Last week I was on a mindset masterclass with the AWAI (American Writers and Artists Institute) team.
They gave me the opportunity to share some of the wisdom I’ve collected and created over the years.
At the beginning of the masterclass, I casually said that I’m at a place in my career where I write for people I want to… even if they can’t always afford to pay my going rate.
That comment caught the attention of one of the hosts, Ted, and many of the audience.
After the session, I had a few messages from people saying how I’d inspired them to do a similar thing.
But, I had to set them straight.
You see, there are a few things to consider when it comes to writing for people who can’t afford your regular rate.
And to help me work out if I want to write for people and if I can afford to write for people… I use what I call my “4 I’s.” (There used to be 3, but I added another one recently.)
So, let’s take a closer look at them…
#1: Income:
First and foremost, you need to make sure your income needs have been met. There’s no point in helping other people when you don’t have enough to help yourself.
We’ve all heard of the saying that you need to put your own oxygen mask on first. And despite it being cliché these days… it’s 100% spot on!
There is no way you can help anyone else if you’re oxygen-deprived… or dead yourself.
So, before I help someone else with a reduced rate… I make sure my income needs have been met. It may sound a bit self-centered… but that’s not always a bad thing. (More about that in a moment.)
#2: Interest: (This is the new addition)
Second, I need to be interested in the project. I can’t conjure up fantastic copy for something I’m not interested (or believe) in. It just doesn’t work that way.
And the reason is… my disinterest will come oozing through my “adequately chosen” words.
It doesn’t matter if the person can afford to pay double my fee (and I actually have been offered that kind of deal) … if I’m not feeling it… the reader won’t either.
So, once those two are sorted… I can then move on to the other 2 I’s as they come along.
Now before I talk about them, I just wanted to address something really quick.
A lot of people will say things like… “I won’t get out of bed for less than $10K!” Or “I won’t do a job that doesn’t pay me royalties!”
And I think they’re leaving a lot of money on the table… Because there are “currencies” worth more than money.
…and here are 2 of them…
#3: Influence:
This is when I’m offered a project that doesn’t pay as much as I would usually like… but I get to expand my influence.
For example, that means I might take on a project that lots of people will see.
Last year I wrote a sales letter for my friend and mentor Trevor “Toecracker” Crook. It was for his “Drayton Bird’s 83rd Birthday Bash” event in Poland.
I’m not going to go into the details of our deal, but I did the project because…
- I knew people in the copywriting and marketing world would see my writing… and they did. That letter went into copywriter’s swipe files and was handwritten a bunch of times by keen students of the craft. And…
- Trevor offered me to be a speaker at the event,
- (And there’s another reason… Trevor has helped me out so much. I wanted to help him with his event.)
I’ve also taken positions with companies that I do because I am able to increase my skills… and then my influence.
I did the same thing with AWAI… and that’s how I have a control with them. That control gives me “copy credibility” that money just can’t buy.
Right now, I’m a “part time” copy coach for a company I adore. I get to coach their members and critique their copy on the fly. (This position has seen me conservatively critique over 2,236 pieces of copy in one year.)
This has boosted my influence because I’m more comfortable critiquing copy and giving advice in Facebook groups.
And one of the biggest examples of Influence in my life is being a Parris Cub. Parris assured me that my income would go backwards before it ever went forwards. And he was right! But the boost to my influence makes it worth it.
#4: Impact:
(I intentionally put this one last.) Impact is where I write to help people share their message… but I may be paid in something other than money, or a combination of money and something else of value. (Note I didn’t say free?)
So, why would I do that? Well, because my income is taken care of, and I’m interested in it.
But just as importantly… I want to make an impact. I want to help people, and because it’s not always about money for me, I have the freedom to help them make an impact. And in the process… I get to make one too.
Now, when I’m talking about impact, I’m not talking about working for charities or Not For Profit organizations. I like to help businesses that have a great message and vision to get their message out to the world.
And sometimes #3 and #4 overlap.
But to have a sustainable business… neither of them can happen unless #1 and #2 are sorted out first.
But I see too many people prioritizing impact projects because they make them feel good, which is excellent… but it’s unsustainable unless you have the income to support them.
Your business isn’t a charity… whatever that means. And the reason I say that is… many of the charities actually do quite ok.
Many of the C.E.O.s of charities or not for profit organizations get paid in excess of half a million per year. With the top earners well into the 7-figure range.
So, don’t feel too bad for them.
You need to make sure your business is sustainable… before you offer kindness to others.
Because…
Knowledge Nugget #277:
We Can’t Help Others If We’re
Struggling Ourselves
This is such basic advice, but how often do we forget it… or, even worse, ignore it?
I know I have. And not only in my current career.
When I had my alternate healing business, I would often do sessions for impact or influence… but I could barely pay my own way in life.
After a while, I started to resent the sessions I was doing. And my passion for helping people diminished.
I burnt out.
And I did a similar thing when I pivoted (it’s almost the end of 2020, and I’ve hardly used my quota of that word… lol) into copywriting.
My “help everyone at my expense” mindset followed me… and so did my results.
Although I was doing ok… I knew I could be doing a whole lot better.
So, I went looking for ways to have a more sustainable and scalable business. And that’s when I found the 4 I’s.
I now have more freedom and purpose in my life.
And it’s all because I realized that I needed to be a little self-centered.
The fact is, we need to be the pebble in our own pond called life. We are at the center of the ripples we send out. So, of course, it makes sense we need to be self-centered!
Since I worked this out, burn out is now a thing of the past.
Until next week, stay awesome, and be self-centered : )
Pauline x x x
Pauline Longdon
a.k.a. “The Copy Alchemist
P.S. There’s another “I” that we need to be aware of… Inertia (but I won’t add it to the 4 I’s because it’s a negative one).
I see way too many people get stuck in a rut when it comes to building their business and getting clients. And one of the places they get stuck is in taking the first step to go from zero to one. This is the point where it takes the most effort to build momentum.
The best way to get past this point is to have a simple yet reliable system. And next week, I’ll introduce you to a system that is precisely that.
P.P.S. 2020 has been quite a ride! A month ago, I had a huge decision to make… and it was one I was resistant to make.
You see, this year, I experienced sudden hearing loss. So, my doctor has been doing a heap of testing to make sure there isn’t something serious (she thought I had a brain tumour) causing it. Now that I’m clear, the next step was helping me to hear again.
That’s when I “bit the bullet” and agreed to get hearing aids. It’s a huge life change, and it will take me a while to get used to them. The new technology is amazing… but honestly, I didn’t do it for the technology (the feature) I did it so I could hear again (the benefit) and be included in the conversations going on around me (hidden benefit). There’s a huge copywriting lesson right there.
P.P.P.S. This year I’ve been working on a project that most people would have never touched. It’s quite speculative but if it works out the way we’re planning… the reward is going to be massive.
I’m not saying this to impress you. I’m saying this because I want to reinforce the fact that if I had the attitude of “I’ll only get out of bed for X amount of money” or I didn’t have my income sorted first… I wouldn’t have been able to accept this project. And that would have been such a shame!