What is Your Selling Strategy?

[HayleyWriter]

Hi all,

We've had a very interesting discussion in the forum thread, "Who is Selling Articles for $1-$5?" and it got me thinking. There are many different selling strategies that work on CC. One author friend commented recently that she had to go back and look at her articles to figure out why she wasn't making sales. I know that sales have slowed for almost everyone at the moment, and I thought it might be useful if several authors post ideas on their favourite selling strategies that are currently working. However, some authors are still making sales. I thought it might be interesting to share some of the successful, or not so successful strategies - what has worked, is working, and what has fallen flat. The selling strategy as a whole is not only about how your price the articles, although that is one component, but how you market your articles and even what types of articles and what length of articles you write. Hopefully, many will contribute to this thread and all authors will benefit from the collective wisdom.

Here's my strategy:
1. Keep an eye on the recently sold list. It gives me the trends of what is selling. I notice that articles seem to sell in batches or in groups at different types. At present, a number of business related articles have sold recently, so that is an area I am writing articles in right now. A few weeks ago, zodiac and dating articles were selling like hot cakes.

2. Write articles in a variety of topic categories and in varying lengths. Although I don't normally write less than 400 words, I have found that some articles of varying lengths sell well at different times. I have sold articles from 400 words to 2000 word articles. I have written articles in a variety of topics, so I am not only writing for one niche market. This gives me plenty of scope to write what I feel like writing and to build up a broad portfolio. I now feature on several expertise group lists.
...Cont

[HayleyWriter]

3. Submit articles regularly. The more often customers see my name as an author on current articles, the more customers know I am active on the site, and therefore available to write specific requests for them. Also, just generally, the more you submit, and the oftener you submit, the more you sell. I am sure there are customers who search only for latest articles - plus with the new RSS feeds and latest articles showing first when searched, the more often you submit, the more likely customers will see your latest article.

4. Price. This is a tough one and I am not sure it always works. However, I price my articles at a fairly high rate and then click the best offer button. This shows customers (I hope) that I value and take pride in my work and believe my writing is good enough to command the high rates. However, if a customer is unable to afford the high rates, they have the opportunity to negotiate. I reject about half of the offers I receive that are too low. I aim to get between 3.5 cents and 8 cents per word for each article, with an average of 5 cents per word.

5. Respond to some public requests, work to build relationships for private requests, and have other article ideas to write about when neither sort of request catches my eye. I keep a folder with various ideas, clippings from newspapers, magazines or websites that caught my eye and may start a train of thought for new articles or start the research on an article.

Well there you have it folks - a five point strategy for success on CC. I'd really love to know other author's ideas for strategies that work here too!

Hayley

[Lor]

Well done, Hayley. This should be light-bulbed at the top of Author to Author. Thanks for the work you did putting it together. This will be especially useful for new members.

Lorraine

[HayleyWriter]

Thanks Lor. I had hoped some other authors with different selling strategies or ideas would chime in too ...

[Celeste Stewart]

Have been meaning to chime in but have been swamped the last day or two... I'll be back though.

[eek]

Thanks for starting this topic, Hayley. I've been thinking about the same things, and am eager to hear from other authors. I don't have much to offer beyond the very thorough information you shared with us above, but I wish someone could chime in about questions I've had, and somewhat answered for myself, but would like confirmation or clarification if my strategies are off.

-If I spend days on an article because it takes that long to wrap my head around it, present it accurately, and make it clear and interesting, does it follow that I can tag it with a higher price? Sometimes... but sometimes not. If the article isn't special enough (too many more out there like it), it probably won't sell at a high price just because I was slow. I'll remain firm on a high price if I think it's special in one way or another, and with a little patience most sell eventually. Maybe not for full rights every time, but that's okay.
-Sometimes I'll write for a public request at a lower price because there is a better chance of a quick sale - as long as it's something I can produce quickly. If the requester doesn't want it, I raise the price to what I think it was worth.
-Time-sensitive/gossipy pieces may be hot topics, but I price them more moderately ($20s for full rights) because they'll only be a flash-in-the-pan for the customer.
-Ditto (Hayley) on writing on a variety of topics and varying the word count, but it seems that longer articles (1,000 words or more) are slightly harder to sell.

Can anyone address whether offering .txt files are advantageous to .doc? Do you think customers would pass on an article just because it's a .doc file? And I'd like to hear more about how other authors are using the new RSS feeds and how it's working out.
Okay, that's my 2 cents. As always, good writing is your best bet for a winning selling strategy.
Emma

[Celeste Stewart]

Good morning,
When it's slow, I've learned to enjoy it. When it's super slow, I kick into my emergency plan. Yes, I have one of those! The plan has a specific daily strategy ala "write 5 articles for CC, 2 for AC, and send one query to a magazine" (or something like that). Haven't had to implement the plan so far (knock on wood).

I try to remember what made me successful in the first place and fall back into that mode when I have free time. Writing about whatever I've been up to has always worked well for me. Not a personal blog type article, but rather an informative article based on information that I've learned as I've been exploring the topic. For example, I've been using Twitter lately so you'll see several of my recent submissions have been related to that (types of software, getting a Twitter name, building a Twitter network, etc). This works well on two fronts. One: I'm writing about what I know and using research that I've already done. Two: If the topic is part of a larger trend or has widespread appeal, the article will find a home fairly fast.

As far as RSS feeds go, it's still too early to tell. I use mine to autopost to Twitter in the hopes that eventually someone who needs content will take notice. I've landed a few private jobs from people searching for writers on Twitter, so this should also help. I'm following several web designers who are following me back. I hope to build up relationships over time and perhaps land a few more jobs. If nothing else, if they follow my links, they'll be introduced to CC which is good, too.

Way back, I used to submit both .doc and .txt files but found it was extra work that didn't seem to make a difference one way or the other. Only just recently did one requester ask if .txt was available (so I made it available). I know now that if I want to answer any of her future requests I should submit a .txt file. Otherwise, I'm not going to bother for the general public.

[MediaMaven]

I wouldn't call it a selling strategy, but I've recently decided on a different writing - and life - strategy. I want to start focusing my writing in on some very specific niches of health; namely fitness, nutrition, and weight loss. They may sell or they may not, but what's important to me is that I build up a really good portfolio in that area and constantly improve. I only write part-time, and any articles I sell are going to go into a fund so that I can get a personal trainer certification. I figure certification can help me two-fold by making me appear as a more credible health and fitness writer, and if I happen to find a few people who are looking for a trainer then that's even better.

I love fitness and exercise, and I love sharing what I know about it. It's been said that you should "do what you love, and the money will follow." I sure hope that's true!

[eek]

I'd say that's a great selling strategy, M! Your article ideas will be much more "organic" since you'll have real-life experiences to write about. Wish you the best with your strategy,
emma

[HayleyWriter]

Hi all,

Emma and Celeste - great comments. Thanks!

MediaMaven - Focusing on your own experiences and key areas of expertise is a good strategy and I think you will find your market there. By the way, did you see the public request today - should be right up your alley! Although I prefer to write on a variety of topics, most of my articles stem from something within my own experience or field of expertise. I do supplement my own knowledge about subjects with research, because I continually love learning more about the subjects.

Emma - I like your comments on pricing. It's not only about how much time we as authors spend on articles, but also about what the market is. For certain articles, I do price cheaper too, especially if the article is topical and if it doesn't sell quickly will probably not sell at all. I also like the idea of raising the price of an article for a cheap public request when that customer doesn't buy it. As you say, sometimes it is worth pricing cheaply hoping for a quick sale, but once that quick sale is lost putting your prices back up makes sense.

Celeste - I need an emergency plan too! Hadn't thought of that. Meanwhile writing what you know, or are currently researching for your own life makes sense. I know I have more success in selling the articles I write from personal experience (in the format you suggested) than articles based solely on research. Perhaps this is because the reader can tell whether the author has real experience in the subject from the tone, or the way the information is put together in a logical sequence for those who actually do the process.

Hayley

[BarryDavidson]

My strategy for selling is simple... Set a price I'm comfortable with, and trying not to look at the unsold articles too much. My writing strategy seems to help me more. In my articles I try to write in language everyone can understand. Sure, I could write technical articles with lots of big words and terms most people don't know or understand, but then I'd be limiting myself to a small percentage of buyers. In most my satire articles I try to inject at least 50% truth.

[Elizabeth Ann West]

This may not be helpful to all, but I haven't had an article sell since the beginning of April. I have submitted since then of course, but it does seem to be a dry spell right now for me. No worries, as I've encountered this before here, my topics just aren't jiving with the current buyers. I don't worry anymore since my selling to writing ratio typically stays above 70% (number of articles written compared to licenses sold) and I'm happy with that.

When I hit a dry spell, I actually take a break from C-C. I will spend a week or two going through my Works in Progress folder, to see the loose bits I've left behind, or look through my Tom notes on my computer to see topics I overlooked. I also will take some time to work on my fiction piece that I have going as a hobby and sometimes work on my web authoring skills.

It sounds kooky, but for me since I am a part-time writer and do it primarily for fun and the money is just fun money for my family, sometimes when my writing isn't selling it's a sign to me to double check my priorities. I seem to sell well when I am adequately balanced in my life. Obviously, when my articles are flying off the shelf, my ego kicks in and I have a tendency to pretend I'm a full-time writer. Then the cycle rights itself by a dry spell and I remember that writing is not my #1 priority. For me, some this has to do with my religious beliefs, but others could just see it as a cosmic balance kind of thing.

I guess overall, I mean to point out that slowing sales doesn't mean you can't use the opportunity to pursue other writing opportunities or enriching your life. But, when the sales do slow down, and you try to force it by producing more articles thinking more is better, the work often becomes sloppy and doesn't help your sales. I do find this site has a natural cycle it appears where more sales seem to occur at the end of the month, if that helps too.

[eek]

Those are good points, Elizabeth. It's easy to panic during a dry spell, or to shrug it off, and not consider that the writer (and writing skills) might need some injections of real-life experiences, or time to read something well-written, or a chance to see something new, to listen, relax, breathe... be inspired. It's really hard as a full-time writer to keep a balance. It's also difficult to keep your head up during a dry spell, because those sales are akin to a boss telling you that you're doing a great job. (So here's a pat on the back, Elizabeth. You're a good writer. Enjoy the dry spell!)

Here's a spring-board idea from that for selling strategies: take mini-vacations. Visit local attractions, talk to people and ask lots of questions, and pick up brochures. You'll go home mentally energized, and you might take home a few article ideas.

Emma

[Elizabeth Ann West]

Wow, hello summer and an uptick in sales!

See, I didn't stress the short 2 month dry spell, and this week 3 of my existing articles sold! What a nice little bonus just in time for the arrival of my stepson! We now have some Mad Money to keep us occupied this summer. :)

[HayleyWriter]

Way to go Elizabeth!

I've noticed the recently sold list is moving much quicker these days, so it could be that the slump is over or at least easing. Parenting articles sold in a huge batch and I bet some of those articles had been sitting there for a few months. Who could have thought you could want 10 articles about potty training?

It's good to see some sales on the board and not to see the same recently sold list as the day before. Hopefully, we will continue to see the sales throughout June!

Hayley