Do you want to grow a profitable content business? If so, join 25,000 readers. I share daily insights about personal brand building, writing online and growing a profitable business. It's for creators, coaches and business owners.
The editor who taught me how to get hired
|
Hi Reader, “Where can I get a job?” An email subscriber asked me that exact question last week. Some one of few words, they provided no context or information about who they are or what they offer. I get brief emails like these a few times a month. I love hearing from readers, but I can’t do much with these one-line questions. Are they looking for a job writing for my website? In that case, I stopped hiring over a year ago because I changed my business model… Do they want to know which big tech company they should bang a CV into? Try a Fintech. Or perhaps they want me to hire them to fix the bathroom press in my house, paint my office, mind the kids, and cook spaghetti bolognese so I can write these emails. For a while, I replied to these one-line questions. I wanted to learn more about who these people are. I even sent them a list of places hiring writers and creators. But if someone asks, “Where can I get a job?” they’ll likely find it hard to land paying work. Unemployment isn’t fun, and I feel for someone struggling to pay the bills. Years ago, I sent these emails to newspaper and magazine editors in Ireland. They almost never replied. Except for one editor. He invited me into his office for a chat on Friday morning. He told me, “The magazine can’t offer any paying work.” I was disappointed, but then he carefully explained how to write a pitch that prioritizes the editor and the magazine. I tried his approach and a few weeks later, I landed a nice gig writing features for a tech magazine in Ireland. I’m not a freelance journalist anymore, but finding paying work and even selling offers requires a simple reframe—one that an editor taught me. Rather than telling someone YOU need paying work, explain how you can help your ideal client get what they want. If you like reading these daily emails, you’ll love my private, no-cost Telegram channel. I share behind-the-scenes content about how I’m growing my content business. My goal is to help you add $3–5k to your business in 2025. Join here Write on, |
Letters From the Desk of Bryan Collins
Do you want to grow a profitable content business? If so, join 25,000 readers. I share daily insights about personal brand building, writing online and growing a profitable business. It's for creators, coaches and business owners.
Hi Reader Google is facing BIG problems in 2025. And I don’t just mean the US Justice Department telling the boffins at Mountain View to sell off Chrome. Search is one of Google’s core products, and frankly, it’s broken. As a search user, finding what I want is harder because the results are often wrong, unhelpful, or take ages to wade through. As a content publisher and creator, ranking a site in search is harder because the algo favors Reddit and giga-chad brands like our ex-friends at...
Hi Reader, I discovered a fun website the other day, nohello.net, which offers some contrarian netiquette. When you’re DM-ing or messaging someone, stop saying hello, hola, heya or Dia Dhuit (that’s Irish for hello). Excessive politeness is the equivalent of answering a ringing phone, greeting the caller, and putting them on hold. It’s maddeningly frustrating. I’m on board with the contrarian piece of netiquette for two reasons. Reason 1: It rings alarm bells I get messages from scammers via...
Hi Reader, I was sitting in a pub a few days ago with a copy of The Power Broker by Ron Chernow. A man sitting beside me said, “Can you write a book report on that for tomorrow?” He was joking about the size of the book. It’s over 1200 pages. In between scoffing mince and polishing off a cheeseboard, I’ll spend the next few days making inroads on it. Wish me luck, I could still be reading it next Christmas. Here are the 5 best books I read in 2025 (4 new, one old). Shattered by Hanif Kureishi...