The Writer’s Elevator Pitch

in Marketing for Writers

I’ve subscribed to 31 Days to Build a Better Blog, the new email list Darren sent to existing subscribers. His first challenge is for each of us to create an elevator pitch for our blogs. The idea, of course, is to be able to describe your business between floors in an elevator – in other words, quickly.

I already have one: Make More Money With Your Freelance Writing

I could shorten it to: Make Money With Freelance Writing

For my writing business I’ve got a couple: I put your dreams into words. This can be a bit vague, but it is what I often tell prospective ghostwriting clients and in that context it works. In an elevator I usually simply say I’m a ghostwriter. It’s a decent conversation starter which is what I usually want.

What’s the elevator pitch for your writing business?

Write well and often,

Anne

Image from http://www.sxc.hu

{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }

Nicki December 27, 2010 at 4:16 am

Might like to check your coding getting this at top of the page: (
Warning: Cannot modify header information – headers already sent by (output started at /home/annewaym/public_html/aboutfreelancewriting/index.php:2) in /home/annewaym/public_html/aboutfreelancewriting/wp-content/plugins/what-would-seth-godin-do/what_would_seth_godin_do.php on line 124)

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annew December 27, 2010 at 11:57 am

Hi Nicki, yes, this morning I disabled named plugin… yesterday I couldn’t tell what was happening and the email from the isp was very confusing.

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annew June 17, 2011 at 3:01 pm

thanks, I’m still having all sorts of tech problems.

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Lisa October 2, 2009 at 5:38 pm

Hi! I’ve been thinking about freelance writing and was not sure in which direction to aim. I think thinking of my own elevator pitch is a great way to help me identify this. Thanks!

MissMentor

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Anne October 3, 2009 at 10:02 am

And you reminded me, Lisa, I’d written that so I linked it to one of the cold calling posts. Thanks back at ‘cha

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admin April 12, 2009 at 11:38 am

Spike, I think the elevator pitch is really for you more than anyone else… or let me say mine is for me… it’s one way I get clear on what I think I’m doing.

“Hopefully helping writers” isn’t bad imo… not great, but not bad.

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SpikeTheLobster April 11, 2009 at 6:35 pm

Hi Anne. I’m on the 31DBBB thing as well, and really struggled with my “elevator pitch”. Horrible marketing buzzwords, bleh. In the end I came up with “Hopefully helping writers’ writing”, but I’ll probably change it. In an elevator, I’d probably say something totally off the wall, like “I’m a ketchup assassin” or “I’m an unemployed super-hero”. I could just never take the whole “elevator pitch” thing seriously. ;)

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Autumn April 7, 2009 at 4:29 pm

I usually say “I’m a writer,” but then people always assume I write romance novels or something. If they don’t assume, they ask what I write, so I say “Non-fiction, mostly website content,” and I usually have to define what exactly that is.

Autumn’s last blog post..More Gamer Help

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Mark Keating April 7, 2009 at 2:55 pm

I used to say “I’m a writer,” but then I’d spend a lot of time explaining that I don’t write articles for The New Yorker. Since I read his book, I go with Peter Bowerman’s title – freelance commercial writer. It’s distinctive enough that I don’t get confused with novelists, and open-ended enough to get a conversation going. (“Oh? what sort of thing do you write?”)

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admin April 7, 2009 at 12:53 pm

Isaac, I had exactly that happen on the phone today from someone who needed more information than I”d provided online… you’re a writer? They were so impressed. ;)
Your welcome Trinia

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Trina L. Grant | Professional Freelance Writer April 7, 2009 at 11:35 am

Hey, Anne. Thanks for the reminder. I meant to sign up for that and forgot. I’m going to do that now.

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Isaac April 7, 2009 at 7:27 am

Just “I write” is usually a good conversation starter too. Something similar, like “I’m a writer,” also works.

I know you use Twitter. I’ve heard comparisons that say Twitter is the online elevator pitch. What do you think?

Isaac’s last blog post..What I Really Wanted to Say to My Grammar-Impaired Students

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