to the next level, take John’s advice to heart—especially the gem at the end of tip #2.

To your writing success,

Mindy

Seven Toxic Habits That Could Wreck Your Writing Career

By John Forde

“It is a great thing,” said Cicero, “to know our vices.”

With that in mind, let’s dig in and take a look at some positively poisonous habits that could dash any aspiring copywriter’s career. No, I don’t mean the biggies like gorging yourself on pizza… quaffing gin with breakfast… or hanging out with loose women and/or using that exercise bike you bought last year only as a towel rack.

Arguably, these are the habits that just make copywriters more interesting. But in this essay, I’m only talking about the little work-related habits. Each of them all too easy for any copywriter, even one with the best intentions, to develop…

Bad Habit #1: Compulsive “Inboxing”

Here’s one of those bad habits where yours truly was once guilty as charged.

I’ll be frank. I’m a nut for technology. The nerd gene, in our family, runs long and deep. In 1981, my brother and I were using an early Apple desktop with a cassette tape drive and a 300-baud phone line to log onto local “bulletin boards.” In the early 1990s, I was among the first in our office to use CompuServe via dial-up… and first to tap into search engines (remember “Archie” and “Veronica?” Way before Google’s time)…

And even now, I’m about as armed as you can get with POP accounts, instant messaging, and all the rest. There isn’t anything I can’t FTP, bit-transfer, or digitally find. But still, I’ve learned one has to be careful. Even the best technology is a distraction if you let it intrude on your deadlines.

Email especially.

Over the last year, I consciously re-prioritized my email activity to fall later on my to-do list. Emails no longer get answered instantly. Unless they’re urgent, they can wait for my reply. The results have been liberating. And profitable.

Ironically, you can find dozens of “productivity websites” offering exactly the opposite advice. Along with elaborate systems for keeping your inbox clear at all times, including how to empty out your inbox early as part of the “fresh start” for the day. And to those I say … baloney.

Don’t get me wrong.

Email is a valuable tool. It makes my laptop career possible in more ways than one. But just answering emails around the clock won’t get the job done, no matter how productive it makes you feel at the time.

Which is a good way to segue into …

Bad Habit #2: Inverting the Checklist

This too, is something I was once more guilty of than not. In fact, I still find myself slipping into this poisonous practice from time to time. By “inverting the checklist,” I’m talking about when you take your list of ‘must-do’ items and flip it so that you end up doing the things of least importance first.

Think about it.

Most people write their checklists starting with the small details, especially the pressing items and immediate tasks. As you finish the list, the feelings of urgency fade and your imagination kicks in. You write out the big stuff, the life-defining things, the things about which you dare to dream.

The next day, on the next to-do list, you change the details on the front to match the newest, most pressing, undone stuff …

Pick up dry cleaning. Send email. Order paper clips.

But the back half generally remains unchanged. And still, very general about the things you hope will eventually happen in your lifetime. Become a copywriting guru. Write the novel. See world. It’s an easy rut to fall into.

But every success story you can imagine begins with somebody flipping that personal checklist around. The big, ambiguous accomplishments become the priorities. And the little niggling daily stuff gets pushed back, even dumped from the list entirely (though, hopefully, not to the level where personal safety, relationships, or hygiene will suffer TOO dramatically).

This, of course, is just as true for copywriting as it is for any other endeavor. You’ll make the most happen if you aim to get the big stuff done first.

The secret is to pick the big goal and break that down with the same detailed fervor you applied to the less important details of past “to-do” lists.

For instance, do you really want to be a six-figure copywriter? I get lots of emails from people telling me they do. But who also don’t think they can. I’m shocked, after digging deeper, to find out how many of those who have quit on the idea have yet to try landing even one client… have yet to try writing a full promo… have yet to even finish the exercises in whatever copywriting course they’re following.

Each time, I lay it down: Yes, it’s true. Not everyone can succeed at this. Because not everyone has the “stuff” to do it. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be such a lucrative career path. Still, you’ll get nowhere if you don’t get started. And getting started means more than sharpening pencils every morning. It means approaching and hitting the big milestones, step-by-step.

Make a daily game plan to finish the course. Get on the mailing lists and read OPC (other people’s copy). Get that one client … offering to write on spec if you have to … as the first step in building your client list. And THEN come and talk to me, yah?

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Bad Habit #3: Chronic Cathode Overloading

Oh boy, is this one a tar trap.

I’m talking, of course, about screens and scrolling. And here too, I want you to know I’m not throwing stones. I was notorious, as a child, for getting sucked into the boob tube. Turn one on a mile from where I stood, my jaw would drop and my eyes would go wide. Think the torture scenes in Clockwork Orange, but self-imposed and self-supervised.

Then, by circumstance, I found myself without a television. For eight years straight, it stayed that way. And I couldn’t believe what happened. I started reading. A lot.

Mind you, I was always a reader. But not like this. I plowed through books end to end, like a chronic smoker facing the firing squad. I bought classics for 50 cents a pop at the used book store. I picked up how-to books on advertising, fiction writing, and guitar. History books. Philosophy. Biographies. And more.

Where my TV wasn’t, I had IKEA bookshelves eight feet high and filled to bursting with text. Even better, I couldn’t imagine how — during my TV-watching days — I had managed to find and then waste all that time.

I confess, we have a TV again. We rationalize it as a learning tool, for language, since the one TV we own we keep in our apartment in France. Streaming is now the danger. And the Internet. Both have a similar power for sucking up time. Still, I read plenty. Less fiction, since I don’t find as much of the modern stuff nearly as satisfying. But lots of books and articles related to what I’m writing about. Plus, I’m a heavy user of audiobooks on all kinds of subjects, from trade and finance to science and ideas of all different kinds.

You don’t have to toss your TV. Especially not if it’s one of the brand spankin’ new flat screen variety. But do try switching it off… or even unplugging it… for a while. A week. A month. And see what happens. You might be surprised.

Bad Habit #4: Writing from the Mountaintop

No question, one of the things I love about my copywriting career is the isolation. An open window, a quiet room, the clack of the keyboard. It’s how I prefer working, most of the time. And it’s usually all I need to feel like the master of the universe.

Still, there’s a danger to be aware of. Even as a writer, you can’t be alone with your ideas all the time. Because writers, even the great ones, grow stale in isolation. It’s the energy you draw from contact with other people that keeps your writing interesting.

In copy, that means regular if occasional contact with colleagues and customers. Brainstorming meetings. Trade seminars. Company cocktail parties and, yes, happy hours. If you get the invitation to mingle with like-minds, you shouldn’t pass it up. Make a point of staying in touch. Phone calls will do, but a few hours of face time is even better. Both social and professional.

Bad Habit #5: Tossing the Roadmap

What’s the point of speeding if you don’t know where you’re going? If you never get where you’re headed, it doesn’t matter one lick if you’re making great time. Germane to copywriting, I’m talking about passionate writers who consistently miss the point of why they’re writing or what they’re writing about.

Exhibit A, the new writer that’s passionate about the idea they’re pitching… without a game plan for how they’re going to lay the whole thing out. Start with at least a general outline. An end and a middle, not just a beginning.

Before you pile up research, ask yourself: What’s this product really about? Who’s this customer and where does he stand? Where do I need to take him to make the final sale? Early in my own career, I wrote without a map.

I started and let my research pull me through, heading down this path and that. Sometimes it worked. Most of the time it did not. Then I started dissecting other pieces to see how they came together. I “lifted out” the outlines and stuck it together again, with my own research draped over the skeleton instead.

Now I write my own outlines. Because I’ve got the basic structure imprinted on my memory already. Once you’ve got this, it helps you make all kinds of choices about how the whole piece will come together, just as planned.

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Bad Habit #6: Radical Revisionism

The opposite of too little planning is, of course, overplanning. And this too, in copy, can happen to the best of them. After all, great copy has the feel of being written fast and spontaneously. Yet, we’ve also always heard that great writers revise.

So when do you stop perfecting?

Where do you draw the line?

I once knew a writer who spent over a month writing and rewriting his headline. Once he had it, he moved on to writing his first line. How long would THAT take him? Nobody waited to find out. The company had to fire him. See, here’s the thing. You’ve got to recognize what all the editing you’ll do is actually for.

You’re going back to tighten, yes. To take out the clumsy phrases, to clarify the ideas, and more.

You’re revising, too, so you can hide the seams and stitches, the girders and rivets, and all those other pieces of your construction that need to be there but remain hidden so as not to impede the flow of your prose.

After that, though, there comes a time when you just… have to… let… it… go. Let it mail. Let if flop. Let it win. But get it out there to get tested, where all good (and bad) copy belongs.

Polish the writing, yes. But remember that you’re nothing as a copywriter if your copy never, ever mails. Speed up that process to get it out there, in as many ways as you can.

Bad Habit #7: Thin-skinned Amateurism

It’s not easy, in this biz, not to take lots of things personally. You spend a lot of time alone with the things you’re writing, after all. So when a critique feels extra harsh… when a client seems less than happy… when a mailing flops… at least once in a while, you’re going to feel personally let down.

Don’t.

It’s great to throw yourself into your work. It’s great to feel responsible for results. But the truth of the matter is, it’s also a sign of a real pro if, whenever you get knocked down, you get up brushing off the dust and ready to go all over again.

Instead of defending yourself during a critique, ask questions that open you up for more. On flopped mailings, study the results. Do a post-mortem on the copy to find out what happened. And then move on. Maybe getting the flop out there was the best way to unveil the newer, better idea that will work the next time.

You never know until you give it a shot.