www.inkthinkerblog.com — In this post, which you should read first so this makes sense, I talk about my methods for identifying and responding to online job ads for freelance writing and editing work. Here’s some more info based on reader questions:
Here’s what I mean when I say that I blast out the replies in one shot. Say I find 10 ads that look appealing. I send the replies out one right after the other, all 10 in one sitting. Each follows approximately the formula I shared and is tailored to the specific ad. Because I’m in “response mode,” I get through them very quickly. I know more or less what I’m going to say, and I have about a dozen clips that work well as stand-alone samples, so all I have to do is customize the letter and attach the appropriate files, multiply by 10, and badda-bing-badda-boom, I’m done. Efficiency is key.
I don’t worry about folks seeing an unexpected subject line and just deleting my message. Editor Needed (New York),” because they’re all clicking on the e-mail address in the ad. And most of the people responding are idiots or people who send the same boring form letter to every ad no matter what, or both. At some point, the volume gets to be so high because of all the crap you get that you just delete all of the messages with that subject line and start over. It’s just like when you’re e-querying an editor and you say something like, “Bob Bly thought you’d be interested” or “Features Query: Your Next Heartbeat May Be Your Last” rather than “Article idea” or something else nonspecific that will blend in. Hey, I could be wrong, but so far it’s working for me.
Keep sending your questions my way, folks!
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