Marketing Secrets

Promoting Your Writing Business in Very Bad Times – by Joshua Pantalleresco

September 2, 2021

Promoting Your Writing Business in Very Bad Times – by Joshua Pantalleresco
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COVID cases are going up and it’s possible that the world may go back into lockdown again. When lockdowns started in March of last year, I didn’t see it as a time to stop my writing business, but rather to press forward. The world is a business, life will go on, and the day to day will continue in some form or fashion. The temptation to do nothing and shut down with businesses that can’t operate is a common conception but, ultimately, a mistake.

With money being harder to come by, it’s more important than ever to keep on promoting your business. It seems counter-intuitive to advertise, but look at big company advertising budgets in tough times. Big companies realize that you have to do more to attract the money that is out there. Writers have to do the same thing.

What do you target? Well, here are some of the things I did that helped me find work last year.

Your Platforms
I have a podcast you can listen to me ramble at but, for most writers, a newsletter is effective. Now is the time to be more rewarding to your fanbase because it’s a great way to keep building connections, and you never know where the relationships with your fans will lead you. Your platforms are where you are going to connect with your people, whomever they are. In times like this, they will support you. Lots of writers can find more writing business from their newsletter readers.

But, it doesn’t have to be just your newsletter. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and  Instagram all have different ways of interacting and your social media circles can open doors if you are willing to ask for help. Beyond social media, maybe you have a blog, a Vlog, or a stream like Twitch? Any of this can open new doors.

People You Know
This is the real invisible market. People tend to hire who they know, or someone a friend or family member knows. Better to support a friend than someone you don’t know, right? I’ve gotten quite a few opportunities just because I know people who know people. The invisible job market is the art of making connections. Hopefully, as a writer and business, you have gotten into the habit of communicating with the people you come into contact with. They will help you.

I got an opportunity to write for a few magazines because I knew someone who knew the editor of those magazines. After an introduction, I made an impression, and got a chance to make an impact. I am seeing money regularly from these jobs and I’m on the right track.

Ads
This method requires a budget but there are ways to scale your profile with ads to make yourself more visible to the marketplace. Crafting a Facebook or Amazon ad would need to be an article all on its own. This will scale you up into a marketplace if done correctly but you do need money to invest. How big do you want to scale? There are possibilities there.

If you have limitations, how much can you invest? I advise no more than 10 percent of your earnings. This can be a giant money sink until you master it. Even then, the rules change constantly, especially with Facebook. But, when you hit the point when you are ready to scale, this is an investment worth considering.

Even in – especially in – what seems to many to be an apocalypse, life goes on and you need to keep your writing business IN business. In fact, you need to go harder or, at the very least, smarter, and use the resources you have. The money is out there and you CAN get it if you work harder than your competitors to attract it.

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Joshua Pantalleresco writes stuff, podcasts and dabbles in illustration. He has written 5 books and articles for places like Anime Herald and First Comics News. His next book, Lights Out is coming out April or May this year. He does a podcast called Just Joshing and it airs 5 days a week in which he interviews creatives about life, the universe and everything. He lives in Canada and is working on drawing a comic. His website is: https://jpantalleresco.wordpress.com

 

 

 

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