Possibly My First Private Client

[JennWith2Ns]

I posted my first Craigslist ad yesterday and got an email today. However, they want a writer to take over their blog (no problem) and also work on their monthly newsletter. Yeah - never done a newsletter before, and has me nervous!

Any advice?

[copydiva]

Make sure you get all the details of what they want, how often and what they are paying. Don't know if you posted a price or they are asking for a quote. If you are quoting then ask their budget. I've actually gotten paid more because their budget was higher than what I had in mind. Don't low-ball. Know how much work is involved and keep to your price. Use a contract and get a deposit up front. I normally go for 50% for a first client. Hope this helps.

[hollijo]

I think if it were me, I'd just go for it, especially if they have a newsletter going. That way, you already know the template and format they want, and you can see samples of the tone they're looking for. (If they don't have one already in place, I'd ask LOTS of questions to make sure I created what they wanted.)

It is scary to try something new, especially since your client wants quality work. But most of what I've learned as a writer has come from on the job training, where the clients didn't know I'd never done that type of writing before. The same goes for my brick and mortar jobs - school didn't teach me enough to know everything about my jobs, but I learned as I went along. You have to start somewhere without experience, so if they like your writing style and want to hire you, my vote is to do it!

[JennWith2Ns]

Thanks for the tips!

She did ask for my rates, so I need to figure that out too. The blog will be easy because they only have 4 really short posts on it so I can come up with plenty of ideas.

[Jonelle]

Good luck with the new opportunity!

[ErinHill226]

Most (decent) newsletter are a compilation of short articles with a slight sales slant. Some may only have one short article... some have several. And by slant, I mean a very soft sell. For instance, if they are selling shampoo... a newsletter might contain one longer piece on new hair care ingredients that have been proven effective... and a few shorter ones on knowing how often to wash your hair... and breaking news on the company itself. So, informative... but with a sales twist. Therefore, if you can write articles... you can write a newsletter. Just read a few former ones they may have, if available, and ask if they want anything to change about the overall tone, style, etc... when you take over.

Congrats! And good luck!

[beanandpumpkin]

Congratulations!!

And don't worry about never having done something before... there's a first time for everything!

[JennWith2Ns]

Thanks everyone!