But how do we encourage referrals in a way that feels natural and non-spammy?

First and foremost: “Do work that warrants being talked about,” says Jessica Manuszak, founder of copywriting studio Verve & Vigour. Nearly all of her clientele comes through referrals. “Asking someone to refer you to their friends is sort of like asking someone to like you. If it doesn’t happen naturally, things can get sleazy and uncomfortable in a hurry.”

Once you’ve established that you are, in fact, doing good work, it’s time to pull from our creative list of ideas that will encourage happy clients to pass along your name.

Here’s how to ask for a referral

Before we jump into that list, know that the first step to getting referrals is to ask. In writing this article, it dawned on me, the Queen of Self-Promotion, that while I always ask clients for testimonials, I never ask for referrals.

But those referrals are more important for growth than testimonials on your website. So go through your client roster, write an email and ask them to refer you. If you want that email to actually result in a referral, read on!

1. Do the heavy lifting for them

Go beyond making it easy for your client to refer you. Actually do the work for them.

I once worked with a coach who I knew my friends would love. When I mentioned this to her, she wrote up her “pitch” for me.

And she didn’t stop there: she also included a gorgeous one-sheeter that explained her services and some copy for social media and a discount code for my friends. All I had to do was forward her email to the right people. I hadn’t thought to share on social media, but since she provided pre-written tweets I figured, why not?

Guess what: She got five new clients from my one email.

To take this approach, write an email to your client as if she’s a potential client. Explain the benefits of your services, how to hire you and any discounts you might offer. Again, all she has to do is forward your email to people who might be a fit. If you have any supporting documents like a sales page, coupon or portfolio, attach it. Include options for sharing on social media if you’re comfortable.

2. Time your request

It’s often thought that the best time to ask for a referral is right after your work is complete. In reality, any time the client gives you compliments is a great time to ask for a referral.

Got good feedback halfway through a client project? Now’s the time to respond, “That’s so nice, thank you! Do you know anyone else who needs an ebook written? I’d love to work with another client just like you.”

You might even ask at the beginning of a project, if you can find a way to do it that feels good to you. Clients tend to be excited when you first begin a project, so look for ways to build on that positive energy.

I once suggested a friend get in touch with a branding agency I was working with, even though I’d only had one meeting with them at that point. My excitement about starting the project was infectious, and a few days later my friend hired them too.

3. Incentivize the referral

While your work should speak for itself, everyone loves a gift! How can you encourage previous clients to do some peddling on your behalf?

You might offer, “I loved writing your sales page. It looks like you’re still going strong, congratulations! I’m back on the freelance circuit and really loved working with you and am keen to find more projects like yours. If you know of any other scuba instructors, please send them my way. For every new client you refer to me, I’ll send you a $50 Amazon gift card.”

For a while, Manuszak of Verve & Vigour offered an affiliate program where anyone could earn credit towards a copywriting package of their choice. Her program was front and center in her website’s navigation, which took pressure off Manuszak to ask individually for referrals.

An affiliate program that’s highlighted on your website might encourage referrals from people you might not have thought to ask.

Incentives can include cash, a small gift, flowers, a charitable donation or a discount on your services. Get creative, or ask clients what sort of reward they would enjoy. I love this tactic in particular because you’re doing double duty: getting advice while planting the idea of referrals.

4. Say “thank you” for referrals

Even if it’s just a quick email, don’t forget to acknowledge referrals when you get them. I haven’t always been thanked for referring clients, and when that acknowledgement was lacking, it put me off a little.

Be thoughtful in thanking clients who refer you. A gorgeous, personalized card will go a long way towards making that referral happen again and again. Bonus points if you call out what you really love about your new client. “Your referral, Cindy, is such a smart businesswoman. I’m so excited to start running her blog, it’s the perfect combination of my skills, and I have you to thank!”

5. Always exceed expectations

This goes hand-in-hand with “doing good work,” but I want to separate out the idea of over-delivering because it involves doing work for free.

When I once launched a new service, I wasn’t entirely sure how it should be structured. Someone hired me before I had the chance to iron everything out, so I gave her an incredibly low rate. Once the work was done, she asked how much it would cost to do another project the next week. I did it for free. When she emailed again asking a few follow-up questions, I didn’t do my usual, “that’s another session, so we’ll need to set up a proper phone call.” I spent a ton of time giving her my best advice.

I wasn’t undervaluing my services or trying to underbid the competition; I was practicing my craft while also building up enormous goodwill with my first-ever client.

Afterwards, she gushed over how generous I was with my time, shared my website on social media, referred me to her friends and left a glowing review. While doing extra (free) work can get you in trouble if you do it too often, if you’re just starting out, going above and beyond without haggling over cost is a great way to leave a client glowing and eager to refer you.

6. Stay in touch

If you ask a client for a referral, they might not know anyone who needs your services just this second, and it’s easy to forget your request. The best way to stay top of mind is to keep talking to them.

You might occasionally check in to see how they’re doing or share a helpful article related to their business. Or you might provide advice and resources through a blog, newsletter or social media. If your old clients subscribe, you’ll be top-of-mind any time a service like yours comes up in conversation.

7. Look beyond clients for referrals

Finally, don’t forget referrals can come from sources besides previous clients. Other writers who can’t take on a project might send clients your way. Or freelancers who don’t cover your niche.

I once had a magical web developer, and we sent each other referrals all the time. Building symbiotic relationships go a long way, and the above tips apply to everyone in your network, not just previous clients.

How do you encourage referrals? Please share your creative tactics in the comments!

This is an updated version of a story that was previously published. We update our posts as often as possible to ensure they’re useful for our readers.

Photo via Travelerpix / Shutterstock 

Back in middle school, I dated a guy, and it turned into a seven-year, mildly abusive relationship.

A decade after it ended, my mother mailed me the dozens of worn journals I kept during that time. I spent almost every morning for weeks poring through them. When I realized this story could be a memoir, I had a rush of excitement I haven’t felt in a long time.

How to start writing a book

Like all writers, I’m a rabid reader, devouring anything from bestsellers to crime to nonfiction to fantasy to YA to obscure self-published novels. And while I’ve been writing for the entirety of my life, I knew nothing about writing a book.

I didn’t even know how to start writing a book, or where to, literally, begin.

Should I start at the beginning of the story and end at the end? Should the book be a series of flashbacks? Should I write the last page first? Do I outline? Do I transcribe my journals? Or do I just sit down and start with whatever comes out?

So here’s how to start writing a book. Or, at least, here’s what I tried, and what did — and didn’t — work for me.

Step 1: Procrastinate writing by reading about writing

The first thing I did was search Amazon for “how to write a book.” Heck, maybe you did that to land on this post!

The first promising result was Stephen King’s On Writing, a fantastic memoir-slash-rant on bad writing. If you haven’t read it, do so.

But while King helped me understand the importance of daily writing habits and slaughtering adverbs, his approach scared me. Apparently, King just sits at his desk and starts telling the story, a story with characters who magically write themselves, a story that simply takes on a life of its own, beginning to end.

So that’s what I tried.

Step 2: Sit down and see what happens

I sat down and tried to write the first scene of my story. Two problems promptly (ugh, adverb, sorry) presented themselves:

1. I didn’t know the story. Sure, I knew the basic scenes and plot structure, but I didn’t fully know how this story ends. How should I know what to focus on, and what themes to tease out if I don’t yet know those themes?
2. My first attempt was horrible. I started writing about the day Tom (not his real name, of course) and I met. What tumbled out was a list of actions:

I was at my friend’s birthday party and Tom was sitting across from me. Someone dared us to kiss. I blushed. Tom leaned forward.

Oh my God, I can’t even. Someone shoot me. I should definitely never write books and should probably just push papers for the rest of forever.

Step 3: Copy someone else

What I wanted to know was how to write well. How to structure my story. Not just the book, but a paragraph. A sentence.

So what if I just copied someone else? Just to try?

I opened the first page of one of my favorite memoirs, Eat, Pray, Love. Lucky for me, the first scene was about a kiss.

Elizabeth Gilbert starts her bestseller, “I wish Giovanni would kiss me. Oh, but there are so many reasons why this would be a terrible idea. To begin with, Giovanni is ten years younger than I am, and — like most Italian guys in their twenties — he still lives with his mother.”

So I wrote:

I was sinking into the couch, surrounded by an array of other sweaty thirteen-year-olds, tugging at my shapeless T-shirt, praying someone would dare him to kiss me. It was just getting dark outside, the floor-to-ceiling windows, curtain-less, making me feel like we were alone, tension rising, in a cave.

I felt instant relief. Better.

While obviously not copied word for word or action for action, reading Liz Gilbert’s lines about a kiss while thinking about my own put me smack dab into the headspace I craved. A headspace where I could more easily capture tone and rhythm and sensation. A headspace I trusted to tell my story.

For weeks I did this, religiously opening my favorite books and copying their structure. If they started the book with a piece of dialogue, that’s what I did. If they started with an action, i.e. “He swung his leg out of the bed,” so would I.

And that’s when the magic happened. Copying other writers only lasted a few minutes before I found myself mid-rampage, tearing through my story, able to tap into my own style.

So that’s what I did. I took it story by story, memory by memory… and I made progress.

Step 4: Create a to-do list and use helpful tools

At the beginning, I was using Evernote to create a new note for every memory. I created one master notebook I called “Tom Stories” and wrote a giant checklist of all the snippets, big or small, I could remember: our first kiss, my 16th birthday, learning how to drive, college fights…

Every morning I would pick the memory that seemed most appealing and I would tell it as if I were writing a novel.

After while though, my brain scattered. Where was the kiss story again? I worked on it last week but it’s gone now. While Evernote’s search function is great, I wanted to stop writing little snippets and start visualizing it as the book I wanted to write. Unfortunately, Evernote sorts by the date you last edited a note, and it was getting messy.

I did a bit of Googling and discovered Scrivener, a tool to help you organize not only your writing, but your notes and table of contents and research.

I downloaded their free trial and played around. Each Evernote file became a section in Scrivener, complete with a quick summary for each scene, so I could easily scan and organize.

It wasn’t until I started using Scrivener that I finally felt like I was working toward something important and real. (Here’s The Write Life’s Scrivener review if you want more details on the tool.)

Step 5: Create a writing routine

I still didn’t have the daily eight hours Stephen King thinks I should have, but he’s right about one thing: Dedicating the time and energy into writing every day is the only way to get your story on paper.

But I had a day job, giving me maybe three hours, at the absolute maximum, to work on my book (never mind that I didn’t really have three hours because my brain was fried at the end of the day).

So every morning before work, instead of walking the dog (oops) or reading a book, I worked for a maximum of one hour on one story.

Sometimes a story took me 20 minutes. Sometimes I found myself going for hours. Most of the time I didn’t want to start, but once I did, I was ecstatic that anything came out at all.

Step 6: Go where the story takes you

I hate this advice because it’s like love — you’ll know it when you find it — but it’s impossible to anticipate.

That said, I took a memoir-writing class while working on one story in particular. I shared it with the class, and after the critique I realized it worked both as a chapter in my memoir as well as a stand-alone personal essay.

So I took a break from working on the book and spent almost two months perfecting this one essay. I hired an editor and had a big hairy dream of getting it published in the holy grail of personal essays, Modern Love.

To answer the question you’re about to ask…no. That essay never made it into the column. But I did eventually publish a different personal essay on parenting in the New York Times.

Anyway. Taking this approach gave me two surprising benefits:

1. It turned out this one piece was representative of the whole story. Trying to nail this essay was most of the battle. So while it took me out of the day-to-day of writing the book, working on a snippet helped me discover the wider themes behind my story.
2. If I can publish parts of the memoir prior to pitching agents and publishers, I’m going to have a much easier time marketing my book. So working on the essay counted as pre-publicity in a way, right?

While I still have a lot to learn, I accomplished more with this book in three months than I ever expected. I created a daily habit, organized my work, and worked on small sections, which all added up to progress.

Have you written a book, especially a memoir? If you struggled to get started, what worked for you?

This is an updated version of a story that was previously published. We update our posts as often as possible to ensure they’re useful for our readers.

Photo via file404 / Shutterstock 

When I finally started writing a memoir, the story had been hiding in my brain for a decade, percolating without me knowing it.

Back in middle school, I dated a guy, and it turned into a seven-year, mildly abusive relationship.

A decade after it ended, my mother mailed me the dozens of worn journals I kept during that time. I spent almost every morning for weeks poring through them. When I realized this story could be a memoir, I had a rush of excitement I haven’t felt in a long time.

How to start writing a book

Like all writers, I’m a rabid reader, devouring anything from bestsellers to crime to nonfiction to fantasy to YA to obscure self-published novels. And while I’ve been writing for the entirety of my life, I knew nothing about writing a book.

I didn’t even know how to start writing a book, or where to, literally, begin.

Should I start at the beginning of the story and end at the end? Should the book be a series of flashbacks? Should I write the last page first? Do I outline? Do I transcribe my journals? Or do I just sit down and start with whatever comes out?

So here’s how to start writing a book. Or, at least, here’s what I tried, and what did — and didn’t — work for me.

Step 1: Procrastinate writing by reading about writing

The first thing I did was search Amazon for “how to write a book.” Heck, maybe you did that to land on this post!

The first promising result was Stephen King’s On Writing, a fantastic memoir-slash-rant on bad writing. If you haven’t read it, do so.

But while King helped me understand the importance of daily writing habits and slaughtering adverbs, his approach scared me. Apparently, King just sits at his desk and starts telling the story, a story with characters who magically write themselves, a story that simply takes on a life of its own, beginning to end.

So that’s what I tried.

Step 2: Sit down and see what happens

I sat down and tried to write the first scene of my story. Two problems promptly (ugh, adverb, sorry) presented themselves:

1. I didn’t know the story. Sure, I knew the basic scenes and plot structure, but I didn’t fully know how this story ends. How should I know what to focus on, and what themes to tease out if I don’t yet know those themes?
2. My first attempt was horrible. I started writing about the day Tom (not his real name, of course) and I met. What tumbled out was a list of actions:

I was at my friend’s birthday party and Tom was sitting across from me. Someone dared us to kiss. I blushed. Tom leaned forward.

Oh my God, I can’t even. Someone shoot me. I should definitely never write books and should probably just push papers for the rest of forever.

Step 3: Copy someone else

What I wanted to know was how to write well. How to structure my story. Not just the book, but a paragraph. A sentence.

So what if I just copied someone else? Just to try?

I opened the first page of one of my favorite memoirs, Eat, Pray, Love. Lucky for me, the first scene was about a kiss.

Elizabeth Gilbert starts her bestseller, “I wish Giovanni would kiss me. Oh, but there are so many reasons why this would be a terrible idea. To begin with, Giovanni is ten years younger than I am, and — like most Italian guys in their twenties — he still lives with his mother.”

So I wrote:

I was sinking into the couch, surrounded by an array of other sweaty thirteen-year-olds, tugging at my shapeless T-shirt, praying someone would dare him to kiss me. It was just getting dark outside, the floor-to-ceiling windows, curtain-less, making me feel like we were alone, tension rising, in a cave.

I felt instant relief. Better.

While obviously not copied word for word or action for action, reading Liz Gilbert’s lines about a kiss while thinking about my own put me smack dab into the headspace I craved. A headspace where I could more easily capture tone and rhythm and sensation. A headspace I trusted to tell my story.

For weeks I did this, religiously opening my favorite books and copying their structure. If they started the book with a piece of dialogue, that’s what I did. If they started with an action, i.e. “He swung his leg out of the bed,” so would I.

And that’s when the magic happened. Copying other writers only lasted a few minutes before I found myself mid-rampage, tearing through my story, able to tap into my own style.

So that’s what I did. I took it story by story, memory by memory… and I made progress.

Step 4: Create a to-do list and use helpful tools

At the beginning, I was using Evernote to create a new note for every memory. I created one master notebook I called “Tom Stories” and wrote a giant checklist of all the snippets, big or small, I could remember: our first kiss, my 16th birthday, learning how to drive, college fights…

Every morning I would pick the memory that seemed most appealing and I would tell it as if I were writing a novel.

After while though, my brain scattered. Where was the kiss story again? I worked on it last week but it’s gone now. While Evernote’s search function is great, I wanted to stop writing little snippets and start visualizing it as the book I wanted to write. Unfortunately, Evernote sorts by the date you last edited a note, and it was getting messy.

I did a bit of Googling and discovered Scrivener, a tool to help you organize not only your writing, but your notes and table of contents and research.

I downloaded their free trial and played around. Each Evernote file became a section in Scrivener, complete with a quick summary for each scene, so I could easily scan and organize.

It wasn’t until I started using Scrivener that I finally felt like I was working toward something important and real. (Here’s The Write Life’s Scrivener review if you want more details on the tool.)

Step 5: Create a writing routine

I still didn’t have the daily eight hours Stephen King thinks I should have, but he’s right about one thing: Dedicating the time and energy into writing every day is the only way to get your story on paper.

But I had a day job, giving me maybe three hours, at the absolute maximum, to work on my book (never mind that I didn’t really have three hours because my brain was fried at the end of the day).

So every morning before work, instead of walking the dog (oops) or reading a book, I worked for a maximum of one hour on one story.

Sometimes a story took me 20 minutes. Sometimes I found myself going for hours. Most of the time I didn’t want to start, but once I did, I was ecstatic that anything came out at all.

Step 6: Go where the story takes you

I hate this advice because it’s like love — you’ll know it when you find it — but it’s impossible to anticipate.

That said, I took a memoir-writing class while working on one story in particular. I shared it with the class, and after the critique I realized it worked both as a chapter in my memoir as well as a stand-alone personal essay.

So I took a break from working on the book and spent almost two months perfecting this one essay. I hired an editor and had a big hairy dream of getting it published in the holy grail of personal essays, Modern Love.

To answer the question you’re about to ask…no. That essay never made it into the column. But I did eventually publish a different personal essay on parenting in the New York Times.

Anyway. Taking this approach gave me two surprising benefits:

1. It turned out this one piece was representative of the whole story. Trying to nail this essay was most of the battle. So while it took me out of the day-to-day of writing the book, working on a snippet helped me discover the wider themes behind my story.
2. If I can publish parts of the memoir prior to pitching agents and publishers, I’m going to have a much easier time marketing my book. So working on the essay counted as pre-publicity in a way, right?

While I still have a lot to learn, I accomplished more with this book in three months than I ever expected. I created a daily habit, organized my work, and worked on small sections, which all added up to progress.

Have you written a book, especially a memoir? If you struggled to get started, what worked for you?

This is an updated version of a story that was previously published. We update our posts as often as possible to ensure they’re useful for our readers.

Photo via file404 / Shutterstock 

“Like many millennials,” says writer Laura Copeland, “I often romanticize turning a pivotal moment in my life into the next great American essay, as defined by its acceptance into the New York Times Modern Love column.”

Millennial or not, Copeland’s first step in this process was the inevitable: procrastination research. Down the research rabbit hole, she discovered that Modern Love editor, Daniel Jones, is a magical wizard providing an abundance of tips, via social media, on writing personal essays.

Confident other people would benefit from Daniel’s wisdom, Copeland collected all the tips she could find into a Google doc and made it public.

If personal essay is your specialty, you’re going to devour, bookmark and obsess over this doc.

And while I think it’s more than worth reading the entire doc yourself, I’m going to share the tips that resonated with me most. (Also keep in mind, these are amazing all-around tips for writing essays, no matter where you submit.)

How to submit to Modern Love

If you’re ready to submit to Modern Love, you’ll want to read on for tips directly from the editor of the popular column.

On writing: Tell the story

Jones has shared many tips on essay structure, but they can essentially be boiled down into these three categories:

1. “Don’t underestimate the power of a reader’s curiosity” (this includes the editor — don’t give away the ending in your cover letter).
2. “A happy ending is when the writer understands something he or she didn’t understand before.”
3. “It’s more intriguing for us to be dropped into the action than to receive all the background information up front.”

Remember why people read stories: because we want to find out what happens.

When I read this tip I immediately went back into my essay and cut the first two paragraphs, moved my “what happened in the end” to the actual end, and added one sentence of clarification halfway through.

Turns out, we don’t really need all that backstory. Even though you want to draw people in at the beginning, that’s not a free pass to give away the ending.

On patience: Embrace the process of discovery

This is probably the most important, difficult, infuriating and comforting tip in this compilation.

I started writing an essay about a fight I had with my childhood sweetheart. It morphed into a story about emotional abuse. Which then turned into a story about how my first boyfriend is impacting my brand-new marriage.

Writing the first draft of this story was easy. I tied it up in a neat little bow and sent it on its way to my first workshop. I expected showers of praise. What I got was a lot of “I don’t buy it.”

What followed has been a hot mess. I re-write this thing for an hour every damn day and it’s still not close to being done.

I’ve learned that writing for Modern Love isn’t like journalism or writing a blog post. It’s therapy. “Ideally, writing a personal essay is a process of discovery,” Jones says. “You only understand the point of your essay after you’ve spent a lot of time and effort working on it.”

It’s different from how we’re often taught to write. Don’t come up with the pitch or the sound byte first. That’s not the point.

When I read that I actually felt relieved. This incessant editing and reworking is the work. And now, instead of getting frustrated every time I haven’t perfected this thing, it’s actually given me a lot of comfort in the process. My six-months-and-counting essay has been through a memoir class, a re-write, a professional editor, another re-write, two writer friends and now a third re-write.

Jones has emphasized that Modern Love stories are often the most important experiences in a writer’s life. These can’t be whipped up in a weekend. “The editor wants to think this is your best story, not one of 20 essays you’ve dashed off and sent out to dozens of outlets all at once,” Jones says. So take your time.

What if you’ve already submitted and were rejected, or told to rework? Don’t immediately send back a few minor edits. “The editor doesn’t want to see it back so soon, and, fair or not, he’ll think you rushed it and won’t view the revision optimistically,” Jones warns.

On editing: Words to avoid

The more I read Jones’ tips about submitting to Modern Love, the more I realize he’s not actually inundated with bad writers. That said, I love the polishing part of my job, so here are a few tips Jones provides on writing:

• Remove words like “that,” adverbs, exclamation points and double spaces after periods.
• Choose adjectives that will work harder for you (not filler adjectives like “amazing” and “terrible”).
• Avoid overused transitions like “fast forward in time.”
• Get rid of profanity.

On submitting: Be professional and humble

Before you jump on me for the obviousnessness of this tip, read the document.

I was shocked by some of the emails Jones gets when he turns down an essay. He’s received rejection responses like “your loss” and “lame.”

Just because that particular essay wasn’t right for an editor doesn’t mean the next one won’t be. Don’t let a hot temper screw up a relationship with an editor.

I was also pleasantly surprised to read about ambivalence towards writers who brag about their accomplishments. Jones says, “I pay little attention to someone’s writing background when I read an essay. I don’t even have time to read a cover note that’s more than two sentences long. My eyes glaze over at lists of books or articles. I judge a submission solely on the writing before me.”

I can’t tell you how much this speaks to my soul. I’m not particularly accomplished, and the fact that Jones doesn’t only want to publish successful writers fills me with hope. But even if I were, or if I did want to spew the few accomplishments I do have, I hate that bragging is the only way to represent the quality of your work.

Plus, is it just me, or is it obnoxious when writers list off every publication they’ve ever written for? I want to smooch Jones for being open and candid about this issue.

Other ways to be professional include immediately letting Jones (or any other editor) know if your piece has sold elsewhere. And don’t pitch a million places at once with the same story. This saves everyone a lot of time.

Right now: Stop your procrastination research

Before you leave to devour this amazing document: Don’t get hung up on every tip.

Read and absorb what you can, but remember to trust yourself and your writing. Copeland said it best: “In hindsight, I should’ve added a disclaimer to the top of the doc: ‘Use your time wisely. Each minute you spend reading writing advice is a minute you won’t spend writing.’”

Editor’s Note: Since this piece was published in 2015, the author of this post submitted her essay to Modern Love. She shares an update: “My Modern Love essay got rejected, however, I did get an essay published in the New York Times Parenting section!“

To see all of Jones’ tips as compiled by Copeland, check out this Google doc.

This is an updated version of a story that was previously published. We update our posts as often as possible to ensure they’re useful for our readers.

This post contains affiliate links. That means if you purchase through our links, you’re supporting The Write Life — and we thank you for that!

Photo via Vanilllla / Shutterstock 

In Outliers, it’s called “putting in your 10,000 hours.” In The Talent Code, Daniel Coyle names it “deep practice,” small exercises that are both challenging and repetitive.

The goal: Get better, quicker.

As Daniel Coyle writes in The Talent Code:

“Deep practice feels a bit like exploring a dark and unfamiliar room. You start slowly, you bump into furniture, stop, think, and start again. Slowly, and a little painfully, you explore the space over and over, attending to errors, extending your reach into the room a bit farther each time, building a mental map until you can move through it quickly and intuitively.”

But what about writers? How do we pursue deep practice?

Tired of the same advice to “read more” and “write more,” I’ve been experimenting with my own challenging and repetitive exercises to improve my storytelling.

Here are the five techniques I use.

1. People watching

Every Sunday, my husband and I sit at a little outdoor cafe in Düsseldorf’s Altstadt. It’s perfectly positioned on a busy cobblestone street. We order coffee, tie our dog under the table and watch.

Every week, without fail, someone fascinating catches our eye.

Like the scruffy middle-aged man with long hair, black jeans and a heavy metal T-shirt. He had band stickers plastered all over the beat-up guitar case in his hand.

“That’s Günter,” my husband said.

“Oh, definitely. That’s absolutely his name,” I replied.

“Where do you think he’s going?”

“He just got back from Chicago. He had an audition.”

“For a jazz band.”

“But he lied to his bandmates and said an aunt died,” I said. “He was embarrassed. He’s been harboring a secret desire to become a jazz guitarist, but because this is Germany and he looks like that, he fell into heavy metal.”

“How’d the audition go?”

“He didn’t get in. They didn’t think he looked jazzy enough. He doesn’t know how to improvise and he kept screeching into the microphone.”

On and on it goes.

Our ritual is part improv, part eavesdropping. It helps to have a friend during this exercise. Always say yes and always ask follow-up questions. This encourages you to work with plot twists you might not have considered otherwise — and it’s a ton of fun.

2. Buy old postcards and photographs

Who doesn’t love reading stranger’s letters? Imagining stories untold?

Flea markets, antique stores and even eBay are perfect for snagging piles of old notes. Old postcards often sell for pennies each.

It works just as well with photographs. Heck, you don’t even need to buy them. Just search for “antique photographs” on eBay. Don’t read the description though — the story should only exist in your head.

Turn off all distractions and stare at the image or letter. What immediately comes to mind? Write it down.

Consider these questions or just let your mind wander:

• Where was the person sitting when they wrote this note?
• What’s their relationship to the person they’re writing to?
• Where was this photo taken? Why were these people there?
• What do the facial expressions in the photograph say?

3. Browse graveyards and phone books

A few months ago I stumbled across an old graveyard in West Hampstead while visiting a friend in London.

Something about the graveyard’s energy inspired me. It was old, but not spooky. Like I had both stepped back in time and also discovered a hidden place left unexplored.

The graveyard was empty and the neighborhood was quiet. I spent hours walking through the stones, jotting down interesting-sounding names:

• Basil Champneys

• The Llewelyn Davies Family

• August John Dare

My two personal favorites weren’t even names, but phrases etched on tombstones:

• In affectionate memory of the soldier’s daughters

• Hampstead’s Pearly King and Queen

I mean, come on: Hampstead’s Pearly King and Queen? That’s a book title right there. Who were they? Why aren’t their given names on display? How could I tell their story?

You can do this with a phone book too, but I’m a fan of physically touching and experiencing objects that inspire a story. The energy is different than when I’m at a computer, scrolling through the virtual white pages.

4. Stop reading and listen

Most of us practice writing by writing. But remember those football players practicing ballet? The two sports may seem like opposites, but ballet helps the players with balance, flexibility and precision in a way football drills don’t.

The same goes for writing. My storytelling skills improve by listening to stories, not just reading and writing them.

You can do this with audiobooks, short films or podcasts. My personal favorites are podcasts featuring short stories, like The Moth and Risk. These, like reading short stories, distill the basic storytelling structure down into digestible bites.

I’ve even submitted stories to these podcasts. The act of voicing my story showed gaps in my technique and gave me things to work on. The next time I submitted, I got a callback! Baby steps.

5. Use writing prompts

I’d never tried writing prompts before joining a local English-language writers group. I was terrified that first day when the group leader gave us 20 minutes and an outlandish fiction prompt. I’d never written fiction, never mind doing it for 20 minutes.

The result? Some of the best writing I’d ever done. And it keeps getting better every time I go. Something about the timer makes me stop thinking and instead trust the images that pop into my mind.

Turns out I’m not half bad at fiction and some of the prompts have turned into short stories.

I especially enjoy the group aspect because it gives me accountability and a jolt of inspiration. It’s fascinating to hear the different stories people come up with using the same prompt.

Sometimes I’ll use Writer’s Digest prompts, which feature other people’s responses in the comments.

Whether you write novels or branded blog posts or hard-hitting articles, storytelling is the essence of our work. We should practice it daily, opening up our minds for more, better, tighter stories.

Try a few of these exercises and let me know how it goes. And if you have any favorite storytelling exercises, let us know in the comments!

Back then, I made a quarter of what I do now, so I figured I couldn’t afford one. I assumed hiring an accountant was a luxury I wasn’t quite ready for.

On the contrary, an accountant is a freelancing staple you can’t afford not to have.

Hiring an accountant should be the first investment you make as a freelancer. I promise it will save you time, money and sanity.

Whether you’re just starting out or trying to play catch up, you’ll be so grateful to hand this hurdle off to a pro.  

Freelancers’ tax situations “Can be pretty complicated,” says Sophia Bera of Gen Y Planning. Hiring an account helps us learn “About what we need to track on an ongoing basis and what we should deduct.”

Even if you love numbers and paperwork, a professional ensures you’re doing things legally and with the most money left on your table.

Accountants save freelancers time

Why spend precious billable hours wondering what boxes to tick and whether you did your math right? Most accountants take care of everything — the right way — in just a few hours. It’s especially true for us creatives who hate numbers or simply have a full schedule.

Personally, when I spend too much time on work I hate, the work I love suffers. On days I try to research tax questions, I don’t have the energy to write great copy or manage my client load.

And since that’s the work I charge most for, I want to spend all my available hours doing that work.

Everyone has their own process, but here’s how I save time on my taxes:Les

1. My assistant inputs invoices and expenses into FreshBooks (sort of what I might hire a bookkeeper for, but on a much smaller scale).
2. I scan and upload tax forms (Think: 1099s) into my Dropbox “tax” folder throughout the year.
3. Then, in March, I send everything to my accountant so he can take care of the rest.

Accountants help freelancers keep more money

Some folks think filing their own Schedule C isn’t particularly complicated. I am not one of those people.

But the most important reason to hire an accountant is because they help you keep more money. Most freelancers forget to account for many legitimate business expenses and end up paying more taxes because of it.

For example, my husband and I used TurboTax last year. The deeper we went, the more complicated it got. We were recently married, were renting out a room on Airbnb and I had recently started taking on freelance gigs on top of my full-time job.

We got about $2,000 back in our refund. Score!

But a few months later, after deciding to move to Europe, we hired an accountant to help with the international transition. She discovered that, through TurboTax, we’d missed out on an extra $1,000 in our refund. A thousand dollars.

Yes, she cost $500, but that’s still an extra $500 in our pockets because we hired her.

Accountants teach freelancers how to handle money

They’re not called your “most trusted advisor” for nothing. An accountant not only knows the ins and outs of your freelance business, but is familiar with the nitty gritty details of your life.

Working with an accountant has been invaluable to me as a general adult human. My first accountant provided me with general coaching on how to document my expenses to protect me should the IRS ever audit my return.

Your partnership “Can also allow you to understand what qualifies as a business expense and familiarize yourself with the rules to maximize your deductions,” says CPA Dan Hodgin. Who knew a percentage of my rent counted as a business expense?!

How to choose the right accountant

Not every accountant is right for you. Case in point: The first accountant I worked with was great for freelancers, but not so much for expats. When I got to Germany, the first accountant I interviewed had a ton of fancy experience, but wasn’t particularly friendly. The one I did hire is patient and happy to answer my endless questions.   

Choose an account who speaks your language

Whatever your experience, you need an accountant who can be clear about what they need from you.

Yes, you want someone with experience (more on that below), but if you’re like me, sometimes it’s more important to work with someone who doesn’t make you feel stupid.

My first accountant had a ton of experience, but seemed to expect I knew everything about freelance taxes. Since this was my first time doing this, I needed someone who could hold my hand. It took months to find a young, friendly accountant who would answer my questions without doing a virtual eye roll every time I emailed. I’m so glad I did the research to find him.

Choose an account familiar with your situation

Experience definitely matters, but not all experience is created equal. An accountant who specializes in freelancers might not be right for startup owners. Or expats. Or luddites.

“Accounting” is such a broad term and you want someone who’s familiar with your exact situation. Right now, I have two accountants: One specializes in expat German taxes, the other works with many freelancers abroad.

“You need to find someone who’s willing to educate you about your tax situation,” added Bera, “So you can make sure you’re taking advantage of the deductions and tax credits available to you.”

It may sound too nitty-gritty —and most accountants have several specialities — but this granularity is worth investigating.

Ask for recommendations

Accounting isn’t just about filing your taxes each year. Do you also need bookkeeping help? Estate planning?

By talking to other freelancers in your area and industry, you can get a feel for who might be the best fit.

And size matters. Many freelancers want to build a relationship with someone long-term, so a huge accounting firm might not be the best choice. But small firms don’t offer every service under the sun, so consider your needs and act accordingly.

Talk to a few different firms, both large and small to get a feel for what you need.

Do you work with an accountant? How has the process been for your freelance business?

Course: Secrets of a 6-Figure Upworker

About the creator: Danny Margulies is a long-time sales guy, but a relatively new freelancer. When he quit his job to “go freelance,” he had no idea what he was doing. But within a few months on Upwork (formerly Elance), he was charging premium rates.

Now a successful copywriter, he’s created the course Secrets of a 6-Figure Upworker to walk you through the step-by-step process he used to ramp up his career and make bank doing it.

Price: $297 for the whole thing. Includes the full course videos, worksheets and forum access.

Who It’s For: Any freelancer who wants to learn how to position and sell themselves. The course is specific to Upwork, but these tactics are useful for anyone, new or established, looking to charge more and bring in better clients.

What It Will Help You Do: The self-paced course takes you through everything from your profile to your portfolio to your proposals.

Each section features a handful of videos ranging from just a few minutes to over half an hour. Each video is a simple PowerPoint with Danny’s voice walking you through his strategies, while also showing you real-life examples. All the content is available to binge-watch in one day, but be sure to watch them in order since they do build upon each other.

This is not, however, a course about how to use Upwork. Because I’d never used the platform before, I had questions about things like tests, reviews and setting my rates as a newbie. Danny does not address website specifics, probably because platforms like these change all the time.

But after finishing the course, I’m glad he didn’t go into these aspects. His strategies really aren’t about Upwork at all — he really teaches you how to sell yourself as a freelancer no matter where you go to find clients. Upwork’s idiosyncrasies are easy enough to learn on your own.

What’s Included: Secrets of a Six-Figure Upworker is broken into four main sections: Your Business (positioning yourself), Your Leads (tapping into the Hidden Upwork Economy), Your Proposals (selling yourself) and Your Results (keeping clients for life).

There is a small on-site community forum that’s pretty active, but I didn’t get a ton of benefit from talking to other members. For me this was a heads-down, do-whatever-Danny-tells-me type course.

What Would Make It Even Better: My only real complaint is that Danny isn’t a natural presenter. He recorded a few calls as part of the bonus section and he’s charming and engaging. But his videos? It’s very obvious he’s reading from a script. The result was a lot of rewinding when I’d find myself dozing off.

The content is compelling, don’t get me wrong, but I wish the videos themselves were a little more lively.  

My tip: Find something else to do while listening. You don’t really need to watch the videos so I had fun with markers and a coloring book while I listened.

How It Changed My Life: I started this course just a few weeks ago. I had no Upwork experience and assumed the platform was full of low-balling freelancers and low-quality clients.

But within just three days I landed my first job, though a private invite, at $95/hour (double my usual rate). Just a few days after that? I was hired through a proposal just a few hours after sending it. Both new clients have now hired me for ongoing work and I’m in the process of interviewing for three more projects.

I took this course because my clients weren’t lighting my fire. I attract tech companies, but I much prefer working for lifestyle businesses. When I found Danny’s course I figured it could help me both branch out and and also increase my rates. In just two weeks I’ve done both.

Danny says, “The moment you try to win on Upwork by doing what seems natural, you’ve already lost.” After taking his course, I couldn’t agree more.

I thought I was pretty good at attracting and keeping new clients, but I see now I was doing everything wrong. Whether on Upwork or not, I will never go back to how I was pitching before. I think Upwork and I are going to have a beautiful relationship.

Our Recommendation: Secrets of a Six-Figure Upworker should be required watching for freelance copywriters. Danny’s positioning and pitching advice is the most comprehensive and fascinating I’ve ever experienced. The format is clear and his strategies are easy to implement. To be honest, I’m nervous about publishing this review because I’m scared of additional competition.

So, you know, stay away. Shoo!

This post contains affiliate links. That means if you purchase through our links, you’re supporting The Write Life — and we thank you for that!

Yes. No.

Over eight years I’ve lived in four different countries, hopping between the United States, England, New Zealand, Australia and, now, Germany.

The only reason I’m able to do this is because my work is portable. I started early as a social media consultant and recently moved into full-time copywriting.

So I was eager to read The Freelancer’s last post, Expat Freelancers on the Advantages and Challenges of Working Abroad. Writer Joann Plockova lives and works in Prague, and many of her experiences working outside America mimic my own.

Taking advantage of your dual-culture knowledge? Check.

When I lived in New Zealand, my experience running social media campaigns in the United States was a huge benefit. The technology hadn’t yet picked up steam there, so my knowledge and expertise were in demand.

Needing to hustle no matter where in the world you live? Check.

It’s harder to hustle abroad. My work is portable, but my network is not. It’s hard to maintain a solid professional community when you can only stay connected online. I’ve had to more or less start over in each country, making the hustle that much harder.

Trying to run a business in “foreign waters?” Double check.

I’m still not sure I’m correctly registered with the German government. It’s hard enough dealing with taxes in America. Try dealing with German tax paperwork.

Plockova is right though: freelancing is freelancing, no matter where you are. Unless you’re moving with an already healthy client load and established business, you will likely not be typing in outdoor cafes in Ubud.  

Speaking of outdoor cafes, Plockova missed a crucial issue for freelancers considering expat life.

File under: WiFi problems

It took me three months to get reliable Internet in Germany, and very few cafes offer WiFi. I spent more than $200 per month on data sticks and sent a lot of frantic emails to clients when I couldn’t send big files due to slow Internet.

Easy WiFi is not as prevalent outside the States, and it’s been a massive headache in every country I’ve ever lived. So if you plan on country-hopping, find a long-term portable Internet solution. And if you’re moving to a specific country for a longer period of time, expect at least a month or two of shoddy Internet.

I also wish Plockova had talked about her tax situation.

Freelancing: When tax time is all the time

While not a sexy topic, taxes are often the biggest source of contention when you work outside the States.  

The US is one of the few countries that requires you to file taxes no matter where you live or for how long you’ve lived there. On top of that, you still have to file in your chosen country.  

You’ll likely need to hire two accountants. And, remember, if you plan on working anywhere in the European Union, expect significantly higher taxes. I’m expected to pay almost 50 percent of my income to lovely Germany. And sure, you could argue I’m getting more benefits — free healthcare being the big one — but it doesn’t truly even out.

Basically, it depends what kind of freelancer you are.

I work primarily as a copywriter, which means a lot of business clients. Plockova, on the other hand, is a journalist. “Standing out from the crowd as a foreigner can be a massive advantage,” she wrote. “I’ve had numerous editors express their appreciation about receiving story ideas from Prague since I can provide perspective both as an insider and an American.”

Since I don’t write for many traditional publications, I have yet to experience this benefit. I’ve actually had the opposite response. Many businesses are not eager to work with a writer who’s so far away. Our massive time difference means I hold many meetings at night, which isn’t ideal for a good night’s sleep and romantic dinners with my husband.

That said, she is right about having great material when you travel and live abroad. I’ve written a number of essays about my experiences and there’s a constant curiosity on how I make it work. What visa do you get? What are your expenses? The answers to these questions make great content, what can I say.

I live abroad for adventure. To experience the world. For me, freelancing has been harder abroad. But the benefits of a lower cost of living and being able to hop on a train to Amsterdam for the day? That’s what makes it worth it.  

International freelancers, what do you think of Plockova’s article? How would you rate your experience as a freelancer?

I couldn’t be more grateful. Without freelancing, I never would have been able to travel the world. I learned more in those two years than I ever did at school.

But, if I’m being honest, I didn’t love it. The pay wasn’t great, I had little work experience, and running any business is hard. I had no idea how to deal with contracts, invoices, taxes and health insurance.

My world became less about the actual work and more about staying afloat. I did everything wrong.

Seven years later, I’m back at it. But this time I’m prepared.

The good news is, whether you’re 22 or 82, you can learn from my initial naivete:

1. I didn’t hire an accountant

At 22, I thought only hugely successful freelancers could afford an accountant. With systems like TurboTax, why waste the money?

Here’s why: BECAUSE DIY ACCOUNTING IS THE ACTUAL WORST.

During this second go-round I’m not wasting billable hours figuring out my taxes. This year I’m paying an expert to do it right the first time.

The bad news is I report taxes to two countries, which means hiring two accountants. The good news is my German accountant wants to start blogging, so I’m helping him write content in exchange.

2. I didn’t stash tax money in a separate account

This one hurts to admit.

I didn’t track any income or put money away to pay my taxes later. I didn’t even know freelancers had to pay their own taxes. Seriously. When tax time rolled around, I had no idea what I was doing.

(Remember, I was 22 and our education system doesn’t require  students to learn anything  about finance, insurance or navigating our tax system.)

Today, I track everything with Freshbooks. I automatically take 20 percent  out of every paycheck, no matter how tiny, and immediately put it into an online savings account.

3. I didn’t understand how to calculate my rates

We’ve all heard the advice, “Charge what you’re worth!” But if you’re new to freelancing, or don’t have much experience, it’s hard to understand what this means.

I was lucky to get any clients, nevermind one who could pay $100 per hour. So I charged $25. Sometimes less. I landed and kept clients, so I assumed I was doing something right. In reality, I  could barely make ends meet. I eventually succumbed to a full-time job.

This time, I calculated my rate based on my old salary: $110,000 divided by 40 hours per week equals just over $50 an hour. So that’s what I charge. Clients happily pay.

After a few months, though, I realized I can’t work 40 billable hours. With admin tasks, emails and pitching, I might hit 20 hours of client work. Which means I should charge at least $100 per hour to make my desired salary.

This feels doable in 2016, but I can’t pretend I have this whole negotiating thing figured out quite yet.

4. I didn’t organize ongoing projects

At 22 I used a “system” of notebook scribblings and email overwhelm to manage projects. How I met deadlines is beyond me.

Today, I organize one-off articles into a spreadsheet kindly provided by The Write Life. Ongoing client work goes through Asana. Goals and daily tasks to into my beloved Passion Planner.

Together, these tools help me better manage my time and ensure no projects fall through the cracks.

5. I didn’t prioritize personal projects

During my first years, I completed almost zero personal projects. I updated my blog only when I had a gap in client work. I prioritized the day-to-day management of my business over growing it.

While I love and adore my current clients, I want to double my income while also challenging myself to write types of pieces I’ve never approached before. Since I have a full schedule, this seems unlikely.

However, when I schedule in an hour only for myself each morning, I not only prioritize growth work, but I also start my day creatively refreshed.

6. I ignored freelance networks

Sites connecting clients and freelancers get a bad rap, which is why I stayed far away during my first go-round. I signed on new clients primarily via referral.  

This time, half my clients come through CloudPeeps. And thanks to Danny Margulies, I’ve also started using Upwork. Just two days into his course, I landed my first client at a rate of $95 per hour.

Lesson: Freelance networks don’t mean you’re desperate or bound to get low-balled. They keep my client roster full and interesting, while also giving me a chance to expand my skills.

7. I didn’t target my perfect client

Completing an ideal customer avatar was the most powerful thing I’ve done for my business. I spent days thinking hard about the type of people I want to work for.

Turns out they weren’t the people I was working for.

While tech companies are easy to come by, I prefer working with women-owned business and creatives. I rebranded, overhauling my services and honing in on work I wanted. It meant saying no to many potential clients, hoping my efforts would pay off.

They did.

Just one month after launching my new site, I landed three long-term freelance writing jobs with creative women, all at my desired rate.

8. I didn’t spend money on my business

I didn’t have any money to spend, so I did everything myself, wasting precious time and never truly feeling “pro.”

This year I invested a few hundred bucks in education — a writing workshop here, an online course there — and a few thousand in a new website design.

To afford this, I freelanced on top of my full-time job for three months. Once I saw the difference it made, I became more comfortable shelling out for services and software that make me happier and my work more efficient.

And now that I have my taxes finally figured out, I can finally expense things.

Next stop? A virtual assistant.

9. I didn’t require payment upfront

Most freelancers make this mistake only once.

Luckily, the client who stopped responding only owed me $60, but I never did it again.

Now I collect money via sites like CloudPeeps, Upwork and Clarity. This ensures I get paid, even if the client flakes at some point during the project.

For clients who hire me through my website, I require 100 percent up front, no exceptions.

This gives me financial security and results in clients taking their investment more seriously.

10. I didn’t pay attention to my internal schedule

If I have to read another article about the ideal morning schedule, I’m never waking up again.

Apparently it’s great to exercise first thing, immediately take a shower, take breaks every 23 minutes, stop working as soon as it hits 5:00 p.m., and on and on and on.

I call BS.

I’ve spent the last six months obsessively monitoring when I’m most in flow. My findings? Everyone is different.

I’m more creative and productive first thing in the morning, so I work straight through until lunchtime. No shower. Still in my PJs. I know. THE HORROR.

But because of this, I get to relax later, leisurely finishing other projects in the afternoon and evening.

By learning my own schedule instead of copying some guru, I’m not only more productive, but I also feel good doing it.

This applies to much of freelancing. So don’t feel bad if you worry you don’t have it all figured out. It took me two rounds to feel comfortable as a freelancer, and I’m still learning every day.

Have you learned any freelance lessons the hard way? What can you share with us?  

I participated in a photoshoot with Real Simple magazine about women who used creative techniques to land a job. I was quoted in TIME after calling unpaid internships “degrading.”

Sure, I still play by the rules and pitch like any freelancer, but creating buzz has made a huge difference in my career as a freelance writer.

These stories, from CNN to Jezebel, continue to drive traffic to my website and establish me as a credible expert.

How?

HARO.

What is HARO?

Help a Reporter Out (HARO) was founded in 2008 by Peter Shankman, who set up a Facebook group to help sources connect with reporters. The group quickly morphed into a mailing list with hundreds of thousands of subscribers.

Today, journalists use HARO to find expert sources for articles and assignments. Sources use HARO to secure media coverage. But even if you’re a writer yourself, getting press mentions through HARO is a great reputation-builder, especially if you’re just branching into the freelancing world.

Access is free and only requires an email address. You receive source requests via email three times per day, organized by topics like business, lifestyle and health. Here’s a sample query to give you a feel for how it looks:

Summary: Female-only spas

Name: Bob Bobson of BigBlog.com

Category: Travel

Email: randomnumbersequence@helpareporter.net

Media Outlet: BigBlog.com

Deadline: 7:00 PM PST – 2 February

Query:

I’m writing an article about women-only spas and am looking for interesting properties, businesses owners or women who have spent time at these types of facilities. I will need a high-quality photo of the spa or a travel photo if you’ve been a patron.

Each email can have dozens of requests, so it may feel overwhelming at first. There’s a subscription option that starts at $19 per month to allow keyword filtering, search and text alerts. I just go with the free version — unless you’re a PR pro with dozens of clients, you probably don’t need the paid version.

Queries vary. Many are specific. “I need middle-aged women in Detroit going through a divorce.” Others may just need to “talk to life coaches.” Each request contains the topic, journalist name, category, media outlet and deadline. It also includes a HARO-provided email address that expires at the deadline so potential sources don’t bombard the writer for months and years to come.  

How HARO can grow your reputation

HARO has been instrumental in growing my online brand. So if the Internet is at all part of your strategy to get clips and clients, getting press should be part of that strategy.

The good news is: It’s easy and fun. A few reasons it’s worth paying attention to daily HARO emails:

Added SEO power

Regardless of whether you actively optimize your website for search, getting links back to your website is usually worth the effort. Many publications don’t link to their sources, but plenty of online publications do; if you end up exchanging emails with a HARO journalist, just ask if they’ll link back to your site if they quote you.

Valuable introductions

Just last week I answered a HARO query regarding a topic I’m writing an essay about. I mentioned the essay in my pitch and the editor said, “Send me your essay when you’re done, I’d love to read it!”

Boom. A new contact at a new-to-me publication where I’m less likely to end up in the slush pile.

New clients come to you

After my feature in Real Simple where I sung the praises of Facebook’s ad platform, I received a dozen or so emails from strangers saying, “I found you through TIME. Are you taking on new clients?”

It was that simple.

To capitalize on this, make sure your site explains your services and includes your contact information.

Press mentions feel fancy

Look, I like that I can brag about my photo in Real Simple. I love having publication logos in the footer of my blog. I feel a sense of accomplishment and credibility I don’t often feel during my life as a work-from-home writer. Your press mentions can be a valuable reminder of your credibility as an expert in whatever field you write about.

Tips for responding to HARO queries

As you can imagine, reporters often drown in a sea of press releases, so you won’t hear back from every pitch. HARO is only valuable if you’re valuable.

Here’s how I get the most out of HARO.

1. Be the perfect fit

Don’t respond to a query asking for photographers in France if you’re based in Australia. If you’re not an obvious fit but still think you have insight to offer, explain that to the journalist. Don’t make anyone guess your qualifications from your response.

2. Be enthusiastic!

You’re promoting yourself and your expertise. Capture attention by showcasing your passion. Whether you’re giving your thoughts on the latest social network or telling the story of how you met your spouse, your pitches need oomph.

What doesn’t have oomph? Press releases. A list of stats. A cut-and-paste form letter.

Stand out by caring. Write something personal!

3. Answer the questions

Never write, “Visit my website for more information.” Answer the reporter’s questions as they’re asked. If they ask for  “One sentence only,” write one sentence only.

This is not the time to be an overachiever.

4. Keep it short

Don’t send your entire media kit, complete with past clippings and press releases. If your story or expertise is a good fit, the reporter will ask for additional information they need.

5. Think outside the box

If your experience is different, spell out why. If the reporter asks for opinions on dating, don’t give the same tired tips.

The media loves controversy, different points of view and discussion. The best way to get publicity is to be different.

6. Write a compelling subject line

HARO tags all queries with the line, “HARO: New Pitch – Your subject line.” So make that line specific.

If the topic is vegetarian cooking and you run a vegetarian cooking blog, say it right away. Your subject could read, “I run an Oakland-based vegetarian cooking blog.” Some reporters will tell you what specifically to write, so follow instructions if they’re available.

7. Provide contact information

End your message with a phone number, website or Twitter handle. Make it as easy as possible for reporters to get in touch for further questions.

Bonus points if you include specific times you’re available to chat.

8. Respond before the deadline

If a journalist responds and wants to schedule an interview, reply as quick as you can. Most journalists are on deadline, so you’ll need to be speedy if you want to be featured.

9. Manage your time

I send HARO emails to a separate folder and sift through them once per day instead of as they arrive. I may miss out on the super time-sensitive requests, but doing this helps me manage my time and avoid getting distracted by endless queries.

I spend maybe half an hour per week max responding to press requests through HARO. As a result, I’ve met some incredible people, grown my writing business and built up a solid online brand I’m proud to share.

Have you ever used HARO as a source or as a reporter? Did you find it useful?

Whether you’re blogging for yourself or a client, I’m sure you know the importance of images.

On a high level, gorgeous photos help bring your blog’s brand to life. Photos also break up text, making your content skimmable and shareable.

But where to find these photos? Image licensing is a tricky beast and stock photos are expensive.

So we’ve done some of the work for you. Below, a curated list of our favorite places to find free images for your blog posts.

Note: Every website has their own licensing rules, so check before using photos. If you want to change an image or use it commercially, different rules may apply. You’ll also need to double-check whether you need to attribute the photos you select — it’s always a good idea to give credit where it’s due!

1. Death to the Stock Photo

Death to the Stock Photo (DTS) is a free email newsletter sharing monthly original, professional photo packs. Images are free to use and edit. Photos have a specific style — think hipster coffee shop meets Portland hiking — but are simple enough to use in a variety of ways.

DTS is my favorite place to find photos to pair with blog posts. Every photograph is gorgeous and high quality. I download each pack straight to my computer and use my own tagging system. Since most of my blog imagery contains graphics, I don’t need a specific photo (i.e. an apple on a wooden table). DTS gives me ideas for images I might never have thought of, and it’s all in one, curated place.

Here’s a great “plain english” version of the DTS license.

2. Flickr

Flickr is one of the largest photo-management apps in the world. You can store your own shots or share them with the world. Thousands of photographers on Flickr allow free use of their work.

Search for anything you want, from “cat napping on a tree” to “writer in a cafe.” After searching, click on the “Any license” tab and choose “Creative Commons.” If you want to change the image or use it commercially, select the appropriate license from there.

To be safe, I always link back to the photographer’s website or Flickr portfolio. If you’re averse to linking out, just select “no known copyright restrictions”.

Flickr groups can help you find photos, too. Free Use Photos, for example, has more than 4,000 members and almost 8,000 photos available for free.

3. Unsplash

Unsplash is run by freelance design marketplace Crew. It’s like Death to Stock in that it releases collections every 10 days to use as you wish. The difference is all photos are available online, so you don’t have to sign up to receive or download folders of images.

Photos are licensed under Creative Commons Zero. This means you can “copy, modify, distribute and use the photos for free, including commercial purposes, without asking permission from or providing attribution to the photographer or Unsplash.”

Browse Made with Unsplash for inspiration.

4. Negative Space

Here’s another site that allows you to search for exactly what you want. It adds 20 photos per week and you can search and sort by category, copy space position and color. Negative Space is particularly helpful for designers and anyone making social media graphics.

You can also buy premium photos in themed packs. You “pay what you want,” and the company gives 50 percent of sales to charity.

Photos released on Negative Space have no copyright restrictions.

5. StockSnap.io

If you’re looking for free photos, StockSnap is the easiest site to navigate. It offers hundreds of images and adds more every week. All photos are free from copyright restrictions and attribution isn’t required.

StockSnap also offers many different ways to explore available photos. Its “trending” and “views” section show what’s popular, or you can sort by date to see what’s new.

Photo quality is mixed (I found a lot of weird filters), but the selection is extensive.

6. Gratisography

Looking for unique and whimsical photos? Photographer Ryan McGuire of Bells Design should be your new go-to resource. His personal tagline is “Art that makes you smile.”

Some photos feel a little stylized, but you definitely won’t find photos like these on iStock. They’re free, high-resolution and free of copyright restrictions.      

7. SplitShire

Web designer Daniel Nanescu created SplitShire “With the simple aim of giving life to photographs that would have gone into oblivion without any utility.”

SplitShire offers free stock photos for commercial use. Browse its photo collections if you’re looking for something specific, like the ocean or dogs. Save time and buy the entire 500-image library at once for $9.60.

8. Life of Pix

Montreal creative agency LEEROY created Life of Pix with its impressive network of photographers. It organized photos into galleries like “animals”, “people” and “textures.” New high-resolution photos are added weekly, without copyright restrictions.

9. Ancestry Images

For more than just photos, Ancestry Images offers historical prints and maps. If you’re a history or genealogy buff, or a local blogger, this site offers resources beyond your typical stock photo.

Search is rudimentary, but a quick test brought up a dozen images from my home state in the 1800s.

You’re welcome to use any of this site’s images for non-commercial purposes, as long as you credit Ancestry Images.

10. BigFoto

Organized by location, BigFoto is perfect for travel bloggers. If your recent trip resulted in grainy photos, use BigFoto to download images of almost any attraction. BigFoto uses photos by amateurs, but they’re high quality and well-organized.

Photos are free to use, even for commercial purposes. The site asks for a link back to BigFoto.

Bonus: Canva

Don’t just stop at downloading free blog images. Use Canva to create shareable imagery on social media. The site offers templates for everything from Pinterest to Google Ads. Add text, your logo, icons and more. Graphics take up more social media real estate, bring your brand to life and encourage clicks.

Have you found free-use photos in unexpected places? Where did you find them?