Copy Chatter for Freelance Writers with Ashley Gainer

These are my top 5 tips for managing your workload as a freelance writer.

People ask me all the time if I will guarantee their results if they join my programs. My answer might surprise you. 

If you start as a generalist, it will eventually make sense to niche in some way. Here's how it looks. 

If I'm gonna tell you it's ok NOT to have a writing niche, I'd better back it up with advice about how to proceed, right? Well... here ya go! 

Everywhere you look, people are shouting about the millions of things you need to have or do or schedule or send or publish. We're bombarded with a massive list of things that we need to master and execute before we've even begun! It's completely overwhelming. Just-in-time learning is what will SAVE you. This podcast shows you how it works.

Are you a good enough writer to make it as a freelancer? There's only one way to find out...

Are you wasting your time on any of these major mistakes? If you identify with any of these, you'll be better off stopping and changing focus.   - spending months on a website - social media profiles and content marketing - trying to start their blog at the same time - researching all day and all night without taking action or implementing anything; getting ready to get ready - making drafts but g...

How do you get anything done when life is chaotic? Whether it's a dropped nap or a global pandemic, instability and situational "noise" can put a damper on your productivity. In this episode, I share a few tips for keeping yourself in motion.

After a string of illnesses and then The Pollening, my vocal cords have been decimated. I'm hoping to be healed up and back behind the microphone in May -- and in the meantime, here's a quick message for you. 

When you're thinking about getting a new course or joining a new program, how do you know if it's the right move? In this episode, I lay out 4 situations when it makes sense. Otherwise, you might be looking at some expensive procrastination tactics. I'm also giving you three things to ask yourself before giving it the green light. Keeping yourself in check is an important part of success, and this...

I've seen it pop up a lot recently... questions about things like "work history" and "qualifications" and freelance writing resumes. These are all symptoms of employee mindset, and they will keep you STUCK. So let's talk about why freelancing isn't the same as being an employee, and how to shift into freelancer mode. I'll also give you a list of things your freelance clients are legally NOT allowe...

If the fortune is in the follow-up... then how do you follow up? If you're using any kind of email strategy to find writing clients, there are a few different follow-up approaches you can take. I'll go over the spectrum of recommendations in this episode and offer you a few quick templates you can adapt, too. The most important thing is to DO SOMETHING! Keep testing and seeing what gets you the be...

I want you to get off Upwork and Fiverr and all those other race-to-the-bottom, pennies-per-word sites. There are websites with a similar setup that will actually pay you what your writing services are worth. I scoured the web and put together this list of 10 content marketing agencies that "feel" similar to Upwork in a lot of ways, but the pay is loads better. I'll also give you my evaluation met...

Maybe you've heard the rumors... you can find writing clients on Facebook. I'm here to tell you once and for all... that it's TRUE. And in this episode, I'm laying it out for you. What types of groups do you join? What does the process actually look like? How can you turn this into a major marketing strategy? All that and more! 

Your writing rates are possibly one of the biggest decisions you'll have to make as a freelance writer. This decision alone can set the course for your business, good or bad. One of the best tools I know of to help you set -- and stick to -- your rates is the rate guide. In this episode, I talk about what a rate guide is, what to put in it, and how to use it. We'll also get into whether or not to...

The new year is a great time to look back and look ahead (though I say you can do that ANY time of the year). In this episode, we're talking about specific things you can do to set your business up right for the new year. Plus, we'll get into some strategic planning and talking about how to shape your business around the life you want.

Goal setting and quarterly planning are basically fancy ways of saying "figure out where you want to go and then figure out how you're gonna get there." In this episode, I break down my annual planning and quarterly planning methods to help you set and reach your own goals. This is something you can start doing TODAY, no matter what week or month of the year it is. Feeling stuck? Come ask your que...

This episode is unlike most of the other ones. I talk about the HUGE mistake I've been making over the past few months, what the fallout was, how I figured it out, and how I fixed it. Plus I invite you to my favorite place on the internet, so we can all hug it out together. If you're frustrated, anxious, and maybe a little resentful about the very reason you got started as a freelance writer... th...

Ever stared at your calendar with dread, knowing you had some gaps to fill and no work to fill it? One of the best ways I've found is to ASK for work... and I don't mean pitching. In this episode, I'll share what I do... and what I've seen tons of other successful writers do... when it's time to get new work, fast. Every time I have a gap in my pipeline and I need to drum up more writing gigs, I d...

When you hit a slow period in your business, it's time to crank up the marketing machine. These are a few things you can do to build some momentum when client work has slowed down for you.

I've been in business for almost 10 years now... and for the first 9 of them, I did pretty much everything by myself. Now I know better, and I want you to know better, too! There's a LOT that a VA can offer you, even if you're "just" a freelance writer. In the time I started working with my VA, Heather, I've learned how amazing it is to have someone else taking care of all the "little stuff" in my...

We've talked about the difference between copywriting and content writing before, but today I want to take a closer look at the career trajectory, the pros and cons of either niche, and how much money you can make. With this info, you can start to map out where you are and where you want your career to go.

One thing I've dealt with many times over my career -- and I've seen other writers deal with it constantly, too -- is this idea of accepting low rates (or even zero pay) in exchange for "exposure." Normally I'm pretty skeptical and would say don't do it, but there are a couple of exceptions. This episode shows you what they are and gives you a framework to decide for yourself whether or not writin...

What are some signs of a bad-news prospective client? Let's chat about the red flags that are set off by the people you DON'T want to work with.

It doesn't happen often, but there will be times when your client is less than thrilled with something you turn in. How should you respond? And what can you do to avoid the awkwardness?